K-POP’s Global Influence Grows as SEVENTEEN Tops Billboard and “KPop Demon Hunters” Dominates Streaming

The K-POP industry achieved record-breaking results in the global music market in 2025. On the “2025 Billboard K-POP Artists 100” list released by Billboard Korea and Billboard from October 2024 to September 2025, SEVENTEEN secured the top position, demonstrating the group’s significant influence. SEVENTEEN delivered consistent strong performance across the U.S., global, and Korean markets across various metrics, including the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Billboard 200 album chart, Billboard Global 200 chart, tour earnings, streaming figures, and music sales. The influence built over their decade-long career reached new heights this year, with the group being particularly active in touring and releasing albums. Their album “SPEAK THE FEELS,” released in November last year, debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, while “HAPPY BIRTHDAY,” released in June this year, entered the chart at number 2. In addition, album releases by their sub-units such as BSS, HOSHI X WOOZI, and CxM further strengthened their global dominance. ROSÉ of BLACKPINK also achieved an important milestone in the global music market this year. Her song “APT.” featuring Bruno Mars debuted at number 8 on the Hot 100 chart in October 2024, setting a record as the highest-charting solo female artist in K-POP history, and later rose to number 3 in February. STRAY KIDS continued to break records. With albums “HOP” in December last year and “KARMA” in August this year both reaching number 1 on the Billboard 200, they became the first artists in history to have all seven of their chart debuts since the chart began weekly regular tracking in 1956 be at number 1. ATEEZ reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 in November 2024 with “GOLDEN HOUR: PART 2,” marking the group’s second album to achieve this position. In 2025, they entered both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 with the album “GOLDEN HOUR: PART 3” and the single “Lemon Drop.” TWICE proved its sustained popularity with its fourth studio album “THIS IS FOR” released in July last year, remaining on the Billboard 200 for 14 consecutive weeks. Songs “Strategy” and “TAKEDOWN” from “KPop Demon Hunters” also reached numbers 51 and 50 on the Hot 100 respectively. Meanwhile, Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” achieved the best results among U.S. streaming films in 2025. According to Nielsen data, the film recorded a total of 20.5 billion minutes of viewing time, surpassing all other films. This corresponds to approximately 270 million full viewings throughout the year since its release in June last year. No other film released in 2025 exceeded 15 billion minutes, and it was over 11 billion minutes ahead of the second-highest performer, “Moana 2.” Despite being released in mid-year (June), “KPop Demon Hunters” maintained a consistent presence on streaming charts throughout the year, indicating high demand for repeated views. The film is an animation that tells the story of a fictional K-POP girl group balancing pop stardom with supernatural demon hunting, combining action with original music. The strength of new groups that debuted after 2023 was also evident in the K-POP industry. Beyond music charts, various metrics such as global tour earnings, streaming figures, and music sales indicate that K-POP has established itself as a core pillar of the global popular music market.