Blackpink's Jennie. [SNS]
Blackpink's Jennie. [SNS]

Blackpink member Jennie has topped a Billboard radio chart that K-pop acts have long struggled to crack.

Forbes reported Monday that "Dracula," Jennie's collaboration with Australian artist Tame Impala, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Pop Airplay chart for the week. The Adult Pop Airplay chart, introduced by Billboard in 1996, ranks songs based on the number of spins logged across 40 adult-format radio stations in the United States.

Countless K-pop songs have climbed to the top of major Billboard charts such as the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, but the genre has made notably little headway on US radio rankings. Digital sales, album sales and streaming numbers can be driven up by concentrated fandom support, but radio airplay requires broad mainstream appeal across diverse demographics — something fan campaigns alone cannot manufacture.

Among K-pop-related tracks, the only song to have previously topped the Adult Pop Airplay chart was "Golden," the theme from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters.

Performed by Korean American singer EJAE, Ley Ami and Audrey Nuna, "Golden" rode the film's wide popularity to reach No. 1 on the chart in January.

"Dracula" has now become the second K-pop-related song to top the chart, following "Golden."

"Dracula" was originally released in October last year as a solo track by Tame Impala. A remix featuring Jennie dropped in February and went viral on short-form video platforms, sending the song back up the charts.

The track currently sits at No. 1 across seven Billboard categories: Pop Airplay, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs, Hot Alternative Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and Dance Streaming Songs.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com