U.S. music-chart publisher Billboard launched a new chart, the Billboard K-pop Hot 100, on Thursday, with the girl group Sistar’s “So Cool” taking the No. 1 slot.

Hip-hop duo Leessang landed in second with “I Turned Off the TV,” while girl group 2NE1 took the No. 3 position with “Ugly.” The girl group also appears on the chart in the No. 14 spot with “Hate You” and the No. 21 spot with “I Am The Best.”

The new chart, launched in conjunction with Billboard Korea, is based on digital sales from leading Web sites as well as downloads from mobile service sites, according to Billboard.com.

“We’re excited to be expanding Billboard’s globally recognized Hot 100 chart franchise into this country, and look forward to enhancing the K-pop Hot 100 chart in the near future with additional data as well as creating new charts that showcase the breadth of Korean music,” Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard’s director of charts, said in an article on Billboard.com.

The K-pop Hot 100 was posted simultaneously in four places - on www.billboard.com, on the international chart section of www.billboard.biz, in Billboard magazine and also on Billboard Korea’s Web site (www.billboard.co.kr), according to the article.

Billboard.com said that the artists dominating the new chart reflect the fact that girl groups are a top attraction in Korean music, referring not only to Sistar and 2NE1 but also to T-ara, whose song “Roly Poly” landed in the No. 4 position, and Miss A, whose “Good-bye Baby” came in at fifth.

About Sistar, it said, “As you can see in the music video, Sistar’s appeal is not only in its music but also in its choreography.”

As for 2NE1’s “Ugly,” it said, “Infused with electronic-infused rock guitar, the song’s upbeat rhythm is contrasted by its morose, self-criticizing lyrics.”


By Moon So-young
Source: JOONGANGDAILY