![\"Ros\u00e9](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cover-rose-billboard-2025-bb19-joelle-grace-taylor-1800-5.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFrom chart history set by ROS\u00c9, Stray Kids and HUNTR\/X to moments of visibility for Brazil, India and the LGBTQ+ community, K-pop was truly expansive this year.<\/p>\n
\t12\/30\/2025\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tSchiaparelli dress and cardigan, Tiffany & Co. jewelry.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoelle Grace Taylor<\/p>\n
\n\tLong touted as a badge of honor in both fan wars and press releases, the concept of going \u201cglobal\u201d has been an arguably unrealized goal for much of the K-pop industry prior to 2025. Yet the past 12 months have proven to be the scene\u2019s most expansive year yet, reaching new heights and mainstream milestones.<\/p>\n
\n\tFor observers both in and outside of the K-pop orbit, that expansion was recognized as a seismic creative shift. In an apt year-end review for The New York Times<\/a>, pop critic Jon Caramanica wrote that \u201cK-pop is an influence, a starting point, but perhaps not a destination.\u201d He noted how projects like ROS\u00c9<\/a> and Bruno Mars<\/a>\u2018 record-breaking \u201cAPT.\u201d exemplified crossover collaborations as \u201can indicator of widening acceptance and also increased tolerance for musical risk,\u201d while K-adjacent projects like KPop Demon Hunters and KATSEYE<\/a> signal that the genre has reached a stage where it \u201cneeds new oxygen to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd the data shows those risks have breathed some life-affirming excitement into K-pop with effects that can be felt for years to come: a K-pop-based animated blockbuster movie and soundtrack placed multiple tracks across the Billboard Hot 100<\/a> and Global 200<\/a> for weeks while competing in major awards races; new partnerships and deals saw veteran and newcomer acts earning new chart feats; tours earned unprecedented grosses across the world; and new localized K-pop ecosystems formed in markets far from Seoul.<\/p>\n \n\tIndeed, 2025 wasn\u2019t about K-pop \u201carriving.\u201d It was about K-pop scaling in a way that the rest of the world can\u2019t help but take notice. The model proved it could be exported, localized, iterated, and \u2014 perhaps most crucially \u2014 felt on both a commercial and creative level.<\/p>\n \n\tGo through more than a dozen moments that show how 2025 truly became a global sensation this year.<\/p>\n \tAll-Around Success for KPop Demon Hunters<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWhere to even begin when it comes to the ways an unlikely animated movie about a trio of singing demon slayers wound up topping both the Billboard 200, Hot 100, Global 200, and is competing for top honors at the Grammys, Golden Globes and \u2014 very likely \u2014 the Oscars? <\/p>\n \n\tThere are multiple K-pop beneficiaries to the KPop Demon Hunters world. There were HUNTR\/X singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, all of whom earned their first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper when \u201cGolden\u201d spent eight weeks at No. 1 in 2025, with EJAE earning a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year for co-writing the track with Teddy, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Mark Sonnenblick.<\/p>\n \n\tThe KDH soundtrack by the Saja Boys propelled singers Kevin Woo, Danny Chung, Andrew Choi, Neckwav and SamUIL Lee to score top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hits of their own, as well as TWICE earning their longest- and highest-charting Hot 100 hit yet with \u201cStrategy,\u201d while members Jihyo, Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung earned their first solo entries.<\/p>\n \n\tAs KPop Demon Hunters made its way to become Netflix\u2019s most-watched movie of all time, the film and its soundtrack scored accolades around the world including at the MTV Video Music Awards, NRJ Music Awards, MAMA Awards, Los 40 Music Awards, Asia Artists Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association, the African-American Film Critics Association with more sure to come.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tStray Kids Rewrite History on the Billboard 200 Again<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWhen Stray Kids claimed their eighth No. 1 album<\/a> on the Billboard 200 with DO IT earlier this month, it extended their record as the only act to debut their first eight entries atop the albums chart in its 69-year history.