The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2021 in music in South Korea.
Notable events and achievements January 9–10 – IU and BTS win the grand prizes at the 35th Golden Disc Awards. February 28 – Leenalchi, Jeongmilla, and BTS win the grand prizes at the 18th Korean Music Awards. March 4 – IFPI names BTS its Global Recording Artist of the Year for 2020—they are the first Asian and first non-English speaking act to top the ranking. March 5 – "Dynamite" by BTS wins its 32nd music show win, the most out of any K-pop song in history, surpassing "Invisible Love" by Shin Seung-hun with 31 wins set in 1992. March 13 – "On the Ground" by Rosé becomes the most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a solo K-pop artist, surpassing the record set by Psy with "Gentleman" in 2013. March 14 – "Rollin' by Brave Girls wins the group's first music show award, following a surge in popularity due to a compilation featuring the group performing the song going viral. March 22 – "Rollin breaks the record for most perfect all-kills by a female group since its inception in 2010, with 198 hourly PAKs. June 1 – "Butter" by BTS becomes their fourth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, making them the fastest group to score four number ones since the Jackson 5 in 1970. June 17 – Twice's Taste of Love attains a peak of number 6 on the Billboard 200, making them the first female Korean act to chart an EP within the top-ten, and the second female Korean act overall to enter the top-ten on the chart. August 27 – Melon and Seoul Shinmun publishes their list of 100 Top K-pop Songs of All-Time, selected by a panel of 35 music critics and industry professionals. September 1 – Stray Kids's Noeasy becomes their first album to sell over 1 million copies, making them the first act under JYP Entertainment to achieve the milestone. September 10 – Blackpink becomes the most-subscribed music act on YouTube, surpassing Canadian singer Justin Bieber with 65.1 million subscribers. September 13 – Lisa's "Lalisa" becomes the most-viewed video by a solo singer on YouTube within 24 hours, garnering 73.6 million views. CL and Rosé become the first South Korean female musicians to attend the Met Gala in New York City. September 15 – "Dynamite" is included in Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. October 28 – Lee Jang-hee is awarded the Eungwan Cultural Medal at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards. November 3 – NCT 127's Sticker and its repackage Favorite records a total of 3.58 million units in sales, the highest figure for a combined album by an SM Entertainment artist. November 21 – BTS wins three awards at the American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year, the first Asian act to do so. December 4 – IU, Aespa, and BTS win the grand prizes at the 2021 Melon Music Awards. December 11 – Lee Hyori hosts the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards, the ceremony's first female host. BTS wins all four grand prizes at the 2021 MAMA.
Award shows and festivals Award ceremonies + 2021 music award ceremonies in South Korea Date Event HostJanuary 9–10, 202135th Golden Disc AwardsIlgan Sports and JTBC PlusJanuary 13, 202110th Gaon Chart Music AwardsKorea Music Content AssociationJanuary 31, 202130th Seoul Music AwardsSports SeoulFebruary 27, 20215th Korean Hiphop AwardsHiphopLE and HiphopplayaFebruary 28, 202118th Korean Music AwardsKorean Popular Music Awards Committee October 2, 2021 4th The Fact Music Awards The Fact and Fan N Star December 2, 2021 6th Asia Artist Awards Star News and Star Continent December 4, 2021 13th Melon Music Awards Kakao M December 11, 2021 23rd Mnet Asian Music Awards CJ E&M (Mnet)
Festivals + 2021 televised music festivals in South Korea Date Event Host October 9, 2021 Asia Song Festival Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) December 17, 2021 KBS Song Festival Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) December 25, 2021 SBS Gayo Daejeon Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) December 31, 2021 MBC Gayo Daejejeon Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)
