Stray Kids Account for Two of the Top 4 Best-Selling Albums in the U.S. in 2025... A K-POP Boom

Stray Kids achieved remarkable results on the list of the best-selling albums in the U.S. for 2025, released by the American music data tracking company Luminate (formerly Nielsen Music). During the tracking period from January 3, 2025, to January 1, 2026, Stray Kids had two of their albums make it into the top four. Their album “KARMA” ranked second with 585,000 units sold, while “DO IT” reached fourth place with 460,000 units sold. These figures represent very strong performance, second only to Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” which sold 3,985,000 units, and demonstrate the global prominence of K-POP artists. In addition to Stray Kids’ albums, other K-POP-related works also appeared on the top 10 list. The soundtrack for the animated film “K-POP Demon Hunters” ranked eighth with 366,000 units sold, proving that K-POP’s cultural influence has reached a significant level in the American music market. Meanwhile, foreign music experts also paid attention to the performances of new K-POP groups in 2025. HYBE’s new boy group CORTIS was recognized as an exemplary case of self-produced idols, and its debut song “GO” received widespread support from global critics. Among girl groups, SM’s Hearts2Hearts was acknowledged for its potential through songs like “STYLE” and “FOCUS,” while Starship’s newcomer Kei was evaluated as a new driving force in K-POP thanks to tracks such as “I DO ME” and “Dancing Alone.” Additionally, solo artists formerly part of IVE also made it onto numerous major foreign media year-end lists. NME included IVE’s Lay at 16th place, Kim Lip at 13th place, and Artemis at 15th place in its top 25 list, Billboard selected Atheart at 12th place and Young Posse at 17th place, and Dazed gave significant coverage to boy groups from smaller agencies. As 2025 comes to an end, new K-POP artists and rising stars are also actively performing on stage. “K-Pop Stage” in Hongdae, Seoul, held a “K-Pop Week” during which rookie groups such as MUL, Antares, and Arvi presented their final performances of 2025. This shows that K-POP continues to evolve not only through established artists but also through the diverse activities of emerging talent.