HYBE’s rookie girl group TUIDE has made a strong debut in South Korea, recording the highest first-week album sales among female artists who debuted in 2026.
However, the group’s opening numbers fell well short of the 300,000-copy milestone previously achieved by several HYBE-affiliated girl groups.
According to Hanteo Chart, TUIDE’s debut mini album, “TUNE & PLAY,” released on August 24, sold 112,282 copies during its first week.
The figure ranks as the best first-week sales record among female artists who have made their debut in Korea this year.
TUIDE is the first girl group introduced by HYBE’s rookie label ABD. HYBE highlighted the group’s achievement, noting that “TUNE & PLAY” entered the top 10 for the highest first-week sales among girl groups’ debut albums.
Despite the strong start, TUIDE’s sales remain significantly below the debut figures posted by HYBE’s previous rookie girl groups.
LE SSERAFIM, launched by Source Music in May 2022, recorded 307,450 first-week sales with its debut mini album “FEARLESS.”
NewJeans, which debuted under ADOR in August of the same year, sold 311,271 copies with its self-titled debut album, setting a new record for first-week sales by a girl group debut album at the time.
ILLIT later surpassed both groups in March 2024. Its debut mini album “SUPER REAL ME” sold 380,056 copies during its first week.
With LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans and ILLIT all surpassing 300,000 first-week sales, TUIDE’s debut performance marks a noticeably different starting point for a new HYBE girl group.
The competition among rookie girl groups in 2026 has nevertheless been extremely close.
OURBIRTHDAY, a rookie girl group launched by JYP Entertainment subsidiary INNIT Entertainment, recorded 111,324 first-week sales with its debut single album “OUR BIRTH DAY.”
The difference between OURBIRTHDAY and TUIDE was just 958 copies, giving TUIDE the narrow lead for the highest first-week sales among female rookie artists this year.
While TUIDE’s physical album sales have attracted attention, the group has also shown signs of growing momentum on digital music charts.
Its debut track “SUN KISS” reached No. 24 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs chart in South Korea on August 28. The following day, the song climbed to No. 5 on Apple Music’s Top 100: South Korea chart.
With its digital performance continuing to gain traction, TUIDE will be looking to build on its debut momentum and establish itself as one of the next major names in K-pop.