Despite global popularity, the K-pop group has yet to crack Billboard’s definitive singles chart
Aespa, currently one of the top girl groups in South Korea, is set to release its sixth EP, “Rich Man,” on Sept. 5 with hopes that its title track will be aespa's first to break into the Billboard Hot 100.
Despite the group’s consistent success on other Billboard charts, aespa, surprisingly, has yet to appear on the Hot 100, the definitive barometer of a song’s mainstream popularity and cultural impact in the US.
While the Billboard 200 measures album performance and the Billboard Global 200 reflects global streaming and sales data, the Hot 100 specifically tracks song performance in the US based on streaming, radio airplay and sales — making it the most competitive of the three charts.
The group’s highest placements so far include No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with its second EP “Girls” in 2022 and No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200 with its recent single, “Dirty Work.” Even with American rapper Flo Milli featured on “Dirty Work,” aespa was once again unable to enter the Hot 100.
This persistent gap is particularly disappointing for SM Entertainment, the powerhouse behind aespa.
The label is widely credited for pioneering K-pop’s distinctive trainee system and for leading the genre’s early global rise. Yet, no artist from SM has ever made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 — a benchmark already reached by artists from rival companies.
JYP Entertainment, which first brought Wonder Girls to the Hot 100 in 2009, has since followed up with Stray Kids and Twice. Hybe has launched BTS, NewJeans, Le Sserafim and Illit onto the chart, while YG Entertainment has seen Psy, CL and Blackpink achieve the same feat. Even artists from smaller agencies like Fifty Fifty and Ateez have managed to break through.
SM artists have historically focused on Asia as their main performing and promotional base, and SM artists' absence from the Hot 100 highlights the company’s continued struggle to gain traction in the North American market.
“The groups that made the Billboard Hot 100 did so under very specific circumstances," music critic Lim Hee-yun said Monday. "Fifty Fifty’s song went viral online and BTS and Blackpink had the sheer power to make it on their own. Even Blackpink’s highest Hot 100 record to date — No. 13 in 2020 with ‘Ice Cream’ — was achieved through a collaboration with Selena Gomez. Cracking the Top 30 is incredibly difficult."
"The few groups that did make it onto the chart by the skin of their teeth were able to do so thanks to strong overseas fandoms driving massive first-week downloads or organizing radio requests to push the song up. It’s all been fandom-driven," he added. "I suspect that because SM artists don’t have as strong a fandom power in the US, the company might be trying to encourage those kinds of tactics more intentionally."
Aespa may be operating strategically. With just over two months between the release of “Dirty Work” in late June and the upcoming drop of “Rich Man,” the quick turnaround could reflect a calculated effort to maintain momentum and reengage the US market.
On the other hand, aespa may be responding to the underperformance of “Dirty Work,” especially when compared to last year’s hits “Supernova” and “Whiplash.”
According to SM Entertainment, the new EP will feature six tracks, including "Rich Man," which is said to showcase a musical style distinct from that of “Dirty Work.”
“This album redefines what it means to be a ‘Rich Man’ — not in the conventional sense, but as someone brimming with unique energy and power,” the company said, Monday. “As the slogan says, ‘I am enough as I am. I am a Rich Man.’ This release will further highlight aespa’s individuality and evolving musical identity.”
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com
