Fifty Fifty enters Billboard’s yearend Hot 100 as first K-pop girl group

Fifty Fifty’s Keena. Image: Attrakt via The Korea Herald

Fifty Fifty made it onto Billboard’s year-end list of most popular songs as the first K-pop girl group in history.

The US music publication recently unveiled its 2023 year-end charts, which showed Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” at No. 44 on the annual Hot 100 songs chart.

This marked the first time that any K-pop girl group’s song has made it onto Billboard’s year-end main singles chart. The year-end Hot 100 chart is a rundown of the year’s biggest hits in the US compiled based on various indices, including digital and physical sales, online streaming and radio airplays.

With “Cupid,” the group also landed on several other charts including the Top Artist at No. 75, the Top Duo/Group at No. 6, Hot 100 Artist at No. 50, Hot 100 Artist Duo/Group at No. 3, Global 200 at No. 20, Global US Excl. at No. 20, Radio Songs at No. 68 and Pop Airplay Songs at No. 28.

“Cupid” took the world by storm since its release February, entering the weekly Hot 100 chart at No. 17 and making Fifty Fifty the fastest K-pop band to debut on the chart. It went onto log 25 straight weeks on Hot 100 — the longest record set by a K-pop girl group.

With the megahit single, Fifty Fifty was nominated for the top duo/group and top global K-pop song award categories of this year’s Billboard Music Awards but did not end up winning.

Fifty Fifty started off in November 2022 as a four-piece but now has only one member, Keena, left. The band’s label, Attrakt, terminated the contracts with the three other members, following a legal fight over contract disputes.

“We’re grateful for all the love and support Fifty Fifty received this year,” Attrakt CEO Jeon Hong-jun said in a statement Thursday, and added, “With wisdom and courage, we will again challenge ourselves in the global music market next year with Fifty Fifty’s unique music, so please look forward.”