Billboard Picks Their Top 8 K-Pop Debuts From First Half Of 2016

Jul 09, 2016

Billboard recently revealed their top 8 most promising K-pop debuts from the first half of 2016. Their list includes groups who debuted this year as well as solo debuts from members who are/were in idol groups.

Check out their picks below!

Jung Eun Ji

“The A pink member and actress went off on her own for the first time in earnest with ‘Hopefully Sky,’ which devoured the springtime competition thanks to its uplifting meaning.”

KNK

“Between their powerful debut with the pounding ‘Knock’ and releasing some phenomenal covers of TVXQ songs, KNK has lived up to their name, which roughly translates as ‘to be great’ in Korean.”

Jessica

“The saccharine vocalist rose above the competition with ‘Fly’ feat. Fabolous in May, the first single since she exited Korea’s top girl group in 2014.”

Tiffany

“Tiffany defined her own passion pop style with the single ‘I Just Wanna Dance’ and the sultry follow-up ‘Heartbreak Hotel.'”

I.O.I

“I.O.I is wildly popular in South Korea and have released numerous chart-topping singles, including ‘Crush,’ the psychotically addictive ‘Pick Me’ and ‘Dream Girls.'”

Yezi

“This rapper has been around for a few years as a member of the girl group FIESTAR, but only after showing off her sexy intensity on the reality show ‘Unpretty Rapstar 2’ last year did Yezi make her true debut on the K-pop scene.”

Sam Kim

“A little less mainstream than many of these acts is Sam Kim, the Seattle-raised crooner who was the runner-up on the star-search program K-pop Star 3 two years ago. His debut EP, ‘I Am Sam,’ came out in April and formally provided Kim a place to explore his soulful style.”

NCT

“NCT is a project group but one dedicated to globally conquering the world, K-pop style. Each subunit will be focused on a different region of the globe.”