[Music Talk Talk] Why iKON is expected to take the top spot for the fourth time in a row
[OSEN=선미경 기자] Boy group iKON is heralding a chart sweeping for four consecutive times.
It appears that iKON will once again captivate the K-pop scene at the year-end. iKON’s single album “APOLOGY”, which was released on the 16th, made a big hit, topping music charts for three times in a row, and they are gearing up to prove their potential as a powerful rookie once again with their full debut album to be released next month.
Ahead of a new song release planned for next month, iKON is shooting a music video from the 24th. Seo Hyeon Seung, who is expected to bring up iKON’s new image, will direct the music video. With the news about their music video shooting, music industry insiders and fans are paying attention to them.
In particular, the album to be released next month will be the finale of iKON’s debut project. It is expected that with the album, they will continue to sweep music charts, which began with their warm-up single album “MY TYPE”, their official debut song “RHYTHM TA” and “APOLOGY”.
iKON made official debut releasing “MY TYPE” in September. Later in October, they proved their potential releasing a half album with “RHYTHM TA” and “AIRPLANE” as the title songs. They even attracted 10,000 fans to their debut concert based on their solid skills honed through survival programs and their wide fan base. This is quite unusual for a newly debuted artist.
In particular, iKON made a record taking the first place of music charts for third time in a row with “APOLOGY”, their single album released on the 16th. Together with “APOLOGY”, “ANTHEM”, B.I & BOBBY’s duet song, helped in giving iKON a new charm to them. YG Entertainment’s main producer TEDDY participated in making the singles, maximizing iKON’s potential.
It seems that many new songs will be included in the full debut album along with the songs released so far. There may be other members’ unit songs following B.I & BOBBY’s. Above all, as iKON’s skills and fan base are solid, a hit for the fourth time can be expected.
iKON’s strength is that they continue to try different things without sticking to just one style. Their solid musical skills are what makes possible for both emotional songs like “MY TYPE” and “APOLOGY” and intense hip-hop songs like “RHYTHM TA” and “ANTHEM” to fit them well. Fans’ keen interest is on what different styles they will show in the next album. Expectations are running high for iKON’s next songs because they have been presenting good songs from their debut.
On such a success, iKON said, “We had our own style, young feel of our own. But we went through a lot. We went through many things during ‘Win’ and ‘Mix and Match’, which was a chance to show us to people though. I want to believe that this is the result of what we have gone through and our efforts to make songs on our own.”
iKON is also one of the K-pop artists who are leading the Korean wave in Japan. They are preparing Japan arena tour for February 2016, which will attract 150,000 fans during 14 concerts in five cities including Fukuoka and Tokyo. Ahead of the Japan tour, in late January 2016, 24,000 fans in Korea will come to iKON concert to be held in the Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena, which proves iKON’s standing in the K-pop world.
iKON has been growing through ‘Win’ and ‘Mix and Match’ before their debut. As their debut prep period was long, they are not disappointing the fans and achieving a solid success, which makes expectations for iKON’s debut project’s completion next month to run high.
2015. 11. 24.
