One of the biggest K-pop stories in December has been the enlistment of the remaining four members of BTS for mandatory military service. On Dec 11, RM, the leader of BTS, and V, the vocalist, began their enlistment. The following day, two other vocalists, Jimin and Jungkook, entered training camps in Yeoncheon together. As the world's biggest boy band goes on hiatus, it will be interesting to see which rival claims the top spot in the absence of BTS.
Before BTS members enlisted, they showcased solo talent through individual albums which set all-time records. Suga, the rapper and producer of BTS, launched his solo album D-Day in April. He also became the only BTS member to embark on a solo world tour, Suga Agust D Tour, which kicked off in New York City and ended in Seoul. From June 9-11, he performed at Impact Arena in Bangkok. His concert, which sold out, was different from the typical concerts of BTS, as it offered an intimate showcase of his talents -- singing, rapping and music composition. Suga's solo concert was truly a worthwhile experience.
BTS's Jungkook.
Jimin.
Jimin led the charge with his hit single Like Crazy which secured the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This was a historic single as he was the first South Korean solo artist to achieve this milestone. After him, the group's all-rounder, Jungkook, dropped his solo album, Golden, featuring the single, Seven, which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In November, Jungkook performed five songs from Golden at Times Square in New York City. Seven also won the award for the top global K-pop song at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards and reached a billion Spotify streams.
In April, Blackpink, also a global sensation, became the first K-pop act to headline Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, one of the largest music festivals in the US. Their performance was reported to be the most streamed act as it was watched by over 250 million viewers on Coachella's YouTube account.
Blackpink. (Photo: facebook.com/BLACKPINKOFFICIAL)
This year, Blackpink also continued their Born Pink World Tour from January to September. Since Thailand is the motherland of Lisa, the quartet came to here twice to perform. Their first concert, held in January at the National Stadium, received complaints due to limited seating which could not accommodate their huge fan club. Therefore, when they returned for their second performance for two days in May, the venue was Rajamangala National Stadium, Thailand's largest.
Due to the huge success of "Born Pink World Tour", Blackpink won Top K-Pop Touring Artist at the Billboard Music Awards. The quartet triumphed over BTS's Suga and Twice in the same category.
In November, during the South Korean State Visit to the UK, King Charles III invested members of Blackpink as Honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of the band's advocacy for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow in 2021.
Blackpink pose with their MBEs at Buckingham Palace. (Photo: Victoria Jones/Pool via REUTERS)
When Blackpink's contract expired in August, numerous rumours suggested that the group might disband. Their fan club, Blink, felt relieved when music label YG Entertainment announced that the quartet had renewed their contracts and would continue working as a group with them. After the news of the contract renewal, YG stocks soared by 29%.
Besides BTS and Blackpink, we cannot overlook NewJeans as a rising K-pop phenomenon in 2023. Launched by the music label Adore in 2022, the five-member girl group rose to fame with chart-topping songs Attention and Hype Boy from their debut album New Jeans. The quintet stands out from numerous K-pop groups with their retro beats, lively melodies and witty lyrics.
Their catchy chart-topping song Ditto from the second album OMG propelled them to even greater success. Ditto won Song of the Year at two South Korean music awards -- Asia Artist Awards and MAMA Awards. Their third album, Get Up, was ranked number 33 in Rolling Stone's list of the best albums 2023. The girls also won Top Global K-Pop Artist at the Billboard Music Awards competing against names like BTS's Jimin and Twice who were also nominees. These achievements are milestones that many veteran K-groups were not able to achieve in their entire career.
Two sensational K-pop boy bands with the potential to rise to the top are Seventeen and Stray Kids. In April, Seventeen's EP album, FML, set a new record as the best-selling K-pop album of all time with over 6.2 million copies sold. Another album by Seventeen, Seventeenth Heaven, ranked number two as the best-selling K-pop album of all time.
Meanwhile, Stray Kids delivered a fiery performance of S-Class and LALALALA at the Billboard Music Awards. They won the Top K-Pop Album for 5-Stars, which was a triumph over veteran artists like BTS's Jimin and Twice. Both Seventeen and Stray Kids are known for their captivating stage presence and self-composed works. While Seventeen is recognised for synchronised dance moves, Stray Kids is known for innovative mashups.
NewJeans at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. (Photo: facebook.com/official.newjeans)
Seventeen. (Photo: facebook.com/seventeennews)
Since BabyMonster, a new girl group, is under the same music label as Blackpink, their debut single Batter Up was highly anticipated. Although their song did not reach the Top 10 on South Korean music charts, its music video surpassed 22.5 million views on the first day. As a result, the group set a new record for the most watched debut music video within 24 hours. Thai fans have special interests in the group because two members, Pharita and Chiquita, are Thai.
In addition to news about K-pop artists, the merger news of two large music labels, Hybe and SM Entertainment, captured public interest. In February, Hybe announced that it had become the largest shareholder after acquiring shares from Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment. People were concerned that the potential merger might dominate the K-pop industry since Hybe previously bought several music labels including Pledis and Source Music. Fans of SM Entertainment were afraid that Hybe may influence the music and style of artists. After facing intense public pressure and concerns about market competition, Hybe ultimately withdrew its offer and sold its shares to Kakao, an internet company.
Next year, K-pop fans can expect to hear new songs from G-Dragon, the leader of Big Bang. In December, YG Entertainment announced that G-Dragon had parted ways with the label after working together for 17 years. G-Dragon signed a contract with Galaxy Corporation which is a TV production company and his new music is highly anticipated.
On Jan 2, fans in Thailand will have an opportunity to meet many K-pop artists at the 33rd Seoul Music Awards, which will take place for the first time in Bangkok at Rajamangala National Stadium. Organised by Y Global Music and Sport Seoul, the extensive line-up of this prestigious South Korean music award includes GOT7's BamBam, Mark Tuan and Young-jae, Sandara, Tiffany Young, NCT Dream, Kang Daniel, Zerobaseone and RIIZE.
Stray Kids. (Photo: facebook.com/JYPEStrayKids)
BabyMonster. (Photo: facebook.com/BABYMONSTER.ygofficial)
"IVE The 1st World Tour In Bangkok" is another concert that K-pop fans should not miss. It will take place at Impact Arena on Jan 27. IVE is an up-and-coming girl group which is known for their catchy and trendy synth-pop music. Concertgoers can be prepared to sing along to Love Dive, After Like and I AM.
Seoul Music Awards in Bangkok. (Photo: Y Global Music)
(Photo: Live Nation Tero)
