Just two singles debut on this week’s Hot Trending Songs chart, Billboard’s ranking of the songs that were mentioned the most on Twitter in the previous tracking frame. One tune opens inside the top 10, while the other narrowly breaks onto the tally at all, landing in last place. While the latter cut isn’t the biggest win on the list, it does help the band behind it break out of a tie with other well-known groups and advance on one important all-time roster.
NCT U’s “Ok!” launches at No. 20 on the 20-rung Hot Trending Songs chart, becoming the band’s fourth placement on the tally. With a quartet of hits to their credit, the South Korean boy band breaks out of a tie with fellow K-pop superstars Monsta X and Stray Kids to become the musical act with the third-most wins on the list.
The NCT spin-off band has now stalled at No. 20 with both “Ok!” and “Beautiful,” which reached the social-focused ranking just last week. Two of the boy band’s songs have risen higher, and, coincidentally, they tied one another by peaking at No. 13. “Sweet Dream” and “Universe (Let's Play Ball)” both climbed to that lucky position.
Before “Ok!” arrived, NCT U was on the same level as both Monsta X and Stray Kids, who are steady with their trio of hit singles. All three of Stray Kids’ tracks—“Christmas EveL” (No. 4), “Winter Falls” and “Thunderous” (both No. 10)—found their way into the top 10 for at least one frame. Monsta X’s smash “Rush Hour” also launched into the loftiest space on the tally, lifting to No. 9. Their other charting tunes, “The Dreaming” (No. 12) and “You Problem” (No. 19) also performed well, as fans couldn’t stop talking about them on Twitter.
Only BTS and Enhypen have appeared on the Hot Trending Songs chart with more hits, and they don’t lead by much. The two K-pop boy bands have both pushed five different tracks to the ranking so far.
NCT U is a sub-group of NCT, which has now launched several other successful acts that are connected to the top brand. NCT itself has sent a pair of tunes to the Hot Trending Songs chart, and the same can be said for NCT 127.