Billboard has officially declared BTS’s Jungkook as the best K-pop artist of 2024 in its inaugural ranking of the top 100 K-pop stars. The media outler made the announcement to mark the upcoming launch of Billboard Korea in May.

The 2024 Billboard K-Pop Artist 100 marks the first time the US magazine has ranked K-pop artists. The rankings were assembled by the chart teams at Billboard and its Seoul branch, Billboard Korea, which is set to publish its first issue in June. These rankings drew from artists’ activities across the Billboard 200 albums chart, Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, and Billboard Boxscore. The Boxscore tracks tour attendance and revenue, covering the period from January 7, 2023, to December 30, 2023.

Group members were generally listed together unless notable solo activities warranted individual recognition. That’s what happened with Jungkook. This year’s rankings included members from 16 groups: (G)I-DLE, aespa, ATEEZ, BLACKPINK, BTS, ENHYPEN, FIFTY FIFTY, ITZY, LE SSERAFIM, NCT 127, NCT Dream, NewJeans, SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), and TWICE.

How did Jungkook take the top spot?

Jungkook’s rise to the top of Billboard’s ranking followed the success of his first solo single “Seven (feat. Latto)” and the album GOLDEN, both released in 2023. “Seven (feat. Latto)” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It remained at the top of the Billboard Global 200 for seven weeks, was hailed as the No. 1 Global Song of the Summer, and snagged the Top Global K-Pop Song at the Billboard Music Awards. Furthermore, Jungkook’s musical prowess was evident in his hit Hot 100 collaborations. These included the top-five hit “3D (feat. Jack Harlow),” which received a remix from Justin Timberlake, and “Too Much” with The Kid LAROI and Central Cee.

GOLDEN further cemented his status by debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It set a record for the largest sales week ever for a K-pop solo act with 210,200 equivalent-unit albums for the chart week dated November 18, 2023. His track “Standing Next to You” is on track to become his longest-running Hot 100 hit, having spent 16 consecutive weeks on the tally thus far. These accomplishments put Jungkook at the top of a list that evaluates activity on the Billboard 200, Hot 100, and Billboard Boxscore touring data over the past year.

 

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Who else is on the list?

Second on the list is Stray Kids’ leader, Bang Chan, followed by Lee Know in third place. The rest of Stray Kids’ members—Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N—also made the top 10, in that order. This indicates a strong showing by the group in Billboard’s rankings. Girl group FIFTY FIFTY, which only has one remaining original member, Keena, secured the No. 10 spot.

In anticipation of its May launch, Billboard Korea plans to host a kick-off event in Seoul. This event will celebrate the K-pop artists featured on the 2024 list as guests of honor. It’ll further highlight the global influence of K-pop and its artists. – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: BTS’s golden maknae added another feather to his cap. Source: Billboard.