LE SSERAFIM Ushers in a 'New Era' with 'Unforgiven' Girls
"Unforgiven, destined to be remembered as the dawn of a new era."
That's straight out of the lyrics from LE SSERAFIM's new song "Unforgiven." Their first full-length album, also titled "Unforgiven," released on the 1st of this month, is indeed opening a new chapter. The album has made its debut at number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart for the week of the 20th, setting the group's own best record and also marking the fastest entry into the top 10 for a K-pop girl group in history.
The Billboard 200 ranks albums based on physical CD sales, Streaming Equivalent Albums (SEA), and Track Equivalent Albums (TEA). According to Billboard, "Unforgiven" recorded a total of 45,000 sales, with 38,500 physical albums and 6,500 SEA sales.
"Unforgiven" has shown an impressive growth trajectory, achieving million-seller status right from its initial sales in the first week of release. With a whopping 1.3 million pre-orders, "Unforgiven" sold 1.02 million copies on the first day alone, recording an initial sales of 1.25 million copies. Compared to their debut mini-albums "Fearless" and "Antifragile," which respectively sold 300,000 and 560,000 copies in initial sales, the figures are indeed staggering.
The album is also receiving a tremendous response on domestic music charts. The title track "Unforgiven" has topped Melon's real-time 'Top 100' chart as of May 16. Although it debuted at 5th place, the group's personal best on the day of release, it has since maintained a high position on both the daily and weekly 'Top 100' charts, making it to the top of the real-time chart. Moreover, it has also topped the Korean YouTube Music and Korean Spotify charts.
LE SSERAFIM has swept all music shows, both terrestrial and cable, securing a total of six trophies. This proves their soaring popularity, accomplishing a music show grand slam within a year of debut.
Following "Fearless" and "Antifragile," LE SSERAFIM's "Unforgiven" continues to highlight their bold self-assertiveness. The name LE SSERAFIM itself is an anagram of 'I'm Fearless', reflecting their unwavering charm that isn't afraid of anyone's gaze.
"Unforgiven" clearly displays this distinct color of LE SSERAFIM. With lyrics like 'What I hate most is outdated compromise', 'Never wanted forgiveness / I aim at taboos', 'Our names left above the limit / Come with me beyond you, my Unforgiven girls', the group delivers a more straightforward and powerful voice.
LE SSERAFIM has shown their unshakeable stance, stating during a previous showcase that "The meaning of 'Unforgiven' as 'no need to ask for forgiveness' has been interpreted as 'no need to be swayed by others' evaluations.' If we had only done as others wanted, we wouldn't have had good results." As expectations build for their next album, it will be interesting to see how much they can shake up the music scene with a more powerful story and worldview.
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