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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USFSP chapter.

I am ashamed of the fact that I didn’t understand K-pop culture at first. Despite the language barrier, K-pop has achieved popularity and recognition around the world.  Through time, I have grown to absolutely love K-pop. It all started with BTS’ song “DNA,” and it went downhill from there. Do I know Korean? Nope, but I love BTS’ “self love” themed songs. I don’t want to come off as an obsessed ARMY (BTS fan name) but their songs used to be my everything. I craved the sweetness of their lyrics, the sight of their flawless dancing, and their angelic singing. However, TWICE stole my heart with their alluring choreography. Even though I can’t grasp the lyrics to the full extent, the music’s hypnotic rhythm captivates me.  

K-pop continues to grow in popularity around the world. K-pop groups get more recognition through their extravagant concerts, featuring complex choreography and euphoric songs. Last year, the Tomorrow X Together World Tour, Suga’s Agust D Tour, Stray Kids World Tour, and NCT Dream Tour wowed the audiences! Let’s talk about the upcoming K-pop groups, albums, and concerts that excite many stans (K-pop fans) this year.  

TWICE  

TWICE, a popular girl K-pop group, is still staying strong into 2024. Last year, TWICE broke the record of becoming the first female K-pop group to perform in the SoFi and MetLife stadiums. It was a success because TWICE sold out both venues, which had over 50,000 seat capacity. It is a dream come true for many stars to perform in the SoFi and MetLife stadiums. I cannot imagine the thoughts TWICE had when they saw over 50,000 people watching them. With the success of TWICE’s 5th World Tour in 2023, they extended their “Ready To Be” Tour to Feb. 2024, performing in Mexico City, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil. TWICE is also bringing the tour to Las Vegas for a one-night performance on March 24, 2024.  

In addition to their tour, TWICE announced their With-You-th album release coming this February. The album has Once (TWICE’s fan name) shaking with excitement! In the Youtube Mood Film (the teaser) for the album, Once cannot subdue their feelings in the comments. They are psyched to show their support. Even I got “the feels,” this album’s release will push TWICE higher in the K-pop scene this year  

Le Sserafim  

Another popular girl K-pop group rising to the top with new exhilarating content coming this year: Le Sserafim! Like TWICE, Le Sserafim also announced a mini album titled EASY coming Feb. 2024. Many of my friends who are FEARNOT (Le Sserafim’s fanbase) are excited for this mini album release. In addition, FEARNOT is looking forward to Le Sserafim’s Coachella performance in April, following in the footsteps of BlackPink and Jackson Wang! 

Le Sserafim’s “FLAME RISES” tour began in South Korea, ending in Thailand last year.  At the time of writing this article, Le Sserafim has not announced if the tour will move forward, despite wishful thinking of FEARNOT. Nevertheless, La Sserafim’s mini album and Coachella performance will surely fill their hearts.  

TXT (Tomorrow by Together) 

In the world of K-pop, TXT are the little brothers of BTS. Born in the same company, TXT is rapidly growing in popularity this year. TXT’s 2023 FREEFALL album was successful, hitting the number one spot on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart. If FREEFALL was that successful, I can’t imagine how amazing their 2024 album will be! 

According to the Weverse Shop (the official one-stop shop for K-Pop merch), their 2024 album, Season’s Greetings, could be pre-ordered as of Nov. 2023. However, the album didn’t release & ship until January leaving fans eagerly awaiting their purchase in the United States. This is a unique annual album that includes thirst pictures and photocards. There are many YouTube videos of excited fans unboxing the album.  

I mentioned only a few popular groups that have 2024 plans, but there are many groups out there. Fans are jumping up and down with excitement after seeing their idols announce new releases coming. I interviewed some of those excited fans (high school and college students) on the K-pop groups they look forward to seeing this year!   

Her Campus: What K-pop groups are you excited to see this year? 

Hailey S: TXT [Tomorrow by Together], LSRFM [Le Sserafim], ENHA [Enhypen], SKZ [Stray Kids], GI-DLE. 

Bob T: TXT and Le Sserafim. 

Lexi W: My favorite group to see this year is TXT.  

Julie C: NMIXX. Also, a new boy group called TWS [Twenty Four Seven With Us]. 

HC: What K-pop group(s) do you think will rise to the top this year?  

