The success that K-pop has achieved in recent years is indisputable: Every day you see words in Hangul (Korean alphabet) dominating the global X trends (formerly Twitter), its exponents add millions of views every time they release a musical clip on YouTube, they are nominated for renowned awards such as the Grammy and they lead the most relevant rankings such as Billboard or iTunes.
With their perfectly synchronized choreographies, their contagious songs and the mix of genres and styles that make them up, it is to be expected that many streaming platforms will show interest in measuring the impact of the Korean musical wave and make lists like the Top K-pop songs on iTunes.
Based on the number of downloads or digital purchases made through Apple’s system, the iTunes K-pop ranking is available to be consulted every 24 hours in at least 39 countries, including Colombia, so it is a count that It is worth checking to know current favorite topics and not be left behind in trends.
1. Never Let Go
Artist: Jung Kook
2. The Astronaut
Artist: JIN
3. Super Tuna
Artist: JIN
4. WORK Pt.3 – ATEEZ X Eden-ary
Artist: ATEEZ
5. Stay By My Side
Artist: TAEIL
6. ABCD
Artist: NAYEON
7. FRI(END)S
Artist: V
8. Take Two
Artist: BTS
9. seven
Artist: Jung Kook & Latto
10.Like Crazy
Artist: Jimin
Super Junior, one of the pioneering bands in K-pop, debuted in 2005 under the management of SM Entertainment. Known for their elaborate choreography and musical diversity, including genres such as pop, R&B and electronica, Super Junior has had a lasting impact on the Korean and international music scene. Their single “Sorry, Sorry” catapulted the group to international fame and allowed them to go on multiple world tours, cementing their status as K-pop legends.
BTS aka bangtan boys, is one of the most prominent K-pop groups. Formed by Big Hit Entertainment in 2013, the group has achieved worldwide fame thanks to its music, choreography and lyrics that address various topics. BTS has broken numerous records, such as being the first South Korean group to reach number one on the chart. Billboard Hot 100 and receive a Grammy nomination. Additionally, his cultural influence led them to speak at the United Nations General Assembly, promoting messages of self-acceptance and self-love.
Later I would start the call “second generation of K-pop”again with the help of groups that were made up of young figures such as TVXQ (debuting in 2003), SS501 (2005), Super Junior (2005), BIGBANG (2006), as well as girl groups such as Wonder Girls (2007), Girls Generation (2007) and KARA (2007).
By 2008, South Korea was already leading the entertainment market in Asia with an annual growth rate of more than 10% in the exports of its musical and television products with K-dramas, even accounting for 68% of the music market in Japan, ahead of China (11.2%) and the United States (2.1%).
Later, more groups such as SHINee or INFINITEthe latter who managed to consolidate the record of being the first to top Billboard’s emerging artists chart in 2014 with his song Last Romeo; 2PM, EXO, 2EN1, until you reach the third generation of K-pop where new groups are included such as BTS, Seventeen, GOT7, Twice, Red Velvet, BLACKPINK, MAMAMOO, among othersuntil the current Fourth generation which are all those who debuted between 2017 and 2018 such as Stray Kids, ITZY, Ateez, Astro and more.
It is worth mentioning that a watershed that must be considered is Gangnam Style by rapper PSYa song that not only managed to break unimaginable records on musical platforms such as Youtubebut also went around the world and demonstrated that language was not a barrier to achieving success in highly competitive countries such as the American industry.
To date, the baton as the greatest exponents of K-pop is held by the group bts ‒made up of Suga, RM, Jin, Jimin, J-Hope, V and Jungkook‒, who in addition to dominating the music industry in South Korea and strengthening their fame in the rest of the world, have been named “Asia’s trend leader” by The Economist and “Artists of the Year” by TIME magazine, passing through his Grammy Award nominations and his 10 Billboard Awards.
