Netflix’s smash hit animated movie KPop Demon Hunters just made pop music history. The film has become a global phenomenon, so much so that the titular song from the film, “Golden” by the fictional girl group Huntr/x just hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Despite appearing in a streaming film (with a stunning queer allegory, we have to mention), the songs have a stranglehold on TikTok – and have even been played at clubs and music festivals. “Golden,” sung by songwriters EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI, is a certified banger that marks the first time a girl group has topped the chart in almost exactly 24 years, and the first time a Korean girl group has achieved the feat.
– YouTube www.youtube.com
You read that right! It’s been 24 years since any girl group had the most popular song in the U.S. The last girl group to top the chart wasn’t Pussycat Dolls, Fifth Harmony, or even K-pop icons BLACKPINK, but pop/R&B sensation Destiny’s Child.
The group’s last No. 1 was “Bootylicious” in 2001. A cultural moment in its own right, the song (led by Beyoncé, of course) sampled Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen,” and the word bootylicious was later added to the dictionary.
For a fictional girl group to top the chart 24 years later proves that fans yearn for synchronization, harmonization, and soaring vocals – but what does it say about the real-life girl groups of today?
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Girl groups are staples in music across the globe and have been throughout the documented history of music – but after oversaturation in the 90s and 2000s, their popularity waned in the U.S. in the 2010s as pop and R&B took a backseat to the rise of hip-hop. “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls plateaued at the No. 2 spot on the chart. Fifth Harmony was arguably the biggest girl group in the 2010s, but their highest-performing song, “Work From Home,” peaked at No. 4.
Funnily enough, as traditional pop music began to decline in the 2010s, K-pop’s popularity began to rise in the U.S. The tight choreography and refreshing pop melodies felt new and exciting to American audiences. The global takeovers of K-pop groups BTS and BLACKPINK in the late 2010s ushered in a new era of girl and boy groups around the globe. For perhaps the first time in a major way, American audiences began paying attention to Korean groups – and they began influencing our culture. All of a sudden, groups like NewJeans, Aespa, TWICE, and ILLIT became a part of our zeitgeist, have their own TikTok trends, are played in clubs and DJ events, and are streamed around the world.
Perhaps this made way for the rise of the fictional group Huntr/x. KPop Demon Hunters has become Netflix’s most-watched animated movie, with over 180 million views, and has become the second most-watched movie on the platform ever, according to The Washington Post. The film is even heading to theaters for the first time with a sing-along event. K-pop has gone global – it’s undeniable!
But when will that happen for an IRL girl group?
– YouTube www.youtube.com
Real-life K-pop groups like BLACKPINK and TWICE are still quite popular and seem primed for their breakout singles. We also have budding Western groups like KATSEYE, Flo, and Say Now, who are all rapidly gaining popularity. But will these IRL girl groups have a chance of hitting No. 1?
If we had to put money on it, we’d say KATSEYE certainly has what it takes to go all the way. They also have the K-pop influence, as the starring girls were trained under the K-pop hitmaking label HYBE. KATSEYE’s breakout performance at Lollapalooza earlier this month proves they have the fans and the star power. Perhaps they just need the breakthrough song… In the meantime, we’ll just keep singing “Golden” on repeat.
This article originally appeared on Out: Where have all the girl groups gone? Why it took 24 years for a girl band to top music charts again
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