K-pop Artists Now

K-pop had a dazzling performance in 2021. BTS, the heroes of K-pop, have had a whopping six songs chart at number one, including the remix of the song ¡°Savage Love¡± by Jason Derulo and Jawsh 685. BTS¡¯ smash 2021 hit ¡°Butter¡± topped the Billboard charts for 10 weeks, cementing the group¡¯s ability to dominate popular charts. Pop legend Elton John, who is referenced in the group¡¯s song ¡°Permission to Dance,¡± thanked the group for the mention. BTS also collaborated with legendary group Coldplay on ¡°My Universe.¡± You¡¯d be hard-pressed now to find anyone who hasn¡¯t heard of the group.

In September of this year, female K-pop group BLACKPINK became the artist with the highest number of YouTube subscribers one year after the group made their debut in the United States. The group surpassed 65.2 million subscribers, exceeding Justin Bieber¡¯s 65.1 million subscribers to grab the number one spot. When they heard the news, the members of BLACKPINK were surprised and called it a ¡°miracle moment,¡± but fans told them it was only natural that they had achieved such success.

Male K-pop group NCT also performed well this year. NCT is divided into four subunits by region and age: NCT Dream, NCT U, NCT 127 and the China-based unit WayV. In 2021, albums for NCT 127 (Sticker), NCT Dream (Hot Sauce) and WayV (Awaken The World) achieved impressive results, climbing to first, tenth and ninth, respectively, on the Billboard World Chart. The U.S.-based NCT Hollywood will soon be launching as the newest NCT subunit.

BTS, BLACKPINK and NCT have successfully entered the U.S. market and set a string of records, heralding the emergence of a new generation of K-pop in Korea that will solidify the future of the genre. K-pop groups ATEEZ, Stray Kids, The Boyz and TXT (Tomorrow X Together), a group from the same company as BTS, have laid the foundation for the leap forward. What these boy groups have in common is the fact that they are maximizing their incredibly powerful performances. Girl groups such as ©¡spa, STAYC, Weeekly and ITZY are standing out on the music charts and rapidly establishing their positions. The fourth generation of K-pop idols has begun, following the success of third generation K-pop idols EXO, BTS, Red Velvet and BLACKPINK.

Also noteworthy is that K-pop artists are expanding their artistic wings. At the ¡°Korean Eye 2020 Special Exhibition¡± at Lotte World Tower Mall in Seoul, Henry, Kang Seung Yoon and Song Min Ho displayed visual works to show themselves off as painters and photographers. In the case of Song Min Ho, his paintings were already displayed at the exhibition ¡°Start Art Fair¡± held at the Saatchi Gallery in 2020. Cleverly, K-pop artists are overcoming the typically short lifespan of idols through such moves.

Riding the Flow of the Times

K-pop has always aimed for the future. Artists have always worked to remain in line with or even ahead of the trends. The Korean Wave in the non-face-to-face era of COVID-19 has become a channel through which cultural content can be delivered well beyond two-dimensional limits. As a result, Korean pop music has moved to the metaverse, where experiments have been concentrated in recent years. Large entertainment agencies HYBE, YG and JYP invested a total of KRW 17 billion (over USD 14.3 million) in ZEPETO, a lifelogging metaverse operated by a subsidiary of NAVER. Some 50 million fans flocked to the BLACKPINK virtual fan signing event in 2020 through ZEPETO, revealing the potential of the metaverse.

The most talked-about group in 2021 is the girl group ©¡spa. The group has applied the concept of the metaverse to K-pop where the four members in the real world and their four avatar counterparts in the virtual world coexist and communicate with each other.

The Boyz could take off professionally thanks to their energetic performances.

The new girl group ©¡spa has quickly made a name for themselves with their unique worldview and addictive music.

Charts Confirm K-pop¡¯s Depth

However, it was in 2021 that K-pop reflected back on music from the past. These comebacks have created a new culture of climbing the charts. The song ¡°Rollin¡¯¡± by girl group Brave Girls was originally released in 2017. However, the song was rediscovered through a YouTube video in February 2021 and subsequently caused a craze that took over the charts and music shows. Demonstrating that good songs can make a comeback, they succeeded in creating a response even though the songs were from the past. The group¡¯s song ¡°We Ride,¡± released in 2020, also enjoyed tremendous popularity.

Older songs ¡°Timeless¡± and ¡°Partner for Life¡± from the vocal group SG Wannabe (active in the mid to late 2000s) have also made a comeback, and, similar to Brave Girls, the song ¡°Fresh Adventure¡± by girl group LABOUM climbed to the top of the charts after the group participated in a military performance.

Going back to the past reveals the depth of K-pop as the genre finds its roots. The year 2021 has proven that K-pop is not a short-term fad, but a powerful wave that shook the global market and confirmed the genre¡¯s potential longevity. Korea¡¯s music is being embraced as universal pop, truly popular music that is enjoyed by people all around the world. K-pop is becoming history.

As K-pop grows in popularity, K-pop reaction videos are likewise growing in popularity.