TORONTO -- The unmitigated rise of K-pop couldn鈥檛 be denied this year, even as countries struggled with a global pandemic and a tumultuous news cycle.
K-pop pioneered the virtual experience for fans, amongst cancelled tours and grounded flights.
CTVNews.ca rounds up some of the top moments K-pop gave us this year:
K-pop fans show what it means to be a global citizen
Whether it was , protesting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement or crowdfunding for victims of police brutality 鈥 K-pop fans were on the front line of social justice this year.
Because of their intense online presence, their initiatives for good spread faster than most news headlines 鈥 so when they care about something, it packs a punch.
Whether it鈥檚 at his rallies, pushing for climate justice by urging governments to pursue green alternatives, or providing education on cultural appropriation and calling out problematic behaviour from their favourite idols and fans alike, K-pop fans have proven over and over again that they鈥檙e not 鈥渏ust some kids.鈥
BTS鈥 iconic year
You can鈥檛 have a K-pop round-up without mentioning BTS, and indeed it鈥檚 getting harder every year to come up with new superlatives to describe their achievements - but this truly was an iconic year for the seven member super group. Their hit 鈥楲ife Goes On鈥 went to number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart (the first song in Korean to ever do so) and the disco-inspired 鈥楧ynamite鈥 鈥 another first.
Rapper Suga鈥檚 mixtape 鈥楧-2鈥 took no prisoners when it dropped in May, Jin鈥檚 gorgeous vocals in 鈥楢byss鈥 had us daydreaming and 鈥業n the Soop,鈥 the group鈥檚 mini-series out in nature, had us laughing.
But in true BTS fashion, they continued to thank and credit their fans for their success 鈥 wishing for ARMY鈥檚 health and safety in almost every interaction.
Wonho returns
After a devastating year in 2019, Wonho (formerly of the group Monsta X), had a solo debut after signing with a subsidiary company of Starship Entertainment. Although fans tirelessly campaigned for his reinstatement to the group, especially after 鈥 knowing that Wonho has returned to the industry he loves was truly a gift to 2020. Wenee鈥檚 (his new fandom name) watched in delight as Wonho quickly became the 鈥渋t boy鈥 online with his 鈥極pen Mind鈥 music video which made the rounds on TikTok. The opening of his YouTube channel and Instagram account have provided both Wonho and fans a chance to reconnect and share the love.
SHINee鈥檚 back!
Legendary group SHINee is finally back together again after all three elder members 鈥 Minho, Onew and Key 鈥 were discharged from military service. Shawols were gifted a truly chaotic (but oh so Shinee) reunion moment backstage that showed off the intense connection the group has shared through the years. This was also a massive year for group member Taemin, who dropped three singles, ,鈥 promoted with SuperM and of course dominated every stage he stepped on.
Mamamoo returns
After promoting separately for a time, all four members of girl-group Mamamoo reunited for songs 鈥楧ingga鈥 and 鈥楢ya,鈥 from their 10th mini-album 鈥楾RAVEL鈥 that dropped this November. The girls have proven their cultural heavyweight status since their debut in 2014 鈥 and this year only added fuel to their fire.
鈥楶sycho鈥 collaboration stage
In June, one of the most popular collaborations occurred during a KBS Music Bank special, featuring Red Velvet鈥檚 song 鈥楶sycho鈥 went viral. AB6IX鈥檚 Daewhi, Golden Child鈥檚 Bomin, Stray Kid鈥檚 Hyunjin and Astro鈥檚 Sanha鈥檚 seamless performance has been viewed more than 17 million times to date.
BLACKPINK in your area
Hot on the heels of their massive performance at 2019鈥檚 Coachella music festival, BLACKPINK continued to prove why they are the biggest girl group in the world. From collaborations with Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Cardi B to their Netflix documentary 鈥楲ight up the Sky鈥 which gave us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the members鈥 lives. BLACKPINK continues to outdo themselves every year.
鈥楻oad to Kingdom鈥 and 鈥業-Land鈥
Reality TV and K-pop often go hand-in-hand, but this year was truly spectacular.
In the male sequel to 2019鈥檚 鈥楺ueendom鈥 show, 鈥楻oad to Kingdom鈥 had seven boy groups competing for a spot in 2021鈥檚 鈥楰ingdom鈥 competition show. The Boyz, Pentagon, ONF, Golden Child, Verivery, Oneus and TOO continuously wowed fans and viewers with their stage presence and choreography. The Boyz were eventually crowned the winner.
鈥業-Land鈥 was another highly anticipated reality TV series that saw 22 competitors vying for seven spots in a newly created boygroup. The show was a collaboration between CJ E&M and Big Hit Entertainment 鈥 which showcased BTS, TXT and many other K-pop stars as special appearances and mentors. Six members were voted in by the audience and the seventh by producers, resulting in the debut of the boy group ENHYPEN.
Monsta X is all about love
Fans of Monsta X had a lot to celebrate this year, as the group turned up the heat in their all-English album 鈥楢ll About Luv鈥 in February, which ranked fifth on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the group鈥檚 collaboration with Two Tuck Gom had a ridiculously cute where the members spent the day with an adorable young fan.
Their latest comeback featuring the single 鈥楲ove Killa鈥 from the album 鈥楩atal Love鈥 paid homage to movies like 鈥楩ight Club鈥 with dance moves that had fans swooning.
Twice鈥檚 mega comeback
This year was special for fans of Twice, as member Mina rejoined the groups鈥 promotional activities after stepping back to take care of her mental health in 2019. All nine members had a breakthrough comeback with their second studio album 鈥淓yes Wide Open,鈥 in October, with the earworm 鈥業 Can鈥檛 Stop Me,鈥 becoming an instant staple on any K-pop playlist.
Twice was also featured in the League of Legends digital K-pop group K/DA鈥檚 album, benchmarking the fast-blossoming relationship between the gaming industry and Korean music.
Exo stays at the top of their game
Members of Exo have had a busy, busy year.
Baekhyun released his solo EP 鈥楧elight鈥 which sold a million copies and had everyone dancing to single 鈥楥andy.鈥
Lay鈥檚 promotions in China had him taking part in the dance battle show 鈥楽treet Dance of China 3鈥 [translated title] and dropping his EP 鈥楲it鈥 鈥 featuring a truly epic music video by the same name.
Kai鈥檚 long-awaited solo debut mini-album swept the internet up in its grasp, topped off with the smooth music video for 鈥楳mmh鈥 and an art film that went along with the whole project.
After an emotional announcement at the beginning of the year that he was getting married and was expecting his first child with his fiancée - member Chen welcomed his daughter in the spring, which fans have quickly dubbed 鈥減rincess.鈥
Xiumin was discharged from the military to the delight of EXO-L鈥檚 everywhere, marking the first member of the group to complete their mandatory military service.
