The Hidden Story Behind NewJeans' Supernatural: From Creation to Charts

NewJeans' "Supernatural" marked a historic milestone for the K-pop group, becoming their first venture into the Japanese music market when released as a CD single on June 21, 2024. The song quickly dominated charts, debuting at #1 on Japan's Oricon Daily Single Ranking and maintaining this position for several days. Notably, the single achieved Triple Platinum certification for 750,000 physical units sold by August 2024, before reaching Million certification (1,000,000 units) just one month later.

Alongside the main track, NewJeans released the B-side "Right Now," expanding their discography with their first Japanese-language material. The physical album came in nine distinct versions, giving fans multiple collectible options. Furthermore, the promotional campaign included a fan meeting at Tokyo Dome called "Bunnies Camp 2024," which sold out over 45,000 seats per night in minutes. In fact, NewJeans became the fastest non-Japanese artist to debut at Tokyo Dome, achieving this milestone just 1 year and 11 months after their initial debut. This article explores the complete journey of "Supernatural" - from its creation with Pharrell Williams to its chart-topping success.

NewJeans' Japanese Debut and the Making of 'Supernatural'

The decision to expand into Japan represented a calculated strategic move for NewJeans. Japan stands as the largest and most crucial foreign market for K-pop artists, making it a natural progression for the group's international growth. After establishing themselves in Korea, the quintet's foray into the Japanese music scene aimed at connecting with more fans while showcasing a fresh musical perspective.

Why Japan was the next step for NewJeans

HANNI, a member of NewJeans, expressed their motivation clearly: "We are making our Japanese debut in hopes of meeting more of our fans, Bunnies, and to showcase a fresh perspective on our music as NewJeans". This expansion allowed them to tap into Japan's vibrant music industry while introducing their unique sound to a new audience. Additionally, the group had already gained significant traction in Japan, ranking among the highest K-pop artists on both Oricon and Billboard Japan charts in 2023.

The role of Pharrell Williams in shaping the sound

American producer Pharrell Williams played a pivotal role in crafting "Supernatural." The Grammy-winning artist contributed as both songwriter and composer, bringing his distinctive musical sensibility to the project. His involvement added substantial creative weight to NewJeans' Japanese debut, connecting the group to his legacy of chart-topping productions. Williams' signature ad-libs throughout the track provide a nostalgic touch that honors past musical styles while creating something uniquely appealing to Japanese listeners.

How 'Back of My Mind' inspired the track

At the heart of "Supernatural" lies a clever reinterpretation of Williams' previous work. Producer 250 sampled Williams' iconic ad-lib and bridge from "Back of My Mind," his 2009 collaboration with Japanese singer Manami. This sample was then thoughtfully transformed into a new jack swing arrangement that perfectly complements NewJeans' soft vocals. The members themselves noted the impact of this production choice: "The intro and Pharrell Williams' ad-lib are intense, and the following synthesizer sound and beat are incredibly exciting". This creative sampling approach echoes their previous work on "ETA," which incorporated elements from the 1972 funk anthem "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins.

Visual Identity and Artistic Collaborations

For their "Supernatural" project, NewJeans partnered with Japanese creative luminaries to craft a distinctive visual identity that perfectly complemented their musical direction. These artistic collaborations elevated the album beyond typical K-pop releases, creating a cross-cultural artistic statement.

Takashi Murakami's rainbow flower and character design

Contemporary artist Takashi Murakami brought his iconic aesthetic to the "Supernatural" project, blending his signature multi-colored flower design with NewJeans' imagery. The collaboration featured Murakami's rainbow flowers throughout album packaging and merchandise, but with a clever twist—the flower's original smiling face was replaced with the group's rabbit mascot. Beyond this signature motif, Murakami created specific character designs for each NewJeans member, providing them with individualized anime-inspired personas.

In the "Right Now" music video teaser, Murakami introduced these customized anime character interpretations of the members. The visual narrative shows the animated NewJeans walking through a whimsical forest searching for a love potion, only to discover a rainbow flower that triggers a magical transformation changing their appearance.

Powerpuff Girls-style animation and storytelling

The Powerpuff Girls inspiration represents a natural extension of NewJeans' aesthetic established in their previous release. Directed by Youngeum Lee, the Murakami-collaborated "Right Now" video follows the animated NewJeans members as they mix ingredients to create the perfect concoction to cure Hanni's broken heart. This storyline cleverly echoes the iconic cartoon's premise, where Professor Utonium combines "sugar, spice, and everything nice".

The animation style offers a perfect match for NewJeans' identity. As one analysis noted, "Just because they're made of sugar, spice and everything nice doesn't mean that girls can't pack a punch—just like us girls in the real world". This collaboration effectively positioned NewJeans as making the classic cartoon trendy again, stirring nostalgia for older viewers while introducing Gen Z to a retro-meets-new aesthetic.

