With nearly 2 months left of 2022, K-Pop had another amazing year in the books in terms of music and moments. From new group and soloist debuts, incredible albums put out, and a variety of artists going on tour for the first time since before the pandemic, there was much to celebrate this year. Here are my Top 5 moments that really made K-Pop something to look forward to all year.
- Hyuna and Dawn’s Engagement
When I saw the news that soloists Kim Hyuna and Kim Dawn formerly of Cube Entertainment were engaged, I could truly feel nothing but joy. Hyuna and Dawn had a love story for the ages from the beginning, the pair having met when Dawn was a trainee preparing to debut with group Pentagon and Hyuna was a successful soloist. When the company found out they were dating, they terminated both artists contracts and both Hyuna and Dawn ended up at P Nation, company of PSY where they were both able to continue their careers and their relationship freely. Watching their love bloom was nothing short of heartwarming as Hyuna credited Dawn with being one of her strengths through her health struggles and when I saw the engagement rings on their Instagram, all I could wish was nothing but happiness for the both of them and for any potential couples in the industry. I truly can’t wait for their wedding pictures. You can check out their joint album 1+1=1 with the title track “Ping Pong” for some zany, upbeat fun.
- K-Pop at Coachella
For one of the biggest music festivals to have a variety of Korean acts performing, especially on the main stage is nothing short of an incredible achievement. SM girl group AESPA became one of only 3 girl groups to perform on the Coachella main stage, an incredible achievement for a rookie girl group. Alongside AESPA, soloists like Jackson Wang of GOT7, Bibi, and CL took to the stage to show off their hits. The biggest and most welcome surprise was legendary K-Pop girl group 2NE1 taking the stage together 7 years after their final performance. It was truly a moment that I wish I could’ve witnessed myself and I’m so happy CL was able to bring all the girls together again. You can check out the performance as well as the behind the scenes of putting it together.
- Soloists take the Stage
This was the year for solo debuts as members of massive groups showed us their independent colors. Nayeon from TWICE became the first member of the group to debut solo with her EP “IM NAYEON”, a clever play on her name and the phrase “I’m Nayeon” full of mellow pop. J-Hope of BTS delivered fresh and moody vibes with his debut studio album Jack in the Box which he then performed at Lollapalooza. Seulgi from Red Velvet showed off the classic dark “velvet” side with her solo debut 28 Reasons. I always enjoy solo debuts because it’s always interesting to see what idols will do on their own, especially idols from large groups. Everything from the styling, the songs, and the performances draws you in as you watch these artists take the stage alone for the first time, and I was seated for all of them. You can check out Nayeon, Seulgi, and J-Hope’s solos that are all vastly different from their groups concepts and bring something new to the table.
- Rookies of the Year
This year especially saw the debut of many new groups that put out incredible pieces of work for their first steps in the industry. ADOR, a HYBE subsidiary debuted NewJeans whose surprise album drop had everyone tapping their feet to Hype Boy and Attention. Also from HYBE, LE SSERAFIM, debuted from Source Music debuted with former IZONE members Kim Chaewon and Miyawaki Sakura with a fresh, mellow sound in their debut EP Fearless and promptly returned with the strong drum beat filled ANTIFRAGILE. Survival show Girls Planet 999 ended with the debut of KEP1ER whose girl crush sound was unveiled with WA DA DA. Boy groups also took their first stage with P Nation debuting their first boy ever boy group TNX. Safe to say that the title of rookie of the year is going to be just as competitive this year as it has been all the other years, you can check out all these group’s hot new debuts.
- Finally Touring
The pandemic that began in 2020 inhibited many groups from getting to embark on their planned tours and even many rookie groups from even doing their first tours. This year, we saw them come back in full swing with groups like TWICE, TXT, ITZY, SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, and BTS performing all over the US and even making their way to Canada, Japan, and the Philippines. Some were met with entirely sold-out stadiums as BTS shut down Las Vegas and LA for their Permission to Dance stages. The inability to tour had been something that many groups found disheartening as they continued to perform and make music but for empty audiences. Even though I couldn’t get tickets for some of the shows I wanted, I know it won’t be the last time these groups come. As tours return, we can only hope for more groups to come and these other groups to continue to grace us with their presence and performances. You can watch someone experience TXT’s Act: Lovesick in LA as well as any of the other concert experiences here.