Fans recommend K-pop playlist beyond BTS

South Korea’s biggest music group is taking a break for military service. Ram Rakshith V discovers worthy alternatives

A distinct blend of electronic music, hip hop, rock, jazz and addictive melodies, K-pop has catapulted South Korea to global fame, driven by the popularity of boy band Bangtan Boys, or simply, BTS.

But they aren’t the be-all and end-all of K-pop. As the band gets ready to go on a break for military service, fans point us to other worthy groups on the scene.

Tanaz Hoque, founder of online K-pop fanclub IndHangul, recommends Seventeen, NCT, Got7, EXO, Stray Kids, Sechs Kies and Ateez among boy bands.

Girl groups such as Twice, Red Velvet, Itzy and Blackpink have dropped power-packed albums, adds Deepthi, another K-pop fan.

Google search upturns much trivia on their success.

In just seven years since their debut, Seventeen has earned monikers like ‘Performance Kings’ and ‘Stage Breakers’ because they put up highly precise and synchronised acts on stage. A feat, considering they are a big bunch of 13 members (no, not 17). Known for upbeat songs, ‘Hot’, ‘World’, ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’ and ‘Very Nice’ are some of their hits. They have 10.4 million followers on Instagram.

Just like Seventeen, Straykids is a self-producing band that writes, composes, and choreographs. Mini album ‘Maxident’ put them on top of the ‘Billboard 200’ and ‘Artist 100’ rankings this week. They are known for the ‘mala taste genre’, which is shocking to hear but addictive — sample their song ‘God’s Menu’. With their album ‘Noeasy’, they have reclaimed noise music — this genre is what it sounds like, loud and unmusical.

Among girl groups, Blackpink’s list of achievements is envious. The single ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’ put them in YouTube’s ‘billion views club’ in November 2019. The quartet has the most Instagram followers, at over 50 million. Their ‘Born Pink’ (2022) is the best-selling album of all time and the song ‘Pink Venom’ song has clocked 300-plus million YouTube views. With ferocious rapping and chic styling, they are also the icons of ‘girl crush’, a concept that embraces confidence and female empowerment.

K-pop songs are fun but they can be meaningful too.

“Ateez released a song called ‘One Day at a Time’ in 2020. It gave us hope that though we were living distant and confined, we would meet each other one day and it was important to lead a happy life till then,” Tanaz talks about the eight-member boy band. Or, look up ‘Put My Sneakers On’ by Itzy, a girl band. It inspires the youth to live confidently, fans say. “Such songs provide a good distraction from the hectic life,’’ K-pop lover Adithi Arun quips.

Not just bands, the K-pop galaxy is studded with stellar solo artistes. Look up Chungha, Sunmi, Kang Daniel and Jessi and their respective hits ‘Gotta Go’, ‘Heart Burn’ , ‘Who U Are’, and ‘Unpretty Dreams’, the fans reel off names.