In 2023, K-pop thrives globally, with record sales, new idols, but controversies spark legal battles and drug issues
Global dominance
This year has been a massive win for the Korean music industry. According to Circle Chart, the top 400 popular K-pop albums sold a whopping 116 million copies from January to November 2023, marking a 144% surge from the 80 million copies in the same period last year.
November alone witnessed a record-breaking 15.16 million copies sold, marking a 217.2% increase from November 2022.
K-pop artists are killing it on global charts. BTS Jimin and Jungkook topped Billboard Hot 100 with their solo albums. Stray Kids topped Billboard 200 with four consecutive albums. In the official UK charts, Jungkook ranked third in singles, while ATEEZ claimed the second spot in albums.
Streaming is through the roof too. Luminate reports that the on-demand streaming for the top 100 K-pop artists hit 90.4 billion by October, a hefty 42.2% jump from last year. K-pop album exports also reached $243.81 million in the first 10 months of the year, up 20.3% from the previous year.
In 2023, after their world tour “Born Pink,” BLACKPINK made history as the highest-grossing touring girl group and the first K-pop girl group to headline Coachella in the US and BST Hyde Park in the UK.
New idols emerge
With BTS going on a hiatus for mandatory military service, the spotlight is on the fresh faces in 2023. ZEROBASEONE from Mnet’s survival show “Boys Planet” quickly amassed fans and scored the highest pre-order numbers for their debut album, “Youth in the Shade.” RIIZE from SM Entertainment and BABYMONSTER from YG Entertainment are also making waves with chart-topping debuts.
Legal issues
Now, let’s address the not-so-rosy parts. Controversies have been brewing this year. FIFTY FIFTY found themselves in legal disputes just seven months after debut. EXO-CBX accused SM Entertainment of “slave contracts” and seeking an exit right before EXO’s comeback. SM fired back, alleging external forces spreading misinformation to create conflicts.
There’s also the issue of drugs. Nam Tae-hyun faced conviction for Philopon use, Yoon Byung-ho (Bully Da Ba$tard) got a 7-year sentence for drug-related offenses, and G-Dragon came under investigation for suspected drug use, causing ripples in the K-pop scene.
Source: K14
