HANA debuted only a year ago, but their rise in Japan has been unusually fast.
In that time, they’ve already reached:
• 1.3B total streams
• 7 songs with over 100M streams
• 3 Billboard Japan Hot 100 #1 songs
What’s interesting is that their momentum doesn’t seem to come from a single viral hit. Instead, it appears to be built on a combination of strong performance identity, consistent releases, and a clear artistic direction established even before debut through the No No Girls audition project.
I wrote a short analysis looking at HANA’s first year and what it might reveal about how BMSG approaches artist development.
Article:
https://bmsgpulse.substack.com/p/how-did-hana-a-new-japanese-girl
Curious what others think about their trajectory so far.
by Fun_Fun2495
8 Comments
They’re all over the place in Japan.
i’m not a fan of the group and I’m happy for their success BUT WHAT SCARES ME is that most artists that got popular way too fast from their debut are also the ones who decline faster and reach rock bottom.
from Western number 1 debuts to where are they now? (Carly Rae Jepsen, Iggy Azalea, 24kgoldn, Dove Cameron), to Kpop like the ultra popular NEWJEANS, and Jpop TUKI and ME:I.
but hey! you can break the curse by downvoting my comment…
Edit: why do I have 3 upvotes so far? i said downvote, not upvote.
It’s obviously because of No No Girls and the popularity of Chanmina. The country got to watch these girls work hard to form the band. And then they came straight out the gate on fire and haven’t stopped since.
No no girls helped a lot. The entire show can be watched on YT (at least the shorter version), instead of putting into paid streaming like Netflix. Then they put out the finale as a concert and that was just genius marketing. I am sure other shows do similar stuff but what hooked me was the fact that each girl is so unique with their own strength and style and weaknesses. Producer gave them the freedom to write their own lyrics as the competition heats up. I remembered I watched the first ep, and that got me hooked and watched everything – for the fact that these girls are so unpolished. But Chanmina and SKY-HI gave very honest & direct feedback and genuine reactions to the girls’ performances. That really brings out the ‘reality’ part of it as much as the competition itself.
Some other similar jpop shows are too linear and predictable, with similar styles for each girl and even the lyrics are similar. Chanmina has her own aesthetic and artistic way of producing the show, and audiences can relate to it – she had been rejected 19 times in various auditions and that puts her relatable to any commoners.
The popularity probably has something to do with Chanmina being half-Japanese half-Korean. She brought an ‘edge’ to the show which other shows do not have. One thing i can see is that Chanmina is unafraid of showing the ugly side of herself, and this reflects in No No girls. J shows are too polished, and k-shows might be too posh. No no girls strikes the balance between the two – and this is just my opinion.
It seems they are using the kpop concept to break out of the Japanese market which is what many other Japanese artists are not really doing. Even with songs being used in anime, they are only breaking out of the domestic market temporarily.
I discovered HANA last year through “Blue Jeans”. Wouldn’t surprise me if GPP can achieve something similar. I really like their song “Bring it back” and am cautiously excited for any new releases by either group.
Were any of the members from previous survival shows?
My investments paid off 🗣️🗣️🗣️
I watched the show out of curiosity. Not a cup of my tea tbh. I am more into Hello!Project and LDH girl groups. The girls who participated are talented and there were wonderful stories behind them. I learned to like the entire show. While I appreciate they are talented some of their releases are not for me. I like Blue Jeans, My Body and Cold Night among their songs. The group releases new content every month. They are hitting the iron while it is hot. Their agency and producer are strong so they got all the PR stuff. What makes them unique is that they do not conform in the traditional beauty standards. Lastly, them being rejected in life is relatable.
Their fans has purchasing power as their fans are mostly working females (based on a data I saw on Twitter).