“Golden” Named Best Song of 2025 by Music Industry Professionals... Effie, NMIXX, and WJSN’s Daeyoung Also Rank High

What constitutes the greatest song of South Korea’s pop music scene in 2025? The choices made by industry professionals and critics both at home and abroad proved surprisingly consistent. According to a survey conducted by a Korean music outlet among 15 music industry insiders, HUNTR/X’s “Golden” secured an overwhelming first place with 18 votes, declared as “the best song of 2025.” Although some questioned whether this track, which is the OST for the Netflix animated series KPop Demon Hunters, qualifies as K-pop due to its composition by K-pop producers and singing by Korean artists along with the title itself referencing “K-pop,” such objections were outweighed by its massive popularity. “Golden” became the first song in K-pop history to dominate both major English-speaking charts simultaneously and achieved a total of 8 number one placements on the Billboard Hot 100. Alongside Rosé’s “APT.,” it was the first K-pop track to receive a nomination for Grammy Awards’ “Song of the Year.” It solidified its status as one of the most successful songs of 2025, not only in South Korea but worldwide. Its impact was extraordinary when considering factors beyond mere musical quality, including social, economic, and cultural influence. Effie’s “down” and NMIXX’s “Blue Valentine” tied for second place with 8 votes each. Effie rose to prominence as a hyperpop superstar both domestically and internationally following the release of her EP “E” in March. Her third EP, “pullup to busan 4 morE hypEr summEr it's gonna bE a fuckin moviE,” released in August, topped the “Album of the Year” list selected by the outlet and received widespread praise from critics. Billboard named Effie’s track as the best K-pop song of 2025, while Pitchfork assigned a score of 7.6 to her album. NMIXX’s “Blue Valentine” was a landmark track that secured the group their first number one on music charts just four years after their debut, granting JYP Entertainment its first such honor for a girl group in 5 years and 4 months. The song excelled through its flexible and smooth variations and corresponding evolving emotional expressions, with “SPINNIN′ ON IT” from the same album also being deemed by many critics as one of the best K-pop songs of 2025, indicating that NMIXX had provided the correct answer to the challenge they set for themselves. WJSN’s Daeyoung’s “Body” finished in fourth place with 7 votes. As a dance track based on house music, it demonstrated exceptional quality across every aspect, including composition, melody, sound, and performance. Having released her first solo single nine years after her debut, Daeyoung took full control from planning to production, visualizing her confidence through bold styling and intuitive performances. “Body” was recognized as the track that marked the birth of a capable and charismatic solo artist named Daeyoung. ILLIT’s “Almond Chocolate” landed in fifth place with 6 votes. This Japanese-language song, which is the OST for the film “Kanojo Dake ga Suki De Nai,” gained huge popularity locally, leading to the release of a Korean version. Created by producer Pidoq and Japanese band Sekaino Owari’s Nakajin, the track featured sweet melodies and layered, explosive choruses. 2025 was a rich year for K-pop, featuring collaborations with global animations, innovations from independent artists, and renewed success by established groups, spanning various genres and generations. A Hollywood reporter commented, “2025 was a significant turning point for K-pop in many ways,” adding that “female artists achieved particularly impressive results.” Notably, the fact that tracks ranging from “Golden” to Daeyoung’s “Body” expanded the boundaries of traditional K-pop while maintaining high industry standards is regarded as the biggest achievement of South Korea’s music industry in 2025.