In recent weeks, we have looked back on the year 2022. Which concerts took place in 2022? What were the best-selling albums in 2022? Now that we have dealt with questions like these, it is time to look ahead! What awaits us K-Pop fans in 2023? Which trends from this year might continue, and which new ones will emerge?
We have put some thought into it and would like to share our ideas with you!
Will 2023 be a year of girl groups or boy groups?
We can probably all agree that 2022 was a year of girl groups. This year, several new girl groups made their debut, topped the charts and won all the rookie awards.
We are talking, of course, about Le sserafim and NewJeans from HYBE, as well as NMIXX from JYP Entertainment and Kep1er from the survival show Girls Planet 999. And of course we must not forget Starship Entertainment's young girl group IVE. They actually debuted back in late 2021, but also celebrated most of their first milestones this year.
Above all, NewJeans, Le sserafim and IVE also dominated the Google Search Trends! We expect these groups to stay with us in 2023 and to even surpass their records so far.
But 2023 could actually turn out to be a year of boy groups as well!
In the coming months, for example, a number of survival shows are due to air:
The survival shows are Boys Planet 999, Nizi Project Season 2 and Fantasy Boys. All three shows are second seasons. The first seasons produced successful groups such as Kep1er (Girls Planet 999), NiziU (Nizi Project) and Class:y (My Teenage Girl). So the shows and the new boy groups will definitely get a lot of attention!
In addition, big entertainment companies such as JYP, HYBE and SM have also announced new groups!
HYBE, the home of BTS, is planning two new boy groups, which will be produced by different sub-labels: Pledis Entertainment (known for Seventeen & fromis_9) and Belift Lab (Enhypen).
What is more, the nine-member boy group &Team only made their debut in December under the sub-label “Hybe Labels Japan”. &Team's debut was eagerly awaited because the group had already been introduced through the survival show “&AUDITION - The Howling”. The show itself attracted attention in advance because four former contestants of I-Land (the show that gave rise to Enhypen) were set to take part. All four are now members of &Team. The boy group's YouTube channel already has 500,000 subscribers as well. We are looking forward to seeing more of the guys and expect them to really make it big in 2023!
JYP Entertainment also has big plans for 2023. The label will not only air Nizi Project Season 2 to form a Japanese boy group, but will also present a Korean boy group, a Chinese boy group and an American boy group! We cannot decide which one we are most excited about!
And as if that were not enough, a new NCT unit is finally set to debut next year as well. Its members include Seungchan and Shotaro, who were already introduced in 2020.
Will these new boy groups be able to hold their own against IVE, NewJeans and co.?
By the way, the girls are getting reinforcements too, because the survival show I-Land 2, in which a girl group will be formed, is soon due to start, among others. The successful boy group Enhypen emerged from season 1 in 2020!
The new boy groups will undoubtedly shake up the K-Pop scene, but we expect that the girl groups that won a lot of fans this year will not give up the top spot in the charts that easily!
Of course, the rookie groups are not the only ones who will dominate 2023.
Some already established groups are also still on the rise!
These are the boy and girl groups that we suspect have a big year ahead of them. They are already successful, but they also showed time and again in 2022 that they have the potential to surpass themselves once more:
NCT, Seventeen, Enhypen, Stray Kids, TXT, Ateez, aespa, ITZY, Twice & Blackpink.
All of them managed, again or even for the first time this year, to sell more than a million copies of an album. We would especially like to highlight Seventeen, Stray Kids and Blackpink, as well as NCT Dream and NCT 127. They even broke the two million mark. Seventeen and NCT Dream have even celebrated this special success for the second time!
So these groups are by no means slowing down two, four or, in the case of Seventeen and Twice, even seven years after their debut. If anything, they are just getting started!
Of course we have not forgotten BTS. But let us be honest, it goes without saying that the global boy group is far from finished! In 2023, however, we will actually hear a little less from the guys, because after Jin, the other members will also begin their military service bit by bit.
Will we see the return of second-generation K-Pop bands again in 2023?
This year, fans were able to look forward to the return of K-Pop legends from the second generation! The two girl groups SNSD and Kara celebrated their 15th anniversary with a new album. SNSD last released a joint album in 2017 and Kara in 2014!
In addition, Big Bang released a new single after four years, and the girl group Sistar performed together again for the first time since disbanding in 2017. Even 2NE1 surprised us at Coachella 2022 with a joint performance, for the first time in six years!
We hope that the trend continues in 2023!
Next year, for example, the boy group U-Kiss would celebrate their 15th anniversary and the girl group Ladies Code their tenth. U-Kiss last released an album in 2018 and Ladies Code in 2019.
We are also still hoping for a B.A.P comeback. In 2018 / 2019, all members left TS Entertainment, B.A.P's agency. However, Jongup confirmed that a reunion is possible in the future.
Of course, these are all just speculations. But we hope that these reunions become a trend and keep happening in the future.
On the other hand, we are sure that some 3rd-generation bands will be back on stage together next year after a longer break!
That is because some idols will soon return from the military.
SHINee
SHINee’s maknae Taemin will finish his service in early 2023. That means all four members of SHINee will have completed their military service! We expect the boy group to celebrate Taemin’s return with a new album! It would be the first since the Japanese album “Superstar” (June 2021). The latest Korean albums “Don’t Call Me” and the repackage “Atlantis” were also released in the first half of 2021.
EXO
The last comeback with all nine members was over four years ago! “Don’t Mess Up My Tempo” came out in 2018, after all. Since then, several EXO members have completed their military service. In February, Baekhyun will finally be done as well. The two youngest EXO members, Kai and Sehun, still have their service ahead of them, but no date has been set yet. So it is very likely that EXO will seize the opportunity to record a joint album!
Day6
The rock band has been on a break since mid-2021, as all four members began their military service one after another. Sungjin is already back, and Young K, Dowoon and Wonpil will all finish their service in 2023. However, since Wonpil will not be done until November, we might even have to wait until 2024.
While some are coming back, others have to go:
Most men have to enlist in the military by the time they are 28, and idols can postpone the start until 30 at the latest. Groups like SF9, Pentagon and, recently, BTS have already sent their first members into the military. And for a few other favorite groups of ours, it is probably soon time too.
We are thinking of NCT, Seventeen and iKon, for example. NCT’s oldest member Taeil is already 28, Seventeen's S.Coups is 27 and iKon's Jay will even turn 29 at the beginning of next year.
More digital albums in 2023?
Digital albums are not new, but there are more and more of them. By now, more than every second new album also has a digital version, and the boy group Ateez has even retroactively released digital versions of older albums. We suspect that they will become even more commonplace in 2023 and that there will hardly be an album without a digital alternative anymore.
Those are our predictions for 2023! How much are you looking forward to the new year?
