A British Club Sound Just Hit No. 1 on K-Pop's Biggest Chart — Here's How KiiiKiii Did It
Ten months after debut, KiiiKiii topped Melon's chart with a UK house/garage track. Here's why it worked — and what it says about 5th-gen K-pop's genre shift.
A British Club Sound Just Hit No. 1 on K-Pop's Biggest Chart — Here's How KiiiKiii Did It
Ten months after debut, KiiiKiii topped Melon with a UK house/garage track. Nobody saw it coming. Here's why it worked.
On the night of February 10, 2026, an unfamiliar name appeared at the top of Melon's TOP100 — Korea's most influential streaming chart.
KiiiKiii. A group that hadn't even been around for a full year.
What made it stranger was the genre: UK house / UK garage. Not exactly what you'd expect to find dominating a Korean streaming platform. A sound born in London's underground club scene had just climbed to the top of the Korean charts — and the K-pop world took notice.
What Is '404'? — The Album and the Track
On January 26, 2026, KiiiKiii released their second EP, 'Delulu Pack'. The title plays on "delulu" — internet slang for being delusional in a self-aware, almost charming way. The concept is more layered than it sounds: the members exist in a world where they freely move through time and space, blending Y2K aesthetics with Gen Z humor and a touch of the surreal.
The mood photo shoot leaned all the way in — members' faces printed directly onto everyday objects. Erasers. Soda cans. Shoeboxes. The concept is basically: "We're everywhere, whether you like it or not."
The title track '404 (New Era)' delivers exactly on that premise, sonically.
UK House / UK Garage — A Quick Primer
UK garage emerged from London's underground club scene in the early-to-mid 1990s. It's a British reinterpretation of American house music — but with more rhythmic complexity and a distinctly "swinging" feel. Instead of a straight four-on-the-floor kick drum, the beats are syncopated, slightly off-kilter, with a rolling momentum to them. The bass runs deep and fluid underneath, and the overall groove is unmistakably club-oriented. Artists like Craig David, Oxide & Neutrino, and MJ Cole helped define the genre, which went on to influence broad swaths of UK pop and R&B.
You can hear all of that in '404 (New Era)': bouncing chords, a heavy flowing bassline, layered FX, and drenched reverb. It feels like '90s club nostalgia run through a modern sound design session — like a British club made a time jump.
The production comes from LDN Noise — the name says it all. K-pop fans with a long memory will recognize the team instantly: SHINee's 'View', f(x)'s '4 Walls', EXO's 'Lucky One', Red Velvet's 'Dumb Dumb'. LDN Noise built some of SM Entertainment's most celebrated dance-pop tracks of the mid-2010s. Now they've brought UK garage to a rookie group's second EP.
The music video was directed by Byul Yun. Glitch-fractured digital landscapes. A ruined arcade. Neon-drenched alleyways. The members move through it all in outfits that blur Y2K and futurism — visually embodying the concept of going "off the grid," escaping the system entirely.
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KiiiKiii — 404 (New Era) MV | Watch on YouTube
Who Are KiiiKiii?
KiiiKiii is a five-member girl group under Starship Entertainment — home to IVE, MONSTA X, and CRAVITY. They debuted on March 24, 2025 with their first EP 'Uncut Gem'. 'Delulu Pack' is their comeback just ten months later.
Jiyu
Leader · Vocal · Rapper · Dancer
Born May 14, 2006 / Street-cast in Busan during middle school
Leesol
Main Rapper
Born Sep 18, 2005 / Known for her signature husky voice
Sui
Vocal
Born Apr 10, 2006 / Real name: Lee Subin
Haum
Vocal · Rapper · Dancer
Born Nov 14, 2006 / Real name: Kwak Haeum
Kya
Vocal · Maknae
Born Dec 18, 2010 / Real name: Park Jiwoo / Youngest member
One thing fans flagged right away was the line distribution in '404 (New Era)': all five members sit between 18–23% of the total lines. No one dominates, and each member's vocal color gets its moment. That balance resonated — and it shows in the group's growing fanbase.
