The South Korean
idol girl group
NewJeans debuted in August 2022 with their
self-titled debut extended play, which was
surprise-released and featured a string of commercially successful singles: "
Attention", "
Hype Boy", and "
Cookie".[1] On November 10, 2022, during
Hybe Corporation's annual community press conference on
YouTube,
CEO Jiwon Park announced that NewJeans' first
single album, OMG, would be released on January 2, 2023.[2] According to a press release, the two-track single album would include the eponymous lead single "OMG" and a "pre-release" single, "
Ditto", which would be released on December 19, 2022. The first teasers for the album were released on December 12.[3] As scheduled, the single was released for
download and
streaming through several music portals including
iTunes and
Melon.[4] Remixed by its original producer
Park Jin-su, a new version of "OMG" served as the lead single for NewJeans' first
remix album, NJWMX, released on December 19, 2023.[5]
The 6-minute music video for "OMG" was released on January 2, 2023, alongside the single album's release. Directed by Shin Woo-seok of Dolphiners Films, it depicts the group's members in a mental hospital, a reference to
Park Chan-wook's rom-com film I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006);[6] all members have their own delusions: Hanni believes herself to be
Siri, Minji believes that she is a doctor taking care of the other members, Hyein sees herself as a
fairy tale character, Haerin believes that she's actually a cat, and Danielle is aware of them being NewJeans in real life, even
pointing out that they are filming a music video. The video ends with a montage of the group's previous videos and performances, including a snippet of their music video for "Attention". The video also features cameos from actor
Kim Joo-hun and former webtoon writer Lee Mal-nyeon.[7]
A sample demonstrating the pre-chorus and chorus of "OMG", an
R&B-
hip hop track that incorporates
trap percussion and rhythms, skittering
cowbells, and
staccatosynths.
"OMG" contains lyrics in both Korean and English that were written by group member Hanni, Gigi, and Ylva Dimberg. Dimberg also composed the track with
David Dawood and producer Park Jin-su.[18] Hanni said that she was inspired by "high school teen dramas where the girls are at their lockers and they're talking about a guy they like" when writing the lyrics.[6] She tried to make the lyrics conversational and find the right words in both Korean and English so that "the pronunciation [...] sticks to the melody".[6]
The song is about a blossoming young love; the narrator dedicates the song to somebody who is there for her love ("No I can never let him go/ I only think of you 24/ I'm a lucky girl I know, I know/ Before I met you/ Everything was pointless").[19] The narrator's friends ask her, "Who is he?"[20] The romance appears to be one-sided at times and drives the narrator crazy ("Wherever, whenever/ There ain't nothing else that I would hold on to/ I hear his voice through all the noise/ Don't let go of my hand for one second no, no/ Got no worries 'cause I got someone/ It's okay to be alone 'cause I love someone").[21] In the
refrain, Hanni sings, "I was really hoping/ That he will come through", hinting at the disappointment and melancholy that the narrator experiences.[22] The members perform in both pop vocals and
melodic rapping.[23]
"OMG" opens with plucked,
staccato synth
chords and progresses with skittering
cowbells and anchoring
percussion in the pre-chorus. The chorus features vocal
chopping and the track concludes with layered percussion,
vocal harmonies, and piano.[24] It mixes elements of
club genres including
hip hop,
R&B,
trap, and
UK garage,[19] showcased through its hip-hop percussion,[23] trap rhythms, and UK garage-inflected
groove.[24][25]Pitchfork's Joshua Minsoo Kim described "OMG" as a "soft, minimalist R&B" track,[22] while
Beats Per Minute's JT Early described it as "bouncy synth-R&B".[26]Hankook Ilbo popular music journalist Ko Kyung-seok deemed it a "simple hip-hop R&B" track.[25] August Brown of the Los Angeles Times considered the song "Y2K-era pop/R&B",[27] whereas Rolling Stone deemed it a throwback to 1990s R&B with a "21st-century appeal" brought by the synths.[28] The remix was described in a press release as an hip hop track with an
Afro rhythm.[5]
Reception
"OMG" received generally positive reviews. Writing for Pitchfork, Joshua Minsoo Kim said that the song "offers a sweet portrait of private longing".[22] Popular music journalist Ko Kyung-seok of Hankook Ilbo said "it draws the listener in with an easy-to-listen arrangement".[25]NME's Rhian Daly commented that although "OMG" was not as strong as the group's last single "Hype Boy", it still "is both a nonchalant shrugging off of the burden of swift success and a steady step forward for a group seemingly already on the path to being K-pop superstars".[29] The magazine selected the song as one of the "15 best K-pop songs of 2023 so far".[30]Rolling Stone and the Los Angeles Times included "OMG" in their lists of the Best Songs of 2023 So Far, both published in June; the former regarded it as a "pristine pop song with a glowing—and glowed-up—heart at its core"[28] and the latter said it proved NewJeans as a "new hope" for the label Hybe.[27]Associated Press writer Maria Sherman included the song in her list of the best songs of 2023.[31] "OMG" also appeared at number 26 on Consequence's list of the best songs of 2023.[32]
^Seon, Mi-kyung (December 12, 2022).
