Supernatural (NewJeans song)

"Supernatural" is a song by South Korean girl group NewJeans. ADOR released it as a CD single on June 21, 2024, along with the B-side track "Right Now". Produced by 250, "Supernatural" contains an interpolation of a section from the 2009 track "Back of My Mind" by Manami and songwriter Pharrell. "Supernatural and "Right Now" became NewJeans's first releases in Japanese, marking their debut in the Japanese music market. NewJeans began promoting in the country in April 2024, by announcing a fan meeting, opening pop-up stores in partnership with Kao and Shibuya109, having "Right Now" be featured in advertisements ahead of the official release, and teasing collaborations with Japanese artists Takashi Murakami and Hiroshi Fujiwara.

Background

After debuting in 2022, South Korean girl group NewJeans had their international breakthrough in 2023 with the release of the single album OMG and their second extended play (EP), Get Up. In January 2023, NewJeans entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with the singles "Ditto" and "OMG". In South Korea, "Ditto" became the most successful song of the year, topping the Circle Digital Chart for a record-breaking thirteen weeks, receiving numerous accolades, and introducing the breakbeat trend in the K-pop music industry. Released in July 2023, Get Up internationally established NewJeans as one of the most prominent music acts of the year, becoming the group's first entry and number-one on the Billboard 200, selling over two million copies, and being named among the best albums of 2023 by several publications.

Music and lyrics

Produced by NewJeans's long-time collaborator 250, "Supernatural" samples the 2009 track "Back of My Mind" by Japanese singer Manami and American singer Pharrell, who is credited as a lyricist and composer.

Release and promotion

On March 27, 2024, ADOR announced that NewJeans would release two double singles in 2024: "How Sweet" and "Bubble Gum" on May 24 and "Supernatural" and "Right Now" on June 21. With the release of "Supernatural", NewJeans began their first official cycle of promotional activities in Japan, starting with appearances on television shows and a fan meeting, titled Bunnies Camp 2024 Tokyo Dome, set to be held at the Tokyo Dome on June 26–27, 2024. In conjuction with the singles' announcement, ADOR stated that NewJeans would release an album in the second half of 2024 and embark on a worldwide tour in 2025. The press release caused Hybe Corporation's daily market capitalization to increase by nearly ₩1 trillion. In April 2024, ADOR began promoting NewJeans in Japan by opening pop-up stores in Shibuya, Tokyo, in collaboration with Kao, promoting their hair care brand Essential, and Shibuya 109, commemorating the store's 45th anniversary.

A teaser for the music video of "Right Now" was released on May 1, 2024; it served to announce a collaboration with Japanese visual artist Takashi Murakami, who worked with NewJeans to create the music video and design artwork for the CD single. Murakami had previously declared himself a "huge fan of NewJeans" and expressed his desire to meet them in January 2023. The video follows the animated characters version of NewJeans, designed in the style of The Powerpuff Girls and first introduced in the music video for their 2023 track "New Jeans". The characters are in search of a love potion when they find a "rainbow flower", resembling Murakami's "iconic" flowers, that gives them supernatural powers. The flower and new designs of the characters were featured in the artwork for the CD single, which was released in three physical formats: a drawstring bag version, a crossbody bag version, and a Weverse-exclusive version. Additional items available with the CD include a photo book, a jewel case, a booklet, photo cards, and post cards.

A snippet of "Right Now" became available on May 9, 2024, after being featured in Lotte Wellfood's advertisement for their dessert brand Zero starring NewJeans. The CD single became available for pre-order on May 10, 2024. The following day, NewJeans released a series of photos on social medias, announcing a collaboration with Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara on a line of apparel and accessories, including T-shirts, hats, bandanas, and bags, which became available in pop-up stores in South Korea and Japan in June 2024. Fujiwara had previously met NewJeans member Hanni while shooting her cover for the February 2024 issue of W Korea.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

Notes

References