There were a lot of moments in the K-pop scene this year. K-pop groups continued to bring joy to global audiences through online performances, television show appearances, livestreams, and social media despite the COVID-19 Pandemic. The release of new music is included.
There were some important and eye-catching performances, like when Stray Kids' Hyunjin danced to "Play With Fire" to mark his return from hiatus. There were some funny, viral moments, such as when Eunkwang mistakenly told the audience to scream despite it being banned, or when dancer/YouTuber Hyok Fork performed ITZY's "Loco" in a cafe. When Soyeon gravely dressed down My Teenage Girl's voters for thoughtlessly approving unprepared trainees, there were more serious instances.
Some K-pop performances had a bigger impact on the fandom than others, whether because they went viral, started a trend, or marked a significant milestone. In chronological order, here are some of the most influential K-pop performances of the year.
1. GOT7 reassured fans with "Encore".
All seven members of the beloved boy group GOT7 decided to leave JYP Entertainment after their contracts expired. Anxious fans speculated that this move meant GOT7 were going to end. The group had been together for seven years, and it would be very odd for them to go their separate ways.
GOT7 reassured the public that they had not dissolved and had no intention of doing so, while members were dispersed to different companies and pursuing new projects. GOT7 released a reassuring single "Encore" one month after their contracts expired, assuring fans that even though they're no longer with JYP Entertainment, GOT7 is not done.
GOT7 haven't released any new music since, apparently taking a break to focus on solo projects like Jackson's English single "LMLY" and Jinyoung's performance in K-Drama "Yumi's Cells." It won't be forever, and GOT7 will perform again.
2. "Rollin'" is the best underdog story of the year.
Brave Girls' tale of unexpected fame is the most uplifting story of the year. "Rollin'" was the first single by Brave Girls and it didn't chart. The girl group had been entertaining soldiers on the South Korean military circuit since 2016 and had found themselves a staple performer.
The Brave Girls singing "Rollin'" during these military performances went viral in February of 2021. The video had over 23 million views at the time of writing, and showed Korean soldiers copying the song's dance, as well as positive comments from former recruits.
The video catapulted "Rollin'" to the top of the charts and gave Brave Girls their first ever music show win, almost 10 years after the group's debut. Six more wins followed, revitalizing the group.
It was great to see Brave Girls promote "Rollin'" again four years after it was released, considering they were seriously considering quitting and moving out of their dorm. Brave Girls set a new record for the most perfect all-kills of any girl group in history with "Rollin'", as well as topping all the Korean music charts at once.
3. Everyone is talking at MTV Unplugged because of the beautiful cover of Coldplay.
The English-language chart-toppers "Butter" and "Permission to Dance" were released by the boy group. Though both upbeat hits received ample airtime and accolades, it was the group's uplifting cover of Coldplay's "Fix You" during their historic MTV Unplugged set that surprised and soothed many listeners this year, with the official videos earning a combined total of over 63 million views.
Making history as the first South Korean act to perform on MTV, the five-song set opened with their first live performance of "Telepathy" and closed with their hit English single "Dynamite." The entire performance was a highlight for fans, but the moment that stood out most was when the group sat to cover "Fix You" by the band. Offering comfort to everyone currently going through a rough time, the song replaced the dance performances with their vocal talent.
Jimin said that they wanted to make a cover to comfort you as well.
V's idea for the "Fix You" cover was the brainchild of the British band. Their September collaboration "My Universe" was already in the works at this point, finally making one of their dream team-ups come true, but the cover performance with the word "beautiful" in Korean was still cause for excitement.
4. OnlyOfOne has a crotch- grabbing "libidO".
Groups sometimes push boundaries in order to differentiate themselves from the crowd. OnlyOneOf risked it all in April with their single "libidO", which was a risque song. Nine grabbed Love's crotch while thrusting his arm between Love's legs and caught the attention of the internet.
The "libidO" choreographed by OnlyOneOf sparked conversation online, provoking a wide range of reactions. Some viewers appreciated OnlyOneOf's sexual performance as progressive, but others felt that it was too far or that it was queerbaiting.
OnlyOneOf's bold choreography definitely had an impact. The boy group's dance routine spread through reaction videos and edited versions on social media, with just one clip of their "libidO" stage gaining almost 30 million views on TikTok.
5. The "back door" cover is byBTOB.
K-pop veterans likeBTOB are known for their more melodic, vocal performances, so covering a Stray Kids song may be outside their area of expertise. When the boy groups swapped tunes in the second round of Kingdom: Legendary War, vocalist Changsub complained about his joints.
The group's shirt-ripping rock cover of Stray Kids' " Back Door" commanded attention, quickly becoming the group's most-viewed stage of the competition.
The international fan base ofBTOB was small compared to their competition. The group made the most of the opportunity to show their charm to a wider audience, because most of their fans are from South Korea.
With their cover of the Stray Kids hit,BTOB ran with the concert imagery in " Back Door" while adapting the original choreography to their own more mature image. The group's audience and opponents were already impressed by the funny, friendly demeanor of the group. Their " Back Door" stage proved they can still rock as hard as younger idols, and helped them win over new fans.
Aespa's "Next Level" earworm inspired countless dance covers.
"Next Level" was released by Australian artist A$ton Wyld and was used on the soundtrack of Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw. Two years later, aes pa's version of "Next Level" has reached the top of multiple music charts. It's no small feat to have access to the internet.
