Girl group EXID shot to stardom. A fancam went viral and the song entered the spotlight. As a result, the group’s “Up&Down” released in August started climbing up the charts three months later and hit second place in real-time rankings. Fancams are not the only reason some songs become an overnight sensation belatedly and climb up the music charts. Here are some cases of rediscovered songs and singers.
   
★ A hit after it goes on the air
The most common cause of chart re-climbing is TV exposure. The songs featured in music programs tend to receive a lot of exposure and shake up the music charts almost immediately. In that sense, survival audition programs are the easiest way to climb up the charts again. Currently (as of December 8, 4 PM), Kim Jo-han’s “I Want to Fall in Love” is ranked 35th on the Melon Music Chart. Jeong Seung-hwan sang this very song on SBS “K-Pop Star 4.”

“I Can’t Go to Shinchon” was released in 2013, but it only saw the spotlight when Lim Hyung-woo sang it on Mnet “Superstar K6,” and the song dominated the music charts for a long time afterwards. It shot up to the top of the charts in September right after the program was aired, and it is still ranked in the top 30 songs. 

Cable TV’s “Hidden Singer” is another huge influence. As the contenders compete to imitate a singer’s style as closely as possible, the viewers are naturally introduced to the track list of that singer’s albums. The songs enter the Internet search engine rankings as the program is aired as well as the music charts. Lee Seung-hwan’s “How Love Is” remained in the music rankings for a long time in the same manner.

★ Online issues continue to online charts
EXID’s fancam was sensational. The fancam of EXID member Hani recorded by a fan at an event went viral, and the viewers who got hooked to the addictive tune started searching for the original and kicked the song back up the charts.

A similar case is Crayon Pop’s “Bar Bar Bar.” As original and eye-catching as they were, the group did not enjoy much attention until their music video became a sensation online. This was followed by a “Bar Bar Bar” dance boom, and the song’s popularity quickly became evident in the charts.

★ Pay tribute through music charts …
The K-pop scene was hit by many tragic accidents this year. In the first half of the year, all activities came to a halt after the Sewol-ho Ferry disaster, and the second half brought the shocking news of the death of Eunbi and Rise of Lady’s Code.

The girls’ wish was to come first with their music. So the netizens joined hands to make the girls’ wish come true and made their “I’m Fine Thank You” the number one song on the charts. 

Then few months later, the music chart shook again with the death of Shin Hae-chul. The song “Dream of Freshwater Eel,” which he selected as the song for his funeral when he was alive, dominated the music charts after the singer’s death and paid tribute to the musician.