Ditto

Album: OMG (2022)
Charted: 95 82
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Songfacts®:

  • NewJeans is a South Korean girl group comprising Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein. They released "Ditto" as a pre-release single from their debut album, OMG, on December 19, 2022.
  • "Ditto" mixes English and Korean lyrics about a romance that's several months old. The girls are deeply in love but don't know if their feelings are reciprocated.
  • "Ditto" (from Italian detto meaning "said") refers to the same or similar thing that's been said before. NewJeans have told their romantic interest how strong their feelings are for him and want to know where they stand. A reply of "ditto" will suffice.
  • The oldest NewJeans group member, Minji, helped write "Ditto" alongside Ylva Dimberg, Oohyo, The Black Skirts, and the song's producer, 250. Swedish songwriter and composer Ylva Dimberg has written for many K-Pop acts, including Girls Generation, Red Velvet, SHINEee and Loona; Oohyo is a South Korean synth-pop singer; The Black Skirts has a successful career in South Korea as an indie rock musician; 250 is a South Korean DJ and music producer who has composed hip-hop tracks, such as E SENS's "Everywhere" and "Flight," and K-Pop songs such as NCT 127's "Chain" and "Flight."
  • NewJeans' name plays on the phrase "new genes," referring to the group ushering in a new generation of pop music. This song's laid-back, chopped-staccato beat nods to the Baltimore club style, marking a change of sound from their K-pop competitors.

    The Baltimore club dance genre fuses hip-hop, house, and breakbeat music. 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell, Frank Ski, Miss Tony Scottie B. and DJ Spen created the music style in the Maryland city in the early 1990s.
  • The two "side A" and "side B" music videos for "Ditto" have a fuzzy camcorder aesthetic like a home video. Shot from the perspective of Heesoo (played by South Korean actress Park Ji-hu), they show her playing and dancing with the five NewJeans members in their younger school days.
  • "Ditto" became NewJeans' first Hot 100 hit when it debuted on the chart dated January 21, 2023. TikTok was a big factor in the song's popularity as hundreds of thousands of users used the track to soundtrack their clips on the platform.
  • This won Best Song at the 2023 MAMA Awards given for outstanding achievements in the K-pop and Asian music industry. NewJeans also took home the trophies for Best Female Group, Best Dance Performance Female Group (for "Ditto"), and Artist of the Year.

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