NMIXX Just Made K-Pop History in Latin America. Twice.

Ten days. Three historic firsts. And a single dropping this morning. NMIXX just made K-pop history across Latin America at a pace no group had managed before, and the scale of what happened has the entire industry paying attention.

On February 16, NMIXX became the first K-pop group to perform at Brazilian Carnival in São Paulo, invited personally by Pabllo Vittar, one of Brazil's most prominent pop stars. Nine days later, they took the stage at Chile's Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar, a 65-year-old institution widely regarded as Latin America's most prestigious music festival, as the first K-pop act ever booked there. The Chilean audience voted them the Gold and Silver Seagull awards, the festival's two highest honors, both in the same night. Today, "TIC TIC (feat. Pabllo Vittar)" dropped officially. This week belongs to NMIXX.

February 16: São Paulo Carnival

Brazilian Carnival is one of the most culturally specific and logistically overwhelming events on the planet. Performing at Bloco da Pabllo, the massive street carnival block organized by Pabllo Vittar, means performing on top of a moving truck stage called a trio elétrico while millions of people fill the streets below you. NMIXX did exactly that, with over 2 million people attending the event around them.

No K-pop group had ever participated in Brazilian Carnival before. NMIXX not only did it, but world-premiered "TIC TIC" live there, unveiling the song to 2 million people before it had any official release. After the performance, the members came down from the stage and joined the crowd on the street to dance. This was not a promotional stop. They were fully in it.

The immersion carried through their São Paulo stay. Sullyoon tied a Senhor do Bonfim ribbon to her wrist, a traditional Brazilian good luck charm tied around the wrist with a wish, honored by the belief that the wish comes true when the ribbon naturally falls off. Bae posed with paçoca, a beloved Brazilian peanut candy. Bae and Lily also attended Bad Bunny's São Paulo concert later in the week. They were paying attention to where they were.

"TIC TIC": What the Song Is

Released today via JYP Entertainment and Republic Records, "TIC TIC (feat. Pabllo Vittar)" is trilingual: Korean, Portuguese, and English. The production draws directly from Brazilian funk, built around a fast-moving hook anchored by the repeated "Tic-Tic-Tic-Tic" chorus. The theme, per the group's official statement, is "enjoying life without missing a single moment in a busy world." The music video was filmed in São Paulo's República neighborhood and on a city rooftop helipad, not on a set in Seoul. This is their second collaboration with Pabllo Vittar, following "MEXE" in August 2025. Member Lily co-wrote the lyrics.

February 25: Viña del Mar and The Monster

If São Paulo was the opening act, Viña del Mar was the test. The Quinta Vergara Amphitheater holds about 15,000 people, and its audience has a reputation that precedes it across Latin America. They call themselves El Monstruo, The Monster, because they will whistle, boo, and drive acts off the stage if they don't connect. The Gaviota de Oro (Gold Seagull) and Gaviota de Plata (Silver Seagull) are not awarded by a panel. They are voted by this audience, live, in real time. You cannot charm your way to a win. You have to earn it.

NMIXX earned both.

The setlist was built for the room. NMIXX performed the Spanish-language version of "Sonar," worked in "DICE" with a "Vamos amigos" audience call-out, and played "RICO," a track with Spanish lyrics and Latin pop production. A cover of "Ponte Lokita" by Chilean artists Katteyes and Kidd Voodoo turned into a surprise live collaboration when Kidd Voodoo himself walked out to join them on stage. Part of their speech was delivered in Spanish. The crowd was chanting "NMIXX" before the first note played.

The group had attended the festival as guests the year before, watching from the audience. "It is an honor to stand on this stage as artists this time," they said at the show. No K-pop act had performed at Viña del Mar in the festival's 65-year history. They left with the Gold and Silver Seagull both in hand.

Why This Is Bigger Than One Group's Week

K-pop has been going global for years, but there is a distinction between performing for existing K-pop audiences overseas and winning over new audiences on their own terms. El Monstruo at Viña del Mar does not care about your fandom. An audience voting with whistles and cheers in a 65-year-old Latin American cultural institution is not there to be converted. They are there to be impressed.

NMIXX impressed them. And they did it in Spanish, with a Brazilian funk single, on a Chilean stage, having spent the previous ten days fully immersed in the culture they were entering. That is a different category of cultural credibility than most genre crossovers manage. As we noted in our look at K-pop's expanding global reach, the next frontier for the genre is not just streaming numbers in new markets, it is genuine cultural entry points that hold beyond the initial attention spike. NMIXX built two of those entry points in one week.

Next month, they begin a 12-city, 8-country world tour. Watch this group.