‘Hive’ Le Seraphim vs ‘JYP’ Twice, big clash in February

Hive and JYP Entertainment's 'signature girl group' will clash.

As the new year of 2024 approaches, major artists such as (G)I-DLE and singer IU have announced the release of new albums one after another, and the attention of the K-pop fandom is focused on Le Seraphim and Twice, who are making comebacks on February 19th and 23rd, respectively. there is.

Le Seraphim and Twice are the 'signature girl groups' promoted by Hive, which dominates the K-pop market, and JYP Entertainment, a famous idol company with a long history, and are representative of the 3rd and 4th generation girl groups. The exciting confrontation between these two girl groups of different generations and charms is expected to be the hottest topic in the music industry in February.

Le Seraphim releases their 3rd mini album 'EASY' on February 19th, opening the door to a major clash. The new album contains honest stories about the anxiety and concerns that exist behind Le Seraphim's confident appearance. From the debut album 'FEARLESS', to the 2nd mini album 'ANTIFRAGILE', to the first full-length album 'UNFORGIVEN', to the first English digital single 'Perfect Night'. As Le Seraphim has shown remarkable growth by breaking ‘career highs’ every time she releases an album or sound source, a lot of attention is being paid to this comeback.

Within a year and a half of their debut, Le Seraphim achieved excellent results in both music and albums and rose to the ranks of large girl groups. They set their sights on the overseas market by releasing the English song 'Perfect Night' in October last year, and achieved remarkable results on the US Billboard charts. What is especially noteworthy is that although 'Perfect Night' is an English song, it swept the top spot on major domestic music charts and remains at the top of the list even three months after its release. They are also showing excellent results in terms of album sales, which is considered an indicator of fandom. 'UNFORGIVEN' sold 1.02 million copies on the day of release and ranked 6th on the US Billboard's main album chart 'Billboard 200'. Attention is being paid to whether Le Seraphim, with its overwhelming momentum, will shake up K-pop once again with its new album.

On February 23rd, Twice will return as a complete group for the first time in about a year. The 13th mini album 'With YOU-th' contains the feeling of being always together in the brilliant youth. Twice, who has already entered the 10th year of their debut, has shown overwhelming influence in the United States by ranking 2nd on the Billboard 200 with the highest sales figure among all K-pop girl groups with their previous album 'READY TO BE'. proven. In addition, the pre-released song 'MOONLIGHT SUNRISE' entered the Billboard main song chart 'Hot 100'.

In particular, Twice proved their amazing ability to mobilize audiences as a 'World Wide Stadium Artist' last year. In July of last year, they became the first girl group in the world to enter and sell out SoFi Stadium in California and MetLife Stadium in New York. The bond with fans built up through numerous performances and the firepower that will be added to this new album, combined with the full group's comeback after a year, are also expected points.

While the close competition between Hive, JYP, and the 3rd and 4th generations has enriched the music industry since the beginning of the year, global fandom is paying attention to which of the two teams will emerge victorious.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr