[Oh!SSEN FOCUS] From iKON to BLACKPINK, YG Dominates 47.8% of No. 1s in Early 2018… New Record at 89 Days
[OSEN=최나영 기자] It is not an exaggeration to say that YG Entertainment (YG) perfectly dominated music charts of early 2018.
According to OSEN’s analysis on Melon Chart for early 2018 on July 5, YG artists were placed at no. 1 for 89 days among a total of 186 days in 2018.
iKON was placed at no. 1 for 43 days from January 25 to March 8, with the title song ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ from their 2nd official album ‘RETURN’. ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ not only topped real-time, daily, weekly, and monthly charts, but also set a milestone in boy group history by maintaining their top spot for 43 days. The song is still ranked high in various music charts.
‘LOVE SCENARIO’ is a song written and composed by B.I, a member of iKON. The main rhythm is composed of catchy keyboard riffs and percussion sources. The lyrics of the song that metaphorically and sentimentally state the beginning and end of love as a stage of life touches the listeners’ hearts, while the memorable melody and reminiscent lyrics create a beautiful harmony.
iKON firmly solidified their unique musical color with this song, while kicking off YG’s 2018 with a hugh success. iKON is undeniably the king of music charts in 2018.
BIGBANG followed, topping music charts from March 13 to March 31, a total of 19 days. Due to the enlistments by TAEYANG and DAESUNG on March, the group had to go through a vacancy for a while. Therefore, BIGBANG gifted the song ‘FLOWER ROAD’ for the fans, which was a track featuring all members released in 1 year and 3 months. ‘FLOWER ROAD’ eventually achieved an ‘all-kill’ status in music charts, proving BIGBANG’s power despite the group’s vacancy.
What grabbed the people’s attention is that BIGBANG swept charts when the number of users using the music platform was at its peak. This proved BIGBANG’s popularity among the entire public, surpassing popularity among fandom.
WINNER marched at no. 1 for 6 days, from April 4 to 9. The group received explosive response from fans by releasing their 2nd album ‘EVERYDAY’ on April. The title song ‘EVERYD4Y’ swept no. 1 spots in all music charts, while all tracks from the album lined up in the top ranks in various music platforms. The song ‘EVERYD4Y’ well displayed the members’ unique charms, while the catchy elements of the song also received positive response from music markets overseas.
The next runners were BLACKPINK. BLACKPINK’s achievements as YG’s 4th runners of 2018 are more explosive than expected. The title song ‘DDU-DU DDU-DU’ from BLACKPINK’s first mini album ‘SQUARE UP’ topped music charts for 21 days from June 15 to July 5, and their record is still ongoing.
BLACKPINK’s long-run march on music charts is going beyond the K-Pop scene, and is even surprising music industries overseas. The successful results seem to have come from BLACKPINK members’ various charms and good music. They are ‘pretty but Hip-Hop’ as the name ‘BLACKPINK’ suggests, and their unique charms are taking over the world.
Now, the 5th runner SEUNGRI, will take over and continue YG’s great force. After releasing two solo mini albums in 2011 and 2013, he will now release his first official solo album ‘THE GREAT SEUNGRI’ on the 20th. It’s his first full-length solo album since debut, and will be his comeback as a solo artist in 5 years.
The title song of the album is ‘I’ll Count to Three (1, 2, 3!)’, and was produced, written, and composed by hitmaker TEDDY. SEUNGRI also participated in the writing and composing of the song. Since it’s the first musical collaboration by SEUNGRI and TEDDY, people are wondering what kind of synergy effects the two people will bring.
YG was literally the ‘Chart Eater’ of early 2018. The successful results by YG musicians in music charts that indicate the public and fandom’s support are astonishing. One of the big factors that made these achievements possible is the unique musical colors and performances presented by artists within the boundary called ‘Music by YG’.
2018. 7. 5.
