BTS Taking a Breather, Who Will Be the Next Hallyu Star?

BLACKPINK Ranks 2nd After K-Pop Singer BTS in Overseas Fan Voting
YouTube Subscribers 74.7 Million... 1st Among Global Artists
Popularity Spreads Mainly in Europe and Southeast Asia

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] As the group BTS has announced a temporary suspension of group activities, sending shockwaves through the global pop culture scene, attention is focusing on the next Hallyu groups to follow in their footsteps.

The most notable successor is BLACKPINK. According to the '2021 Global Hallyu Trend Report' released by the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, BLACKPINK ranked second for two consecutive years as the most preferred Korean singer in the K-pop category, following BTS.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the influence of Hallyu has grown stronger. In fact, exports related to Hallyu steadily increased, reaching $10.175 billion last year, which is about a 9% increase compared to the previous year.

Experts point out that BTS and BLACKPINK are at the very center of the popularity of K-pop leading the Hallyu wave. Looking at last year's 'Most Preferred K-pop Singer Rankings' voted by overseas Hallyu fans, BTS took first place with 22%, followed by BLACKPINK with 12.5%. The gap between the first and second groups and the third place Psy (2.5%), fourth place TWICE (2.4%), and fifth place EXO (2.1%) was more than 10%.

The global popularity of K-pop is also evident through their international activities. For example, BTS was invited as speakers at the UN General Assembly in both 2018 and 2021, while BLACKPINK delivered messages to world leaders as ambassadors for the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties.

BLACKPINK's influence is even more pronounced on YouTube. As of the 16th, BLACKPINK's official YouTube channel has 74.7 million subscribers, ranking first among artists worldwide.

Debuting in August 2016, BLACKPINK gained huge popularity on YouTube from their first album activities, earning the nickname 'YouTube Queen' early on. Furthermore, after signing with Interscope Records, a label under Universal Music, in 2018 and officially entering the North American market, BLACKPINK built international recognition through collaborations with global pop stars such as Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, and Cardi B.

The members' diverse cultural backgrounds?Jisoo who lived in Korea, Ros? who grew up in Australia, Jennie who studied in New Zealand, and Lisa who was born in Thailand?are considered key factors that helped expand their global influence. Experts analyze that Lisa's presence, in particular, sparked explosive popularity in Southeast Asia, contributing to the formation of a large-scale fandom on online platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

Professor Lee Taekgwang of Kyung Hee University's Department of Global Communication said, "The reason BLACKPINK is popular not only in Southeast Asia but also in European countries with patriarchal cultures influenced by Catholicism is likely because their message, expressing women's self-expression confidently through music beyond just sexuality, resonated strongly." He added, "Especially in Europe and Southeast Asian markets, where Japanese influence based on capital power was strong until now, the popularity of K-pop and Hallyu, expanding influence solely through content competitiveness, is expected to continue and further grow for the time being."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.