What the Charts Are Telling Us
Sixteen days after release, '404 (New Era)' hit No. 1 on Melon's TOP100 — the fastest any new 2026 release had reached the top spot. That includes beating a new single from IVE, one of Starship's most established acts, which was no small thing.
On the music show circuit (weekly K-pop broadcast programs where groups perform and compete for trophies based on a mix of chart performance, digital sales, and fan votes):
| Music Show | Result | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Show Champion | No. 1 | KiiiKiii's first-ever music show trophy |
| Show! Music Core | No. 1 | First win on a terrestrial broadcast network |
| M! Countdown | No. 1 (6,450 pts) | Beat ATEEZ's 'Adrenaline' on February 12 |
Three music show wins in a single comeback cycle is a meaningful record for any group, let alone a rookie act. And the momentum wasn't limited to Korea.
- GLOBAL YouTube Music Weekly Chart No. 1 (Jan 30 – Feb 5)
- GLOBAL Spotify Korea Daily Chart No. 1
- GLOBAL Apple Music Trending Chart No. 1
- GLOBAL NME 100 entry
- KOREA Bugs Daily & Weekly Chart No. 1
Why UK House Works in K-Pop Right Now
Think about what a typical K-pop title track sounds like: a straight four-on-the-floor kick, a polished and tightly produced arrangement, energy that explodes at the hook, synchronized choreography. There's a formula — and most groups follow it.
'404 (New Era)' breaks that formula.
| Element | Typical K-Pop Dance-Pop | 404 (New Era) — UK House |
|---|---|---|
| Beat Pattern | Straight 4/4 kick | Syncopated + garage swing |
| Bass | Simple, repetitive | Heavy, flowing |
| Energy Curve | Verse → build-up → drop | Groove sustained from the top |
| Target Feel | Radio-optimized pop | Underground club groove |
The reason that difference matters: when most K-pop songs compete within the same sonic template, a track with a genuinely different groove stands out just by existing. It doesn't need to out-execute the formula — it sidesteps it entirely.
This also fits a broader pattern in 5th-gen K-pop. RIIZE built their identity around "Emotional Pop." TWS carved out "Boyhood Pop." Today's rookie groups are treating genre identity as a competitive advantage — defining what they sound like before the market defines it for them.
For KiiiKiii, UK house/garage is that definition.
That said, the track isn't without critics. Some international reviewers — comparing it to LDN Noise's classic K-pop work like 'View' or '4 Walls' — felt the chorus didn't hit with quite the same force. It raises a real tension: between genre freshness and pure commercial impact. That's not a knock on the group. No artist gets everything right at once, especially this early in their career.
What This No. 1 Actually Means
A rookie group hitting No. 1 on Melon isn't something that happens often. Doing it with a UK garage track makes it even rarer.
What made it possible was a combination of factors clicking into place at the right time: the credibility of LDN Noise as producers, solid promotion from Starship Entertainment, a concept that fused Y2K aesthetics with Gen Z sensibility, and a line distribution that gave all five members room to shine.
Timing played a role too. This happened at the exact moment 5th-gen K-pop is actively experimenting with genre diversity — and the fact that UK house landed at the top of Korea's biggest streaming platform is more than just one group's win. It's a signal that K-pop's sonic range is genuinely expanding.
Honestly, I'm curious what genre KiiiKiii shows up with next.
Sources
- The Korea Times — Girl group KiiiKiii scores chart breakthrough with '404'
- The Fader — K-pop group KiiiKiii is turning delulu dreams into reality
- The Bias List — Song Review: KiiiKiii – 404 (New Era)
- koreaportal — KiiiKiii's "404 (New Era)" Hits No. 1 on Melon, Wins Three Music Shows
- allkpop — KiiiKiii dominate charts at home and abroad
- Soompi — KiiiKiii Takes 1st Win For "404 (New Era)" On "Show Champion"
- Bandwagon Asia — KiiiKiii rewrite the rules on 2nd EP 'Delulu Pack'
- Korea Herald — KiiiKiii explores self-discovery, dreams through 2nd EP 'Delulu Pack'
