These Are The Official 25 Most-Watched K-Pop Artists On YouTube For 2021
2021 has seen some of the highest number of views for many K-Pop artists, with the music genre seemingly getting more popular each year! While artists like BTS, BLACKPINK, and aespa are doing well on a global scale, there are some Korean artists that are immensely popular in South Korea that you might not have heard of. Here are the 25 Korean artists with the most YouTube views in South Korea this year!
25. Homies
This year, Homies — a Korean hip-hop trio — released two albums, Generation and Family Business. With the songs on these albums, they accumulated 103 million views on YouTube!
24. BIGBANG
Though BIGBANG didn’t release any new music in 2021 (and hasn’t since 2018), they continue to show their popularity among Korean fans! This year, they accumulated 111 million views on YouTube.
23. Young Tak
Young Tak won second place on Mr. Trot out of 17,000 participants in 2020, boosting him into popularity among Korean netizens. He didn’t release any albums this year, but he has come out with several singles, which have proven to be very popular. This year, he accumulated 112 million views on YouTube!
22. BOL4
Bolbbalgan4, better known as BOL4, was originally a female Korean duo, though as of April 2020, Ahn Jiyoung is the only remaining member. With the album Butterfly Effect released this year, she accumulated 113 million views on YouTube!
21. Heize
Heize first debuted in 2014, and signed with P Nation in September of last year. She has featured on various other artists’ albums and has done many collaborations, with an impressive discography of her own as well. In 2021, she released the album Happen — her first with P Nation — and this year she accumulated 116 million views on YouTube!
20. 10CM
10CM was originally a male Korean duo when they debuted in 2010, but since 2017, only Kwon has remained an active member of the group. In 2021 alone, he has released non-album singles, two single albums, and an EP, and between the songs released off of these, he accumulated 118 million views on YouTube!
19. STAYC
STAYC debuted just over a year ago in September of 2020, and since then, this rookie group has already proven they’re an artist to be reckoned with. This year, the six-member girl group under High Up Entertainment has released both the EP Stereotype and the single album Staydom, and they accumulated 122 million views on YouTube!
18. Changmo
Changmo is a rapper and producer that debuted in 2016, and is currently under Dok2 and The Quiett‘s label Ambition Musik. In 2021, he released the studio album Underground Rockstar, and with this, he accumulated 123 million views on YouTube!
17. Taeyeon
Taeyeon first debuted as a member of Girls’ Generation in 2007, and made her solo debut in 2015 with the album I. She’s had an incredibly impressive solo career, and this year with the release of the non-album single “Weekend”, she accumulated 128 million views on YouTube!
16. Jeong Dongwon
Jeong Dongwon is a very talented 14-year-old that ended up as one of the seven winners of Mr. Trot, and has gone on to have a successful career at a young age since he won in 2020. This year, he accumulated 129 million views on YouTube!
15. Jang Beomjune
Jang Beomjune originally debuted as a member of the indie rock group Busker Busker in 2013, and released his first solo album in 2014. In 2021, he came out with the single album Jang Beom June Single as well as a non-album digital single, and between all of them, he accumulated 133 million views on YouTube!
14. Akdong Musician
Akdong Musician, better known as AKMU, is a brother-sister duo under YG Entertainment that first debuted in 2014. With over 23 million digital sales in South Korea, the siblings are immensely successful in the country, and with the release of their EP Next Episode in 2021 (including a collaboration with IU), they accumulated 134 million views on YouTube this year!
13. IZ*ONE
Though IZ*ONE disbanded early on this year as planned, they are still far from being forgotten with tons of fans still playing their music on repeat! Even though they didn’t release any albums in 2021 — just a couple of promotional singles — this year, they accumulated 137 million views on YouTube!
12. ITZY
ITZY is one of the most promising groups of the fourth generation of K-Pop, and in their short career, they’ve already made a big name for themselves! This year, they released two albums — Guess Who? and Crazy In Love — and with the songs on these albums, they accumulated 146 million views on YouTube!
11. Red Velvet
Fans patiently waited for Red Velvet’s comeback since their last release in 2019, and this year, they were rewarded with the song “Queendom” off of an album of the same name! Their view count shows that their popularity hasn’t gone down at all during their hiatus, and in 2021 they accumulated 150 million views on YouTube.
10. Lee Chanwon
Lee Chanwon is yet another one of the seven winners of Mr. Trot in 2020 that has gone on to build a successful career for himself after placing in third. This year, he accumulated 159 million views on YouTube!
9. OH MY GIRL
OH MY GIRL has become a very well-liked girl group in South Korea, and this year has been one of their best so far! They released the EP Dear OhMyGirl this year, and with it, they accumulated 188 million views on YouTube!
8. Brave Girls
2021 was definitely Brave Girls’ year, seeing the sudden virality of their 2917 hit song “Rollin'” and their following well-performing albums, Summer Queen and After ‘We Ride’. This year, they accumulated 200 million views on YouTube!
7. SEVENTEEN
SEVENTEEN has had an incredible last couple of years, and 2021 was yet another great one to add to their list! They released two EPs — Your Choice and Attacca — and both of them made well over a million sales. This year, they also accumulated 203 million views on YouTube!
6. TWICE
Almost seven years into their career, TWICE is still proving to be a girl group at the top of the charts in K-Pop in more ways than one! They released tons of music this year, from the albums Taste of Love and Formula of Love: O+T=<3, to their first all-English single “The Feels” and many more. This year, they accumulated 236 million views on YouTube!
5. Aespa
Another top contender for a monster rookie girl group, aespa has seen a quick rise in popularity and success this year among both Korean and international fans. They released a couple of singles as well as their first EP, Savage, and between all of these, they accumulated 248 million views on YouTube in 2021!
4. BLACKPINK
Like BIGBANG, even though BLACKPINK didn’t release any new music as a whole group in 2021, they continue to show their dominance in the industry by making it high on this list. This year, they accumulated 315 million views on YouTube!
3. Lim Youngwoong
Lim Youngwoong placed first in the 2020 show Mr. Trot, and like other winners from the show on this list, it has proven to have skyrocketed him into great success in the Korean entertainment sphere. This year, he accumulated 639 million views on YouTube!
2. IU
IU has had an incredibly steady and successful career since she debuted in 2008, and 2021 saw her continue to flourish. With the album Lilac, as well as the non-album digital single “Strawberry Moon”, this talented soloist accumulated 649 million views on YouTube this year!
1. BTS
And finally, of course, is BTS. Not only have they become a worldwide household name, but they’re beloved by their home country as well! Though they only released the single album Butter along with a few digital singles in 2021, they still accumulated 775 million views on YouTube.
