K-pop group Fifty Fifty off to strong start with member line-up reboot
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The group have expressed determination to make a mark on the Billboard charts again with their new song, SOS.
PHOTO: WE_FIFTYFIFTY/X
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SEOUL – Recently rebooted K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty – with four new members after a legal dispute between their agency, Attrakt, and the original members in 2023 – are off to a promising start with the new mini album Love Tune, which released on Sept 20.
The album, available in both Love and Tune versions, features six tracks, including lead single SOS and the pre-released Starry Night. Other tracks include Push Your Love, Gravity, and English versions of both Starry Night and SOS.
Shortly after its release, SOS ascended to No. 1 on YouTube’s trending music chart and entered the Melon Top 100 chart. The group’s fan showcase, live-streamed via YouTube on Sept 20, attracted nearly 200,000 views in replays.
Along with SOS, Push Your Love, the Korean version of Starry Night and Gravity also made it on the Melon Hot 100, marking a strong start for the new release. The Melon Hot 100 chart ranks new songs released within the last 30 or 100 days.
The group have expressed determination to make a mark on the Billboard charts again with SOS, following the group’s breakout hit Cupid that released in February 2023.
To optimise their chances in the international market, Love Tune was released on a Friday, aligning with Billboard’s weekly chart tracking, which ends at 1pm Korean time on Fridays. This allows a full week of performance data to be captured for chart eligibility.
Like Cupid, both SOS and Starry Night were produced in both Korean and English, underscoring the group’s intention to cater to overseas listeners.
SOS features production from Swede musician Adam Von Mentzer, who also produced Cupid, bringing a Swedish pop flair that enhances the track’s easy-listening appeal. The new members – Chanelle, Yewon, Hana and Athena – blend harmoniously, adding a richer, more natural vocal texture than that of previous releases.
“Each of the five members has a distinct vocal tone. When these tones come together in one song, it creates a more brilliant sound, which is Fifty Fifty’s strength,” Keena, the lone original band member, said during the group’s showcase in Seoul on Sept 20.
Fifty Fifty originally debuted in November 2022 with the first mini-album The Fifty. In February 2023, Cupid entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 100, climbing as high as No. 17.
Dubbed the “miracle of a small agency idol”, the song remained on the chart for an impressive streak of 25 weeks, riding a wave of success both in the US and South Korea. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
