FIFTY FIFTY’s Rise to Global Fame is a Story Worth Your Time

There’s never a dull moment in K-pop and that’s what makes it a multi-billion dollar industry. Between technological leaps with AI groups, dexterous choreography, and high-budgeted music videos, sometimes all you need are an irresistible melody and harmony to move your soul; And that’s exactly what K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY brings to the table. 

Debuting on November 18, 2022, with their EP The Fifty, members Saena, Aran, Keena, and Sio quickly piqued the interest of listeners as well as music critics with their four-track release. The simplicity of their lead R&B single “Higher” allowed listeners to appreciate the group’s tranquil vocals; a theme that runs strong across the EP. Playing with genres such as synth-pop, city pop, and EDM, FIFTY FIFTY let their distinct vocals take the spotlight, instantly etching the group’s sonic identity in the minds of the listeners.

The group’s lore stems from existing in the real world and the hope-filled world of utopia with members Saena, Aran, Keena, and Sio expressing their journey based on their personal stories. The idea that anything in our world can be perceived as either good or bad depending on your observation acts as an interesting route via which the group can express their stories.

Despite hitting a home run with their debut EP, there’s a high possibility you know about FIFTY FIFTY through the sped-up rendition of their latest release “Cupid (Twin Ver.)” which gained virality on TikTok and Instagram. With the rising popularity of short-format video-sharing platforms such as TikTok and Instagram’s reels, labels invest resources to get a song trending on the platforms. This often includes curated challenges, paid collaborations with creators, ad spends and more. While this is a tried and tested method — especially by bigger agencies and labels who have the funds to initiate and sustain large marketing campaigns — FIFTY FIFTY’s label Attrakt did not rely on any of this. In fact, they weren’t aiming for a viral hit at all. All it took was a TikTok creator tweaking the tempo of the song and a truckload of memes and content that followed to get a group from a small independent label to gain global recognition in under six months. 

“Cupid (Twin Ver)” is the full-English counterpart of the original song “Cupid” sung in Korean. Similar to their past releases, “Cupid” marries loungey retro sounds with memorable vocal performances, resulting in the creation of a song that’s just as vibey and addictive to gauge the attention of listeners who were routed to the group’s discography via the TikTok version. “We had to record both Korean and English versions of the songs. There were English lyrics in the Korean version as well, so this made the recording process more challenging as English is not my first language,” Saena, the leader of the group, shares her experience recording the versions of the track. “Different pronunciations of the letters ‘L’ and ‘R’ was a bit tricky for me. Yet, I loved the song and I enjoyed the overall recording process.”

Co-written by Keena, the song illustrates the woes of a person losing their faith in love. Deeming Cupid as “stupid,” the track goes on to share how despite giving a second chance to love, the protagonist was met with nothing but disappointment. “As a trainee, I mainly wrote songs for myself, about myself,” Keena explains. “The lyrics for ‘Cupid’ however, were different as I wrote it for the group. As I was writing the lyrics, I did it so that Saena’s charming intonation came through. The fact that I wrote the song for others was a learning process for me.” 

The virality of “Cupid (Twin Ver)” eventually resulted in chart success. As of May 17, the song occupies the second spot on the Billboard Global Chart (excluding the United States) and the fourth spot on the Billboard Global 200 chart. The group is steadily gaining momentum on the highly competitive Billboard Hot 100 Chart with the song currently securing the 17th spot. It’s worth noting that “Cupid (Twin Ver)” debuted on the chart at the 100th position a little over a month after its release. This feat made FIFTY FIFTY the fastest Korean act to enter the chart and the sixth Korean group to do so after K-pop big shots Wonder Girls, BTS, Blackpink, Twice, and NewJeans. 

The group has also amassed over 32 million on Spotify with “Cupid (Twin Ver)” occupying the third spot on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs chart and fourth spot on the Weekly Top Song Global chart, where the song has been featuring for the past eight weeks. On April 25, FIFTY FIFTY announced their partnership with Warner Records to help expand and sustain the group’s name in the global music market.

In a chat with Rolling Stone India, FIFTY FIFTY breaks down their recording process, synergy as a group and delve deeper into their aspirations.