There was no shortage of moments that cut through the loud and lively K-pop scene this year. While the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on in-person events for most of 2021, K-pop groups continued to bring joy to global audiences through online performances, television show appearances, livestreams, and social media. Plus, of course, the release of new music.
There were important and eye-catching performances, like when Stray Kids' Hyunjin danced to "Play With Fire" to mark his return from hiatus. There were funny, viral moments, such as BTOB's Eunkwang mistakenly telling the audience to scream despite it being banned, or when dancer/YouTuber Hyok Fork performed ITZY's "Loco" in a cafe. There were also more serious instances, including when (G)I-DLE's Soyeon gravely dressed down My Teenage Girl's voters for thoughtlessly approving unprepared trainees.
Yet some K-pop performances had a larger impact on fandom than others, whether because they went viral, started a trend, or marked a significant milestone. In chronological order, here are some of the best and most influential K-pop performances that swept the internet in 2021.
1. GOT7 reassures worried fans with "Encore"
2021 opened with the end of an era, as all seven members of beloved boy group GOT7 choose to leave JYP Entertainment upon the expiration of their contracts. Anxious fans fearfully speculated this move meant GOT7 were disbanding, which wasn't an unreasonable conclusion. The group had been together for seven years, and it would be highly unusual for them to continue without the entertainment company they had debuted under.
However, GOT7 were quick to allay those concerns, stressing that while the members were dispersing to different companies and pursuing new projects, they had not disbanded and had absolutely no intention of doing so. To reinforce this, the group released the reassuring single "Encore" just one month after the expiry of their contracts, promising fans that even though they're no longer with JYP Entertainment, GOT7 is far from done.
GOT7 haven't released any new music together since, apparently taking a break to focus on solo projects like Jackson's underrated English single "LMLY" and Jinyoung's performance in K-drama Yumi's Cells. Fortunately, fans can be sure it won't be forever, and GOT7 will perform together again.
2. Brave Girls' "Rollin'" becomes the best underdog story of the year
Brave Girls' tale of unexpected stardom is probably the most heartwarming K-pop story of 2021. When Brave Girls' single "Rollin'" was first released in 2017, the bright bop didn't even chart. The struggling girl group had found themselves staple performers on the South Korean military circuit since 2016, entertaining soldiers rather than lighting up music shows.
Then in February 2021, YouTuber Viditor uploaded a compilation of Brave Girls singing "Rollin'" during these military performances — and it went viral. With over 23 million views at time of writing, the video showed Korean soldiers enthusiastically copying the song's stingray dance, overlaid with positive comments from former recruits fondly remembering Brave Girls' performances.
The charming video quickly catapulted "Rollin'" to the top of the charts and Brave Girls into the limelight, giving them their first ever music show win almost 10 years after the group's debut (though all current members only joined in 2016). This was soon followed by six more wins, reinvigorating the previously flagging group.
Considering Brave Girls were seriously discussing disbanding just a week before they went viral, and even started to move out of their shared dorm, it was heartening to see them take the stage to promote "Rollin'" again four years after its release. Not only did "Rollin'" earn an elusive perfect all-kill, topping all the Korean music charts at once, but Brave Girls also set a new record for the most perfect all-kills of any girl group in history.
3. BTS's beautiful Coldplay cover
Superstar boy group BTS continued its global dominance in 2021 with English-language chart-toppers "Butter" and "Permission to Dance." Though both upbeat hits received ample airtime and accolades, it was the group's uplifting cover of Coldplay's "Fix You" during their historic MTV Unplugged set that surprised and soothed many listeners this year, with the official YouTube videos earning a combined total of over 63 million views.
Making history as the first South Korean act to perform on MTV Unplugged, BTS' five-song set opened with their first live performance of "Telepathy" and closed with last year's hit English single "Dynamite." The entire performance was a highlight for fans, but the moment that stood out most was when BTS sat to cover "Fix You" by Coldplay. Offering comfort to everyone currently going through a rough time, the song eschewed BTS' lively dance performances to focus on their vocal talent.
"This song gave us comfort, so we wanted to prepare this cover to comfort you as well," said vocalist Jimin.
Though their "Fix You" cover was vocalist V's idea, BTS haven't been shy about their love for the British band. Their September collaboration "My Universe" was already in the works at this point, finally making one of BTS' dream team-ups come true — but Coldplay tweeting out the cover performance with the word "beautiful" in Korean was still cause for excitement.
4. OnlyOneOf gets
With so many K-pop idols fighting for the public's affection, groups sometimes push boundaries in order to distinguish themselves from the crowd. One of these groups is OnlyOneOf, who risked it all in April with their single "libidO" — or more specifically, the song’s risque choreography. While the whole performance definitely has a sensual air, it was Nine thrusting his arm between Love's legs and literally grabbing his crotch that caught the internet's attention.