<\/p>\n \n\tSKZ initially set this record in late 2024 when HOP made the octet the first musical group to see their first six albums debut at No. 1, and only extended the chart history with fall release Karma (on the chart dated Sept. 6, 2025) and then DO IT (Dec. 6). <\/p>\n \n\tEach chart-topping feat further placed the Kids alongside other greats in musical history: Karma secured Stray Kids as the musical group with the most No. 1 albums in the 21st century (surpassing Dave Matthews Band, Linkin Park and BTS) and DO IT earned them the third-most No. 1 albums by groups overall in the U.S. (tying them with U2, only behind the Beatles and Rolling Stones). <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tKATSEYE Proves the K-Pop Model Can Truly Cross Over Into Other Genres<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tAs a multinational pop project that leaned into the diversity within its members, KATSEYE proved that the so-called K-pop \u201cfactory\u201d can deliver acts that live outside the strict idol mold. <\/p>\n \n\tThe girl group embraces the LGBTQ+ community as some members identify as queer themselves (Lara accepted an award from Los Angeles LGBT Centre with the group by her side), leaned into a Gap campaign as a celebration of diversity in a heated culture war (to the tune of over 52 million views on YouTube), and broke through at traditionally conservative industry institutions (\u201cGabriela\u201d hit the Top 10 of the Pop Airplay chart, and the group scored two Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist).<\/p>\n \n\tWith KATSEYE\u2019s year closing with a sold-out U.S. tour, collaborating with Riot Games\u2019 gender-inclusive esports Game Changers initiative and a slot at Coachella in April, the sextet may have gotten their initial training within the confines of K-pop, but they prove the model has real adaptability when embracing innovation and evolution.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tEach BLACKPINK Member Scores as a Solo Act<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tFew pop groups can count every member as a superstar in his or her own right, but 2025 saw every BLACKPINK member landing solo songs on the Billboard Hot 100, confirming that scaled superfandom can translate to solo impact with releases that feels specially tailored to each member\u2019s journey. Here\u2019s just a sample of each member\u2019s chart achievements:<\/p>\n \tHYBE Localizes in Latin America With Santos Bravos, \u2018Pase a la Fama\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWith the boy-band reality series Santos Bravos and Mexicana banda talent series like Pase a la Fama, HYBE\u2019s Latin America push showcased its K-pop production methods in newly localized ways. From Santos Bravos\u2019 auditions, training and eventual debut to Pase a la Fama\u2018s winner earning a record deal, the efforts recalled similar storylines for HYBE label mates like Bumzu, ENHYPEN, KATSEYE, ILLIT, &TEAM and aoen got their start, but presented in regionally relevant ways. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tNew Distribution Deals & Strategies Offer Baekhyun, ZEROBASEONE, Monsta X, Yves & More Expansion<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tAs BTS proved with a path-paving deal in 2017 with The Orchard, distribution is king when it comes to reaching U.S. audiences with K-pop albums.<\/p>\n \n\tZEROBASEONE reported global sales of over 1 million for each of their albums since debuting in 2023, but only landed on the Billboard 200 for the first time in February thanks to a new U.S. distribution deal with Universal Music\u2019s Virgin Music Group. February\u2019s Blue Paradise entered at No. 28, while their debut full-length, Never Say Never, peaked at No. 23 in September.<\/p>\n \n\tIn March, Los Angeles-based media company and indie K-pop label hello82 announced a new partnership with ONE HUNDRED LABEL group to bring titles from its artists to the States including THE BOYZ and EXO member Baekhyun, the latter of which scored his first-ever solo Billboard 200 entry when Essence of Reverie bowed at No. 121. hello82 also began offering physical singles for artists like ATEEZ and LE SSERAFIM this year, leading the former to make its Billboard Hot 100 debut (\u201cIn Your Fantasy\u201d opened at No. 68 and \u201cLemon Drop\u201d at No. 69) and the latter to score a new chart peak (\u201cSPAGHETTI\u201d with BTS\u2019 J-Hope reached No. 50).<\/p>\n \n\tMonsta X\u2019s thirteenth EP, THE X, was bolstered by distribution from The Orchard, landing the band their first Korean-language project on the Billboard 200 when the EP debuted at No. 31. Prior to this, only the two English LPs from Monsta X had entered the albums chart as a part of the various label deals set for each release.<\/p>\n \n\tPlus, the budding success of former LOONA member Yves led the fairly new PAIX PER MIL label to partner with Warner\u2019s ADA to bring the singer\u2019s music to radio and a wide publicity push around the star\u2019s Apple Cinnamon Crunch Tour in North America, helping clear the way for collaborations with fellow pop It Girls like PinkPantheress and Rebecca Black.