It’s been a rollercoaster year in the K-pop world, from legal tussles to disbandments and career highs. Here’s a quick look at what exactly went down in 2024:
Solo debuts/comebacks
A handful of rising and established groups and soloists dropped new music this year. G-Dragon made his much-anticipated return to the music scene with ‘POWER,’ his first solo record in seven years. The singer-rapper of BIG BANG also released ‘Home Sweet Home,’ featuring bandmates Taeyang and Daesung.
After completing his mandatory 18-month military service this year, BTS’ oldest member Jin went straight back to work and dropped an album in November.
Girl group Red Velvet celebrated its 10th anniversary with the release of album ‘Cosmic’ in June. That same month, Kim Jae-joong, who debuted as a member of boy band TVXQ in 2003, released his fourth full-length album, ‘Flower Garden.’
Global dominance
K-pop stars have been climbing in the upper echelon of the global music industry in their own ways. Artists such as TWICE, Stray Kids, and ATEEZ earned career milestones on the Billboard 200 chart with releases this year.
BTS member Jungkook and boy band Stray Kids secured spots on Billboard’s annual Year-End Charts. The latter became the first K-pop group to attend the Met Gala.
ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ song ‘APT’ was also a commercial success, topping the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts for a ninth week apiece.
ENHYPEN, NCT, LE SSERAFIM, Stray Kids, aespa, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and TWICE were among the most popular artists globally on TikTok for 2024, based on data from January to November 2024. The K-pop artists captivated fans with creative campaigns and choreographies, claiming seven of the top 10 spots. ENHYPEN’s track ‘XO (Only If You Say Yes)’ inspired over 354,000 TikTok creations, the popular video app further revealed in its annual year-end report.
Self-established labels
This year was a busy one for the BLACKPINK members, who have embarked on solo endeavors. Last year, Lisa, Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo decided not to renew their contracts with K-pop behemoth YG Entertainment for individual activities.
Lisa and Jisoo launched their own respective labels while Rosé signed with THEBLACKLABEL, YG’s subsidiary label founded by BLACKPINK’s primary producer, Teddy. Jennie announced the establishment of her label, Odd ATELIER, end of last year.
Controversies
The K-pop industry has had its fair share of scandals and controversies this year. Taeil departed from the K-pop boy group NCT in August after being accused of sexual offense allegations.
RIIZE’s Seunghan announced his official departure from the K-pop band following fan backlash, just two days after announcing his return. He was on an indefinite hiatus from group activities since November 2023 due to the leak of controversial videos and photos from his trainee days. He will debut as a soloist in 2025.
In September, BTS member Suga was indicted on charges of driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol near his residence in the Yongsan district. He was fined $11,469. The K-pop star is currently fulfilling his mandatory military service as a social service agent.
After five years of establishing KONNECT Entertainment, Kang Daniel announced its closure and reported the majority shareholder to police for embezzlement and breach of trust. The agency managed artists like soloist Chancellor, GFRIEND member Yuju, and the dance crew We Dem Boyz.
This month, KG, an American member of JYP Entertainment’s multinational girl group VCHA, accused the K-pop label’s American branch of mistreatment and filed a lawsuit to terminate her contract.
Lawsuits
It was the year of lawsuits that dominated the news feed. In October, agency Attrakt filed a $14.5 million lawsuit against Warner Music Korea over FIFTY FIFTY, over an alleged attempt to poach the girl group’s former members from the agency. Known for the hit song ‘Cupid,’ FIFTY FIFTY debuted as a four-piece group in November 2022. Following a contract dispute with their agency, the K-pop act has since been reorganized as a quintet, with only one original member, Keena, returning to the lineup.
Idols such as EXO’s Suho, IVE’s Wonyoung, BTS’ V and Jungkook, and Kang Daniel took the rumor-mongering YouTuber Sojang, a 35-year-old known by her surname Park, to court for defamation. K-pop giant SM Entertainment also sued EXO members Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin, who, in turn, counter-sued over non-payment of royalty fees.
ADOR-HYBE rift
The public feud between K-pop powerhouse HYBE, backed by billionaire Bang Si-Hyuk, and Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of its subsidiary ADOR, may be one of the most controversial cases in K-pop in 2024. In November, NewJeans’ members Haerin, Danielle, Minji, Hanni, and Hyein announced their decision to leave their label ADOR in a press conference, accusing the company of “mistreatment” and the management firm’s breach of contract.
The announcement came a week after the chart-topping girl group’s producer Min, who is considered a prominent producer in the music industry, resigned from ADOR’s board of directors after a protracted legal battle with BTS’ agency. The dispute began in April. She was dismissed as CEO of subsidiary ADOR four months later.
Band resurgence
Though long overshadowed by K-pop groups, bands such as The Rose and Lucy had impressive comebacks and breakthroughs this year, broadening Korea’s competitive music landscape.
DAY6 – managed by JYP Entertainment since debuting in 2015 – led the charge in the resurgence of band-driven music in Korea. Older releases like ‘You Were Beautiful’ (2017) and ‘Time of Our Life’ (2019) climbed back to domestic streaming charts and its full-group comebacks in 2024 came with its success. This year saw DAY6 win its first grand prize at the Korea Grand Music Awards and become the first Korean band to headline a concert at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
First, second-gen band reunions
The year also marked the return of iconic second-gen K-pop bands after lengthy hiatuses. Veteran quartet 2NE1 held its comeback tour in October, its first since its members parted ways with YG Entertainment in 2016 to focus on their solo careers.
Three members of the boy band BIGBANG – Dragon, Daesung, and Taeyang – also held a surprise performance at the 2024 MAMA Awards in November at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka.
First-generation girl group, Baby V.O.X, also performed together for the first time in 14 years at the 2024 KBS Gayo Daechukje Global Festival this month.
Disbandment and departures
While 2024 celebrated the long-awaited returns of legendary artists, there were also disbandments and departures of several K-pop groups. Cherry Bullet, Weki Meki, VAV, and fromis_9 have decided to end their exclusive contracts with their respective agencies.
Woollim Entertainment recently announced that members of groups Golden Child and Rocket Punch will leave the agency at the end of the year.
Debuts and global group projects
While there were group departures and disbandments, the show must go on. A handful of K-pop groups continue to debut every year, including YG Entertainment’s BABYMONSTER, The Black Label’s MEOVV, SM Entertainment’s NCT Wish, BELIFT LAB’s ILLIT, and Pledis Entertainment’s TWS.
K-pop’s first-ever boy band with hearing impairments, Big Ocean, made its debut in April. KATSEYE, the brainchild of a partnership between HYBE and US label Geffen, also became their first global girl group. SM Entertainment’s first virtual singer naevis debuted in September.
Romances
Celebrities become a trending topic of discussion among netizens, especially when it comes to their personal lives. Singers HyunA and Yong Junhyung, who made their relationship public earlier this year, tied the knot in July. Ailee announced her marriage plans with ‘Single’s Inferno’ cast member Choi Si Hun.
TWICE’s Jihyo and athlete Yun Sungbin, and TWICE’s Chaeyoung and R&B singer-songwriter Zion.T are rumored to be dating.
Unfortunately, some romances are short-lived. aespa’s Karina and actor Lee Jae-wook split shortly after going public with their relationship. The pair met at a Prada fashion show in Milan in January.
Fashion frontiers
Luxury fashion houses continued to enlist K-pop stars as brand ambassadors. Singer Suzy Bae, NewJeans’ Danielle, and boy band TWS were named as Celine’s global ambassador. Louis Vuitton tapped BLACKPINK’s Lisa while Ningning for Versace, among other big names.