Melon Reveals Favorite Artists And Songs Of Listeners In Their Teens And Twenties In 2021

Melon has shared a closer look at the artists and songs that received the most love from its younger listeners this year!

As it prepares to wrap up 2021, Melon—Korea’s largest streaming service—has analyzed the favorite artists and songs of its Gen Z listeners by demographic. Using data from January 1 to November 21, Melon has released lists of the top 10 favorite artists of male and female listeners in their teens and twenties in 2021.

IU was overwhelmingly the most popular artist of the year among younger listeners, sweeping the No. 1 spot for every demographic except teenage females. Meanwhile, NCT also had an incredible year, with their various units claiming four of the top 10 spots on the list of teenage females’ favorite artists for 2021.

Favorite Artists of Teenage Females

1. NCT DREAM
2. NCT 127
3. IU
4. SEVENTEEN
5. aespa
6. BTS
7. THE BOYZ
8. TXT
9. NCT U
10. NCT

Favorite Artists of Teenage Males

1. IU
2. Homies
3. aespa
4. ASH ISLAND
5. Lee Mujin
6. Changmo
7. Justin Bieber
8. Heize
9. BLACKPINK
10. Giriboy

Favorite Artists of Females in Their 20s

1. IU
2. NCT DREAM
3. SEVENTEEN
4. aespa
5. NCT 127
6. BTS
7. Lee Mujin
8. DAY6
9. THE BOYZ
10. SHINee

Favorite Artists of Males in Their 20s

1. IU
2. Brave Girls
3. ASH ISLAND
4. Homies
5. aespa
6. Lee Mujin
7. Heize
8. Changmo
9. BTS
10. Baek Yerin

Melon also released lists of the top five songs that received the most likes within each demographic.

Most-Liked Songs by Teenage Females

1. aespa’s “Next Level”
2. IU’s “Celebrity”
3. BTS’s “Butter”
4. NCT DREAM’s “Hot Sauce”
5. Brave Girls’ “Rollin'”

Most-Liked Songs by Teenage Males

1. Lee Mujin’s “Traffic light”
2. IU’s “Celebrity”
3. Homies’ “Siren Remix” (featuring UNEDUCATED KID and Paul Blanco)
4. The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “STAY”
5. Justin Bieber’s “Peaches”

Most-Liked Songs by Females in Their 20s

1. IU’s “Celebrity”
2. aespa’s “Next Level”
3. IU’s “LILAC”
4. Brave Girls’ “Rollin'”
5. Lee Mujin’s “Traffic light”

Most-Liked Songs by Males in Their 20s

1. IU’s “Celebrity”
2. Lee Mujin’s “Traffic light”
3. Brave Girls’ “Rollin'”
4. Justin Bieber’s “Peaches”
5. IU’s “LILAC”

Who were your favorite K-pop artists this year? Let us know in the comments below!