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tThe Grammys\u2019 Main Categories Finally Give K-Pop Acts Nods<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tAfter years of fan and critical debates on whether K-pop would get a big moment in the Grammys\u2019 main-category awards, the inclusion of ROS\u00c9, KATSEYE and KPop Demon Hunters proved concrete gains for the evolving industry.<\/p>\n \n\tROS\u00c9 got nods in Record of the Year and Song of the Year with her Bruno Mars\u2013assisted \u201cAPT.,\u201d while the songwriters behind HUNTR\/X\u2019s \u201cGolden,\u201d including EJAE and BLACKPINK producer Teddy, were recognized in Song of the Year. Fun fact: Both songs include Korean lyrics.<\/p>\n \n\tMeanwhile, the HYBE x Geffen Records act KATSEYE scored a nomination for Best New Artist, a rare recognition for any girl group, especially one with a background in K-pop training.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tPabllo Vittar Brings K-Pop to Brazil With NMIXX<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWhile Brazil has long demonstrated its love of K-pop, Pabllo Vittar bringing NMIXX into her world with a collaboration marked a breakthrough musical moment.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile elements of Brazilian funk have been trending in K-pop production for years, Vittar enlisting the girl group for \u201cMEXE\u201d and its remixes saw a Korea-based act taking the homegrown route. The track serves not just as one of the year\u2019s best crossover cuts but also as an example of reciprocal cultural exchange.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd while NMIXX isn\u2019t the first K-pop act to collaborate with the drag community, recording with Pabllo Vittar certainly marks the most high-profile moment between the two worlds.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tInternational Stars Jump on K-Pop Collabs Again (And Again!)<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWhile international collaborations are essentially a hallmark of the K-pop scene today, several major artists really proved they were here for the scene with their second, and sometimes third, team-ups.<\/p>\n \tFirst U.S.-Based K-Pop Company Launches Girl Group<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tFormer SM Entertainment CEO Nikki Han announced TITAN CONTENT as the first U.S.-based K-pop company in late 2023, and this year marked the moment for the label to show and prove what it can do from its Los Angeles home base. AtHeart began the agency\u2019s history with the six-member, multinational girl group representing Korea, Japan, the Philippines and the U.S.<\/p>\n \n\tThe group began with key differences from the typical K-pop approach, including each member introduced via her own separate social media accounts (most Korean acts operate out of one official group account and open personal accounts years later), but easily joined into the traditional promotional methods of the scene by hitting Korean TV shows like Mnet\u2019s M Countdown and MusicCore on MBC.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tKevin Woo, J-Hope, TWICE, JISOO, LISA, ATEEZ and LE SSERAFIM Hit New Hot 100 Peaks<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWhile any Hot 100 entry is cause for celebration, these artist accomplishments hit a bit harder with new peaks or debut entries for these K-pop acts.<\/p>\n \tStray Kids Score K-Pop\u2019s Biggest Tour Across Continents<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tIn August, Billboard Boxscore reported<\/a> that Stray Kids\u2019 Dominate World Tour had lived up to its name. After wrapping in July with more than 1 million tickets sold this year, the Stray Kids tour set several new records around the world. Let us count the ways the Kids dominated:<\/p>\n \tLGBTQ Representation Came Out in a Big Way<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tThis year also served a cluster of high-visibility, career-stage revelations that shifted K-pop\u2019s visibility on queer issues. <\/p>\n \n\tJUSTB\u2019s Bain publicly came out during a Los Angeles concert on the boy band\u2019s world tour, dedicating a cover of Lady Gaga\u2019s \u201cBorn This Way\u201d to LGBTQ fans and describing the move as a turning point for him and for visibility among active idol members. Plus, former Apeace member Dongho publicly hard-launched his relationship with Taiwanese-Canadian influencer Zilong. On the girl group side, Lara of KATSEYE formally identified as queer and was honored by the Los Angeles LGBT Center, while her bandmate Megan came out as bisexual during a Weverse broadcast. Plus, former JWiiver member Chae Ryujin (a.k.a. Cherry) announced she is a transgender woman via a livestream. The year closed on a high note when DAMJUN of K-pop\u2019s first LGBTQ boy band LIONESSES released his debut solo album, Scandalous Love Song, on Dec. 20.<\/p>\n \n\tIt all signals that queer stories and narratives are being told with more agency, power and with greater visibility than ever before in K-pop\u2019s global orbit. