On the side of a road in Hakdong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Fifty Fifty's practice room is located halfway up a hill that is difficult to walk on. Unlike the practice rooms of large entertainment companies, the exterior looked somewhat shabby. The food stall sign and the chicken feet restaurant on the second floor are noticeable. The miracle began in the practice room under the chicken feet restaurant.
It is a success that no one could have imagined. The practice room the reporter visited that day was quiet. Unlike the quiet practice room, Fifty Fifty held a press conference in celebration of climbing the Billboard chart.
The news of Fifty Fifty's success was so sudden that even those around the practice room were completely unaware of it. Mr. A, the manager of the practice room building, said briefly, "Those guys debuted? It's amazing." Mr. B, a nearby merchant, said, "I didn't even know he debuted. I knew he had a trainee." Mr. C also said, "The CEO of Attract came here often. “I didn’t know that my trainee friends were debuting,” he said.
Fifty Fifty debuted in November last year. At the time, no one was interested in them. It was a debut narrative like no other for a small agency I had never heard of. There was no obvious entertainment activity like that of new idols from large entertainment companies.
The music they played turned the game around. A different mid-tempo music than before, a musical narrative reminiscent of musical music. And a differentiated tone that catches your ear from the first verse. They presented music that made you feel like they were a different group.
Fifty Fifty entered the Billboard Hot 100 four months after their debut through ‘Cupid’. It is currently ranked 85th. It also ranked first on Spotify in 10 countries, becoming the fourth K-pop group to do so after BTS, Blackpink, and New Jeans. In addition, the song is achieving amazing results, including ranking on domestic music charts.
There are a total of 4 members: Saena, Aran, Kina, and Shio. There are only about 10 Attract executives and employees. Since it exploded out of nowhere, the upward trend continues for a long time. The reason is that I was able to meet and hear from them.
Fifty Fifty held a press conference regarding the popular high-altitude march at 2pm on this day. What member Saena kept talking about at the meeting was sincerity and musicality. Saena cited the song as the reason for its popularity, saying, "The essential thing is our music. Many people listen to it thanks to the high-quality music and good energy."
It is also interesting that the response came first from overseas rather than domestically. Music critic Jeong Min-jae said, "Fifty Fifty's success is completely different from the popularity of existing K-pop groups. Their music has a strong classic pop song feel, so it is not a 'K-pop achievement' but rather a 'good pop song' on overseas charts." He commented, “It is close to a case that has settled in.”
Existing K-pop is mainly about intensity and charisma. The concept itself is tied to a worldview and pursues strong music. Fifty Fifty's 'Easy Listening', which was played from the beginning, worked well.
It is also meaningful in that it breaks away from what is typical of K-pop and shows a new color of music. It's similar to how Big Bang competed with hip-hop and New Jeans competed with coolness in the past. Music critic Kim Young-dae said, “It showed the power of comfortable music,” and “It presented another way for K-pop idols to perform on the world stage.”
Fifty Fifty means 50% 50%. 50% of the songs are made by the singer, but the remaining 50% are made by the fans, making it 100% complete. It's a good start. It seems like the singer's share is 50%. The entertainment industry is paying attention to how the remaining 50% of fans' share will be filled.
Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr