Rookie boy group HIGH4 is taking over the charts and seeing a steady increase in popularity with their "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms", which comes in as a very surprising feat considering they haven't performed the song onstage on music shows.
The song "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms" was written by and features female soloist IU. Despite all the teasing prior to the group's actual debut, HIGH4 was unable to perform the track onstage since they released it on April 8. Around that time, music shows' broadcast was temporarily halted in respect of the Sewol Ferry tragedy on April 16. As a result, only a weekly tabulation of scores was revealed.
However, SBS Inkigayo's chart results now show that "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms" ranked number 1 for the second week of May. Inkigayo's chart results factor in 60% of digital music sales and 40% SNS impact, and in total HIGH4 garnered 6000 points in digital music sales and 3500 SNS points, totaling to 9500 points. A Pink followed them in second place with "Mr. Chu", which took home total score of 7499. Akdong Musician closed the top three bout with 6801 points for "Give Love".
Despite the lack of promotional activities, HIGH4 even found themselves on various online charts including MelOn, Mnet, Naver Weekly Chart, Billboard K-Pop Chart, and Gaon Chart for the second week of May. With their achievement, the boys of HIGH4 were given the "grand slam" title without having to prove their point on music shows.
One of the many reasons why "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossom" did so well in the charts is the fact that the song fits so well with the theme of spring. Furthermore, IU's promotion for the song (which she wrote) also captured fans' interest.
HIGH4 is currently in the midst of preparing their next album release this June. By then, the group has planned full-on promotions in local music and variety shows. Some members are also in the talks to appear in musicals. Furthermore, HIGH4 is slated to extend their promotions to Japan, China, and other countries.