Music

GD X Taeyang (also known as GDYB) is a South Korean duo from YG Entertainment, consisting of G-Dragon and Taeyang from Big Bang. After several years of appearing on each other's solo materials, the duo officially released the single "Good Boy" in 2014, which went on to top Billboard's World Digital Songs chart and sold over a million digital units in South Korea.

Kwon Ji-yong and Dong Young-bae first met as trainees at YG Entertainment. After signing a contract with the record label, they spent the first year cleaning the studio and fetching water bottles during dance practices for YG artists. Dong later admitted that current artists at the time weren't friendly towards him or Kwon. The original plan for the two was to debut as the hip-hop duo GDYB, with Kwon choosing the stage name G-Dragon ("Ji" is pronounced like "G" and Yong is Korean for "dragon"). Though they made several appearances both as a duo and as individuals on other artists' music, the plan for their debut was scrapped and they were joined by four other trainees (T.O.P, Daesung, Seungri and Jang Hyun-seung) to form Big Bang instead. The formation of the group was documented on television, but prior to their official debut, Jang was dropped. Dong later adopted the stage name Taeyang. Member Seungri later admitted that G-Dragon was initially cold towards Daesung and himself because G-Dragon had wanted to be in the hip hop duo and disliked being placed in a band. Taeyang himself was also initially hesitant about being placed in a band but eventually warmed up to the other members.

EXID (; Korean: 이엑스아이디; short for "Exceed in Dreaming"), is a South Korean girl group formed in 2012. The group currently consists of five members: Solji, LE, Hani, Hyelin and Jeonghwa. EXID debuted in February 2012, with the single "Whoz That Girl". Though the album gained some attention, it was not until 2014 that the group unexpectedly gained popularity with the single "Up & Down", which reached number one on the Gaon Singles Chart four months after release due to a fan-recording of a live performance becoming a viral video.

EXID released their second EP Ah Yeah in April 2015, to commercial success, and followed this with their first studio album Street (2016) and various other EPs over the years. In May 2019, EXID announced its indefinite hiatus for Korean group activities due to various members leaving their agency Banana Culture, but remained active in their Japanese releases such as their studio albums Trouble (2019) and B.L.E.S.S.E.D (2020).

BTS (Korean: 방탄소년단; RR: Bangtan Sonyeondan), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a seven-member South Korean boy band that began formation in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—composed of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produces much of their own output. Originally a hip hop group, their musical style has evolved to include a wide range of genres. Their lyrics, often focused on personal and social commentary, touch on the themes of mental health, troubles of school-age youth, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, and individualism. Their work features references to literature and psychological concepts and includes an alternative universe storyline. The group has released several albums and performed on several world tours.

Woo Ji-ho (Korean: 우지호; born September 14, 1992), known professionally as Zico (Korean: 지코), is a South Korean rapper, record producer, singer and songwriter. He debuted as the leader of the boy band Block B in 2011 and made his first solo release in 2014.

Zico is notable for his crossover skills within the Korean hip hop scene, maintaining an underground reputation along with mainstream appeal as a Korean idol. He is a record producer of both K-pop and Korean hip hop music. He is also part of the crew Fanxy Child, which he formed in 2016. In 2019, he released his first full-length solo album, Thinking.

Zico was born in Dohwa, Seoul on September 14, 1992. He was a Vocal Performance major at Seoul Music High School. In the lyrics of his song "Release", he mentions that he spent a year studying abroad in both Canada and China, as well as three years in Japan. Meanwhile, he had referred to his time in Japan within his song "Osaka" with fellow Korean musician ELO.

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.

Exo (Korean: 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul, consisting of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun. The band was formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. Their music—released and performed in Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese—primarily incorporates pop, hip-hop, and R&B, including elements of electronic dance music genres such as house and trap. The band ranked as one of the top five most influential celebrities on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list from 2014 to 2018 and have been labeled "Kings of K-pop" and the "Biggest boyband in the world" by various media outlets.

