New Jeans (EP) explained

New Jeans
Type:EP
Artist:NewJeans
Cover:New Jeans (EP).jpg
Alt:Blue square with a rabbit in the background and the blue word "NWJNS" in the bottom
Caption:Digital cover
Recorded:2022
Studio:Hybe Studio (Yongsan, Seoul)
Genre:
Label:ADOR
Producer:
Next Title:OMG
Next Year:2023

New Jeans is the debut extended play (EP) by the South Korean girl group NewJeans. It was released on August 1, 2022, by ADOR, a subsidiary of Hybe Corporation. Produced by Min Hee-jin, 250, and Park Jin-su, the EP draws from synth-pop, hip hop, and R&B and infuses elements of musical styles from the 1990s and 2000s decades. The songs "Attention", "Hype Boy", and "Cookie" were released as singles.

Music critics generally complimented the EP's musical styles and considered it a solid debut effort. Rolling Stone ranked it among the best albums of 2022 in their year-end list. In South Korea, New Jeans debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart and has achieved a Million certification from the Korea Music Content Association. It additionally charted in Croatia, Germany, Hungary, and Japan.

Background and release

The lineup for NewJeans was reportedly finalized in March 2022 under ADOR (All Doors One Room), a subsidiary record label of Hybe Corporation. The group was created under the direction of Min Hee-jin, a former visual director at SM Entertainment at chief brand officer (CBO) at Hybe's predecessor, Big Hit Entertainment.[1] [2] On July 22, 2022, "Attention" and its music video were released without prior announcements regarding the group's lineup.[3] The single was followed by the announcement of their debut self-titled extended play (EP), which contains four tracks and two of which would be released as further singles.[4] [5]

Pre-orders for the EP opened on July 25. "Hype Boy" was released as the second single on July 23, with a 50-second clip revealing the members and four additional music videos customized for each member being released on the same day.[6] Two days later, a music video for the track "Hurt" was released. On August 1, the group released the final music video the third single, "Cookie", following the digital release of the EP on the same day. The EP was distributed physically on August 8. Min explained that having three singles for a four-track EP was because of how "confident" she was in the music and how "it's such a pity how it's the lead singles that get all the attention".[7]

Musical styles

New Jeans incorporates musical styles of the 1990s and 2000s decades, predominantly pop and R&B.[8] Kim Do-heon, a music critic writing for the Korean Dispatch, characterized the EP as a coalition of synth-pop and hip hop/R&B.[9] The songs are instrumented by mellow beats and atmospheric synthesizers. "Attention" has a minimal 2000s R&B instrumentation with key changes between major and minor chords.[10] "Hype Boy" is an upbeat future bass song[11] with elements of 1990s R&B<ref name="NME-2022">Web site: December 5, 2022 . The 50 best songs of 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221205143159/https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/the-50-best-songs-of-2022-3358809 . December 5, 2022 . December 6, 2022 . NME. and moombahton in its rhythms.[12] "Cookie" is a pop-R&B track with pulsing synthesizers, a fluttering bassline, and faint 808 kicks; its bridge incorporates Jersey club elements. The closing song, "Hurt", is a mellow R&B track backed by groovy drums.[13]

Critical reception

Carmen Chin of NME gave three out of five stars, stating that "with their musical ability and the label's bold artistic vision, NewJeans have managed to lay some solid groundwork for a bright future as trailblazers".[14] Joshua Minsoo Kim of Pitchfork wrote, "NewJeans' launch has been the most elaborate campaign in K-pop this year", stating that the EP is "a plush and stylish collection of '90s and '00s-indebted R&B production".[15] In December 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it as number 46 in their list of best 100 albums of 2022, describing the EP as "a unique sound and fresh visual component, leaning heavily into a Nineties pop aesthetic that suits this band well and guarantees replays".[16]

Publication! scope="col" class="unsortable"
ListRank
BillboardThe 25 Best K-Pop Albums of 2022 15[17]
EBSTop 100 Korean Albums (2004–2023)[18]
IdologyThe 20 Albums of the Year[19]
Rolling StoneThe 100 Best Albums of 202246[20]
UproxxThe Best K-pop Albums of 2022[21]

Awards and nominations

Year! scope="col"
Ceremony AwardResult
2022Asian Pop Music AwardsBest New Artist (Overseas)[22]
Melon Music AwardsAlbum of the Year[23]
2023Circle Chart Music AwardsNew Artist of the Year – Physical [24]
Korean Music AwardsAlbum of the Year[25]
Best K-pop Album[26]

