Faves of 2022

NCT is a South Korean boy band formed and managed by SM Entertainment. Introduced in January 2016, the group currently consists of 23 members and divided into five different sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, and NCT DoJaeJung. They are notable for their versatility in music, vocal and rap abilities, and powerful performances, and have been cited as K-pop's "most experimental boy band" due to their concept of having limitless members. As of January 2023, NCT has recorded more than 27 million album sales across all sub-units, making them the best-selling act under SM Entertainment and one of the best-selling K-pop artists of all-time.

Got7 is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of seven members: Jay B, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam, and Yugyeom. Got7 debuted in January 2014 with the release of their first EP Got It?, which peaked at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and number one on Billboard's World Albums Chart. The group gained attention also for their live performances, which often include elements of martial arts tricking and street dancing.

Kim Jong-hyun (April 8, 1990 – December 18, 2017), known mononymously as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, radio host, and author under the SM Entertainment label. He was the main vocalist of the South Korean boy band Shinee for nine years, releasing twelve albums with the group in both Korean and Japanese. He also participated in SM Entertainment's project group, SM the Ballad, for the release of two EP albums.

Jonghyun was also a solo artist, beginning in January 2015 with the release of his first EP album, Base. It peaked at number one on both the Billboard World Albums Chart and the Gaon Album Chart. On September 17 the same year, Jonghyun released a compilation album, Story Op.1. His debut studio album, She Is, was released on May 24, 2016, followed by his second compilation album, Story Op.2, on April 24, 2017. Jonghyun began his first solo concert tour, The Story by Jonghyun, on October 2, 2015. This was followed by three further concert tours in later years. He was regarded as one of the best vocalists in South Korea. He also received praise for his artistic control and involvement in the creation of his music, which are rare in K-pop.

Byun Baek-hyun, better known mononymously as Baekhyun, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. Baekhyun began training under SM Entertainment in 2011. A few months later, he made his debut in 2012 as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo, its sub-group Exo-K and later on its sub-unit Exo-CBX. He is also the leader of South Korean supergroup SuperM.

Lee Sun-mi, known mononymously as Sunmi, is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the group in 2010 to pursue her studies. After a three-year hiatus, Sunmi resumed her career as a soloist with her 2013 debut extended play, Full Moon, spawning the number two singles "24 Hours" and "Full Moon" on the national Gaon Digital Chart.

Apink (Korean: 에이핑크, Japanese: エーピンク) is a South Korean girl group formed by Play M Entertainment (formerly A Cube Entertainment and Plan A Entertainment). The group debuted on April 19, 2011, with the extended play (EP) Seven Springs of Apink and with seven members: Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jung Eun-ji, Son Na-eun, Hong Yoo-kyung, Kim Nam-joo and Oh Ha-young. Hong left the group in April 2013 to focus on her studies.

Since their debut, Apink has won awards at shows such as the Golden Disc Awards, the Seoul Music Awards and the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Their first music program win was on M Countdown on January 5, 2012, for "My My" from their second EP Snow Pink. To date, Apink has released nine Korean mini-albums, three Korean studio albums and three Japanese studio albums.

Tomorrow X Together, commonly known as TXT, is a South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Entertainment, now known as Big Hit Music. The group consists of five members: Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai.

AOA is a South Korean girl group formed by FNC Entertainment. The original 2012 eight-member line-up included: Choa, Jimin, Yuna, Youkyung, Hyejeong, Mina, Seolhyun and Chanmi. Youkyung left the group in 2016, while Choa left in 2017 due to mental health reasons, followed by Mina in 2019 to pursue her acting career, and Jimin in 2020 due to bullying allegations. Yuna and Seolhyun left in 2021 and 2022 respectively after their contracts expired. The group currently consists of the duo Hyejeong and Chanmi.

Lee Tae-min, better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer, actor, and dancer. He debuted as a member of the boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both under SM Entertainment, and has subsequently been labeled by media outlets as the "Idol's Idol" due to the large number of idols citing him as an inspiration. As an actor, Taemin's first role was as Junsu in the 2009 MBC comedy Tae-Hee, Hye-Kyo, Ji-Hyun.

