The group ILLIT's new song "NOT CUTE ANYMORE" is showing signs of gaining popularity in the United States as well as Korea. The "hood-grab shot challenge," which uses this song as background music, has emerged as a global short-form trend.
The "hood-grab shot challenge" is short-form content in which someone grabs the hood they are wearing and films from above, creating an optical illusion that makes the subject look as if they are dangling from a keyring. The challenge, which started in Korea, spread by word of mouth and became a meme among people in their teens and 20s for its fresh angles and cute charm. Former U.S. basketball player Shaquille O'Neal and influencers with tens of millions of followers joined the challenge, overwhelming global short-form platforms' algorithms.
It is also being called the "NOT CUTE ANYMORE challenge" abroad, which has drawn strong interest in the track itself. Its sleek melody and repetitive rhythm create a peculiar addictiveness, and the ironic fun of the song title contrasted with the cute challenge piqued interest. In particular, the "Sped up" version, which increases the original tempo, reportedly leaves a stronger impression.
In fact, "NOT CUTE ANYMORE" first entered YouTube's U.S. "daily shorts popular songs" chart at No. 33 (Dec. 16) and rose seven spots in one day to settle at No. 26 (Dec. 17). That is a notable advance on a chart filled with short-form background music trending worldwide, including various carols and songs such as "Big Guy," "CHANEL," and "Ocean Eyes." The song has already been No. 1 for more than a week on YouTube Korea's "daily shorts popular songs" chart (Dec. 6–11, 13–14) and is climbing the ranks in several countries, including Japan, the U.K., Canada, France, Germany and Australia. Its use has surged on TikTok and Instagram Reels as well, proving its ripple effect.
Its popularity has also ignited on global music charts. "NOT CUTE ANYMORE" debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 2 globally on Spotify's "Top Song Debut" chart for the tracking period Nov. 28–30, and has remained within the "daily top songs global" rankings since. It also charted for two consecutive weeks on the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
On Melon's "Top 100," the song entered at No. 100 upon release and climbed to No. 76 (Dec. 2), No. 44 (Dec. 8) and No. 21 (Dec. 18), showing a large rise. On Apple Music Korea's "Today's Top 100," it held the top spot for the 11th day (Dec. 17), continuing its long-running popularity.
It is encouraging that global usage of "NOT CUTE ANYMORE" has continued to grow even as it approaches one month since release. ILLIT's spreading global popularity is expected as they expanded their musical spectrum while demonstrating their distinctive trendy color at the same time.
[Photo] provided by Belift Lab Inc.
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