Kickflip, top of Chinese charts at the same time as debut… ‘K-pop super rookie’
Photo courtesy of JYP Entertainment
KickFlip made their debut on the 20th with the release of their first mini-album ‘Flip it, Kick it!’ and the title track ‘Mama Said (What are you trying to become?)’.
The album garnered much attention as it surpassed 300,000 pre-orders as of the 15th, before KickFlip’s official debut. In particular, according to Hanteo Chart, an album sales aggregation site, the group sold 243,949 copies on the debut day, and topped the daily album charts of Hanteo Chart and Circle Chart on the 20th.
The title song ‘Mama Said (What Are You Trying to Be?)’ took the top spot on the Korean chart of Kugou Music, a Chinese music platform, as of the 21st. Here, all the songs on the album entered the top 10 on the chart, with ‘Yeah Yeah’ 4th, ‘Knock Knock’ 6th, ‘WARRIORS’ 7th, ‘See You Tomorrow’ 8th, and ‘Like A Monster’ 9th.
The album ‘Flip it, Kick it!’, which announced the emergence of the ‘K-pop super rookie’, is receiving favorable reviews for all six tracks. Comments from the album writers, such as “The members really put their passion and sincerity into completing this song, and I‘m really proud of the result” (Tommy Park), “When I listened to the version the members sang, I thought they did a great job” (Young K), and “You really have to hear Minje’s voice in the bridge part of ‘Like A Monster’” (Jung Ho-hyun (e.one)), show Kickflip‘s passion.
As of the morning of the 22nd, the music video for the title song, ‘Mama Said (What Are You Trying to Be?)’, has surpassed 5.97 million views on YouTube. In response, JYP revealed a behind-the-scenes cut of the debut song’s music video and responded to the interest. Captured at the music video shoot, Kye-hoon, Amaru, Dong-hwa, Joo-wang, Min-je, K-ju, and Dong-hyun caught everyone‘s attention with their intense chemistry as they focused on the performance. The seven members, who are full of free vibes and dynamic energy, are expected to further capture the hearts of fans around the world through their debut activities.
The music video for ‘Mama Said (What Are You Trying to Be?)’ visualizes the message, ‘I won’t care about the obvious nagging and will go my own way’. Scenes of them enjoying the free world without worrying about what others think, such as blowing a hamburger with a big swing or making a bird out of a tree in the garden, convey a sense of freshness. The relaxed performance over the brisk rhythm and energetic sound is calling for repeat playback.
Meanwhile, the group name ‘Kickflip’ refers to the difficult technical term of spinning a board 360 degrees with the tip of one‘s toes. Gye-Hoon, Amaru, Dong-Hwa, Joo-Wang, Min-Je, Kei-Ju, and Dong-Hyun are growing their status as ‘K-Pop Super Rookies’ with the bold ambition to move forward without being bound by the past, just like turning the board once.
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.
