The Fifty Fifty song “Cupid” has debuted at #100 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Fifty Fifty only the fifth K-pop girl group since Wonder Girls, Twice, Blackpink, and NewJeans to chart. They even reached the Hot 100 faster than NewJeans did. But what makes this all the more remarkable is that most people in South Korea probably haven’t heard of this group.
Fifty Fifty is one of the most fascinating stories in K-pop right now because they’re simultaneously very unknown and also really popular. They released a song called “Cupid” on February 23 that is full of refreshing retro vibes, and it garnered a lot of positive attention internationally even while the response home in Korea was muted. However, things really took off when international fans took notice of “Cupid (Twin Version),” an all-English version of the song with a different mix that only features two member of the group, Aran and Sio. The combination of the pleasant melody, the surprisingly natural English vocals, and even the surprisingly natural English lyrics really struck a nerve, causing “Cupid (Twin Version)” to become a phenomenon on social media, especially Tiktok, in addition to Spotify. The result is that Fifty Fifty and “Cupid” have finally entered the Billboard Hot 100.
.@we_fiftyfifty's "Cupid" debuts at No. 100 on this week's #Hot100.
It's their first career entry on the chart.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) March 27, 2023
Personally, I’ve been obsessed with both versions of this song lately and been listening to it during workouts. The song is rather unusual by K-pop standards in that, contrary to its name, it’s actually about the inability to find love, as well as the frustration that comes with it. Although, “Cupid” isn’t all gloom; it’s actually a “prequel” to the songs from their debut release, The Fifty, which are about feeling love again.
Fifty Fifty entering the Billboard Hot 100 with “Cupid” is definitely nicer K-pop news than last week, when a Twice member accidentally wore a swastika T-shirt just days after accidentally wearing a QAnon top. However, Fifty Fifty’s total physical album sales are still astronomically low compared to those of other K-pop girl groups mentioned at the top of the article. That’s what makes this such a unicorn event.
