From chart dominators and breakout hits to viral moments and interviews that offered rare insight, this review revisits the artists and stories that shaped K-pop in 2025. Together, they trace a year marked by shifting sounds, global ambition and a changing conversation around K-pop’s place in pop culture.
Artist of the year — Stray Kids
Stray Kids cemented their status as one of K-pop’s most dominant global acts in 2025, backed by record-breaking performances across major music charts.
On Billboard’s year-end rankings, the group took over the top 2 placements for the music chart’s World Albums chart, with their 2024 mixtape album “Hop” taking first place and their 2025 full-length album “Karma” taking second.
Stray Kids also ranked No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Artist list and No. 7 among the Top Artist Duo/Group list, underscoring their broad commercial reach. The group also emerged as the highest-ranking K-pop act on the Billboard 200 Artists year-end chart at No. 49.
The boy group’s momentum is still strong in the latter part of the year, with their latest mixtape album “Do It” holding a top 10 position on the Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks.
In 2025 alone, Stray Kids made history by debuting both their fourth full-length album “Karma” and “Do It” at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending their streak to eight consecutive No. 1 debuts — a first for any K-pop group.
Song of the year — “APT.” by Rose and Bruno Mars
“APT.” by Rose and Bruno Mars stood out as one of 2025’s most enduring global songs, marking a milestone moment for K-pop on the international stage.
The track ranked No. 3 among the most-streamed songs worldwide on Spotify, reflecting sustained popularity across diverse markets. On Billboard, the song topped the Billboard Global 200 year-end chart and placed ninth on the Hot 100 year-end list, signaling a rare crossover success for a K-pop-led collaboration.
Since its October 2024 release, “APT.” has maintained strong cultural traction on short-term platforms, ranking No. 6 on TikTok’s Top 20 Global Songs of 2025, where it became widely used across trends and user-generated content.
Beyond its commercial performance, the song continues to make history by earning three Grammy nominations — song of the year, record of the year and best pop duo/group performance. The achievement marked the first time a K-pop female artist received a Grammy nomination and the first instance a K-pop act was shortlisted in a major general-field category.
Album of the Year — “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack
The soundtrack for Netflix’s hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” emerged as one of the most unexpected global successes of 2025, blurring the lines between pop music, animation and K-pop storytelling.
The album ranked second on Spotify’s Top 10 Albums Globally year-end list, surpassing major releases by leading Western artists such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar.
Its main track, “Golden,” placed seventh on Spotify’s global top-10 songs ranking, while Huntrix, the act behind the track, topped Billboard’s Top Artists – Duo/Group chart. The Saja Boys, the act behind tracks “Soda Pop” and “Your Idol,” also ranked fourth.
Unlike releases by other K-pop artists, the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack gained traction through its narrative-based appeal and cross-platform exposure, reaching listeners who may not typically engage with K-pop. Its success highlighted the genre’s expanding creative boundaries and the industry’s ability to compete in global pop culture spaces, which were once dominated by Western franchises.
Reinvention of the year — Twice
This year marked a decisive turning point for Twice, not because the group discarded what had defined it, but because it widened the scope of what Twice could be.
Instead of relying on familiarity, the nine-member act used the year to move into new creative, cultural and global territory, signaling a confident reset from artists firmly in control of their legacy. That shift was most visible at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August, where Twice became the first female K-pop act to headline the festival. Performing with a live band, the group recontextualized its polished catalog for a large-scale festival audience and demonstrated a longevity that extended well beyond traditional K-pop performances.
That same curiosity carried into other media. Jihyo, Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon explored darker, unfamiliar sounds through their contribution to the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack, embracing experimentation without concern for outcome. Later, Twice crossed into fashion’s global mainstream with a historic appearance at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in October, merging pop performance with lifestyle branding on one of the industry’s most visible stages.
Together, these moments defined 2025 as a year of reinvention for Twice, not just in image, but in ambition, scale and cultural reach.
Viral Artist of the Year — Katseye
In 2025, virality was no longer accidental. It was built, sustained and amplified. Few stories reflected that shift more clearly than Katseye’s breakout year.
The group’s momentum surged after appearing in a global GAP campaign that positioned its members not as niche newcomers but as familiar faces within pop culture. For many viewers, this marked their first exposure to Katseye, and the impact was immediate. The campaign clip alone generated more than 150 million views on TikTok, with its choreography quickly becoming a point of replication across social platforms.
