Le Seraphim, ‘Unforgiven’ recorded 1.2 million copies in just 6 days of release
Espa sold 1.37 million copies in just one day of release
Embarrassed and bitter at the early toast
Espa sold 1.37 million copies in just one day of release
Embarrassed and bitter at the early toast
As of May, a girl group competition took place. Domestic entertainment companies are introducing girl groups representing their companies around the same time. K-pop fans were delighted to hear a variety of music. In addition, apart from the musical colors they show, the music report cards of competing groups are also an eye-catching topic.
There are two groups that competed one week apart. This is the story of Le Seraphim, who came back on the 2nd, and Espa, who came back on the 8th. They made a comeback 6 days apart, marking the beginning of a full-fledged competition.
Both Le Seraphim and Espa are Korea's representative 'girl crush' concept groups. Powerful vocals, visually outstanding performance. Music with the background of ‘self-love’ is their main narrative.
Their concept stands out in this matchup. Le Seraphim still competed with confidence. Espa broke away from his previous musical theme and used 'high teen' as a weapon. The result of the match between the two did not change due to the changed concept. However, in the early numbers of the competition, Le Seraphim suffered a 'decision loss'.
According to the industry on the 9th, Le Seraphim's new album 'UNFORGIVEN' sold 1,197,798 copies in 6 days after its release. This is a four-fold increase compared to the initial sales of 300,000 copies of the debut album ‘FEARLESS’. It sold a whopping 1.02 million copies on the first day alone. This is the highest first-day album sales record for a K-pop female artist.
The first place record set by Le Seraphim was changed in just one week. This is the effect of the comeback of rival girl group Aespa. As of the first day of release, Aespa's third mini album 'My World' sold 1,372,929 copies. The number of pre-orders itself reached 1.8 million, predicting that it would become a million-seller early on. Following the previous work 'Girls', this is the second consecutive work to sell 1 million units.
As it is still early days, the album's initial sales numbers do not tell the whole story. However, many in the music industry predict that this rivalry between Le Seraphim and Espa will end with Espa winning by decision. First of all, as can be seen in the initial sales figures, many say that Espa has a stronger fan base. Espa, which debuted in 2020, has relatively more fans, and boasts a significant number of loyal fans to SM Entertainment. In addition, the high popularity and influence of members representing Espa, such as Carina, are also factors supporting Espa's relative advantage.
There is also some skepticism about the concept presented by Reseraphim itself. Le Seraphim maintained the concept of ‘healthy idol’ and ‘daunted idol’ throughout their three comebacks. Some people say they get bored with seeing the same Reseraphim look every time. This means that a new musical attempt is needed.
On the other hand, Espa broke away from the worldview and showed a different side. In the worldview called 'Wilderness', the warriors who took down the villain Black Mamba transformed into teenage protagonists. Another pleasure for K-pop fans. As fans, we have no choice but to show more support for Espa's new look. However, initial sales volume or concept diversity are not everything. The measure of popularity can change at any time depending on what you show during your activities. It looks like May will be a happy month for K-pop fans who can watch both competing groups.
Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr