MUSIC
Le Seraphim, US Billboard ‘Hot 100’ with new song EASY
The dream that LE SSERAFIM revealed at the comeback showcase for their 3rd mini album 'EASY' on the 19th of last month has become a reality.
According to the latest chart (as of March 9) released by the U.S. Billboard on the 5th (Korean time), the title song 'EASY' of Le Seraphim's (Kim Chae-won, Sakura, Heo Yun-jin, Kazuha, Hong Eun-chae) 3rd mini album is the main song chart. It entered the ‘Hot 100’ at 99th place. Le Seraphim showed off its global popularity by rising to the top of the charts in the Korean and Japanese markets and even breaking through the US Billboard Hot 100.
'Hot 100' is a chart that ranks physical singles, digital music, streaming figures, radio airplay scores, YouTube views, etc. In particular, the barrier to entry is high for foreign singers who have difficulty obtaining scores in the radio airplay category. Billboard compiles scores from every Friday to the following Thursday, and 'EASY' ranked on this chart even under the unfavorable circumstances of being released at 6 PM on Monday.
The 3rd mini album of the same name as the title song ranked 8th on the main album chart 'Billboard 200'. In particular, Le Seraphim is evaluated as having built a solid fandom in the United States by appearing in the 'Top 10' of this chart with two consecutive works, 'UNFORGIVEN' and 'EASY'. With this, Le Seraphim became the fourth K-pop girl group in history to dominate the two main charts of the US Billboard, following Blackpink, Twice, and New Jeans.
Le Seraphim's latest achievement was the result of strategic promotion and the team's outstanding performance. Instead of appearing on local broadcasts and radio, Le Seraphim actively used social media for promotion. They conducted the #MakeItLookEasy shorts challenge with YouTube and announced their new song to YouTube users around the world.
The endless stream of video content captured the attention of global music fans. Le Seraphim released the music video for 'EASY' on the 19th of last month and, unusually, released three performance videos the very next day. At 9 a.m. on February 21, four team-related videos, including the music video for 'EASY', were placed in the 'Top 20' of YouTube's US trending video chart. Their unique strategy paid off as all of the videos they released in succession succeeded in attracting the public's attention. Then, on February 24th, Le Seraphim stole the hearts of more listeners by releasing a live performance of the English version of 'EASY' through the YouTube channel Vevo, which has 20 million subscribers.
Most of the content presented by Le Seraphim focused on the team's strength, performance. In 'EASY', the five members reinterpreted the old school hip-hop dance that dominated America in the 1980s and 1990s in K-pop style. American locals felt both fresh and familiar while seeing old school hip hop dance recreated with a K-pop feel. Music videos and performance videos filmed by choreographer-turned-directors such as Nina McNeely and Kreative Beno received great response as they captured the charm of dance well.
Given that Le Seraphim is gradually growing in the American music market, their success is not expected to be a one-off. Every time they release a new album, they break their own record on major charts such as Billboard, Spotify, and iTunes. After making their presence known on the charts, they entered the US market in earnest with their first English digital single 'Perfect Night' in October last year. They were active with the public as well as the K-pop fandom, such as appearing on NBC's representative morning show 'TODAY' at the time, collaborating with the American professional basketball team NBA, and performing at the world's largest game festival 'BlizzCon® 2023'. .
Based on Spotify's 'Daily Top Songs USA', the highest daily streaming record for 'EASY' (as of February 20, 530,000 times) is 40% compared to 'Perfect Night' (as of November 1, 23, 380,000 times). exploded nearby. In addition, 'EASY' was played more than 2.9 million times during the latest 'Weekly Top Songs in America' (counting period from February 23 to 29), setting a new record for the most weekly streaming among Le Seraphim's songs. In the United States, K-pop artists who have exceeded 500,000 daily streams and 2.9 million weekly streams are rare enough to be counted on one hand. The results achieved by 'EASY' are proof that a large number of new listeners were brought in through previous activities and the team's position was strengthened.
As Le Seraphim's popularity in the U.S. has built up solidly, we are looking forward to the future. They will be the only K-pop girl group to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the largest music festival in the United States, on April 13th and 20th (local time). Go on stage. Le Seraphim's influence is expected to expand further, using entry into Billboard's 'Hot 100' and appearance at 'Coachella' as leverage.
Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr
