BTS, TWICE, EXO And More Make It Onto TIME’s “Best K-Pop Groups” List

TIME named the six most popular K-Pop groups that have “top ranking on their own charts and plenty of potentials to cross over into the U.S. Hot 100 in the near future if they’re not already there“!

1. BTS

It’s no surprise that BTS is number one on this list, with more than 12 million social media followers and more than 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Their song “Love Yourself: Her” beat Justin Beiber for a top 5 spot on the Billboard Social charts for almost seven weeks last year, and they beat other global superstars (including Beiber and Selena Gomez!) to win the Top Social Artist title at the Billboard Music Awards.

2. TWICE

Thanks to hit releases like “Likey” and “Heart Shaker”, TWICE sold almost 1.5 million albums worldwide last year! Their “TT” MV beat BTS’s most recent record to become the fastest K-Pop video to hit 10 million views on YouTube.

3. EXO

EXO joined Twitter last year and became one of the most followed celebrity group for 2017, thanks to their global fans. Their flexible music style, from dance to rock to R&B, has kept them neck to neck with BTS for popularity.

4. Red Velvet

Red Velvet’s album “Perfect Velvet” topped the Billboard World Album’s chart last year and a repackaged release in 2018 has kept them on the chart this year. They’ve worked with producers like The Stereotypes, who helped Bruno Mars win a Grammy for his song “That’s What I Like”.

5. iKON

iKON’s most recent release, “Love Scenario”, earned them a No. 1 single on the South Korean Billboard charts and on all major real-time and daily charts in January, making them the second band ever to achieve a perfect-all-kill. While they’ve been busy promoting their work in Japan over the past few seasons, 2018 could see them return to the top in Korea and overseas, where they’ve been many times before.

6. SEVENTEEN

These guys again need no introduction, with their repackaged album “Teen, Age: Directors Cut” already making waves in K-Pop with new single “Thanks”. SEVENTEEN officially debuted in 2015 and quickly rose to the top with two No. 1 releases over the last two years on the Billboard World Albums chart.