TWS and ALLDAY PROJECT Drive Rapid Success for New Groups

New groups are achieving success at an accelerating pace in the K-pop market. The five-member mixed-gender group ALLDAY PROJECT, which made its debut in June, reached number one on Melon’s Top 100 just four days after releasing its title track “Payamous.” It further secured first place on a music show ten days after its debut, becoming a highly discussed group. ALLDAY PROJECT is the first mixed-gender group under The Black Label, founded by Teddy, who was once a producer at YG Entertainment. The group consists of members with distinct individual identities, including Annie, the eldest daughter of Shinsegae Group chairman Jung Yoo-kyung; Youngseo, who was part of IVE’s initial lineup; Woochan, the youngest contestant to advance to the main stage on Mnet’s “Show Me the Money”; Bailey, a renowned choreographer; and Tarzzan, a contemporary dancer and model. The success of mixed-gender groups represents a notable shift in the K-pop industry. While mixed-gender groups such as Lula, Cool, and KoYote were popular in the 1990s, it became difficult to build a large fanbase after the 2000s due to the expansion of fandom culture within the idol industry. There had been virtually no domestic mixed-gender groups since KARD debuted in 2017. The strong and highly polished performances along with sophisticated music are cited as reasons why ALLDAY PROJECT was able to create a new wave of success. In particular, it is praised for focusing on showcasing each member’s individual charm rather than emphasizing gender differences, despite being a mixed-gender group. Meanwhile, the group TWS is also continuing this trend of new groups achieving success by securing its first first place on a music show. TWS topped the charts with its title track “Overdrive” from its fourth mini-album “Play Hard” on SBS funE’s “The Show” episode broadcast on the 21st. The members expressed their gratitude, saying, “We are thankful to our fandom for turning this moment we’ve dreamed of since practice into reality.” TWS’s fourth mini-album sold approximately 640,000 copies in its first week of release (October 13–19), breaking the record set by its previous release, and also ranked number one on Circle Chart’s weekly retail album chart (October 12–18). The dance challenge for their new song gained massive popularity, with “Overdrive” holding the top spot on Instagram’s “Trending Audio” chart as of the 21st. As K-pop new groups dominate charts with diverse formats and music styles, the possibility of more varied forms of idol groups is emerging.