K-POP Leads Global Cultural Trends in 2025... Jennie’s Song Ranks First, Boosting Copyright Revenue in China

K-POP has taken center stage as the global cultural trend of 2025. Its influence continues to expand across various metrics, including YouTube usage, domestic music markets, and international copyright collaborations. Last year, YouTube identified Netflix’s animated series “Killer Demon Hunters” as its top trending content, with four of its soundtracks making it onto the list of most popular YouTube songs in 2025. Tracks such as “Golden,” “Soda Pop,” “Your Idol,” and “How It's Done” occupied high positions on this list, demonstrating the strong global reach of K-POP music. YouTube’s Culture & Trends team compiled its annual trend list by analyzing multiple indicators like views, uploads, and creator activity. In South Korea, Jennie’s solo song “like JENNIE” topped the 2025 K-POP music chart. The Asia Brand Research Institute released this result after analyzing 51,118,910 pieces of online big data over the month of January 2026. Jennie proved her overwhelming popularity not only through her strong fanbase but also as a widely favored artist. DAY6’s “One Page” came in second place, followed by Rosé and Bruno Mars’s “APT.”, Hwasa’s “Good GoodBye” in third, WOODZ’s “Drowning” in fourth, and others rounding out the top tier. The top 10 also included songs by artists such as Hwang Ga-ram, ECLIPSE, IVE, and aespa. Notably, IVE was the only group to have multiple tracks—including title tracks like “I Am a Firefly,” “ATTITUDE,” and “REBEL HEART”—make it into the top 10, solidifying its reputation as a reliable group among fans. Ryu Won-seon, director of the research center at the Asia Brand Research Institute, commented, “In the K-POP music category, popular choices among the general public played a decisive role in shaping the rankings, beyond the influence of strong fanbases.” The environment for international copyright revenue is also improving. This is due to licensing agreements signed by the China Music Copyright Association (MCSC) with Tencent Music Entertainment and NetEase Cloud Music, China’s largest digital music platforms. The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) regarded these partnerships as a major turning point in enhancing the copyright revenue landscape for K-POP music in China. KOMCA previously faced difficulties in collecting and settling Korean music royalties due to structural issues in China’s digital music market. The agreement between MCSC and Tencent Music was finalized in November 2025 alongside officials from China’s National Copyright Administration (NCAC) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (CISAC), with retroactive application to royalties collected prior to the deal. Similar retroactive measures apply to the agreement with NetEase Cloud Music, with further collaborations underway. Isiha, the newly elected president of KOMCA, expressed joy at reaching a significant milestone regarding the long-standing issue of Chinese music royalties. She added that the association will leverage its extensive practical experience and consistent tracking of this issue to ensure swift collection and distribution of royalties. This development suggests that as K-POP is set to resume official performances in China, efforts to improve the international copyright environment for the industry are accelerating.