Showcased in their comeback stage on music show M Countdown, OnlyOneOf's "libidO" choreography quickly sparked conversation online, provoking a wide range of reactions. While some viewers appreciated OnlyOneOf's uncommonly sexual performance as progressive, others felt that it was going too far or expressed concerns about queerbaiting.
Whatever your view, OnlyOneOf's bold choreography definitely had an impact. The boy group's groin-grasping choreography spread through reaction videos and edited compilations on social media, with just one clip of their M Countdown "libidO" stage gaining almost 30 million views on TikTok.
5. BTOB's "Back Door" cover rocks the stage
K-pop veterans BTOB are most known for their more melodic, vocal performances, so covering an explosive Stray Kids song may initially appear outside their area of expertise. Vocalist Changsub even preemptively bemoaned his joints when the boy groups swapped tunes in the second round of Korean competitive show Kingdom: Legendary War.
Despite their joking apprehension, BTOB's shirt-ripping rock cover of Stray Kids' "Back Door" commanded attention, quickly becoming the group's most-viewed stage of the competition.
Though BTOB were the most senior K-pop group on Kingdom, their international fanbase was small compared to their competition. With most of their fans hailing from South Korea, Kingdom offered a perfect opportunity for the group to show their charm to a wider audience — and they made the most of it.
Getting creative with their cover of the internationally popular Stray Kids hit, BTOB ran with the concert imagery in "Back Door" while adapting the original choreography to their own more mature image. BTOB's funny, friendly demeanor had already endeared the group to their audience and opponents alike. But their "Back Door" stage demonstrated they can still rock just as hard as younger idols, and helped win them many new fans.
6. aespa's "Next Level" earworm inspires countless dance covers
When Australian artist A$ton Wyld released "Next Level" in 2019, it was most popularly known for being on Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw's soundtrack. Two years later, K-pop girl group aespa's version of "Next Level" has reached No. 1 on multiple music charts — even supplanting BTS' "Butter" to take the top spot on Melon's 24Hits chart. As anyone with access to the internet knows, that's no small feat.
The group's reimagining of "Next Level" reworked the lyrics in Korean and added an unexpected new bridge to reference a fictional narrative that connects to their 2020 debut single "Black Mamba." However, it was the addictive song's catchy choreography that further cemented "Next Level" in the public eye, and quickly made it a trend for idols to perform. Whether during concerts, livestreams, or even on TikTok, "Next Level" covers were everywhere.
In fact, aespa's "Next Level" was so popular in South Korea that it was reportedly banned during the country's national exams for being too much of an earworm. That's how you really know you've made it.
7. Mayfly's moving "Love Poem" cover wins a perfect score
The whole point of Kingdom: Legendary War was to pit six popular K-pop boy groups against each other in a series of spectacular stage performances, all of them trying to outdo their competition. The fact that Mayfly's "Love Poem" stage stood out even then is a testament to just how captivating this performance was.
The Mayfly vocal unit was a cross-group collaboration between BTOB's Eunkwang, Stray Kids' Seungmin, and ATEEZ's Jongho — the three main vocalists of their respective groups. Covering IU's poignant ballad "Love Poem," the trio added beautiful harmonies to the already moving song to create a show stopping performance which put their talents on full display. The performance was completely carried by their vocals, forgoing any dance elements, and marked a turning point for Seungmin in particular, who displayed a noticeable increase in confidence and stage presence after Kingdom.
All 33 judges unanimously voted Mayfly's "Love Poem" the winner of its round, with the awed reactions from the panel and other idols indicating just how special the performance was. Even IU herself praised the cover, sharing it on her Instagram story and commending Mayfly's harmonies.
8. Stray Kids create invigorating Blackpink mashup in "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du"
The second part of Kingdom: Legendary War's third round let groups put together a performance with no restrictions, whether that be in terms of song choice, costuming, or even special guests. It was an opportunity for all six boy groups to really show off, free to do absolutely anything they wanted.
So, of course, Stray Kids decided to dress Felix up like Deadpool and sit him atop a giant rice cooker.
Mashing up Blackpink's single "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" with their own hit "God's Menu," Stray Kids utilized their strong production skills to satisfyingly connect both songs' distinctive "du du du" refrains, creating an impactful performance influenced by their love of Marvel's superheroes. "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" embodied Stray Kids' confidence and playful innovation in creating unique performances, eventually earning over 27 million views to become Kingdom's most watched stage across all groups.
It's a particularly notable achievement considering iKON's "Classy Savage" stage featured Blackpink's Lisa, who famously commands an impressive following. "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" even made waves outside the K-pop scene, catching the attention of Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds himself.
