KiiiKiii secures Billboard staff pick and top Chinese music chart rankings

KiiiKiii has achieved significant international recognition, with the third mini-album 'Waikiki' named the Most Popular Korean Album on NetEase Cloud Music's 2026 Third Quarter Official Music Chart following its August release. The group also earned first place on Billboard's '25 Best K-pop Songs of 2026: Staff Picks' for the track '404(New Era)'.

Starship Entertainment announced on the 22nd that KiiiKiii's third mini-album, 'Waikiki', was selected as the 'Most Popular Korean Album' on NetEase Cloud Music's '2026 Third Quarter Official Music Chart'. Released this past August, the album uses the symbolism of the resort Waikiki to answer the question "Why KiiiKiii?" through a free-spirited sensibility.

Immediately following its release, 'Waikiki' entered the New Song, Popular Song, Rising, and Korean charts on China's QQ Music. It also reached the top of the Kugou Music Korean chart, marking a series of achievements across major Chinese music platforms.

In the United States, the musical quality of the work was recognized. KiiiKiii's '404(New Era)' took first place on Billboard's '25 Best K-pop Songs of 2026: Staff Picks' announced this past July. Billboard highly praised the planning that interpreted the internet error code '404' as a declaration toward a new era, as well as the confident performance.

The achievements in these two markets manifested in different ways. The Billboard ranking represents a critical evaluation by the editorial staff of a professional music media outlet, while the NetEase Cloud Music chart records demonstrate public acceptance and fandom popularity. KiiiKiii has demonstrated both musical perfection and mainstream appeal through different tracks.

Local activities have also continued. KiiiKiii won an award at the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards this past August and performed at the 'NBA China Games 2026' halftime show and fan festival stage held in Macau this month.

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