Commercial performance

On July 28, it was announced that pre-orders of New Jeans exceeded 444,000 copies, breaking the record for the highest number of stock pre-orders for any Korean girl group debut album in history.[27] After the release of New Jeans, all tracks immediately ranked high on major South Korean domestic music charts such as Melon, Genie, Bugs!, and Vibe.[28] On the first day of its release, the EP achieved 2.06 million streams on Spotify Korea, the most for any K-pop girl group that debuted in 2022. Singles "Attention" and "Hype Boy" placed in the top two of Korean Spotify's Daily Top Songs chart for two consecutive days, while "Cookie" ranked third on the second day of release.[29] [30] Overseas, the three singles managed to enter the real-time charts of Line Music, Japan's largest music site.[31] On the first day of release alone, New Jeans sold over 262,800 combined copies, breaking the record set by labelmate Le Sserafim's Fearless, which recorded 175,000 first-day album sales in May earlier same year.[32]

Promotion

Following the release of New Jeans, NewJeans held a live countdown on YouTube on the same day to introduce the extended play and communicate with their fans.[33] On August 4, they held their debut stage on Mnet's M Countdown, where they performed all three lead singles.[34] The promotions continued through Music Bank on August 5, where they performed "Attention",[35] and Inkigayo on August 7, where the quintet performed "Attention" and "Cookie". A pop-up store on The Hyundai, Seoul to commemorate the release of New Jeans is scheduled to open from August 11 to 31 and sell official merchandise of New Jeans and ADOR.[36]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2022–2023)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[37] 7
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[38] 10
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[39] 22
Nigerian Albums (TurnTable)[40] 94
South Korean Albums (Circle)[41] 1

Monthly charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[42] 35
South Korean Albums (Circle)[43] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
South Korean Albums (Circle)[44] 34
South Korean Albums (Circle)
Weverse Album
60
Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
South Korean Albums (Circle)[45] 49

