TWS – the Pledis rookie, has surged straight to the top 3 on MelOn amidst allegations of manipulation, causing public outrage
TWS – the rookie boy group from Pledis Entertainment has been causing a stir in the Kpop fan community recently, not for their musical achievements but for allegations of manipulation. As Pledis’ first boy group project in 9 years since SEVENTEEN, TWS debuted with massive support from HYBE.
From the early days of introduction, TWS intrigued fans as they received promotion assistance from renowned senior groups like SEVENTEEN, LE SSERAFIM, TXT, ENHYPEN…
TWS officially debuted on January 22, 2024, with the theme MV “Plot Twist” and mini-album “Sparking Blue”. The lineup of 6 members with a fresh, youthful concept garnered affection from many Kpop fans, especially the SEVENTEEN fandom. There wouldn’t be much controversy if Pledis hadn’t intentionally turned TWS into a confusing “plot twist” on music charts.
TWS recently rose to the top 3 on MelOn, surpassing other popular hits like “Love 119” (RIIZE) or “Perfect Night” (LE SSERAFIM).
As newcomers, their title track “Plot Twist” initially debuted at #268 on MelOn. But in less than 3 weeks, the song soared up the ranks at a rocket pace. In the latest update, “Plot Twist” has climbed straight to #3 on MelOn Top 100 – an unprecedented achievement for new artists. “Plot Twist” has overtaken other popular hits like “Love 119” (RIIZE) or “Perfect Night” (LE SSERAFIM).
Before that, the Korean social media sphere was abuzz with TWS’s puzzling chart performance. Except for “national-level” artists or extremely strong fandoms like IU, BTS, Taeyeon, Lim Young Woong,… climbing to the top of MelOn in Korea is extremely challenging. Despite being newcomers, TWS quickly achieved many coveted rankings even though their title track hasn’t become a music phenomenon yet. At their current pace, “Plot Twist” might even surpass To.X – Taeyeon, replacing IU’s #1 on MelOn Top 100.
Contrary to their rapid chart ascent, TWS’s recognition in Korea is still not widespread. Knetizens noted that to match the achievements mentioned above, TWS must go viral like NewJeans with their super hit “Hype Boy”. Additionally, there have been anomalies in TWS’s “unique listeners” data on MelOn.
On other platforms, the ranking of “Plot Twist” is unusually high. TWS even “blocked PAK” of IU’s “Love Wins All” with a top spot at #1 on Bugs. The rankings of the song “Plot Twist” updated as of 10:00 PM KST on February 13th are as follows: #3 on MelOn; #3 on Genie; #1 on Bugs; #2 on FLO.
The overwhelming digital rankings for a debut song have led Koreans to believe that TWS might achieve a Perfect All-Kill with their first song, but it’s not convincing. PAK is an extremely difficult record to achieve, in Kpop history only a few “monster rookies” have been able to establish it, such as BLACKPINK with “Whistle”. However, in terms of fame, TWS cannot impress like the global girl group did at the time of their debut.
All of this has led fans to doubt whether Pledis is resorting to tricks, manipulating digital music rankings to boost the achievements of the rookie group. The promotion tactics regardless of consequences have angered the public. Despite investing in a quality product, no matter how meticulous, scandals related to manipulation could make TWS struggle, becoming a “pariah” in Kpop. Knetizens continuously express doubts and negative reactions about the current digital achievements of the “SEVENTEEN’s brother group.”
