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2021 in K-pop: a world of change, from BTS label’s merger to Seungri’s jailing, Gfriend’s break-up and record album sales
- It has been a tumultuous year for K-pop, with labels looking to the West for new business, bands breaking up and new groups debuting
- K-pop is preparing for when the pandemic is over, and we can only expect its popularity to keep increasing
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
K-pop is in a constant state of flux. In 2021, this was even more pronounced, with so much change happening that the evolution was almost tangible.
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The thriving Korean music scene, full of popular singers and rising talent, had major wins and momentary dips during the year.
Looking forward, the 2020s for K-pop may turn out to have been shaped not by 2020 and the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, but by the cocoon-like state it entered in 2021, which laid the groundwork for a return to normality and for its next generation to emerge.
Beyond the biggest hits and must-listen albums of the year, here’s the big picture of what K-pop looked like in 2021.
(Girls) Generational shift
The year began with members of Got7 parting ways with their long-time label JYP Entertainment, and although the band hasn’t officially disbanded and its members are still releasing music, the “Will they? Won’t they?” line of questioning this development triggered was repeated many times in 2021.
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