BTS, IU, aespa, Lim Young-woong and NCT have been voted as the best Korean singers of 2021 while “Butter” emerged as the best song of 2021.
Korean entertainment media outlet Joy News 24 held a survey from Oct. 12 to 19 to celebrate its 17 anniversary. There were 200 respondents in the survey including employees of entertainment and broadcasting companies, film and broadcast content producers, and entertainment reporters.
“It started with BTS and ended with BTS,” Joy News 24’s headline read as BTS topped the survey (which allowed multiple answers) for the best Korean singers of 2021 and best songs of 2021.
Best Korean singers of 2021
1. BTS - 152 votes (out of 200)
BTS were voted as the overwhelming choice as the No. 1 best Korean singer of 2021, getting 152 votes, or 76 percent, out of 200 votes.
Joy News 24 noted that BTS continued their success this year, Every song that they released such as “Butter,” “Permission to Dance” and “My Universe” (in collaboration with Coldplay) topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
BTS, it said, solidified their position as global superstars. They performed “Dynamite” for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards last March. They will be holding their in-person concert in Los Angeles this month and December.
2. IU - 14 votes
K-pop princess IU grabbed second place with 14 votes. She released her fifth studio album “Lilac” in March. She released the single “Strawberry Moon” in October this year.
3. Aespa - 12 votes
K-pop girl group aespa came third in the survey with 12 votes, boosting their status as best rookie and popular girl group. They debuted in November last year while their debut mini-album entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 20.
4. Trot singer Lim Young-woong - 9 votes
Placing fourth is trot singer Lim Young-woon, winner of the reality show “Mr. Trot.” His song “My Starry Night” scored No. 1 on the Gaon Music Chart.
5. NCT - 7 votes
According to Joy News 24, NCT Dream’s cumulative album sales surpassed three million copies including the repackaged “Hot Sauce.” NCT 127’s “Sticker” album sold 2.27 million copies and ranked third on the Billboard 200 chart.
Others singers who figured in the survey are Lee Mu-jin and Jeon So-mi (4 votes each), and Baek Yerin, Stray Kids, Seventeen, AKMU and Monsta X.
Best Songs of 2021
1. “Butter” by BTS - 76 votes
BTS’ “Butter” was voted the No. 1 best song of 2021 with 76 votes, or 62 percent, out of 122 respondents. “Butter,” released in May 2021, topped the Billboard Hot 100 10 times from June to September.
2. “Next Level” by aespa - 46 votes
3. “Rollin’” by Brave Girls - 14 votes
4. Permission to Dance” by BTS - 11 votes
5. “Lilac” by IU - 9 votes
6. “Traffic Light” by Lee Mu-jin - 7 votes
7. “My Universe” by BTS X Coldplay, “Celebrity” by IU and “Fall” by AKMU - 6 votes
Other songs that were voted as best song of 2021 are MSG Wannabe’s “Only You,” Jeon So-mi’s “Dumb Dumb,” TWICE’s “Alcohol-Free” (3 votes each), NCT 127’s “Sticker,” Sandeul’s “Slightly Tipsy,” Baek Yerin’s “A Walk,” ONF’s “Beautiful Beautiful” and DAY6’s “Right Through Me.”