WOODZ’s ‘Drowning’ Makes History! Surpasses BTS and NewJeans Despite Recent Controversy

WOODZ’s hit song ‘Drowning’ has just set a massive new record for the longest stay in the Top 10 of Melon’s ‘Top 100’ chart!

According to his agency, EDAM Entertainment, on the 15th, ‘Drowning’ has remained in the Top 10 for an incredible 70 consecutive weeks.

This achievement beats out NewJeans’ ‘Hype Boy’ (49 weeks) and BTS’ ‘Dynamite’ (36 weeks).

Written and composed by WOODZ himself, ‘Drowning’ is a track from his fifth mini-album released back in April 2023. Interestingly, it didn’t gain much traction when it first dropped.

The song’s fate changed in October 2024 when WOODZ delivered a powerful performance on the KBS 2TV ‘Immortal Songs’ Armed Forces Day special while serving in the military. This sparked a huge trend, leading the song to top the annual charts for Melon, Genie, and Circle Chart last year.

The ‘Immortal Songs’ video that fueled this “reverse run” popularity has already surpassed 30 million views as of late last month.

WOODZ is currently active following the release of his first full-length album, ‘Archive. 1’, in March.

To celebrate the album, he is currently on a world tour. After visiting Incheon, Osaka, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Manila, he is heading to Berlin on June 7, London on the 10th, Frankfurt on the 12th, and Paris on the 13th.

However, he recently faced some heat over a controversy regarding unpaid staff recruitment for his German shows. The issue arose when a job posting on a German site was shared, seeking staff for crowd control, MD booth management, and show runner assistance. Despite requiring fluency in Korean, German, and English, K-pop concert experience, and knowledge of lighting and sound, the only compensation offered was meals and a ticket to the show.

Following the backlash, the agency apologized, stating, “We are sorry that we did not sufficiently review the details in advance.”