KATSEYE “Touch” (Photographed by Jane Kim)
Welcome to Music Daily’s Trending Tracks, where we highlight the artists and trends occupying the music industry’s attention. Some come out of the woodwork, others have endured a months-long crusade to greatness. Nonetheless, all of them are captivating the short-circuited minds of Gen-Z social media users.
This week, English-speaking K-pop group, KATSEYE, release their second single “Touch” which features a candy-lacquered, liquid drum-and-bass chorus. Also, Stray Kids score their fifth No.1 album on the Billboard 200 with their latest release, ATE, via JYP Entertainment/IMPERIAL/Republic Records. Other Trending Tracks entries include Clairo’s dream-folk crooner “Juna” and BTS’ Jimin’s new single “Who.”
“Touch” by KATSEYE
Following their bold entrance with their aptly titled first single, “Debut,” KATSEYE returns with “Touch,” a song that reveals the group’s softer side. Delicate vocals from the six members are paired with dreamy ethereal tones. They ponder the complexities of love, wounded feelings and rediscovering one’s self-worth.
In the official video for “Touch”—directed by Cody Critcheloe (Demi Lovato, Kylie Minogue, King Princess)—a citywide search is underway for KATSEYE’s Yoonchae who has reportedly gone missing. KATSEYE’s strong bond of sisterhood and vibrant performance shine in “Touch,” especially with the Los Angeles location.
KATSEYE is the first-ever global girl group formed using KPOP artist development methodologies. They will appear in the Netflix docuseries, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, premiering August 21. “Touch” is the second single from KATSEYE’s debut EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), scheduled for August 16 via HYBE x Geffen Records. Stream “Touch” by KATSEYE below!
“Who” by Jimin
Pitched as the focus track from BTS’ Jimin’s new album, MUSE, “Who” confirms the veteran-K-pop-performers-to-equally-successful-soloists pipeline. As recently announced by Billboard, Jimin becomes the second BTS member to hit No. 1 as a soloist on Billboard Global Charts—following Jungkook—with “Who.” Though, this feat can be credited to the single’s now-15 variants to “farm” chart popularity, namely seen on the U.S. iTunes chart, with nearly all versions ranking within the top 50.
However, don’t let the normalized artist-marketing tactic sour the seven tracks’ exploration of love and artistic singularity. MUSE is Jimin hitting the refresh on his solo career, and it sounds great! Stream “Who” by Jimin below!
“Juna” by Clairo
The fan-favorite track off Clairo’s junior effort, Charm, is lush with ’70s-influences. The atmospheric vocal melodies accompanied by the soft rock imitations of brass and percussion are just a taste. Despite no single treatment, the Claro-favorite track, “Juna” spawned a massive TikTok create numbers, currently capping at over 810k videos, for its modern display of love’s confusing throughline. Though its social media success doesn’t necessarily match its streaming number. “Juna” doesn’t scratch 10M streams at the time of writing. The album track, which was performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, follows the singer-songwriter’s instantaneous deep-level connection with someone. Stream “Juna” by Clairo below!
“Chk Chk Boom” by Stray Kids
After headlining Milan’s I-Days music festival and London’s BST Hyde Park, the eight-member boy group locked in to make history with their fifth album, titled ATE. Co-produced by Stray Kids’ own Bang Chan and Changbin, ATE becomes the biggest U.S. debut for any K-pop act in 2024 and marks the first Korean act to have five full studio projects debut top of the Billboard 200. The album also captures No. 1 on the World Albums Chart and Top Album Sales chart.
Stray Kids’ album lead single, “Chk Chk Boom,” becomes Stray Kids’ highest charting song of all time, debuting at #49 on the Billboard Hot 100, with over 70k TikTok creates for its sweat-pumping dance challenge. “Chk Chk Boom,” is now the group’s fastest-selling single ever in the U.S. The single also made its debut at #4 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and #10 on Billboard Global 200.
This weekend, the group will headline Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 2. Stream “Chk Chk Boom,” by Stray Kids below!
