Most searched female idols in 2021: Wonyoung and aespa “replace” TWICE, 3 members of BLACKPINK compete for the top but no Lisa?
It seems that Korean netizens do not pay that much attention to Lisa compared to the rest of BLACKPINK
MelOn is a popular music streaming service with over 28 million users nationwide. The MelOn chart is reputable and accurately reflects the tastes of the Korean listeners, including the most sought-after songs and artists each year.
Recently, information about the top 10 most searched female idols on MelOn from January 1st, 2021 to the end of January 2nd, 2022 has been officially announced, surprising many Kpop fans.
10th place: Miyeon ((G)I-DLE)
Although (G)I-DLE encountered the controversy of school violence and suffered from the departure of a member, the oldest member Miyeon had a spectacular rise in beauty and reputation in 2021.
Along with many dynamic activities in fields such as MC, singing, and acting, Miyeon has begun to be recognized by Knet as the top visual of the new generation. She has made a name for her is no longer remembered as the female idol who almost debuted in BLACKPINK.
9th place: Joy (Red Velvet)
Joy is the second Red Velvet member to have solo activities in 2021 besides Wendy. Although she only released the remake album “Hello” with the title song of the same name, Joy still managed to make fans fall in love with her bright and natural charm.
Joy’s MV achievements and rankings on online music sites are all positive. Thanks to a successful year, Joy put her name in the top 10 most sought-after female artists by Korean netizens in 2021.
8th place: Wonyoung (IVE)
No one can deny that Wonyoung is the hottest female idol in Kpop at the moment. Not only is her every move scrutinized, but every topic related to Wonyoung is also a topic of great interest to Koreans.
Although she has only debuted for more than a month, Wonyoung has surpassed other famous seniors such as TWICE, Joy (Red Velvet), even Lisa (BLACKPINK) to reach No. 8 in the list.
7th place: Karina (aespa)
The success of “Next Level” and “Savage” has helped aespa go from the position of a “red-headed stepchild” to a new generation female main group of SM, one of the major companies of the entertainment industry. Among the members, leader Karina is probably the one with the most spectacular makeover in terms of both beauty and status.
Compared to the time of her debut, Karina’s visual improvement is like the old “Ugly duckling” fairytale. Visual charts are constantly calling Karina’s name and fans fondly call her “AI beauty”. However, in terms of the number of loyal fans, it seems that Karina still ranks lower than her group member Winter.
6th place: Irene (Red Velvet)
After the controversy over her attitude at the end of 2020, Irene suspended all activities until Red Velvet’s comeback with “Queendom” in August 2021.
Despite having disappeared for a long time, Korean netizens still have a certain preference for the leader of Red Velvet. The proof is that Irene is still the most “hunted” among the members.
5th place: Winter (aespa)
Winter’s popularity has continuously increased since aespa achieved great success with 2 super hits “Next Level” and “Savage”. Although she sometimes draws mixed reactions to her visuals, Winter has become the bias of many young fans.
In this list, Winter not only outranks Karina but is also above many seniors in the industry. She is also the highest-ranked 4th Gen female idol this year.
4th place: Jisoo (BLACKPINK)
As the member who is often criticized for lacking the most personality in BLACKPINK, Jisoo is still recognized as a visual standard in the 3rd generation of Kpop.
In 2021, Jisoo did not release any solo songs. She only appears regularly in magazines, participates in fashion events and focuses on acting. BLACKPINK was also “separated” due to Lisa and Rosé’s solo promotions. Although completely silent in the music market, Jisoo’s name is still searched a lot on Korea’s largest online music streaming system.
3rd place: Taeyeon (SNSD)
In terms of personal charm, the name of SNSD’s leader is always on the list. Taeyeon’s reputation is stable with time even though her debut was… 15 years ago.
In 2021, Taeyeon made a comeback with the single “Weekend”. Although it didn’t set many new records, the song was still enthusiastically welcomed in Korea. In addition, she also participated in SM’s “ace girl group” project GOT The Beat, marking the 8th debut during her 15-year career.
2nd place: Rosé (BLACKPINK)
In 2021, Rosé had a successful solo debut with the mini-album “-R-“.
Although performing 2 songs entirely in English, Rosé’s quality music is still enthusiastically received by the public and reaps great achievements in the domestic market. Besides, the visual of the main vocalist BLACKPINK is also a factor that helps increase her score in the eyes of the netizen.
1st place: Jennie (BLACKPINK)
Jennie is the most “strange” case when BLACKPINK did not come back with group activities in 2021, she has also “disappeared” as a solo artist since her debut in 2018. However, she still made Knet search for her to the point of climbing straight to the top.
Whenever appear, even just subtly, she becomes a hot topic. It would be an understatement to say that Jennie is the most successful female idol in 3rd Gen. Currently, fans are eagerly waiting for Jennie to come back with BLACKPINK, or at least release another super hit like “SOLO” 3 years ago.
Thus, it can be seen that BLACKPINK’s Lisa does not make the Top 10 even though she had an active year thanks to her solo debut in September and other individual activities. She also mentored and collaborated with international artists, and even appeared on the covers of fashion magazines. This chart reflects the harsh truth that Korea does not appreciate Lisa as much as the rest of BLACKPINK members, is it because she is a foreigner?
In addition to Lisa, the two non-Korean members of aespa, Giselle and NingNing, are also missing, despite the resounding success of aespa this year, with both Winter and Karina achieving high ranks on this list.