At the same time, the group’s music took on a life of its own online. “Gnarly” spread rapidly through TikTok and Instagram via dance challenges and fan edits, expanding far beyond its initial audience as artists across the K-pop landscape and beyond joined in. The trend translated into millions of user-created videos, billions of cumulative views and the group’s first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. That momentum carried into “Gabriela,” which sparked another wave of global participation and confirmed that Katseye’s appeal was not limited to a single viral moment.
By year’s end, the group had been named TikTok’s global artist of the year, backed by staggering engagement across the platform. What made the moment endure was alignment. Brand visibility, music releases and fan participation moved in step, transforming short-lived trends into lasting cultural presence.
B-Side breakout of the Year — ‘Really Like You’
If main tracks were the focus in earlier years, 2025 belonged to the songs listeners discovered on their own terms. Streaming algorithms, concert footage and fan-led sharing turned B-sides into emotional focal points, often outshining official singles. Babymonster’s “Really Like You” emerged as one of the clearest examples of that shift, rising not through heavy promotion but through collective attention and repeat listening.
Initially overshadowed by headline tracks, the song found renewed life through concert clips that circulated online. Shared across social platforms, the performances highlighted a softer, more nostalgic atmosphere, prompting fans to compare it to classic YG-era B-sides. Many noted that the track’s warmth and restraint contrasted with Babymonster’s usual intensity, making it feel more intimate and unexpectedly addictive.
As online engagement grew, so did its chart presence. “Really Like You” climbed steadily on domestic streaming platforms and reached a new peak at No. 44 on Apple Music South Korea by mid-December. More than a statistical achievement, its rise reflected a broader pattern in 2025, where listeners shaped the charts with B-sides that resonated above promoted main tracks.
The Korea Herald’s most resonant interviews
Ejae
Ejae, co-writer of the 2025 megahit soundtrack “Golden” from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” emerged as one of the most compelling discoveries in the K-pop scene this year.
A former SM Entertainment trainee, Ejae began drawing attention following the explosive success of the film, which premiered in June. From the moment The Korea Herald reached out to her via social media for an interview, her response was immediate and earnest — marked by a level of passion and initiative often associated with K-pop trainees, yet expressed in a distinctly personal way.
As a Korean American, Ejae spoke candidly about her ambition to one day win a Grammy Award, framing it not as personal validation but as a message of hope for “every Asian American girl who’s ever felt imposter syndrome.” Unlike many K-pop artists who remain cautious in interviews due to agency-imposed boundaries aimed at avoiding controversy, Ejae addressed her journey with notable frankness.
She reflected openly on the decade she spent training at SM Entertainment without debuting — an experience that ultimately led her to songwriting. That long and uncertain path culminated in “Golden,” which became the first No. 1 hit by a female K-pop group — albeit a virtual one, Huntrix — and the longest-running No. 1 soundtrack song in more than a decade. Her story stood out not only for its success, but for the clarity with which she articulated failure, perseverance and belief in herself.
Aoora
Aoora, a former K-pop idol who reinvented himself as a solo artist in India, was among the year’s most memorable interviewees for his unfiltered honesty and unadorned sincerity.
Currently based in Mumbai, Aoora was interviewed via video call — personally dialing The Korea Herald reporter from his own phone, a small but telling gesture that reflected his easygoing, unaffected nature. Throughout the conversation, he spoke frankly about the Indian music market while demonstrating a deep respect for the country’s cultural and religious diversity.
One of the most striking remarks he shared — though ultimately left out of the published article — revealed the depth of his attachment to the country. “People in India move with their hearts more than their heads. That’s why I live here,” he said. He also expressed discomfort with the way some Korean YouTubers portray India as dirty or sensational, saying such depictions genuinely hurt him.
As K-pop’s global footprint expands, more artists are venturing into overseas markets. Yet it remains rare for a Korean artist to enter an untested market alone, let alone relocate and immerse themselves fully in the local culture before seeking commercial success. Aoora’s approach — living in India, learning from its people and respecting its values — set him apart.
His interview offered a rare sense of authenticity, reminding readers that global expansion can be driven not only by strategy or trend, but by genuine affection and respect for another culture.
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