K-Pop Songs That Returned To Korean Music Charts
You’ll never know what’s going to happen next. In a fast-paced industry like K-pop, most artists release 2 to 3 albums in a year. Others may top the charts while most dream of entering at least the top 100 of Melon. However, things might be different for these K-pop stars whose songs made it to the charts and became hits months or even years after their release.
EXID: “Up & Down”
EXID’s “Up & Down” is one of the most iconic K-pop songs of the 2010s, and it shows how powerful viral marketing and fan support can be. The song wasn’t very popular when it first came out, but it became a viral hit in December 2014 when a fan-cam video of member Hani performing it got millions of views on YouTube. The video showed how charismatic Hani is, and it made a lot of people interested in the song and the group. “Up & Down” then went to the top of various music charts and achieved a “perfect all-kill”, which means it was ranked number one on all major online music charts in South Korea. The song also won several music show awards and became EXID’s first song to surpass 100 million views on YouTube in January 2020. EXID is about to disband, but “Up & Down” helped make them the group we know today.
RAIN: “Gang”
Released in December 2017 as part of his mini-album “My Life”. The song features powerful rap and dance, but it did not receive much attention when it came out. However, in May 2020, the song went viral as a meme, after a high school student uploaded a dance cover video of it on YouTube. The video attracted over 2.2 million views, and many people found the original music video funny because of Rain’s exaggerated performance style.
G-Friend: “Me Gustas Tu”
In September 2015, a video of their live performance went viral on the internet, where the members slipped and fell multiple times on a slippery stage due to heavy rain. Despite the painful falls, the group continued to perform with professionalism and enthusiasm, earning praise and admiration from the public. This incident boosted their popularity and caused “Me Gustas Tu” to re-enter the music charts, reaching new peaks and breaking records for the longest-charting song by a girl group.
TWICE: “Like Ooh Ahh”
The debut song of today’s top K-pop girl group wasn’t a hit on its first release. The song climbed back up the charts in November 2015, after the group finished their three-week promotion period. It rose from 99th place to 9th place on the Melon chart. This was a rare and impressive feat for a rookie group, especially since the song was facing strong competition from other artists.
NU’EST: “Hello”
When three of the members didn’t make it to the top 11 of Produce 101 Season 2, their 2013 release, “Hello” abruptly re-entered the charts in June 2017, taking the No.1 spot on Genie’s, No.2 on Bugs, and No.3 on Melon.
Brave Girls: “Rollin”
Released in 2017, but became a viral hit in 2021 after a compilation video of the group performing it for the South Korean military gained attention online. The song’s catchy melody, upbeat tempo, and sexy choreography appealed to many listeners, especially the soldiers who cheered enthusiastically for the group. As a result, the song climbed back to the top of various music charts, including the Gaon Digital Chart and the Billboard K-pop 100, where it stayed for several weeks. The song’s resurgence also led to the group resuming promotions for the song and receiving more recognition and opportunities.
Do you know any other K-Pop songs that re-charted? Comment below!
