K-Pop took over 2023! From highly anticipated groups like BABYMONSTER and RIIZE debuting, to NewJeans continuing to make waves in the genre — we broke down all of the most talked about K-pop groups in 2023. Keep reading to uncover them all.
One of the most surprising moments in K-pop of 2023 was FIFTY FIFTY’s track “Cupid” going incredibly viral on social media — which led to them even being featured on the Barbie soundtrack! ICYMI, the K-pop girl group debuted in 2022 and consists of 4 members: Aran, Keena, Saena, and Sio.
“I remember getting hooked on the main theme melodies after listening to the chorus part of Cupid for the first time,” Saena told Nylon on her first impression to their track. “The melodies are catchy and the lyrics are lovely, so it made me feel good when I was recording it. I assumed this song would be popular to a certain extent, but it’s unbelievable that it’s gotten so much more love and attention that I thought it would.”
Sio echoed her fellow member’s sentiments over “Cupid,” which now holds the record of being the fastest K-pop girl group in history to enter the US Billboard Hot 100, a record NewJeans used to hold.
“I really didn’t expect to get this much attention, and even if we had, I’d be surprised at the amount of attention we’ve received,” Aran said. “I’m not sure if we deserve all this hype, but all I want to say is that we’re always going to try our best to become artists that deliver great music to our audience.”
Another K-pop act that had an incredibly good year was TXT! The band that consists of Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and maknae Huening Kai has made quite the name for themselves as one of the fastest rising K-pop groups, and made history in 2023 by being the first K-pop act to headline Lollapalooza.
“I didn’t believe it at first,” Huening Kai said of the group’s big slot at the iconic Chicago music festival during an interview with USA Today in September 2023. “It was an honor.”
On top of that, TXT also performed at the 2023 VMAs, and were nominated for four awards, including “Song of the Summer,” for “Do It Like That“! They also made history by debuting their single “Back For More,” which featured Anitta.
Of their 2023 collab with the Jonas Brothers on “Do It Like That,” Huening Kai told NME, “When I was young, I watched Camp Rock and I saw the Jonas Brothers. I thought, ‘Oh, I want to be like them.’ So they are my role models, and I was happy to collaborate with them. It was a dream come true.”
Click through our gallery to uncover the most talked about K-pop groups of 2023.
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