HS: Girl groups have definitely taken over in this generation like Le Sserafim, NewJeans, G-Ldle, asepa, and more. Although there are some 5th Gen boy groups that are rising as well. 

BT: Le Sserafim because their dances are really popular and catchy. 

LW: One of the group[s] I believe will rise to the top will be New Jeans. They really have a higher brand reputation ranking than Twice and [have] way more monthly listeners on Spotify. 

JC: I think TXT and Stray Kids because I heard they were nominated for People’s Choice Award for favorite group 2024. 

It’s no surprise that the groups’ performances in music videos and concerts attract hundreds of thousands of fans. BTS has the highest fan base of 700,000. These three popular groups (TWICE, Le Sserafim, and TXT) continue to fuel K-pop fans’ hunger with new albums and content. If K-pop artists continue to make albums and songs to please their fans, like TWICE, Le Sserafim, and TXT, then there’s no doubt that they will continue to thrive this year. 

However, things are constantly changing within the K-pop community. New groups are debuting while others are leaving, some groups are even on temporary hiatus. Namely, famous K-pop group BTS, is currently absent. BTS is a popular boy K-pop group that dominated award shows and revamped K-pop culture. BTS was the first K-pop group to be nominated at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, a huge stride in the community. When BTS lost, my ARMY friends were hugely upset, calling the show rigged from the start. BTS’ fans strongly believe that BTS earned the Grammy. Even without a Grammys award, their fans continue to support their music. Fans helped BTS brake the record for the most viewers on a YouTube premiere video. Their video for “Butter,” had 3,900,000 views.This is just one example of how strong the fan base is. Since Dec. 2021, they have been on hiatus due to military service. Last year, some of the members released solo albums while waiting to enlist. But as of now, all members are in the military, meaning there will be little to no activity from them this year.  

With BTS elsewhere, my friends who were once ARMY are either leaving the K-pop scene or joining other fanbases. Their commitment to BTS stemmed from their music’s message about “loving yourself.” My friends say that “BTS helped boost their mentality when they were feeling upset.” However, BTS is not present this year, causing them to venture into the K-pop world elsewhere. After some digging, I came across a BBC article stating that “BTS’ absence offers opportunities for the other bands breaking through.” This is a bold statement since it makes it sound like other K-pop groups didn’t have a chance against BTS’ fame. Nonetheless, I can see BTS fans experimenting with other K-pop groups in the future while BTS is on hiatus. I reached back out to the students I interviewed and asked them if they agreed. 

Her Campus: Do you think BTS’ absence this year will give other K-pop group’s more opportunities and popularity?  

HS: Definitely. BTS [paved] the way for K-pop’s rise in popularity. [BTS] leaving for the military has a large [number] of fans looking for other groups that can give them something similar to what BTS was providing. 

BT: Yes… because they were usually the main focus. With their absence, it made things a lot easier for other groups to stand out… it allows more fans who were BTS only to explore other groups.  

LW: With BTS absence I do believe other K-pop group[s] will have an opportunity of popularity, however I do believe BTS has a bigger fan base which may lead them to stream harder for their songs. 

JC: Yes and no because yes, some ARMY will go listen to other groups. But no [because] I remember reading something about Jin releas[ing] a song or album when he returns back [from the military] this year. If Jin releases that song, ARMY is going crazy again…. BTS [as a whole] is absent, but their individual [self] is still present. 

After listening to my fellow students, it becomes clear that some fans of K-pop are open to moving their focus onto other groups. Nevertheless, the other groups might just be a replacement for ARMY fans until BTS comes back fully as a group. While it’s common to listen to more than one K-pop group at once, it comes down to the devotion of the fans in the world of K-pop. One’s loyalty could be based on the fact that one group has more quality content than the other groups. Like how my friends appreciate BTS self-love albums more than the other K-pop albums. A fan’s commitment to one group is crucial because it boosts the group’s reputation to the stars! Despite BTS being inactive this year, there are tons of new releases in the works! New songs, albums, and concerts from TWICE, Le Sserafim, and TXT could boost these groups higher in fame and wealth. There is so much exciting and juicy content for all K-pop lovers, from concert performances to attractive pictures of their idols in albums. No matter which group is leaving, there is enough K-pop entertainment to fill everybody’s hearts.    

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Mikaela Badilla is a sophomore at USFSP studying Business Analytics. She is from St. Pete, FL. She is interested in event planning.