"ROOKIE OF THE YEAR"- Fans react as Hearts2Hearts breaks record for highest 1st-week sales of any girl group debut album in Hanteo History

On March 2, 2025, rookie girl group Hearts2Hearts, achieved record-breaking first-week sales, marking the highest debut album sales of any girl group in Hanteo history, as reported by Soompi. They accomplished this feat with their debut album, The Chase, which sold a total of 408,880 copies.

They surpassed the previous record set by BABYMONSTER, followed by ILLIT. BABYMONSTER sold 401,287 copies of their mini album BABYMONS7ER in its first week in April 2024, whereas ILLIT sold 380,056 copies of their mini album Super Real Me in March 2024.

Fans took to the internet to congratulate the girl group on their impressive debut, with one fan calling them "Rookie of the Year." The comment read:

"Hearts2Hearts ROOKIE OF THE YEAR"

More fans lauded this achievement, with some even claiming that the competition among fifth-generation girl groups is 'fiercer than ever' and that they are "worthy rivals."

"The competition among girl groups is fiercer than ever, with #Hearts2Hearts setting a new benchmark in debut album sales!" reacted another fan.

"Alrighty here comes another super monster rookie GG for this year @Hearts2HeartsLast year was @YGBABYMONSTER_Finally a worthy rivalry for #5thgenQueens," commented another fan.

"Absolutely! The success of these girl groups' debut albums is a testament to their immense popularity and the rising influence of K-pop globally. It's exciting to see how they continue to break records!" exclaimed another fan.

Some more fan reactions commending the group's achievement were seen on X.

"limited promotion but can be number #1 for a girl group debut album in K-Pop history, just wow proud of you girls," wrote another fan.

"It seems like the members' dream of winning ROTY this year is one step closer to coming true yorobun," remarked another fan.

"their song is really good, they make you watch them as a group and they are so sweet. they deserved it, congratulations h2h. i'm so proud," said another fan.

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More about SM Entertainment's rookie girl group, Hearts2Hearts

Hearts2Hearts is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of eight members: A-na, Carmen, Ian, Jiwoo, Juun, Stella, Ye-on, and Yuha. The group made their highly anticipated debut on February 24, 2025 with the release of their single album, The Chase, featuring the title track of the same name.

The group was first introduced to the public during the finale of SM Entertainment's 30th anniversary celebration, SM Town Live 2025 at Gocheok Sky Dome on January 12.

A surprise trailer revealed the group's name and showcased its eight members, although their individual names were not disclosed at the time. The trailer also confirmed that the group would make its highly anticipated debut in February 2025.

In an official statement to Yonhap News Agency on January 13, SM Entertainment revealed the significance behind the group's name. They stated:

"The group's name signifies its aim to connect with global fans through a mysterious and beautiful musical world filled with various emotions and heartfelt messages, and to move forward with a greater ‘us'."

Hearts2Hearts marks SM Entertainment's first girl group debut in five years, following aespa in 2020. Their debut album, The Chase, features two tracks: one with the same name and the other titled Butterfly.

The music video for the track The Chase garnered 10,619,678 views on YouTube and is ranked #84 among the global top music videos as of March 3, 2025.

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Hearts2Hearts is all set to perform at Mynavi presents The Performance from March 28 to 30, 2025 at K Arena Yokohama.