"뉴진스, 내년 1월 2일 컴백 확정...새 싱글 'OMG' 발매[공식]" [New Jeans confirms comeback on January 2 next year...Release new single 'OMG' [Official]]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Yeon, Hwi-seon (January 15, 2023).
'인기가요' 뉴진스 1위, 'OMG' 퍼포먼스 공개 하자마자 트로피 싹쓸이 [종합] ['Inkigayo' New Jeans 1st place, 'OMG' performance was released and trophies were swept away [Comprehensive]]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Oh, Yoon-joo (January 20, 2023).
'뮤뱅' 몬스타엑스 1위 "사랑한다!"…뉴진스, 민지 MC 데뷔→심쿵 무대 [종합] ['Mubang' Monsta X 1st place "I love you!"... New Jeans, Minji MC debut → heart-thumping stage [Comprehensive]]. My Daily (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Hyun-deok (June 12, 2023).
'위버스콘 페스티벌' 반응 제일 뜨거웠던 무대는 뉴진스…“팬들 너무 보고 싶었다” 소감 [The stage that received the hottest reaction at the 'Weverse Con Festival' was New Jeans... “I missed the fans so much”]. Sports Seoul (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Koh, Seung-hee (August 4, 2023).
뉴진스, 美 '롤라팔루자 시카고' 찢었다…7만 관객 '전곡 떼창' [NewJeans tore up Lollapalooza Chicago... 70,000 spectators 'sing all songs together']. Herald Economy (in Korean).
Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Lee, Jae-hoon (August 20, 2023).
뉴진스, 日 서머소닉 뜨자 3만명 떼창 [NewJeans, 30,000 people sang together when Japan's Summer Sonic was released]. Newsis (in Korean).
Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Jang, In-young (December 16, 2023).
日 개최 '뮤직뱅크 글로벌 페스티벌'…뉴진스 빼면 뭐가 남았나 [엑's 이슈] [Japan's 'Music Bank Global Festival'... What's left except New Jeans [Ex's Issue]]. Xports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
^Myung, Hee-sook (December 15, 2023).
뉴진스, '2023 AAA' 대상 2관왕 포함 6개 부문 수상 "상상 못했다" [New Jeans won 6 categories, including 2 gold medals in the '2023 AAA' grand prize "did not win"]. Xports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^
ab곡 정보 – OMG [Song Information – OMG] (in Korean).
Melon.
Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
^Jeong, Ha-eun (January 3, 2024).
역사상 첫 해외 개최, 대상은 엔시티 드림 “2년 연속 수상 영광…시즈니 덕분”[제33회 서울가요대상] [Held overseas for the first time in history, the grand prize was awarded by NCT Dream "Honored to be awarded for the second year in a row...Thanks to Czennies" [The 33rd Seoul Music Awards]]. Sports Seoul (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Seo, Ji-hyun (January 7, 2023).
"엠카' 뉴진스, 'OMG' 출연 없이 NCT 드림 제치고 1위" [M Countdown' NewJeans, 'OMG' beats NCT Dream without appearing and takes 1st place]. TV Daily (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
^Ahn, Byeong-gil (January 15, 2023).
5관왕 뉴진스 '인기가요' 뜬다 [NewJeans, winner of 5 awards, rises on Inkigayo]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Kim Na-yeon (March 19, 2023).
뉴진스vs뉴진스..'OMG', 방송 출연없이 '인기가요' 1위[종합] [NewJeans vs. NewJeans.. 'OMG', No. 1 on 'Inkigayo' without appearing on TV [Comprehensive]]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
^Bae Hyo-joo (March 26, 2023).
'인기가요' 뉴진스 'OMG' 1위‥다음주 BTS 지민·블핑 지수 컴백 예고 ['Inkigayo' New Jeans 'OMG' 1st place… Next week BTS Jimin and Black Pink Jisoo's comeback notice]. Newsen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023 – via Naver.