The band debuted with twelve members separated into two sub-groups: Exo-K (Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun) and Exo-M (Xiumin, Lay, Chen, and former members Kris, Luhan, and Tao). Kris, Luhan, and Tao departed the group individually amid legal battles in 2014 and 2015. Exo-K and Exo-M performed music in Korean and Mandarin, respectively, until the release of their third EP Overdose in 2014. Since 2014, Exo have exclusively performed as one group while continuing to release and perform music in multiple languages. Members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin debuted as the sub-unit Exo-CBX in 2016, and members Sehun and Chanyeol began promoting as the sub-unit Exo-SC in 2019. Each member also maintains solo careers in music, film and television.

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.

BtoB ( BEE-too-bee; Korean: 비투비; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Originally a septet, Jung Il-hoon departed from the group on December 31, 2020.

BtoB debuted on March 21, 2012, performing "Insane" (비밀) and "Imagine" on M Countdown. The group's debut EP, Born to Beat was released on April 3, 2012. They released their first full-length album, Complete, in June 2015. In November 2014, they made their Japanese debut with "Wow" under the Japanese agency Kiss Entertainment.

Since the group's 2012 debut, they have received multiple awards, including the 30th Golden Disc Awards Best Vocal Group in 2016, 2017 Melon Music Awards Top 10 Bonsang and 25th Seoul Music Awards Ballad Award in 2018. Five of their albums topped the Gaon Album Chart, and nine of their singles peaked in top ten on the national Gaon Digital Chart.

NU'EST was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren. They debuted on March 15, 2012, with the single titled "Face". The group disbanded on March 15, 2022, after Aron, JR, and Ren left Pledis Entertainment upon the completion of their 10-year contract.

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.

Exo is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun. They are noted for releasing music and performing extensively in Korean, Mandarin and Japanese.

Lee Ha-yi (Korean: 이하이; born September 23, 1996), known by her stage name Lee Hi, is a South Korean singer and songwriter, who is best known as the runner-up of SBS' K-pop Star Season 1. She debuted with single "1, 2, 3, 4" on October 28, 2012 and reached number one with first week sales of 667,549 downloads. Her first full-length album First Love was released in two parts, part 1 on March 7, 2013 and part 2 on March 28, 2013.

Lee Ha-yi was born on September 23, 1996 in Bucheon, South Korea. In December 2011, Lee auditioned for SBS reality survival program K-pop Star, where she finished as runner-up behind Park Ji-min. Soon after she was signed to YG Entertainment by Yang Hyun-suk. Ahead of her debut, she was featured on label mate Epik High's single "It's Cold", which was released on October 8, 2012.

B.A.P was a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 under TS Entertainment.

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.

Henry Lau (Chinese: 劉憲華; born October 11, 1989), commonly referred to mononymously as Henry, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actor, entertainer and classical violinist based in South Korea and China. He debuted in 2008 as a member of Super Junior-M and launched his solo career in 2013 with Trap. His original soundtrack "It's You" released in 2017 became the #1 top-streamed Korean OST on Spotify for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.

Henry made his Hollywood debut in 2019 with the film A Dog's Journey produced by Amblin Entertainment, the sequel to the 2017 film A Dog's Purpose. In 2020, the action/fantasy movie “Double World” nominated for "Best Visual Effects" and "Best Action Choreography" at the 39th Hong Kong Film Award starring Henry premiered on Netflix and China’s streaming service iQiyi, becoming the first movie in mainland China's film history to achieve simultaneous global release.

Winner is a South Korean boy band consisting of four members: Jinu, Hoony, Mino and Seungyoon. The band was formed in 2013 by YG Entertainment through Mnet's survival program WIN: Who Is Next leading to their official debut on August 17, 2014, with studio album 2014 S/S. Originally a five-piece band, Taehyun, departed from the group in November 2016 for his mental health and well-being. Upon their debut, The Korea Herald cited their immediate success as "unprecedented" for a new group, thus dubbed as "Monster rookies". Winner is often cited as a "self-producing" band with all members actively taking on roles from producing and choreographing to designing and marketing. The band also earned the titles "Trust and Listen" alongside "Kings of Summer" by media outlets and the general public through releases.