After an already impressive year, NewJeans is reflecting on being the first female group to be nominated for the “Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Artist” award.
The group, which has experienced a swift rise since its debut in 2022, landed the spot in the category alongside artists Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny and Ed Sheeran. NewJeans also earned the most nominations, spread across four different categories, among this year’s K-pop acts.
The nomination factors in streaming and sales from countries and territories around the world from Canada to Japan but excludes U.S. audiences, according to Billboard. The category was introduced last year.
The teen quintet — whose members’ stage names are Minji and Hanni, 19; Danielle, 18; Haerin, 17; and Hyein, 15 — became a fast fan favorite after they broke out largely unannounced in July of 2022 with their single “Attention.” Now as they break global barriers, they say they aren’t quite convinced about calling themselves K-pop idols or global pop stars — or whether there needs to be a distinction.
“Just the fact that we’ve been nominated in a category with artists that are greatly loved globally is still very surreal, hard to believe and an absolute honor,” Hanni, who is Vietnamese Australian, told NBC News, referring to their nomination. “Rather than defining our music under a certain title or genre, we’re more focused on strengthening a sound personal to NewJeans, and also music that the five of us truly love and enjoy.”
Danielle, who is Korean Australian, also said she wasn’t certain about whether they need to stay in any one lane.
“I believe there are no boundaries or genres in music,” she said. “In the same context, I don’t think there are distinct boundaries between K-pop artists and global pop stars. I believe that NewJeans is a group that strives to continuously present fresh and new music accessible to all listeners.”
This year, the group became the first K-pop female act…
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