Debuting and disbanding in 2021 Debuting groups
Billlie Blitzers bugAboo Ciipher Epex Hot Issue Ichillin' Ive Just B Kingdom Lightsum Luminous Mirae NTX Omega X Pixy Purple Kiss TFN Tri.be WJSN The Black Xdinary Heroes
Solo debuts
Adora B.I BamBam D.O. Do Han-se I.M Jay B Jinyoung Joy Jo Yu-ri Kwon Eun-bi L Lee Seung-hyub Lisa Park So-yeon Rosé Sorn Wendy Young K Youngjae Yugyeom Yuqi
Disbandments
100% 1Team AOA Black B.O.Y Berry Good ENOi GFriend Hotshot Iz*One NTB Seven O'Clock Sonamoo Voisper We in the Zone
Releases in 2021 First quarter January Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 6 24 Part 2 Jeong Se-woon Pop 8 MCND Age MCND Electronic, dance 11 Voice: The Future Is Now Victon Pop rap, electronic The First Step: Treasure Effect Treasure Synthpop, EDM I Burn (G)I-dle House, dance Before Sunrise Part 1 T1419 EDM, hip hop 13 Live On OST OST, dance-pop 14 Used To This Jang Han-byul Pop, dance 18 Epik High Is Here Part 1 Epik High Hip hop Salute: A New Hope AB6IX Pop, alternative rock Noir U-Know Electronic, hip hop 19 Season 3. Hideout: Be Our Voice Cravity Hip hop, EDM Devil Oneus Pop, electronic Undying Love Berry Good Pop 20 Cherry Rush Cherry Bullet Pop And Then There Was Us Hoppipolla Alternative 25 Yes. Golden Child Electronic, pop Idealism Colde R&B Lucky Man Bobby Rap, hip hop 26 Dystopia: Road to Utopia Dreamcatcher Pop, pop rock 28 I'm Not Cool Hyuna Pop Absence Car, the Garden Korean ballad
February Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 2 Hello Chapter 0: Hello, Strange Dream CIX Dance, pop Gaussian Youra Indie, R&B 3 Memory L Pop Run On OST OST, ballad 4 Hardy Babylon Hip hop 5 True Beauty OST OST, ballad 8 2nd Desire [Tasty] Kim Woo-seok Pop, R&B 15 Querencia Chungha Pop, EDM, synth-pop Monthly Project 2020 Yoon Jong-shin Yoon Jong-shin Korean ballad 16 Paranoia Kang Daniel Pop Inside Lucy Rock 17 Tri.be Da Loca Tri.be Pop, EDM 18 History of Kingdom: Part I. Arthur Kingdom Pop The Way For Us Kwon Jin-ah TBA 19 Duality I.M Hip hop 20 Encore Got7 Rap, hip hop, dance 22 Don't Call Me Shinee Hip hop, dance On The Track Lee Seung-hyub Hip hop 23 Tail Sunmi Dance 24 Identity: Challenge WEi TBA ONF: My Name ONF Dance Wings Pixy TBA 25 Lovestruck in the City OST OST, ballad Yearbook 2020 015B Pop ballad 26 Love Synonym Pt.2: Right for Us Wonho R&B, EDM Replay: The Moment OST OST
March Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 1 Zero: Fever Part.2 Ateez Dance 2 Flower 9 MC Mong TBA Series 'O' Round 1: Hall Verivery Dance 3 Pieces by Rain Rain Dance, R&B 8 The Intersection: Discovery BDC Electropop 10 Full Bloom Punch TBA 11 Now: Where We Are, Here Ghost9 TBA 12 R Rosé Pop 15 Love or Take Pentagon R&B, funk Into Violet Purple Kiss Dance I Like You Ciipher TBA 16 The Renaissance Super Junior Pop, Hip hop, Dance A Better Tomorrow Drippin TBA 17 We Play Weeekly Futurepop, R&B Killa Mirae TBA 19 Midnight Blue (Love Streaming) B.I Ballad 25 Lilac IU TBA 29 Page Kang Seung-yoon TBA I'm Kim Se-jeong TBA Won't Forget You Kim Sung-kyu TBA 30 Bambi Baekhyun R&B The Dice is Cast DKB TBA 31 Unnatural WJSN Dance, ballad Before Sunrise Part. 2 T1419 Dance
Second quarter April Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 5 All Yours Astro Dance, Korean ballad Scene26 Lee Jin-hyuk TBA Like Water Wendy Korean ballad 6 Daydream D-Crunch Dance 7 Change Kim Jae-hwan TBA Solar: Rise Lunarsolar TBA Timeabout Yukika City pop 8 Intersection: Trace BAE173 TBA Instinct Part. 1 OnlyOneOf TBA Staydom STAYC Dance 12 Atlantis Shinee Pop, dance 13 Yellow Kang Daniel R&B, dance Redd Wheein Pop, R&B River Where the Moon Rises OST OST, ballad 14 It's Not Your Fault Dvwn R&B 15 Temperature of Love Yoon Ji-sung TBA 18 Again GreatGuys TBA 19 Romanticize NU'EST Dance The Book of Us: Negentropy Day6 Rock Dry Flower Penomeco TBA 20 Disharmony: Break Out P1Harmony TBA 26 Border: Carnival Enhypen Pop-rock, R&B Mo'Complete: Have a Dream AB6IX TBA 28 City of ONF ONF Dance, ballad Issue Maker Hot Issue Dance Life Is a Bi...BibiR&B, pop 30 Guess Who Itzy Hip hop, Rock, Rap, dance, EDM, pop
May Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 3 The Blowing Highlight Dance, R&B Beautiful Night Yesung R&B, Ballad 7 Lovin' Ailee TBA 10 Hot Sauce NCT Dream R&B, Hip hop Dear OhMyGirl Oh My Girl Dance-pop, R&B 11 Binary Code Oneus Dance, Pop 12Check-InBlitzers TBA My Attitude WJSN the Black TBA EP. 1 GeniusD.ArkHip hop 13 A Page Yuqi Pop, dance-rock 14 Switch It Up Jay B R&B, Soul 17 9 Way Ticket Fromis 9 Dance, pop Ring Ring Rocket Punch Synthpop 18 Advice Taemin Pop, R&B 18 Conmigo Tri.be TBA 20 Bravery Pixy TBA Happen Heize R&B Re:Born TO1 TBA 21 ㅅ (Siot) Sung Si-kyung TBA 25 Last Melody Everglow Hip hop, EDM, dance 26 The Other Side of the Moon GWSN Dance, R&B 28 You Were My Breath Cho Mi-yeon Ballad 31 The Chaos Chapter: Freeze TXT Pop, rock Hello Joy Modern rock
June +DateAlbumArtist(s)Genre(s)Ref 1 One of a Kind Monsta X Hip hop, EDM, R&B Waterfall B.I Rap, Hip hop, R&B, Soul 2 WAW Mamamoo Ballad 3 Now: When We Are In Love Ghost9 Dance Syndromez Zior Park Hip hop Roses Ravi Hip hop 4 Leesangsoon Lee Sang-soon TBA 7 Don't Fight the Feeling Exo Pop, R&B, Dance Sneaker Ha Sung-woon TBA Man On The Moon N.Flying TBA 8 Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety Epex Hip hop, Dance 9 Identity: Action WEi Dance [3-2=A] Woo Jin-young Hip hop 10 Vanilla Lightsum Dance 11 Taste of Love Twice Hip hop, Bossa nova 14 Connection Up10tion Dance 15 Ribbon BamBam Hip hop, R&B 16Planet Nine : Alter EgoOneweRock 17 Summer Queen Brave Girls Pop, Tropical house Point of View: U Yugyeom R&B, Soul 18 Your Choice Seventeen R&B, Hip hop 23 Siren:Dawn A.C.E Dance 28 Fade Han Seung-woo TBA & Loona Pop, R&B, jazz Hello Future NCT Dream R&B, Dance Must 2PM Pop, R&B 29 Free Pass Drippin TBA 30 The Intersection: Contact BDC Electropop
Third quarter July Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 1History of Kingdom: Part II. ChiwooKingdomTBA 5 Turn Over SF9 Dance, R&B Windy Soyeon Dance, Hip hop Right Through Me Even of Day Rock, ballad 8 Us Moon Jong-up Pop, hip hop, dance 13 Observe Baek A-yeon TBA 16Since 16'SinceHip hop 26 Next Episode AKMU Synth-pop, retrowave, downtempo Empathy D.O. Ballad, R&B 28The Land of Fantasy: Captain Giorbo and the Old Fashioned HeroesJannabiIndie, art rock 30 Summer Holiday Dreamcatcher Rock, metal
August Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 2 Switch On Astro Dance, ballad Game Changer Golden Child TBA 4 Play Game: Holiday Weeekly TBA 5 The Moment : A Minor Kim Woo-jin Pop 6 1/6 Sunmi Dance, rock 9 Thrill-ing The Boyz TBA Select Shop Ha Sung-woon TBA Popping ONF Dance, ballad 16 Queendom Red Velvet Dance, R&B, soul 17 OK Prologue: Be OK CIX Dance, R&B, ballad The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape Tomorrow X Together Pop, rock 19 The Awakening: Written in the Stars Cravity TBA Vision Luminous Hip hop, R&B 23 After 'We Ride' Brave Girls R&B, Pop-rock Noeasy Stray Kids hip hop, EDM, pop, R&B, rock Series 'O' Round 2: Hole Verivery Dance 24 Open Kwon Eun-bi Pop, Dance 26 SOMO:Fume Jay B R&B, Soul 30 4U: Outside BtoB TBA
September Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) 1 Talk & Talk Fromis 9 TBA 6 Stereotype STAYC Pop, Dance Eternal Young K Rock 8 Hide & Seek Purple Kiss TBA 9 4 Only Lee Hi Ballad, R&B Youth Luminous Hip hop 10 Lalisa Lisa Hip hop 13 Zero: Fever Part.3 Ateez Hip Hop, EDM, pop 14 Blue Letter Wonho TBA 15 I Say Mamamoo: The Best Mamamoo TBA MiniseriesSumin & SlomR&B 17 Sticker NCT 127 Hip hop, R&B, Pop 20 Chocolate Box Yang Yo-seob TBA 24 Crazy in Love Itzy EDM, Dance-pop, R&B, Soul, Rap, Hip hop 25 Blaze Do Han-se Hip hop27 Bad Love Key Dance-pop, R&B Mo' CompleteAB6IXTBA 28BlindCiipherTBA
Fourth quarter October