NiziU Makes History as First Foreign Group to Win a South Korean Music Show

Japanese idol group NiziU has made history by winning the Champion Song title on MBC’s Show Champion with their first Korean song, “Heartris.” This victory marks their first-ever win on any South Korean music show, a significant achievement for the group. They beat out Golden Child’s “Feel me,” IVE’s “Baddie,” and SEVENTEEN’s “God of Music.” Not even “Standing Next to You” by Jungkook of BTS could keep them from first place!

[MC석 코너] 친구같은 컴백 인터뷰! ‘NiziU’ 나!왔어✋🏻

The win was a momentous occasion, not just for NiziU but also for the industry as a whole, as they became the first non-Korean group to ever achieve this feat. The significance of this victory was evident in the emotional reactions of both the members and their fans. During their acceptance speech, the members expressed their heartfelt gratitude to fans worldwide for their unwavering support. They also had the opportunity to perform the iconic “Encore” stage.

NiziU‘s “Heartris” is the title track of their first Korean single album, Press Play, which came out on October 30. The song’s title is a portmanteau of the words “heart” and “Tetris.” It describes what happens when two different people come together like blocks in a game of Tetris. It was penned by Park Jin-young, the chief producer at their agency JYP Entertainment.

[HOT DEBUT] 니쥬(NiziU) – HEARTRIS

Congratulations, NiziU!

The group is part of JYP Entertainment’s Globalization by Localization project. They debuted in Japan in December 2020. They were assembled on the survival show Nizi Project, a joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment. Known for hits like “Make you happy,” “Chopstick,” and “Take a picture,” NiziU has nine members: Ayaka, Mako, Maya, Mayuka, Miihi, Nina, Riku, Rio, and Rima, all of whom are Japanese.

Language barriers posed a challenge during their Korean debut, but the group overcame these through teamwork and support from their producers. Members like Rio acknowledged their struggle to sing in Korean, while Miihi said Park Jin-young‘s guidance was instrumental in the process. “He taught us a lot, like how to address the song and how to deliver good vocals,” she said. “He also told us that the most important thing is us getting along.”

[쇼챔 1위] 11월 2주 챔피언송 ＜NiziU – HEARTRIS＞ 앵콜 Full ver.

They got along well on tour. NiziU‘s recent ‘COCO!nut Fest’ tour in Japan, ‘NiziU Live with U 2023,’ saw them perform 17 shows in eight cities, connecting with 185,000 fans across the country. Congratulations to NiziU on this achievement, a testament to their talent and the appeal of their music. – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: The girls were so happy, they posed for a photo with their trophy! Source: X/@NiziU__official.