Trending K-pop introduces some of the hottest tracks on South Korea’s leading music-streaming service Melon. Here’s the list for the week ending June 30.

Recent weeks saw the impressive return of several female acts, including Red Velvet, Chungha and Somi, each with their own distinctive style

While BTS and Davichi stayed high on the chart, we look at the influx of dance-pop from female artists.

(S.M. Entertainment)

Track of the week: ‘Zimzalabim’ -- Red Velvet

This week’s track of the week is Red Velvet’s new single “Zimzalabim,” which not only managed to stay afloat on the charts but prompted online chatter about the song’s experimental sound, spawning review and reaction videos.

The lead track of the group’s sixth EP, “The ReVe Festival: Day 1,” features polished electropop with a drastic turn in melody and the group’s signature playful lyrics, which the bandmates say is both addictive and multilayered.



It was a new entry on Melon at No. 18 last week, with the music video for the lead single having racked up over 2.7 million views in the first week.

According to the group, the song was kept in the dark until record executive and founder of S.M. Entertainment, Lee Soo-man, pushed for it to be the lead track. He believed the group was finally ready to pull it off.

Though the members were a little taken aback by the randomness of the title, Seulgi said the song grew on them.

“The lead track is versatile in terms of performance as well. It has EDM elements but also gets quiet at times. I think the song encapsulates many of our qualities. It’s more enjoyable when you listen and watch our live performance together,” she said during the event.

“Snapping” -- Chungha

Chungha is back with the EP “Flourishing.” The singer appears to have added yet another hit to her discography, as the latest single sat at No. 5 as of Sunday.


The song, which talks of a brand new morning after a breakup, is packed with addictive beats and choruses, a departure from her melody-heavy hit single “Gotta Go.”

Working with songwriter Park Woo-sung for the first time, she said Park “wrote the song based on images of her in a commercial” and that the song “brings a new side out of her.”

The record shows a different side of the artist. She takes on various genres in the rest of the EP, including trap soul, Latin music and R&B.

During a showcase, Chungha said her new track “Flourishing,” which credits her as a composer and lyricist, is about expressing oneself with confidence.

“Birthday” -- Somi

Somi’s debut dance-pop single “Birthday” has performed well both on streaming charts and YouTube.



The track, which features fun lyrics like “Oops, you are not invited,” soared 51 places on last week’s Melon’s chart to No. 33, becoming the highest climbing track in the top 50. The music video had racked up over 26 million views as of Sunday afternoon.

The singer’s solo career had appeared to be off to a rocky start, as she was not prepared to perform at her solo debut showcase earlier this month. Artists rarely miss a performance during a showcase.

During the event, she said she had wanted to be “prepared perfectly” but had to practice more before her first performance, referring to her first televised performance the following weekend on MBC’s “Show! Music Core.”

On deciding to work with The Black Label, she said it was producer and rapper Teddy’s passion that won her over. He wrote her debut single alongside BrotherSu and Bekuh Boom.

“My first meeting was with Teddy. When I asked him about his plans for me, he seemed so excited -- imagining and explaining his plans to me -- and I was moved by that. The fact that there is someone who cares for me this much moved me and made me feel grateful, and that’s why I decided to make the move,” she said.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)