The music scene in 2023 is experiencing a gust of fresh wind - girl groups like never before. This year is a testament to the renaissance of girl groups - it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we're living in the golden age of K-Pop girl bands. Following the upheaval of last year's music charts, the fourth-generation girl groups continue to ride the wave of success this year as well.

From January to May, the songs that made it to the top spot on Melon, South Korea's largest music streaming service, could be counted on one hand. Only four groups have achieved this feat, namely NewJeans with "Ditto," IVE with "Kitsch" and "I AM," aespa with "Spicy," and (G)I-DLE with "Queencard."

NewJeans' pre-release track "Ditto," which dropped on December 19 last year, maintained its strong popularity even after the release of the new song "OMG" in January, holding its position at the top of the daily charts for nearly three months from January to March. This achievement put "Ditto" above BTS's mega-hit song "Dynamite," making it the song with the most accumulative number one spots on Melon's daily charts.

From the end of March to May, IVE took control of the charts. Their pre-released song "Kitsch," which debuted on March 27, held the top spot on the daily charts from the day after its release until mid-April, when their title track "I AM" took over the reins. "I AM" defended the top position for about a month until May 20, followed by aespa's "Spicy" and (G)I-DLE's "Queencard."

These four tracks also dominated the weekly charts. "Ditto" claimed the number one spot on the weekly charts from January to March, achieving a record-breaking 14 consecutive weeks at number one on Melon. Notably, "OMG" and "Hype boy" each secured the second and third spots, proving the group's unwavering popularity by monopolizing the top three spots on the weekly charts for 11 weeks.

From the first week of April, IVE's "Kitsch" held the number one spot for three weeks, followed by "I AM" which continued its reign for five weeks until the third week of May. The last week of May saw aespa's "Spicy" claiming the top spot on the weekly charts.

The monthly charts were even more straightforward, with only Newzins and IVE making it to the top. NewJeans dominated the first quarter with "Ditto" leading from January to March. "OMG" and "Hype Boy" followed in second and third place, effectively sweeping the top three spots for three consecutive months.

In April and May, IVE showed off their hot popularity, with "Kitsch" and "I AM" taking the top spot respectively. In this way, an unprecedented wave of female power is blowing through this year's music industry. The fact that the main players are fourth-generation girl groups makes it clear that the music industry has completely turned to the new generation.

How long will this girl group surge continue? The momentum of these groups doesn't seem to be waning as we enter the second half of the year. Especially as Newzins is slated to make a comeback in July, the chance of them reclaiming the top spot on the charts is high. It remains to be seen whether this year in the music industry will continue to be dominated by girl groups.

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