After a blockbuster 2025 for K-pop in the UK, there are signs that this year could be just as big.
Korean superstars BTS have announced their return with a fifth album set for release on March 20 via BigHit. Alongside the album, the band will embark on a world tour – their first in four years – in support of the album.
BTS last appeared in the UK with two dates at Wembley Stadium in 2019. They charted at No.1 the same year with the EP Map Of The Soul: Persona (145,838 UK units to date – Official Charts Company) and followed that the next year with chart-topping album Map Of The Soul: 7 (198,359 units to date).
Since then, of course, K-pop in the UK has only gained in power.
The genre came of age in 2025 thanks to the Netflix soundtrack release K-Pop Demon Hunters, which dominated the compilations chart. While it is easy to overlook its success when sidelined in that rundown, the soundtrack album was actually the third most consumed of 2025 with 442,311 units (behind only Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl and Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet).
K-Pop Demon Hunters OST (Island/Republic) has spent a staggering 27 out of 28 weeks at No.1 on the compilations chart – and it’s still going strong on DSPs. With physical making up just 4.1% of the album’s consumption last year, it was actually the second most streamed album of 2025 (behind Short N’ Sweet) and the most streamed album released last year.
Golden – the standout performer from a soundtrack that delivered multiple hits – spent 10 weeks at No.1 for K-Pop Demon Hunters group Huntr/x – Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei, with consumption of 1,332,632 units in 2025 making it the fourth biggest track of the year in the UK. Following the influx of festive hits in December, Golden has now returned to the Top 10.
Speaking for our Hitmakers feature in the latest edition of Music Week, Golden vocalist (as Rumi in the animated movie) and co-writer Ejae said: “Golden stands out because it’s very different from a musical standpoint, it’s a modern pop song. My co-writer Mark Sonnenblick is from a musical-theatre background and I’m from a K-pop background and that hybrid was very important. It was about making sure the lyric is still part of the story while still trying to have a very pop approach to it.”
Golden stands out because it’s very different from a musical standpoint, it’s a modern pop song
Ejae
Golden is only the second No.1 by an act wholly or predominantly from South Korea following Gangnam Style, which topped the chart for Psy in 2012.
The single is just behind another K-pop star, Rosé of Blackpink, whose Bruno Mars Collaboration Apt is No.5 overall (1,323,833 units) in the UK singles rankings for 2025.
In August, there was a new chart record with seven concurrent K-pop hits in the Top 40.
In the year-end overall singles Top 100, K-Pop Demon Hunters was also represented by Soda Pop by Soda Saja Boys – Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, SamUil Lee at No.36 (715,102 units), Your Idol by Saja Boys at No.44 (624,272 units), How It’s Done by Huntr/x at No.67 (527,895 units) and What It Sounds Like by Huntr/x at No.90 (475,664 units).
Jordan Jay, founder and CEO of Karma Artists, represents writers and producers who are increasingly focusing on the South Korean and wider Asian market.
“I think this has been a big year for K-pop for a few key reasons,” said Jay. “First, it feels like the result of several years of Korean culture steadily growing in the West, not just through music, but also food, retail and TV. That wider cultural familiarity has opened the door for K-pop to land even more strongly on the UK charts.
“Second, there’s been a noticeable shift in focus from Western songwriters towards Korean acts, especially at a time when there’s been less traditional pop in the UK for writers to engage with. We recognised that trend a few years ago and spent time in Korea building relationships so our writers could be part of the global expansion of K-pop. That collaboration has played a real role in making it sonically accessible and appealing to Western audiences.”
Looking ahead, I absolutely expect Korean music to remain a powerful force next year
Jordan Jay
Jay also credited K-Pop Demon Hunters for “introducing K-pop to an even younger generation in a massive way”.
“Looking ahead, I absolutely expect Korean music to remain a powerful force next year,” he added. “Fanbases continue to grow, and many major Korean labels have exciting new projects in development. That said, we’re also seeing renewed investment in pop in both the UK and US, with several new boybands and girlbands being formed. So, the landscape may become more competitive, but that’s ultimately good for the genre and for pop music as a whole.”
Subscribers can read our Hitmakers feature with Ejae on Golden here.
And click here for our chart trends report of 2025.
PHOTO: K-Pop Demon Hunters – Huntr/x (L-R) Audrey Nuna, Ejae, Rei Ami
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