K-Pop’s Global Success Hits a Wall: What’s Happening at Home?

Despite chart-topping hits on Billboard and sold-out world tours across the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia, K-pop’s grip on its home turf appears to be slipping.

Industry insiders are raising red flags about a growing disconnect between the genre’s global triumph and its waning influence at home. This is particularly concerning as the domestic fanbase, once the powerhouse behind the K-pop phenomenon, shows signs of fatigue.

At the crux of the issue is a notable absence of breakthrough rookie girl groups in the first half of 2025. These groups have traditionally been the catalyst for fandom growth and market revitalization, but this year’s lineup failed to deliver the same punch.

The Circle Chart’s 2025 Mid-Year Report provides hard data to back up these concerns.

Total digital music consumption for the top 400 songs took a 6.4 percent hit year-on-year. Even more alarming, it has nosedived by a whopping 49.7 percent compared to the genre’s 2019 peak.

Physical album sales, typically a stronghold bolstered by die-hard fans, also took a 9 percent tumble, totaling 42.4 million units, down from 46.7 million the previous year.

The number of million-selling albums dwindled from nine to seven, with no release cracking the three million mark—a feat Seventeen had pulled off just a year ago. These figures point to a potential plateau, if not a decline, in the size and spending power of domestic fandoms.
Kim Jin-woo, a data journalist at Circle Chart, highlighted a dramatic drop in girl group dominance within the domestic market.

“Last year, NewJeans topped the market share charts, with five girl groups in the top 10. This year, only aespa, Ive, and NewJeans made the cut,” Kim explained.

Kim also pointed to growing listener fatigue, stemming from cookie-cutter concepts and English-heavy lyrics aimed at overseas audiences—part of a broader “de-K-pop” strategy that may be alienating local fans.

“Many groups are now laser-focused on global accessibility, often sticking to a narrow range of genres and English-heavy lyrics,” Kim noted. “While this might hook international listeners, it’s starting to wear thin at home.”

Music critic Lim Hee-yun added that shifting media consumption habits have eroded the dominance of idol groups.

“With music increasingly consumed through self-produced content, fan platforms, and social media, fandoms are becoming more fragmented,” he said. “Idols used to rule the charts thanks to mass fan mobilization, but that’s no longer the case. In contrast, solo artists are striking a chord with casual listeners.”

The Top 10 of the 2025 mid-year digital chart tells a compelling story: Solo acts like Woodz with “Drowning” at No. 1, Hwang Garam with “I Am a Firefly” at No. 3, and Jo Jazz with “Don’t You Know” at No. 7—none of whom are global superstars—significantly outperformed their idol group counterparts. Seven of the Top 10 artists were solo performers, with aespa, Ive, and Boynextdoor as the only groups making the cut.

Lim added that while idol tracks are “fun and powerful,” they often lack emotional depth.

“Ballads or rock-infused tracks with strong melodic structures and individual expression are better suited for immersive listening,” he explained.
Industry insiders warn that this trend raises serious questions about the sustainability of K-pop’s current trajectory. A sluggish domestic market could eventually undermine the health of the entire ecosystem.

“As K-pop chased global mainstream appeal, the music took on a more Western pop flavor—but unless you’re hitting BTS’ Jungkook levels, that strategy rarely pays off,” an entertainment executive remarked. “Even with its global expansion, K-pop remains pigeonholed as a subculture rather than breaking into the true global mainstream.”
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