In the K-pop scene where numerous stars emerge every year, it is not easy for newcomers to make their names known to the public. However, this year, groups that have overcome the limitations of newcomers and have drawn attention by gaining attention from foreign media outlets with their outstanding planning skills are emerging.

The main characters are second-year groups Triple S, P.O.W, and 82 Major. These so-called ‘small and medium-sized companies’ are writing a ‘K-pop reversal’, drawing rave reviews from foreign pop music magazines such as Billboard in the US and NME in the UK without the capital or large-scale promotions of large agencies.

Triple S has received a good response overseas for continuously presenting various units and musical styles by taking advantage of their characteristic as a ‘24-member girl group’. Thanks to this, the British NME recently ranked their first full-length album ‘Assemble 24’, released in May, at 30th place on its ‘50 Best Albums of 2024’, following super pop stars like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar.

They became the only K-pop girl group to make the list. The other K-pop artist is BTS‘ RM, whose second solo album ‘Right Place, Long Person’ ranked 16th. NME explained the reason for their selection, saying, “XXXS is not your ordinary K-pop group. The 24 members create a kaleidoscopic sound that constantly changes across multiple units.”

The five-member group Pau expanded their North American fandom with their October remake of American pop star Avril Lavigne’s ‘Girlfriend’, receiving attention from Billboard, NME, and others.

Foreign media outlets described their performance this year as an “underdog rebellion”, using the modifier ‘underdog’, meaning ‘a team with a low chance of winning’. While rapidly increasing their North American fandom, Pau recently made their first appearance at the ‘2024 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour’, the largest year-end festival in the US.

The six-member hip-hop group 82 Major has been featured in American hip-hop magazines such as The Hype Magazine after receiving positive reviews for breaking the “K-pop stereotype.” Their title song “Tip of the Tongue” from their second mini-album “X-82,” released in October, made headlines by entering the DRT “Global Top 200 Airplay Chart,” a radio ranking that reflects local popularity.

Since then, they have made a name for themselves in Korea and will be holding their solo concert “Etumeboom” from January 17 to 19 next year at Yes24 Wonder Rock Hall in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. According to their agency Great M Entertainment, the tickets were all sold out as soon as they opened, so they added one more concert to the originally planned two.


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com