9. "Anti-Romantic" by Tomorrow X Together takes over TikTok
Tomorrow X Together's lead single for their May comeback was the creatively named "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)" featuring Seori. Yet it was their B-side track "Anti-Romantic" that went aggressively viral on TikTok, inspiring more than one trend as well as its own dance challenge.
The "Anti-Romantic" dance challenge was kicked off by TikTok user and Tomorrow X Together fan zukini, who created the choreography a few days after the song's release. The moves were subsequently popularized by irenedoll, whose TikTok of the dance gained over 50 million views. Other users soon took up the challenge regardless of whether they were K-pop fans or not, and even Cherry Bullet's Chaerin jumped on the trend.
The domination of "Anti-Romantic" didn't stop there. irenedoll's TikTok was so prolific that it inspired a spinoff trend, with users deploying it as a reaction video in other clips — many of them jokes about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The pure audio of "Anti-Romantic" was also popular background music on TikTok, offering a wistful, sweet melancholy that played well regardless of a video's content.
On top of this, "Anti-Romantic" co-writer Salem Ilese posted a 30-second TikTok of herself singing the English version of the song, the audio from which further gained traction as a sound. Ilese previously co-wrote "Build a Bitch" and performed "Mad at Disney," so in some ways it isn't all that surprising that "Anti-Romantic" also ended up taking over TikTok.
10.
Street Woman Fighter wasn't technically focused on K-pop, following dance crews rather than idol groups. Even so, the 10-episode survival show still had an undeniable impact on the K-pop scene, with dancer NO:ZE's "Hey Mama" choreography becoming a viral trend among Korean idols and actors alike.
In the second episode of Street Woman Fighter, the leader of dance crew WayB choreographed a short routine to David Guetta's "Hey Mama (feat. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha, and Afrojack)" and performed it with the seven other competing crews' leaders. Though less than a minute long, NO:ZE's powerfully assertive moves quickly caught people's attention, and it soon became a popular trend for idols to perform it as well.
Numerous K-pop idols have since danced NO:ZE's "Hey Mama" choreography on television shows, social media, and livestreams. Idols who covered the dance include Stray Kids' Han, NCT's Taeyong, Seventeen's Seungkwan, and StayC's Yoon, among many, many others. In fact, NO:ZE's choreography was so popular that it pushed "Hey Mama" into South Korea's music charts, peaking at No. 32 on the Gaon Digital Chart six years after its release.
NO:ZE has worked as a dancer for artists such as SHINee's Key and EXO's Kai, but it was her moves on Street Woman Fighter that properly pushed her into the limelight.
11. Lisa drops 'Money' just in time for the
Lisa's highly anticipated solo debut "Lalisa" certainly had people talking this September, but it was her English-language B-side "Money" that ultimately swept TikTok. Users flooded the app with performances of the song's unapologetic chorus choreography, eagerly taking up a dance challenge issued by Blackpink's rapper in a TikTok that gained over 20 million views.
"Money" became a prolific tune on the video sharing app, with at least 5 million videos using the song. However, while the dance was a definite trend, the song's popularity wasn't solely attributable to people covering Lisa's choreography. In addition to general use of "Money" to project a (sometimes ironic) air of carefree glamour and sass, many TikTok users also specifically applied it in clips from Netflix drama Squid Game.
Released just one week after "Money," Squid Game was also a popular piece of South Korean pop culture with a strong focus on finances, so it seemed a perfect match. Granted, the distressing series focused more on desperate people struggling under debt than extravagant spending, but that didn't stop TikTok users from using "Money" to score everything from applying Squid Game inspired makeup to making dalgona.
12. Twice's "The Feels" introduces the popular girl group to the West
Twice's English-language debut was always destined to make an impact. The best-selling K-pop girl group in both South Korea and Japan, Twice had previously released English versions of their Korean songs "More and More" and "I Can't Stop Me" in 2020. However, October's "The Feels" marked the incredibly popular group's first original English single — as well as a major push into the Western market.
The nine-member girl group even debuted the full choreography for "The Feels" on The Tonight Show, which, while not entirely unheard of, is still very unusual. New K-pop stages are usually unveiled on South Korea's music show circuit. Performing "The Feels" for the first time on a late night U.S. talk show made it clear that Twice's bright, bubbly bop was trying to appeal to new listeners.
Fortunately, Twice succeeded, and deservedly so. "The Feels" debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard Global 200, and also became the group's first song to chart on the Hot 100. Arguably, the greater success was how quickly the cute, joyful song and its catchy choreography caught on. "The Feels" soon became a prolific TikTok dance challenge, spawning numerous videos as well as tutorials on exactly how to do the deceptively tricky body wiggle. Considering how much of K-pop fandom is sustained and cultivated online, Twice couldn't have asked for a better result.
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