AKP STAFF

NewJeans, IVE, and Pinkfong have recently joined the prestigious 'Billions Club' in the artist category of Melon's Hall of Fame.

On December 27, Kakao Entertainment revealed the artists that have recently joined the 'Billions Club,' a special category by Melon to celebrate significant achievements in music streaming. The 'Hall of Fame' is divided into two parts: the 'Albums Section (Millions Album)' for albums hitting over 1 million streams within a day of release, and the 'Artists Section (Billions Club)' for artists who have reached over 1 billion streams since their debut.

As of December, Melon features a catalog from approximately 3 million artists, with only 103 artists having achieved the cumulative 1 billion streaming milestone. Among these, NewJeans, IVE, and Pinkfong have garnered explosive responses from music fans, earning their spot in the 'Billions Club.'

Notably, NewJeans achieved this feat in just 498 days since their debut, making them the fastest artist ever to enter the 'Billions Club.' Their track 'Ditto' maintained the top spot on Melon's weekly chart for 14 consecutive weeks from 2022's 51st week to 2023's 12th week, marking the longest record. 'Hype Boy' also set a record for maintaining its spot in the top 10 for the longest period this year and surpassed 200 million streams. As a result, NewJeans won five major awards, including the MMA2022 Rookie of the Year and this year's MMA2023 Artist of the Year and Best Song of the Year.

IVE, the latest to join the 'Billions Club' on December 26, marked their 2nd anniversary with the special gift of achieving 1 billion streams. This follows another significant achievement of consecutive MMA major awards. Particularly, their 2022 hit 'LOVE DIVE,' which topped Melon's annual chart, contributed significantly to their entry into the club with over 220 million streams. This year's tracks 'Kitsch,' 'I AM,' and 'Baddie' continued their hit streak, with 'I AM' rising to the second most liked song in the shortest time this year, further proving their immense popularity.

Pinkfong, known as the 'president for toddlers,' made a notable entry as the first character IP to join the 'Billions Club.' With an impressive 2,666 songs released, Pinkfong holds the record for the most tracks among artists in the Billions Club. One of their most popular songs, 'Baby Shark,' has surpassed 632 million streams, setting the highest streaming record for Pinkfong.

As such, with a diverse lineup from top domestic girl groups to globally popular characters entering the 'Billions Club,' the attention is now focused on which artists will leave their mark on Melon in the coming year.