Meet the First-Timers On Our Charts This Week
KATSEYE, the girl group formed on the reality show ‘Dream Academy,’ debuts on the Hot 100 this week with “Gnarly.”
A girl group formed from a YouTube reality show debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.
KATSEYE, the subsequent group from the Dream Academy series, earns its first career entry on the chart with its new single “Gnarly.” Released April 30 via HYBE/Geffen/ICLG, the song debuts at No. 92 on the Hot 100 with 5.9 million U.S. streams, 192,000 radio audience impressions and 1,000 downloads sold in its first full week of activity (May 2-8), according to Luminate.
KATSEYE was formed in 2023 from HYBE and Geffen Records’ global talent competition series Dream Academy. Out of a reported 120,000 applicants from around the world, 20 contestants were selected to train in Los Angeles under the famously intense K-pop training system before competing for a spot in the group. The final six-member lineup is a culturally diverse mix: Manon (from Zurich); Lara (L.A.); Daniela (Atlanta); Megan (Honolulu); Sophia (Manila, Philippines); and Yoonchae (Seoul, South Korea).
Their formation journey was later chronicled in the follow-up Netflix docuseries Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.
KATSEYE first appeared on Billboard’s charts in August 2024 with their debut five-track EP SIS (Soft Is Strong). The project, which has writing contributions from HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk, Ryan Tedder and Justin Tranter (with Si-Hyuk and Tedder also producing), debuted and peaked at No. 6 on the Top Album Sales chart and No. 119 on the Billboard 200, helping the group reach No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart.
As their fan base — dubbed EYEKONS — began to grow, Billboard’s Jeff Benjamin caught up with the group for its Chartbreaker series.
“I think we built a fan base that is just like us,” Lara said. “EYEKONS are so funny; they have the same humor as all of us. I feel like they are the types of people that we would be friends with in real life.”
A month later, KATSEYE debuted its first song on Billboard’s rankings with “Touch.” The track reached No. 32 on Pop Airplay, No. 46 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 58 on the Billboard Global 200.
KATSEYE isn’t the only first-timer making waves this week. Take a look at some of the others across other charts below:
Mei Semones
The Japanese-American singer-songwriter makes her Billboard chart debut this week with her first studio album Animaru. Released May 2 on Bayonet/Secretly Group, the album enters at No. 4 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and No. 13 on Jazz Albums with 1,000 copies sold in its first week. Semones’ music blends jazz-inspired arrangements with with indie-pop, and contains bilingual lyrics in both English in Japanese. Last summer, her music caught the attention of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, who shared on Instagram that Semones’ 2024 EP Kabutomushi “gets me floating around my hotel room, it's an absolutely beautiful record. She's an incredible musician, deep guitar player and singer,” adding, “It gives me so much hope for the young people making music today!”
Winona Fighter
The Nashville-based rock band scores its first chart appearance with “You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers.” Released on Feb. 14 via Rise Records, the song debuts at No. 38 on Alternative Airplay and serves as the current single from the band’s debut album My Apologies To The Chef. The track is, of course, a nod to acclaimed singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, a frequent visitor to Billboard’s charts thanks to her solo work and collaborations as a member of Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center.
Nino Paid
The up-and-coming Maryland rapper (real name: Jacquan Andrews), lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time with his new song “Tree on the Hill (Lunch Break Freestyle).” The track, released on Lyrical Lemonade/Signal/Columbia Records, debuts at No. 25 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 39 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs thanks to 2.9 million U.S. streams earned in the week ending May 8. Nino Paid began releasing songs on DSPs in 2023 and has since dropped two full-length albums: Can’t Go Bacc in April 2024, and Love Me As I Am in February.
—Xander Zellner
For more on the Billboard charts, click here.