Bubbling Under: Wonder Girls Ride K-Pop Wave to U.S. Radio
Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: Wonder Girls, Priyanka Chopra, Tame Impala and August Rain.
Wonder Girls
PSY's K-Pop breakthrough on U.S. top 40 radio with "Gangnam Style" is perhaps helping open doors for fellow Korean act Wonder Girls. The group is percolating under the Nielsen BDS-based Pop Songs tally with the English-language single "Like Money," featuring Akon (JYP). The song could be the female quintet's first airplay chart hit in the U.S., thanks to early support from WXRK New York, WKSE Buffalo, N.Y., and WKSZ Green Bay, Wis.
Priyanka Chopra
Beyond K-Pop, top 40 could find a new hit from India, as well, as award-winning Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has released her debut Interscope single "In My City," featuring will.i.am. Not only is Chopra signed to the same label as Lady Gaga, but she also shares her manager: Troy Carter. Ahead of its planned radio push, the uptempo pop/dance track, which Chopra co-wrote with RedOne and Esther Dean, begins with 5,000 first-week downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Her debut album is due later this year.
Tame Impala
Tame Impala offers its second album, "Lonerism" (Modular Recordings), which could impact next week's charts. The Perth, Australia-based psychedelic dream-rock band reached No. 28 on Heatseekers Albums last year with "Innerspeaker." The video for "Elephant," the first single from the new set, has amassed 187,000 YouTube views since its Sept. 19 posting. The band, which has opened for MGMT, recently announced upcoming tour dates in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.
August Rain
With the top debut at No. 42 on Christian Songs, Georgia-based pop quintet August Rain makes its first national chart appearance with "Show Me Your Light," the lead single from the band's second album, "Time." Like the band's 2010 self-titled first set, the new release arrives via the group's independent ARM label. The start for "Light" on Christian Songs is due in large part to spins at stations that air the K-Love Christian radio network.
Reporting by Keith Caulfield, William Gruger, Wade Jessen and Gary Trust of the Billboard charts department.