Day6 (Korean: 데이식스; RR: De-i-sik-seu; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean pop rock band under the label JYP Entertainment. The group debuted on September 7, 2015, with the EP The Day, which peaked at No.2 on Billboard's World Album Chart a week following its release. The band consists of four members: Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon. Originally a six-piece band, Junhyeok departed in February 2016 and Jae departed on December 31, 2021. All of the Day6 members are heavily involved in writing, composing and producing the band's music.

In 2017, the band released two songs every month of the year for their Every Day6 project. By the end of the project, 25 songs were added to their discography, with genres ranging from hard rock and upbeat sing-a-longs to mellow ballads. Their first full-length album, Sunrise, consisted of songs released in the first half of the Every Day6 project. It was number 14 on Billboard's The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s: Staff List, and the project kick-off song "I Wait" was placed No.81 on Billboard's The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List.

Blackpink is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album Square One, which featured "Whistle" and "Boombayah", their first number-one entries on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and the US Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, respectively.

Red Velvet (Korean: 레드벨벳; romanized: Ledeubelbet; Japanese: レッドベルベット; romanized: Reddoberubetto) is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They originally debuted on August 1, 2014, with the single "Happiness" with the four-member line-up of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy and Joy. A fifth member, Yeri, joined the group in March 2015, following the release of their first mini album, Ice Cream Cake. Musically, the work of Red Velvet reflects their own group name: their predominantly-pop "red" side experiments occasionally with electronic and funk, and while their "velvet" side focuses on '90s-influenced R&B with elements of ballad and hip hop. Their genre versatility and hooks have garnered critical praise.

NCT #127 is the first extended play by NCT 127, the multi-national and Seoul-based sub unit of the unlimited boy band NCT. Following its announcement on July 1, SM Entertainment released it on July 10, 2016, with physical release on July 11, 2016. A heavily hip-hop and EDM influenced release, NCT #127 had the participation of the production team LDN Noise, Tay Jasper, Ylva Dimberg, Chris Wahle, Andreas Öberg, Timothy 'Bos' Bullock, Adrian McKinnon, MZMC, The Colleagues, Double Dragon, and others for both lyrics and production, while SM's founder, Lee Soo-man, ws the EP's executive producer. With this release, NCT 127 became the first sub-unit to receive a major release. It was also the first and, currently, the only release of the group as a septet.

Exo-CBX is the first sub-unit of South Korean–Chinese boy band Exo, consisting of Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin. Formed by SM Entertainment, the group debuted with their first EP Hey Mama! on October 31, 2016.

Itzy is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment and consisting of members Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. They debuted on February 12, 2019, with the release of their single album It'z Different. Their accolades include Rookie of the Year at the 34th Golden Disc Awards, New Artist of the Year at the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards and 2019 Melon Music Awards, Best New Female Artist at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards, and the New Artist Award at the 29th Seoul Music Awards; they are the first K-pop girl group to achieve such a "Rookie Grand Slam".

Highlight (Korean: 하이라이트) is a South Korean boy band formerly known as Beast (Korean: 비스트). The band consists of four members: Yoon Doo-joon, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang, and Son Dong-woon. Original member Jang Hyun-seung officially left the group in April 2016, and Yong Jun-hyung left in March 2019. In late 2016, the group moved labels from Cube Entertainment to Around Us Entertainment and subsequently changed their name to Highlight in 2017.

As Beast, the group released three Korean full-length albums, nine Korean mini-albums, two Japanese full-length albums, and numerous singles. The group debuted in 2009 with the mini-album, Beast Is the B2ST. In 2011, they released their first full-length album, Fiction and Fact, and made their Japanese debut with the single, "Shock" (Japanese Version). As Highlight, the group debuted in 2017 with the mini-album, Can You Feel It?.

Mamamoo is a South Korean girl group formed by RBW in 2014, composed of four members: Solar, Moon Byul, Whee In, and Hwa Sa. The group officially debuted with their single "Mr. Ambiguous" on June 18, 2014. Their debut was considered by some critics as one of the best K-pop debuts of 2014. They are recognized for their retro, jazz, R&B concepts and their strong vocal performances.

Monsta X is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program No.Mercy under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney and I.M, with former member Wonho having left the group in October 2019.