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
Various<-- Inclusive of South Korea -->August 1, 2022ADORalign=center [46]
August 8, 2022CDalign=center [47]
United StatesMarch 23, 2023align=center [48]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chin . Carmen . March 25, 2022 . HYBE subsidiary ADOR's upcoming girl group set to debut in 'the third quarter of the year' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220327144355/https://www.nme.com/news/music/hybe-subsidiary-adors-upcoming-girl-group-set-to-debut-in-the-third-quarter-of-the-year-3190216 . March 27, 2022 . July 31, 2022 . NME.
  2. Web site: April 15, 2022 . A Rare Peek into Min Hee-jin's World . https://web.archive.org/web/20220416211035/https://beattitude.kr/issue-03/artistproject-minheejin-part2-eng/ . April 16, 2022 . July 31, 2022 . BeAttitude . Harry . Jun . Jae-hun . Kim . Sanha . Park . Chae-min . Jin . Woo-jin . Cha.
  3. News: Herman . Tamar . July 28, 2022 . NewJeans, new K-pop group, have YouTube, TikTok abuzz – here's everything you need to know about them . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220807173136/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/artists-celebrities/article/3186598/newjeans-new-k-pop-group-have-youtube-tiktok . August 7, 2022 . August 3, 2022 . South China Morning Post.
  4. Web site: Hicap . Jonathan . July 21, 2022 . HYBE's label ADOR debuts first K-pop group NewJeans . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220721225511/https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/21/hybes-label-ador-debuts-first-k-pop-group-newjeans/ . July 21, 2022 . July 31, 2022 . Manila Bulletin.
  5. Web site: Chin . Carmen . 2022-07-22 . HYBE's latest girl group NewJeans make their much-anticipated debut with 'Attention' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801070235/https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/newjeans-attention-debut-single-music-video-ador-hybe-3274807 . 2022-08-01 . 2022-08-01 . .
  6. News: Yeo . Gladys . July 25, 2022 . New Hybe girl group NewJeans unveil music videos for 'Hype Boy' and 'Hurt' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221210224420/https://www.nme.com/news/music/newjeans-music-video-hybe-ador-hype-boy-hurt-debut-release-3275941 . December 10, 2022 . March 26, 2023 . NME.
  7. Benjamin . Jeff . 2022-09-21 . Meet NewJeans: HYBE's Global Breakout Girl Group Where 'Everything Was Riding on Secrecy' . 2024-05-08 . .
  8. Web site: San Juan . Ratziel . 2023-10-13 . NewJeans' 2nd EP, Get Up, Is Short But Sweet . 2024-05-02 . .
  9. News: Kim . Do-heon . July 28, 2023 . ko:[김도헌의 음감] 뉴진스, 2분 30초의 마술 . [Kim Do-heon's sense of pitch] New Jeans, 2 minutes and 30 seconds of magic . https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=433&amp;aid=0000095475 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230728115013/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=433&aid=0000095475 . July 28, 2023 . July 28, 2023 . Dispatch . ko . Naver.
  10. Web site: Jun-hee . Park . 2022-08-01 . Hybe independent label ADOR launches first group NewJeans . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801044116/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220801000572 . 2022-08-01 . 2022-08-01 . .
  11. Web site: Kim . Joshua Minsoo . July 24, 2023 . NewJeans: Get Up EP Album Review . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230724043724/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/newjeans-get-up-ep/ . July 24, 2023 . July 24, 2023 . Pitchfork.
  12. Web site: December 9, 2022 . The 100 Best Songs of 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230116192208/https://www.npr.org/2022/12/15/1135802083/100-best-songs-2022-page-1 . January 16, 2023 . January 29, 2023 . NPR.
  13. Web site: Wang . Steffanee . 25 July 2022 . Meet NewJeans, HYBE's '00s-Core Girl Group . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801013741/https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/newjeans-members-danielle-haerin-hanni-minji-hyein-hybe . 2022-08-01 . 2022-08-01 . .
  14. News: Chin . Carmen . August 4, 2022 . NewJeans – New Jeans review: HYBE's latest girl group go against the grain in an uneven debut . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220806082226/https://www.nme.com/en_au/reviews/album/newjeans-new-jeans-review-hybe-3283915 . August 6, 2022 . August 6, 2022 . NME.
  15. Web site: Kim . Joshua Minsoo . August 2, 2022 . NewJeans: 'Cookie' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220806124934/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/new-jeans-cookie/ . 2022-08-06 . 2022-08-06 . .
  16. December 5, 2022 . The Top 100 Best Songs of 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221205153654/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-2022-list-1234632387/ . December 5, 2022 . December 7, 2022 . .
  17. The 25 Best K-Pop Albums of 2022: Staff Picks. Jeff. Benjamin. Joe. Lynch. Jessica. Oak. Glenn. Rowley. December 20, 2022. Billboard. January 23, 2023.
  18. Web site: 2024-04-01 . 2000년대 한국 대중음악 명반 100 (2004–2023) . Top 100 Korean pop music albums of the 2000s (2004–2023) . 2024-04-02 . EBS . ko.
  19. https://idology.kr/17276. ko:결산 2022 : ③올해의 앨범 20선. Closing 2022 : ③20 Albums of the Year. January 1, 2023. Idology. January 23, 2023.
  20. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. December 1, 2022. Rolling Stone. January 23, 2023.
  21. News: The Best K-Pop Albums Of 2022. Frances. Lai. December 8, 2022. Uproxx. January 23, 2023. ko.
  22. Web site: 【APMA 2022】亚洲流行音乐大奖2022年度入围名单. [APMA 2022] Asian Pop Music Awards 2022 Shortlist. December 13, 2022. Weibo. zh. December 16, 2022. January 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230110143227/https://passport.weibo.com/visitor/visitor?entry=miniblog&a=enter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fweibo.com%2F7305169762%2FMjwUq9H52&domain=.weibo.com&ua=php-sso_sdk_client-0.6.36&_rand=1671171907.5346. live.
  23. Web site: Hye-jin. Choi. 'MMA2022' 임영웅, 5관왕 영예..아이브 4관왕·뉴진스 신인상 '걸그룹 강세' [종합]]. Star News. ko. November 26, 2022. November 28, 2022. November 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221127184848/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/108/0003107987. live.
  24. Web site: The Rookie of the Year. Circle Chart Music Awards. January 8, 2023. January 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230118085221/http://www.circlemusicawards.co.kr/eng/nominees_03.php. live.
