By Elizabeth de LunaÂ
The year of our Lord 2020 sucked (zero out of 10, would not do it again), but somehow, it still managed to be pretty stellar for Korean pop music.
The industry was quick to respond to the pandemic with digital alternatives for in-person meet-and-greets and now stands at the forefront of virtual live concerts and augmented reality technology. BTS climbed even higher into the echelons of global culture, nabbing their first Grammy nomination along the way. NCT pushed boundaries of size and sound with a gargantuan two-part album,
Resonance. And the debuts of a handful of impressive new groups propelled the promise of K-popâs next generation.
Everglow
Look: we all know how this year went, so to be told once again of all the tragedies and horrors that plagued it is the last thing anyone needs. It was a brutal year for the K-pop industry as well, of course, but artists kept recording, performances were held online, and songs were released at an impressively steady pace. In other words, the show went on.
While it’s easy to think of K-pop stars as mere entertainers, there’s something to be said for how vital their songs felt in a time when hope was stymied, when anhedonia was just around the corner. As such, find 20 songs below that we loved in 2020, that brought us away from the worries of the world. Consider this an introduction to the many K-pop singles that dazzled us, impressed us, and moved us throughout the past 12 months. Maybe they did something for you, too.
AKP STAFF
2020 was another year filled with amazing K-Pop releases. Out of the countless new music albums that came our way this year, here are the favorites that the allkpop staff loved the most!
ishani-sarkar s Pick: BTS - Map Of The Soul 7
The influence of Map of the Soul:7 remained with me for the entirety of 2020 and I believe that MOTS:7 was a perfect representation of what BTS is as a whole and who the members are, in particular. Despite BE also being a spectacular album by BTS, it is more of an initiation/promise of a better world with 2021. MOTS:7, on the other hand, is pure creative energy channeled into music relevant not just to a year plagued by a pandemic but forever.
(Photo : BTS, SUHO, TAEMIN, ATEEZ)
Numerous boy groups, girl groups, and solo artists were selected as artists with Best Album 2020 by Interpark.
In particular,
Interpark, a Korean online retailer, named 27 albums released by various artists as Best Album for this year. Among several K-pop bands and Korean artists who dropped their albums amidst the pandemic, 27 albums were chosen as candidates for the first round.
The artists were selected through the selection process of sales volume analysis and professional MDs recommendation for the past 1 year, and the fierce competition continued through fan voting starting November 23 to December 14.
Intepark s Top 10 Best Album of 2020 Ranking Was Revealed