i-dle’s We made: 620,000 first-week sales and trending in 34 countries

Correction (2026-09-10): The scope, comparisons and interpretation of key figures have been reviewed and corrected below. The original publication date is retained.

First-week sales fell — so why did charts worldwide fill up with i-dle? Reading the numbers behind 'We made'.

What the album is

i-dle returned on July 6 with their 9th mini album 'We made'. The title track, 'Gimme Dat Love', is a summer track built around a whistle hook and a group-chant chorus from the five members (Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, Shuhua), now nine years into their career. True to a group whose leader Soyeon is deeply involved in production, the album spans genres from hip-hop and K-pop to bubblegum, rap, soul, soft rock, and ballads, and the title track's production credits include Latin-market producers Daramola and Samantha Cámara.

The numbers behind the comeback

According to Hanteo, 'We made' sold 620,000 copies in its first week. That's down about 42% from last May's 'We are' (8th mini album), which sold 1,063,526 copies and marked i-dle's fourth straight million-seller.

Within i-dle's own catalog, 'We made' ranks 6th in first-week sales, behind '2,' 'I feel,' 'We are,' 'I SWAY,' and 'I love.' Among 2026 K-pop girl-group releases, it ranks 4th, behind BLACKPINK, aespa, and IVE. The digital and global metrics, however, point the other way. 'Gimme Dat Love' entered the iTunes Top Albums chart in 21 countries and regions on release day, hitting No. 1 in Hong Kong. The music video topped YouTube's Music Video Trending Worldwide chart and landed in the top ranks across 34 countries and regions including Korea, Australia, Germany, France, Russia, and the UK.

Domestically, the track hit No. 1 on Bugs' real-time chart and No. 1 on Melon's latest (one-week) chart, while placing 5th on Melon's HOT100 (30-day cumulative). On China's QQ Music, it ranked No. 2 on both the overall and Korean music video charts, and it topped Tencent Music Entertainment's (TME) Global K-Chart — strong showings across Korean, Chinese, and Japanese music platforms alike.

What drove these results

UK music outlet Euphoria praised 'We made' as "an album that shows i-dle embracing new sounds and evolving artistically as they enter a new era," highlighting its "rich blend of hip-hop, K-pop, bubblegum, rap, soul, soft rock, and ballads." Of the title track specifically, it wrote that "the whistle hook and group chant maximize the song's charm, and the chorus is addictive." That kind of overseas critical reception, paired with the Latin-producer collaboration, suggests the genre expansion resonated with international outlets and listeners beyond the group's core domestic fandom.

Records and what they mean

What comes next

The next comparison should use equal release windows for album sales and actual stream counts separately. Country ranks do not substitute for market size or total consumption.

This is nuloq's own analysis based on the public charts, reporting, and official data listed under Sources, written with the help of AI. It is an interpretation of public data for information only — not a definitive judgment of any artist or agency — and chart figures reflect the time of writing. We correct the text if errors are found.