Naver News: A million-seller is born... The era of 4th generation idols begins

 <only SKZ parts included>

Stray Kids has become a million-seller, the era of 4th generation idol groups has opened wide.

 Although it is difficult to distinguish them by year of activity, idol groups are the first generation that dominated the domestic music industry such as HOT, Sechs Kies, Finkle, and SES in the 1990s, and TVXQ, Big Bang, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation and Wonder Girls in the 2000s are the cornerstones of Asia. It is referred to as the 2nd generation, the 3rd generation that expanded its influence around the world such as BTS, EXO, and Blackpink in the 2010s, and the 4th generation after that. The third-generation BTS has already been reigning as the world's best boy band for several years, and Blackpink, which is about the 3.5th generation, has risen to the world's best girl band. In the meantime, the 4th generation idol group represented by the so-called 3z (Stray Kids, ATEEZ, The Boyz) has inherited that baton and is expanding into the world of the 2020s. The symbolic measure is the million-seller.

Stray Kids' 2nd regular album 'NOEASY', released on the 23rd of last month, exceeded the cumulative shipment of 1.1 million copies on the Gaon Chart as of the 31st of last month. As the first million-seller album produced by JYP Entertainment, Stray Kids won the title of honor three years after their debut. Expanding further, it is the first million-seller among 4th generation idol groups, and this is a very meaningful achievement and trend.

The performances of the [4th gen] show the trend of the music industry in the 2020s. As the third generation passed, K-pop began to be in the spotlight in the global music market, and Stray Kids, the leaders of the fourth generation, formed a thick fandom overseas. Then, from last year, it started to rise in earnest in Korea, and it exploded in potential this year.

The biggest distinguishing feature of the 4th generation idols from the previous generation is that they prepare and perform activities with a broader view of the world rather than the country in the first place. Monitoring the culture and music markets of countries around the world or signing contracts with foreign agencies after debut is a common occurrence. Walls between countries no longer exist.

The most important factor that made this possible is the online-based new media represented by YouTube. The 4th generation, who witnessed BTS actively utilizing online content, became the world’s best, starting from No. 1 on the Billboard Social 50, and exerting a powerful influence based on the number of YouTube channel followers, which ranked No. Take advantage of it.

As platforms and contents diversify, the worldview and the message it contains are emphasized more. In a situation where songs and performances have been leveled up, the worldview that shows the team's identity more clearly is the driving force to stick and expand the fandom. The representative keyword of the 4th generation is 'self', which is a strong competitive edge that connects with the new generation.

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