K-Pop Paves the Way for Oscar Stage Performances — Lisa Makes Her Debut, Rowoon Appears on Red Carpet

K-Pop has opened up new possibilities on the Oscar stage. At the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025, Lisa of BLACKPINK became the first K-Pop artist to perform at the Oscars. She performed “Born Again” alongside Doja Cat and Lay, delivering a stage that seamlessly blended Western elements with K-Pop influences. Lisa wore a custom outfit designed by Indian designer Rahul Mishra, showcasing her global influence. Meanwhile, former SF9 member Rowoon made his appearance on the Oscar red carpet in a stylish black blazer, reinforcing his status as an actor from K-dramas. He received widespread praise following the rapid spread of the E! Entertainment “GlamorBot” video featuring him. On another front, Jimin of BTS set a historic record on the UK official singles chart. On March 7 (local time), his title track “Who” from the regular album “MUSE” rose 21 places to reach position 23. This achievement marked Jimin’s longest-charting record at 27 weeks since the chart format was revised in 2014. This is tied to the 27-week record set by BTS’s “Dynamite” in August 2020, meaning Jimin now holds the record for the longest charting time both as a solo artist and as part of a group. The solo activities of BTS members are gaining prominence on global charts. On Spotify’s Weekly Global Top Songs chart (February 28 – March 6), j-hope’s collaboration with Don Toliver and Pharrell Williams, “LV Bag,” stayed at position 165 for two consecutive weeks, while Jimin’s “Who” surged to position 10. Jungkook’s “Seven (feat. Latto)” (position 102), Jin’s “Running Wild” (position 107), and the duet “Winter Ahead (with PARK HYO SHIN)” by V and Park Hyo-shin (position 126) also maintained high rankings. BTS’s influence continued to be strong on the Weekly Global Albums chart as well. Jimin’s “MUSE” entered at position 21, Jungkook’s “GOLDEN” at position 57, and Jin’s remix album “Happy - :’) (Remixes)” at position 188. BTS’s anthology album “Proof” (position 48) and the 2018 repackaged album “LOVE YOURSELF 結 ‘Answer’” (position 179) also retained a strong presence. j-hope released his collaboration with Miguel titled “Sweet Dreams” on March 7, and as of 9 a.m. on March 8, it topped the iTunes Top Songs charts in 66 countries including the United States, Japan, France, Canada, Australia, and Brazil. j-hope is scheduled to perform a special live version of “Sweet Dreams” with Miguel on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on March 11. CJ ENM announced its intention to accelerate the global expansion of K-Pop. At a special exhibition titled “House of the Visionary: Story to Culture” held at the company’s headquarters on March 6, the chief producers of its music programs gathered to discuss strategies for expanding K-Pop globally. Since launching its entertainment business in 1995, CJ ENM has led global music programs such as “M COUNTDOWN” and “MAMA AWARDS” through its music channel Mnet. More recently, it produced the fifth-generation boy group ZEROBASEONE through “BOYS PLANET.” ZEROBASEONE won 18 new artist awards within six months of their debut and released five consecutive million-selling albums. They also topped Japan’s Oricon Weekly Albums Chart and Weekly Combined Albums Chart. CJ ENM plans to launch “BOYS II PLANET” in the second half of this year. This will be the world’s first K-Pop global twin project, created in both Korean and Chinese, aiming to form two separate debut groups.