Hiroshi Fujiwara's fashion line and pop-up stores

Simultaneously, Japanese streetwear pioneer Hiroshi Fujiwara created a distinctive apparel collection for the "Supernatural" campaign. Each NewJeans member showcased streetwear ensembles reflecting Fujiwara's signature aesthetic—loose T-shirts, baggy jeans, Timberland boots, bucket hats, and caps. The oversized T-shirts featured co-branded graphics and distinctive letterings, some with handwritten logo designs and others with graphic prints in Fujiwara's iconic royal blue hue.

These collaborative products became available at special pop-up events. The "Supernatural" Pop-Up in Shibuya, Tokyo featured exclusive merchandise from both the Murakami and Fujiwara collaborations. The immersive space included a second floor dedicated to NewJeans products and a basement showcasing the Murakami collaboration with a media zone for watching music videos and special messages from the members.

Release Strategy and Promotional Timeline

ADOR orchestrated a meticulous rollout plan for "Supernatural," building anticipation through strategic content releases across multiple platforms. The campaign combined traditional music promotion with innovative retail experiences, creating significant buzz for NewJeans' Japanese debut.

Key teaser and MV release dates

Initially, on March 27, 2024, ADOR announced NewJeans would release two double singles in 2024: "How Sweet"/"Bubble Gum" on May 24 and "Supernatural"/"Right Now" on June 21. This announcement alone boosted Hybe Corporation's daily market capitalization by nearly ₩1 trillion.

The promotional timeline accelerated when a teaser for "Right Now" dropped on May 1, 2024, revealing the Takashi Murakami collaboration. Subsequently, on May 9, a snippet of "Right Now" appeared in a Lotte Wellfood advertisement. As excitement built, NewJeans released the second "Right Now" teaser on June 10, confirming the full music video would arrive on June 17, four days before the single's release.

The rollout continued with the first "Supernatural" music video teaser on June 15, followed by the single's official release on June 21. Surprisingly, a second part of the "Supernatural" music video was unveiled on July 5 at midnight KST, giving fans additional content.

Fan meeting at Tokyo Dome

The crown jewel of NewJeans' promotional strategy was their "Bunnies Camp 2024" fan meeting at Tokyo Dome on June 26-27. This milestone event sold out completely, drawing 91,200 attendees across both days. Moreover, NewJeans set a record as the non-Japanese act with the shortest time between debut and performing at Tokyo Dome.

Pop-up stores and merchandise drops

Concurrently, ADOR established pop-up experiences in both Korea and Japan. In April 2024, they opened stores in Shibuya, Tokyo, collaborating with Kao's Essential hair care brand and commemorating Shibuya 109's 45th anniversary. These locations featured exclusive merchandise from the Murakami and Fujiwara collaborations, including apparel, accessories, and album versions. The Shibuya pop-up remained open until July 15, offering fans immersive experiences including a media zone for viewing music videos.

Commercial Success and Chart Performance

Upon release, "Supernatural" achieved unprecedented commercial success across multiple markets, confirming NewJeans' cross-cultural appeal. The single's performance demonstrated their expanding global influence beyond their established Korean fanbase.

Oricon, Billboard Japan, and Korean chart rankings

"Supernatural" debuted at the top of Japan's Oricon Daily Single Ranking chart on June 21, 2024, maintaining its #1 position for three consecutive days. The song also achieved remarkable success on Billboard charts, reaching No. 14 on the 'Global Excl. U.S.' chart and No. 25 on the 'Global 200' chart. Its B-side track "Right Now" likewise appeared on both charts, underscoring the group's international appeal.

Despite being a Japanese release, "Supernatural" made history on Korean charts. The single reached No. 8 on Melon's 'Top 100' chart and topped the Bugs real-time chart. According to ADOR, "It is uncommon for Japanese singles to rank high on domestic music charts". Indeed, "Supernatural" became the highest-charting J-pop song in Melon TOP100's history when it entered the Top 40.

Physical album versions and certifications

The physical release of "Supernatural" achieved extraordinary sales milestones. As of June 2024, the album had sold 1,021,730 copies according to Circle Chart, making it NewJeans' fifth consecutive album to surpass one million copies sold since their 2022 debut. First-day sales reached an impressive 685,753 copies on Hanteo.

Consequently, "Supernatural" earned Million certification from KMCA and Gold certification from RIAJ for physical sales. This achievement contributed to NewJeans' accumulated album sales reaching approximately 7.55 million copies across their five releases.

Fan reception and media reviews

Critics responded enthusiastically to "Supernatural," with Jon Caramanica of The New York Times ranking it third on his list of the best songs of 2024. The single's success extended to streaming platforms as well, earning Gold certification from RIAJ for exceeding 50 million streams in Japan.

Fan response was equally positive, particularly after NewJeans' Tokyo Dome fan meeting, which drew over 91,200 attendees. Following this event, their songs saw a resurgence on major music charts in both Korea and Japan. On Spotify Japan's 'Daily Top Songs' chart dated July 1, "Supernatural" reached No. 15, with eleven NewJeans tracks charting simultaneously—a testament to the group's strong connection with their audience.