San E at No. 1 means K-pop phenoms 2NE1 and new single "Missing You" settle for the No. 2 slot, earning their third Top 2 hit of 2013. But there's still hope for the ballad to snag the top slot. As Lee Seung Gi's record-breaking ballad "Return" proved last year, South Korea's taste lean towards emotional, slow-tempo tracks during the winter.
2NE1's "Missing You" won't be the only winter ballad released this year -- look out for seasonal-themed tracks from EXO and Secret too -- but it got a head start on its competition after a live premiere at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMAs). Watch the performance below as the quartet perform their somber 2011 single "Lonely" before moving into "Missing You."
MAMAs 2013: Full Winners List + Video Highlights.
The strong debuts from San E and 2NE1 send last week's No. 1, Davichi's "The Letter," down two spots to No. 3.
Scrolling down the chart, quartet group Noel's "When The Night Comes," featuring hip-hop heavyweights Dynamic Duo, drops to No. 10 from No. 5 this week.
The track off Noel's latest EP, "Trace," is a smooth, midtempo track heightened by Noel's melancholic vocals and rhythmic rapping from Dynamic Duo. The song was composed Choi Kyusung -- the producer behind Noel's past K-Pop No. 1 "I Miss You" -- and mastered by Miles Showell from Abbey Road Studio.
The four-member boy band 2AM's newest single, "Just Stay," from their latest EP "Nocturne," debuts at No. 11 this week.
"Just Stay," put together by Ra.D and d.ear (Real Collabo), is a mellow ballad with soft guitar and piano melodies that expresses a man's crush on his friend that is suffering from her relationship with another man.
K-Pop on Other Billboard Charts:
--YouTube: 2NE1's "Missing You" debuts at No. 21.
--Japan Hot 100: Boy band Boyfriend's Christmas single "Pinky Santa" debuts at No. 9.
--World Albums: Sexy duo Trouble Maker's second EP "Chemistry" (featuring the K-Pop Hot 100 No. 1 hit "Now") debuts at No. 8.
