Girl group NiziU tops charts in Japan with latest digital single

Girl group NiziU [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

JYP Entertainment’s girl group NiziU is storming the main music streaming charts in Japan with its digital single “Asobo.”

“Asobo” topped daily charts on Oricon, Line Music, Recohoku, mu-mo and mora after its release on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the single topped real-time charts on Line Music, AWA and mu-mo and ranked No. 2 on Japan iTunes Top 100 Songs chart. The music video for the song surpassed 7.8 million views on YouTube as of Thursday afternoon.

“Asobo,” which means “let’s play” in Japanese, delivers the message that people can change and enjoy their ordinary lives if they have a playful spirit. The song has house music and Motown influences.

NiziU debuted in December 2020 and is active in the Japanese entertainment scene. The nine members of NiziU are all Japanese but were trained at JYP Entertainment’s headquarters in Seoul, receiving Korean-style idol training. Through this “K-pop incubation” process, NiziU has gained great popularity in Japan by offering a different style from other conventional Japanese idols.

Meanwhile, the girl group is set to perform at KCON in Seoul next month along with other K-pop acts such as Highlight, Monsta X, The Boyz, STAYC and Nmixx.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]