Best K-pop songs of 2021 so far: BTS, Rosé, IU, Baekhyun, Everglow and more
- Six months into the year, here are 10 of the top K-pop singles of 2021
- From BTS’ upbeat ‘Butter’ to the pop perfection of StayC’s ‘ASAP’ and Enhypen’s uproarious ‘Drunk-Dazed’, it’s been a great year so far
Without fail, the K-pop music scene has put out hit after hit every year since its inception. Though 2021 is still amid a pandemic where very few artists can perform live in front of fans, that hasn’t kept artists from creating music. Six months into the year, here are 10 of the top singles from 2021.
Celebrity by IU (January 27)
South Korea’s pop queen IU has often reflected on her life in the spotlight, and January’s Celebrity was aptly named, although it is in fact a declaration of love for the uniqueness of individuals.
Blending both her sweeping pop balladry and flare for euphoric dance, Celebrity takes its time to build from a playful, snappy mid-tempo tropical house tune into a frenzied EDM dance break.
It then goes into moments of soft reflection only to take off again. It’s the best of IU stylistically, all compounded into a celebration of her own distinct brand of “celebrity”.
On the Ground by Rosé (March 12)
The Blackpink vocalist’s first solo project starts off promising to be an introspective acoustic pop song, then turns into a reflective electric track that illustrates Rosé’s clean vocals.
It also brings in Blackpink’s typically dynamic dance flare. Though everything she may need may be “on the ground”, this song is soaring and flying high in a real show of force.
Bambi by Baekhyun (March 30)
Though he made his name as a powerful vocalist and balladeer within dance-pop team Exo, Baekhyun has made a rapid rise as the bestselling K-pop soloist of this generation, largely thanks to his sensual and smooth R&B songs over a series of albums.