LE SSERAFIM Takes the No. 1 Spot in Oricon's Newcomer Ranking with Impressive Sales
K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM has claimed the top spot in the "Newcomer Ranking" of Oricon's mid-year artist sales chart in Japan.
According to the Oricon Mid-Year Ranking 2023 announced on the 6th (covering the period from December 12, 2022, to June 11, 2023), LE SSERAFIM secured the No. 1 position in the "Newcomer Ranking" with sales of approximately 11 billion Korean won (approximately 110 million USD) in Japan alone. The ranking, established in 2018, determines the rankings based on the total sales of singles, albums, streaming, and music DVDs.
Oricon stated on its official website, "LE SSERAFIM recorded sales of 1.18 billion yen (approximately 110 million USD) during the counting period. They are the first female artist to exceed 1 billion yen in total sales in the 'Newcomer Ranking.'"
The breakthrough work that contributed significantly to this achievement is their Japanese debut single, "FEARLESS," released in January of this year. The album made its debut at No. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Ranking and the Weekly Combined Singles Ranking (as of February 6th), breaking the record for the highest first-week sales by a K-pop girl group in Japan. It also achieved "Double Platinum" certification by shipping over 500,000 copies, marking the first debut single by a foreign female artist to receive this certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
Their second mini-album's title track, "ANTIFRAGILE," released in October last year, surpassed 100 million cumulative streams on the Oricon Weekly Streaming Ranking (as of April 10th). Additionally, their first full-length album, "UNFORGIVEN," released in May this year, achieved a triple crown on the Weekly Album Ranking, Weekly Digital Album Ranking, and Weekly Combined Album Ranking (as of May 15th), demonstrating consecutive success.
LE SSERAFIM gained significant attention even before their official debut as they include former IZ*ONE members Kim Chaewon and Sakura. Sakura, a Japanese member, had previous activities as part of the local idol groups HKT48 and AKB48. Another Japanese member, Kazuha, also contributes to their popularity. LE SSERAFIM appeared on NHK's "73rd Kohaku Uta Gassen," the largest year-end music broadcast in Japan, at the end of last year. They also ranked second in the Musician category of Yahoo Japan's "2022 Search Awards." As a group launched by HYBE (formerly Big Hit Music), the label behind the global supergroup BTS, and Source Music, LE SSERAFIM received significant attention.
Regarding the achievement, Kazuha expressed gratitude, saying, "First, I want to thank everyone who listened to our songs and our fandom, FEARNOT." Hong Eunchae expressed joy, stating, "I'm really happy that many people support us." Heo Yoonjin pledged, "We will continue to deliver music that you can love." Kim Chaewon emphasized, "I will continue to work hard to show you a more mature side of us."
Sakura added, "On August 23rd, our second Japanese single, 'UNFORGIVEN,' will be released. We are preparing diligently to show you a fantastic stage, so please look forward to it."
LE SSERAFIM will solidify their popularity by participating in the "37th My Navi Tokyo Girls Collection 2023 Autumn/Winter" held at the Saitama Super Arena on September 2nd.
Meanwhile, the second place in the artist sales category of the "Newcomer Ranking" went to the group NCT DREAM, and the third place was secured by the 7-member boy group Travis Japan.
