NewJeans chosen as one of Time’s Next Generation Leaders

K-pop girl group NewJeans has been selected as one of the Next Generation Leaders by the U.S. Time magazine for this year.

The group made it on the Next Generation Leaders 2023 list released Tuesday (U.S. time), alongside celebrities like British actor Florence Pugh and Brazilian journalist and activist Rene Silva.

The list highlights 10 trendsetters and trailblazers “who are guiding the way to a brighter future.” NewJeans was the only K-pop act named to the list.

“Since it dropped its first music video in August 2022, the nascent K-pop girl group has already reached global milestones even faster than its more senior counterparts in the industry,” the magazine said.

It highlighted achievements made by the quintet in less than one year after the band’s debut, saying that two of its singles stayed on the Billboard 100 for five weeks this year and that it became the fastest K-pop act ever to hit 1 billion streams on Spotify despite having released only a handful of songs.

“We’re always trying to create a fresh vibe,” member Danielle was quoted as saying in an interview with the magazine.

The members added they are focused on enjoying the process and just making music that they want to hear although they cannot predict what K-pop is going to be in the future.