There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” features, I can average their ratings into one mega-score and place them in a pantheon alongside other acts.
As always, this feature has some rules of its own. I’m including any “Song Review” ratings as part of this graph, including Japanese releases and collaborations with one other artist. I’m not including Buried Treasures or solo/sub-unit releases. For the ratings themselves, I’m using the most current number on this blog, so if a song was part of a “Risers and Fallers” or “Legendary Songs Inauguration” post, that’s the rating you’ll see displayed here. That means there will still be a few ratings here and there I find slightly inaccurate, but it’ll mostly reflect my up-to-date feelings.
Finally, these scores are completely subjective. Feel free to agree, disagree and argue (that’s part of the fun!), but know that this chart reflects the opinion of only one person (me).
Check out NEWJEANS’s placement on the ULTIMATE ARTIST RANKING page!
NEWJEANS: A Career In Song Ratings
The Breakdown
Highest Rated Songs
Lowest Rated Songs
Imperial Phases
None
Slump Phases
Bubble Gum -> Right Now (2024)
Rating Average: 7.83
Overall Trendline:
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
i really like newjean’s attention, ditto, OMG.
on a side note, i thought newjean’s attention would be at least a 9 since it placed very high in your top 50 for 2022
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in retrospect I’ve come to appreciate what they offered. I just hate that everyone else was trying to copy their sound. Attention, Hype Boy and ETA are my favorites.
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10’s: Hype Boy, Ditto, Super Shy
9+: Attention, Cool with You
9: ETA
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These are my exact ratings as well. Ditto especially is a classic.
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Something about Ditto is so magical, and it was a perfect winter release.
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10’s: Hype Boy, Ditto, Super Shy
9+: Attention, Cool with You
9: ETA
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They were pumping out hit after hit and becoming really popular until those controversies happened… man that was a rough time, two of the biggest rising international groups in k-pop at that time ala them and Fifty Fifty getting bogged down like that, the industry is a cruel place. But they still have their hits! It’s wild that songs like Ditto, Attention, Super Shy, ETA are pretty much nostalgic at this point lol, seeing outside people get to know them was a really fun time.
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rlly as good as their music was i feel like we didnt appreciate newjeans nearly enough when they were still active. they genuinely have some of the best vocal direction/tones n above all else ARTISTRY ive ever heard in kpop n it fully elevated them past any of what the groups that ended up cribbing from them (esp once hybe nerfed everything) were doing. there rlly isnt another group i can think of quite like them
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Super shy and OMG are probably 10 for me. Most of their short discography is around 8.5/9. They really had (have?) their own sound.
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My girls! I miss them so much and it makes me so sad that this group will never be the same. To me, they had one of the most consistent runs in K-pop both in terms of singles and EP. It kind of feels like they are one of the biggest “what if” moments in K-pop, due to the way they were taking over from 2022 until 2023.
It was not just us as K-pop fans listening to them, they had a very rare universal appeal and popularity. It was the kind of popularity in which Western pop listeners and music fans not only knew the group’s name and that they came from K-pop, but they actually liked the songs. That’s an appeal that not many groups can say they had or have.
To me, they felt like a breath of fresh air. They had a distintictive sound, different from everybody else in the industry and the quality of their music was the main focus. I do remember that Nick and many readers in the blog were not the biggest fans of their style, but still K-pop companies saw that their music style was working and BOOM! We had group after group doing liquid drum & bass, UK garage, and Baltimore club. It was a type of influence that can’t be denied because you can still hear it in many singles / album tracks from TWS, RIIZE, ILLIT, tripleS, KiiiKiii and more.
Anyway, just kind of had to leave my feelings out. As a fan I selfishly want them back so bad, but I know things will never be the same. This is my top 5 NewJeans songs, to end on a positive note lol:
1- Supernatural.
2- Super shy.
3- Ditto.
4- Attention.
5- ETA.
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If possible it would be nice to have higher resolution versions of the graphs, they are very small for anyone on a computer and not a phone (I run at 1440p)
Thank you for your consideration 🙂
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If you right click and open the image in a new tab it’ll give you the full resolution. It still might not be as big as you’re thinking, but it’s definitely bigger than the version WordPress defaults to on the site.
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Even with opening in a new tab, I still have to squint to see it, especially when there are many songs, will be glad if there is some feature to zoom it or something.
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I upped the resolution for today’s posts (VIXX and MOMOLAND). Please let me know if you notice a difference. I’m not sure I do.
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Even through their short career, they did leave a big impact on the Kpop scene, my favourite from them is ditto and attention, also have ETA as a guilty pleasure. Although, I disagree with the idea that they could have went on to become something big if not for all the controversies.
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New Jeans, for short while there they just ruled kpop. That sound.
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My favorite single from the group is rated 8.25, so like, I don’t really think they were the most generous group in the industry, even though they totally dominated everything during their short run. The real question is whether they’re ever coming back…
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In a span of 2 years and 18 songs, their impact is still undeniable up until now. Only time will tell when we can see them all together again, along with their OG producers and directors, to recreate those shared feelings of joy (and at times melancholy) that everyone loved so so much. I’ll be there until the very end.
“Golden moon, diamond stars
In a moment, we unite” ❤
NewJeans is FIVE
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