32 K-pop experts have revealed their picks for “Singer of the Year” in 2023
In a survey conducted by News1, 32 K-pop industry experts voted for 2023’s “Singer of the Year”, which concluded with NewJeans and BTS’s Jungkook coming out on top with 9 votes each.
The full ranking for 2023’s “Singer of the Year” according to the 32 K-pop industry experts are as below:
- NewJeans (9 votes)
- Jungkook (9 votes)
- BTS (4 votes)
- IVE (3 votes)
- SEVENTEEN (2 votes)
- BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, Lim Young-woong, Fifty Fifty (1 vote each)
It is known that the 32 K-pop industry experts include representatives from INT, JYP, Jellyfish, FNC, SM, RBW, 1theK, WakeOne, KQ, Yuehua, YG, CJ ENM, TOP MEDIA, THINK Ent, Woollim, Maroo, OUI, ABYSS Company, AT AREA, THE BLACK LABEL, antenna, SUPERBELL, Starship, DSP, WM, Cub, ATTRAKT, HYBE, IST, Brand New Music, C9, and Feel Ghood Music.
On the other hand, after BTS entered a “military hiatus” with Jin’s enlistment in December 2022, Jungkook officially debuted as a solo artist with the single “Seven” in July, quickly gaining immense popularity.
On July 29, “Seven” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and secured the 3rd position on the UK Official Singles Chart. Additionally, Spotify’s “2023 Wrapped” campaign ranked “Seven” 4th in the “Top 10 Songs Globally”, and Jungkook also won “Top Global K-pop Song” at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.
Following this, in November, Jungkook continued his success with his first solo album, “Golden”, and the title track “Standing Next to You”. “Standing Next to You” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at 5th place on November 18th, while “Golden” achieved “double million-seller” status within 5 hours of its release.
Overall, Jungkook’s diverse musical spectrum in “Seven” and “Standing Next to You” earned him recognition as a solo artist. The experts lauded him for his global impact, noting that achieving Billboard Hot 100 1st place as a solo artist outside of BTS is particularly remarkable.
Meanwhile, NewJeans, a 4th-generation K-pop girl group that debuted last year, claimed the forefront of the industry with a series of high-quality music releases.
In December 2022, the girl group unveiled their pre-release single “Ditto”, which later topped the MelOn’s daily chart for a record-breaking 99 days and topped the weekly chart for 14 consecutive weeks. The song also gained popularity internationally, reaching 85th place on the Billboard Hot 100 and accumulating over 500 million streams on Spotify from its release to December 4th 2023.
After “Ditto”, NewJeans’ popularity continued with the release of “OMG” in January and the second mini-album “Get Up” in July, featuring triple title tracks “Super Shy”, “ETA”, and “Cool With You”. These songs showcased diverse musical styles, capturing the attention of listeners and dominating domestic music charts. One of the songs, “Super Shy”, reached 64th place on the Billboard Hot 100 and gained over 300 million streams on Spotify.
Due to their success, NewJeans has won Daesang awards at domestic award ceremonies, including “2023 MAMA” and “MMA 2023”
Regarding NewJeans, an expert stated, “From last year to this year, they became the best idol group that captivated not only Korea but also the world,” emphasizing their accomplishments across various fields.
In the survey, BTS secured 3rd place with 4 votes. IVE, which made waves with multiple hit songs and received awards, garnered 3 votes, placing them 4th.
Additionally, SEVENTEEN, which set a new record by becoming the first K-pop group to sell over 5 million copies, received 2 votes and claimed 5th place. Other artists, including BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, Lim Young-woong, and Fifty Fifty, received 1 vote each.
Source: Naver