  25. News: K-pop group NewJeans bags most nominations at Korean Music Awards. Hicap. Jonathan. February 9, 2023. Manila Bulletin. February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230210004848/https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/09/k-pop-group-newjeans-bags-most-nominations-at-korean-music-awards/. live.
  26. Web site: '뉴진스 프로듀서' 250, 한국대중음악상 4관왕...뉴진스는 3관왕. 'New Jeans Producer' 250, 4 Korean Music Awards...New Jeans wins 3 crowns. Naver. Herald Biz. ko. Koh. Seung-hee. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305155814/https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/016/0002112085?sid=103. live.
  27. Web site: Moon . Wan-sik . July 28, 2022 . 뜨겁다! 뉴진스, 데뷔 앨범 예약판매 3일만 선주문량 44만장 돌파 . Hot! New Jeans, debut album pre-order sales exceed 440,000 copies in just 3 days . July 28, 2022 . Star News . ko . July 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220728083837/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/108/0003074796 . live .
  28. Web site: Kim . Min-ji . August 6, 2022 . 민희진 감성 통했다…뉴진스, 화제성·스코어 다 잡은 파격 데뷔 [N초점] ]. Min Hee-jin's emotions were passed through... New Jeans, a shocking debut with all the hot topics and scores [N Focus] . August 6, 2022 . News1 . ko . Naver.
  29. Web site: Lee . Jae-hoon . August 4, 2022 . 뉴진스, 스포티파이서 올해 데뷔 K팝 걸그룹 신기록 행진 . New Jeans set a new record for a K-pop girl group debuting this year on Spotify . news . August 13, 2022 . August 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220812214339/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/003/0011343947 . live .
  30. Web site: Jeon . Hyo-jin . August 4, 2022 . 뉴진스, 스포티파이 신기록…올해 신인 걸그룹 중 최고치 [공식] ]. New Jeans, a new record on Spotify Highest among new girl groups this year [Official] . sports club . August 13, 2022 . August 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220812214338/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/382/0000996668 . live .
  31. Web site: Lee . Yoo-na . August 2, 2022 . [Y이슈] 뉴진스, 걸그룹 데뷔곡 3년 만 최고 기록...음원차트 장악 ]. [Y Issue] New Jeans, girl group debut song record high in 3 years... Dominate music charts . YTN . August 13, 2022 . August 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220812213741/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/052/0001771501 . live .
  32. Web site: 2022-08-09 . [Daily Ranking: August 8th] NEWJEANS's 'NEWJEANS: The 1st Mini Album, BLUEBOOK VER.' Places 1st ]. 2022-08-09 . HANTEONEWS . en.
  33. Web site: Park . Jun-hee . August 1, 2022 . Hybe indie label ADOR launches first group NewJeans . August 1, 2022 . . ko . Naver . August 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801092837/https://n.news.naver.com/article/044/0000238795 . live .
  34. Web site: Park . Sung-hoo . August 4, 2022 . 뉴진스, '엠카' 데뷔 성공적… 영상 조회수도 폭발 . NewJeans successfully debuted 'M Countdown'... Video views exploded . August 6, 2022 . . ko . Naver . August 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220806124934/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=437&aid=0000308526 . live .
  35. Web site: Shim . Mi-kyung . August 5, 2022 . [뮤직뱅크] 뉴진스, 솔직한 자연스러움에서 나오는 독보적인 컬러 ♪Attention ]. [Music Bank] New Jeans, a unique color that comes from honest naturalness ♪ Attention . August 6, 2022 . KBS Entertainment . ko . Naver . August 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220805175048/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=438&aid=0000048962 . live .
  36. Web site: Park . Soo-in . August 5, 2022 . 뉴진스, 더현대 팝업 스토어 오픈 '신인아이돌 최초' . NewJeans Opens The Hyundai Pop-up Store ‘The First Rookie Idol’ . August 6, 2022 . Newsen . ko . Naver . August 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220806124936/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=609&aid=0000611830 . live .
  37. Web site: New Jeans – Week 6, 2023. 13 February 2023 . HDU. hr. February 15, 2023.
  38. Web site: Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2022-08-29 . . August 26, 2022 . ja . 2022-08-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220826031204/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/coa/w/2022-08-29/ . live .
  39. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of August 29, 2022. Billboard Japan. ja. August 24, 2022. August 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220824040313/https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2022&month=08&day=29. live.
  40. Official Top 100 Albums: May 3rd, 2024 - May 9th, 2024. TurnTable. May 18, 2024. May 18, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240518131858/https://www.turntablecharts.com/charts/2. dead.
  41. Web site: Circle Album Chart – Week 33 of 2022. Circle Chart. ko. August 26, 2022. August 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818021953/https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=33&hitYear=2022&termGbn=week&yearTime=3. live.
  42. Web site: Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-08 . . September 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220914042908/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/m/2022-08/p/4/ . September 14, 2022.
  43. Web site: Circle Album Chart – August 2022 . . September 8, 2022 . January 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230110143652/https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=08&hitYear=2022&termGbn=month&yearTime=3 . live .
  44. Web site: Album Chart 2022. Circle Chart. https://web.archive.org/web/20230113031815/https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=2022&hitYear=2022&termGbn=year&yearTime=3. January 13, 2023. live. January 14, 2023.
  45. Web site: Album Chart 2023. Circle Chart. January 12, 2024.
  46. Web site: 앨범 정보 NewJeans 1st EP 'New Jeans'. https://web.archive.org/web/20230110223918/https://www.melon.com/album/detail.htm?albumId=11011565. January 10, 2023. March 26, 2023. Melon.
  47. Web site: NEWJEANS: 미니앨범 1집, BLUEBOOK VER.. https://web.archive.org/web/20230326173800/https://www.hanteochart.com/albumdetail/58701718/real. March 26, 2023. March 26, 2023. Hanteo.
  48. Web site: NewJeans - NewJeans 1st EP 'New Jeans' (CD). live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326173400/https://www.target.com/p/newjeans-newjeans-1st-ep-8216-new-jeans-8217-cd/-/A-88564216. March 26, 2023. March 26, 2023. Target.