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If you're paying close attention to Korean music charts lately, you'll notice that K-Pop solo songs have been dominating the top rankings. The songs are either sung by a male or female artist and are both old and new. This is something worth discussing because soloists don't usually rank high on charts. If they do, only one or two make it to the top five.
Yes, you read that right. K-Pop groups usually claim the first five spots on local charts. But this seems to have changed in the past few months. Why are soloists suddenly seeing increased popularity among South Koreans? Are K-Pop groups losing their appeal to local listeners? Let's further examine this shift below.
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K-Pop Solo Songs Rank High on Korean Charts in 2025
K-Pop soloists have taken over Korean music charts, where idol groups once shone. Since April, solo tracks have been filling the top places across major charts in South Korea. This shows a significant contrast to previous trends where groups took the spotlight.
K-Pop Solo Songs Dominate Circle Chart's Digital Chart Top 5
According to the weekly data from the Korea Music Content Association’s Circle Chart, solo acts have secured all five top positions on the digital chart for eight weeks in a row (March 16 to May 10). The digital chart combines streaming and downloads.
Recent chart-toppers include songs by BIGBANG's G-Dragon, BLACKPINK’s Jennie, WOODZ, 10CM, Zo Zazz, and Hwang GaRam. For the week running from May 4 to 10, WOODZ’s ‘Drowning’ took No. 1, followed by BLACKPINK’s Jennie's ‘like JENNIE.’ 10CM’s ‘To Reach You’ was at No. 3, Zo Zazz’s ‘Don’t you know’ at No. 4, and G-Dragon’s ‘TOO BAD’ (featuring Anderson .Paak) at No. 5.
K-Pop solo songs also reigned supreme on monthly Korean music charts, specifically Circle Chart’s Digital Chart for March and April. ‘TOO BAD,’ ‘Don't you know,’ and ‘Drowning’ landed in the first to third spots for March 2025, in that order. The other two tracks were G-Dragon's ‘HOME SWEET HOME’ (featuring TaeYang and DaeSung) and Hwang GaRam’s ‘I'm Firefly’ at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
In April, ‘TOO BAD’ and ‘Drowning’ stayed strong at No. 1 and No. 3. ‘I'm Firefly’ also remained at No. 5. ‘like JENNIE’ rose to No.2, while ‘Don't you know’ dropped to No. 4.
K-Pop Solo Acts Rule MelOn Weekly Chart Top 5
The trend of K-Pop solo songs soaring on Korean music charts is also evident on MelOn’s weekly chart. Since the fourth week of March, when IVE’s ‘Love & Heart’ eventually left the top five, soloists have claimed the first five positions.
From March 24 to 30, the same songs mentioned above were the most popular on MelOn. The top five consisted of (1) G-Dragon's ‘TOO BAD’ and (2) Zo Zazz’s ‘Don't you know’ (3) BLACKPINK's Jennie's ‘like JENNIE,’ (4) WOODZ’s ‘Drowning,’ and (5) G-Dragon's ‘HOME SWEET HOME.’
All songs maintained their rankings in the following week (March 31 to April 6), except for ‘HOME SWEET HOME.’ It dropped to No. 6 after Hwang GaRam's ‘I'm Firefly' climbed to No. 5.
In mid-May, aespa’s ‘Whiplash’—which came out in October last year—was the highest-ranking K-Pop group song at No. 7. The only other group releases in the top 10 are usually BOYNEXTDOOR’s ‘If I Say I Love You’ and IVE’s ‘Rebel Heart,’ both launched in January.
On the latest MelOn Weekly Chart (May 26 to June 1), 10CM’s ‘To Reach You’ reigns at No. 1. It is followed by 'Drowning,' 'Don't You Know?' ‘like JENNIE,' and IU’s ‘Never Ending Story.’
The Time When K-Pop Group Songs Were the Chart-Toppers
It's really interesting to see K-Pop solo songs ranking high on Korean music charts. Even though many idol groups, such as TWS, LE SSERAFIM, and ZEROBASEONE, released new albums in the previous months, they haven't made an impact on the charts. Rookie girl groups like Hearts2Hearts and KiiiKiii, despite the initial buzz around them, have yet to win the hearts of local listeners.
We can easily compare the trend to previous years. As someone who stayed updated on chart rankings for media coverage, I would often see groups like aespa, NewJeans, IVE, and i-dle [formerly (G)I-DLE] consistently topping music charts during springtime.
For instance, from April 25 to May 1, 2022, four idol groups were in the top five of MelOn’s weekly chart. They were BIGBANG's 'Still Life,' IVE's 'LOVE DIVE,’ i-dle's 'TOMBOY,' and Red Velvet's ‘Feel My Rhythm.’ Only MeloMance's 'Love, Maybe' was the solo release in the top five.
In 2023, from March 27 to April 2, the top five consisted of IVE's 'Kitsch,' NewJeans' 'Ditto,' NewJeans' 'Hype Boy,' NewJeans' 'OMG,' and STAYC's 'Teddy Bear.’ Last year, spring was also marked by group dominance on charts. The top five from March 4 to 10 were BIBI’s ‘Bam Yang Gang,’ TWS’s ‘plot twist,’ IU’s ‘Love wins all,’ LE SSERAFIM’s ‘EASY,’ and i-dle’s ‘Fate.’
From May 6 to 12, ‘SPOT’ by ZICO and BLACKPINK’s Jennie was the only solo song in the top five of MelOn’s weekly chart. It placed first, followed by ILLIT’s ‘Magnetic,’ IVE’s ‘HEYA,’ i-dle’s ‘Fate,’ and QWER’s ‘T.B.H.’
Why Are K-Pop Soloists Outperforming Idol Groups on Korean Music Charts in 2025?
The significant rise of solo artists on Korean music charts is truly intriguing. In this section, we'll explore why local listeners are suddenly more interested in solo songs.
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