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tCORTIS Earns Biggest K-Pop Debut Ever on Billboard 200<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tThe newest group from HYBE \u2014 and first group from BTS\u2019 BIGHIT MUSIC label since TOMORROW X TOGETHER debuted in 2019 \u2014 CORTIS had heavy expectations placed on them before listeners heard one note of music. <\/p>\n \n\tA major-agency backing certainly helped CORTIS score one of the highest-ever Billboard 200 rankings for a debut K-pop project when COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES entered at No. 15 (putting them only behind the chart-topping debut of SuperM, a supergroup of previously established K-pop stars). But the creator-focused message that these rookies were involved in the EP\u2019s songwriting, arrangements, choreography, stage productions, visual editing, and beyond felt far more significant in establishing this group as one wholly invested in all parts of their careers and changing the narrative around K-pop star identities.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u2018KPOPPED\u2019 Gave Historic Hits a K-Pop Twist in Seoul<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tApple delivered its second K-pop production by flying stars from across the decades to get K-pop makeovers in Seoul for KPOPPED. With executive producers including Lionel Richie, Megan Thee Stallion and CJ ENM\u2019s chairwoman Miky Lee, the series was highlighted by the eight members of ATEEZ splitting to remake Kylie Minogue and J Balvin smashes \u2014 and perplexing moments, like when Vanilla Ice seemed not to take Kep1er\u2019s dance rehearsals seriously.<\/p>\n \n\tEither way, combining the artistic diversity and audiences of Patti LaBelle, Boy George, Spice Girls, Boyz II Men, TLC, Eve, Kesha, ITZY, JO1 and BLACKSWAN all on one show is something remarkable globally.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cGolden,\u201d \u201cAPT.\u201d Set New History on Global Charts<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tBarring Mariah Carey\u2019s seasonal smash \u201cAll I Want for Christmas Is You,\u201d HUNTR\/X\u2019s EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami\u2019s \u201cGolden\u201d tied for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars\u2019 \u201cDie With a Smile.\u201d The HUNTR\/X women did pull ahead of Gaga and Mars when \u201cGolden\u201d earned 11 consecutive weeks atop the chart \u2014 the most-ever consecutive weeks atop the chart.<\/p>\n \n\tAs detailed in ROS\u00c9\u2019s Billboard No. 1s cover story<\/a>, \u201cAPT.\u201d set a record with 19 weeks atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, and ultimately topped the year-end editions of both it and the Global 200 after earning nearly 4.9 billion official on-demand global streams through Nov. 27, 2025, according to Luminate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tHYBE Sets Up Shop in China and India<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tBeyond the previously established offices in Korea, America, Japan, and Mexico for Latin America, HYBE opened more regional units in 2025. The company opened HYBE China in Shanghai in April (joining fellow powerhouses like SM, YG, and JYP Entertainment with Chinese offices) and founded HYBE India Entertainment Private Limited in Mumbai this September (a first among major companies).<\/p>\n \n\tHYBE has already announced plans to create new acts with industry partners in the U.S. and Japan next year, underscoring the juggernaut\u2019s commitment to expanding its global footprint.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tThe Daily\t\t<\/p>\n A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry<\/p>\n \t\tBy providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>.\n
![\"HUNTR\/X\"](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-billboard-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: JYP Entertainment\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Christopher Polk\/Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: The Chosunilbo JNS\/Imazins via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Alejandra Garc\u00eda\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy of INB100\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Manny Carabel\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gustavo Caballero for Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Anna Lee\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy of Titan Content\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy of JYP\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: The Chosunilbo JNS\/Imazins via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy of BIGHIT Music\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy Photo\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Justin Shin\/GI\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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