The group reworked the lyrics in Korean and added a new bridge to reference a fictional narrative that connects to their 2020 debut single "Black Mamba." It was the song's dance routine that made it a trend for idols to perform. "Next Level" covers were inescapable.
The popular Next Level was banned in South Korea for being too much of an earworm. That's how you know you've made it.
7. Mayfly's cover of "Love Poem" won a perfect score.
In Kingdom: Legendary War, six popular K-pop boy groups competed against each other in a series of spectacular stage performances, all of them trying to outdo each other. Mayfly's "Love Poem" stage stood out even though it wasn't the best one.
The Mayfly vocal unit was a cross-group collaboration between the three main vocalists of their respective groups. The trio added beautiful harmony to the already moving song to create a show stopping performance which put their talents on full display. The performance was completely carried by their vocals, forgoing any dance elements, and marked a turning point for Seungmin, who displayed a noticeable increase in confidence and stage presence after Kingdom.
The 33 judges unanimously voted Mayfly's "Love Poem" the winner of its round, with the awed reactions from the panel and other idols indicating just how special the performance was. IU shared the cover on her IG story and praised Mayfly's vocals.
8. Stray Kids created a Blackpink fusion in "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du".
The second part of Kingdom: Legendary War's third round let groups put together a performance with no restrictions, whether that be in terms of song choice, costume, or even special guests. It was an opportunity for all six boy groups to show off and do what they wanted.
Stray Kids decided to dress Felix up like a superhero and put him on top of a giant rice cooker.
Stray Kids mashed up Blackpink's single "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" with their own hit "God's Menu" to create an impact performance influenced by their love. "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was Stray Kids' most watched stage, earning over 27 million views and becoming Kingdom's most watched stage across all groups.
It's a notable achievement considering that iKON's "Classy Savage" stage featured Blackpink's Lisa, who commands an impressive following. "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" made waves outside the K-pop scene, catching the attention of Ryan Reynolds himself.
9. Tomorrow X Together takes over TikTok.
"0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)" was the lead single for Tomorrow X Together's May comeback. Their B-side track "Anti-Romantic" went aggressively viral on TikTok, inspiring more than one trend as well as its own dance challenge.
The "Anti-Romantic" dance challenge was created by Tomorrow X Together fan and TikTok user, who created the choreography a few days after the song's release. irenedoll's TikTok of the dance gained over 50 million views. Even though they weren't K-pop fans, other users took up the challenge and even Cherry Bullet's Chaerin jumped on the trend.
irenedoll's TikTok was so popular that it inspired a spinoff trend, with users using it as a reaction video in other clips. The background music for "Anti-Romantic" was popular on TikTok, offering a wistful, sweet melancholy that played well regardless of the video's content.
Salem Ilese posted a 30-second TikTok of herself singing the English version of the song, which gained traction as a sound. Ilese co-wrote "Build a Bitch" and performed "Mad at Disney", so it's not surprising that "Anti-Romantic" also took over TikTok.
10. Street Woman Figher's "Hey Mama" is a K-pop trend.
Street Woman Fighter followed dance crews rather than idols. The 10-episode survival show had an impact on the K-pop scene, with dancer NO:ZE's "Hey Mama" becoming a viral trend among Korean idols and actors alike.
David Guetta) in the second episode of Street Woman Fighter, the leader of dance crew WayB choreographed a short routine. The crews' leaders performed it with them. NO:ZE's assertive moves quickly caught the attention of the public, and it soon became a popular trend for idols to perform it as well.
Many K-pop idols have danced the "Hey Mama" dance on television shows and social media. Many idols covered the dance, including Stray Kids' Han, NCT's Taeyong, Seventeen's Seungkwan, and StayC's Yoon. "Hey Mama" was pushed into South Korea's music charts six years after its release, thanks to NO:ZE's popular choreography.
No:ze has worked as a dancer for artists such as SHINee's Key and Kai, but it was her moves on Street Woman Fighter that pushed her into the spotlight.
11. Lisa dropped 'Money' in time for the Squid Game edits.
The English-language B-side "Money" of Lisa's solo debut was the most talked about song of the year. Users flooded the app with performances of the song's unapologetic chorus choreography, eagerly taking up a dance challenge issued by Blackpink's rapper in a TikTok that gained over 20 million views.
At least 5 million videos have used the song "Money" on the video sharing app. The popularity of the song was not solely due to people covering Lisa's choreography. Many TikTok users specifically applied "Money" to clips from Squid Game to project an air of glamour and sass.
Squid Game was a popular piece of South Korean pop culture with a strong focus on finances, so it seemed like a perfect match. The distressing series focused more on desperate people struggling under debt than extravagant spending, but that didn't stop TikTok users from using "Money" to score everything from applying Squid Game inspired makeup to making dalgona.
12. The popular girl group was introduced to the West by Twice's "The Feels".
Twice's English-language debut was always going to make a difference. Twice, the best-selling K-pop girl group in both South Korea and Japan, had previously released English versions of their Korean songs. October's "The Feels" was the group's first original English single, as well as a major push into the Western market.
The full dance routine for "The Feels" was shown on The Tonight Show, which is very unusual. South Korea's music show circuit has new K-pop stages. Twice performed "The Feels" for the first time on a late night U.S. talk show.
Twice succeeded and deserved so. The group's first song to chart on the Hot 100 was "The Feels." The success was how quickly the song caught on. The TikTok dance challenge "The Feels" became a prolific challenge, spawning numerous videos as well as instructions on how to do the tricky body wiggle. Twice couldn't have asked for a better result considering how much K-pop fandom is sustained online.
