PAJU, SOUTH KOREA – DECEMBER 11: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Boy band Stray Kids attends the Mnet Asian … [+]
Many songs released by South Korean musicians can be classified as K-pop, based on where they originate and the language they’re performed in, but they also fit perfectly under other descriptors as well. This fact comes into play when certain tracks reach specific Billboard charts in America, ones which only focus on a particular style or another.
It’s still relatively uncommon for musicians who are typically associated with K-pop to land on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, which ranks the most-consumed tunes in the U.S. that are labeled as either kind of music. There have only been a little more than a dozen tracks that fit those genres by artists in the K-pop space that have appeared on the tally, and two more joined in on the fun in 2021.
With a pair of songs featuring K-pop superstars reaching the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2021, the year ties with several others as the busiest ever in terms of new placements. A pair of cuts that fit these labels also debuted on the tally in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. In most other recent years, just one title arrived, if any.
South Korean boy band Stray Kids scored the first hit by a K-pop act on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2021, which they achieved thanks to a high-profile collaboration in the DJ space. The band was credited on Alesso and Corsak’s “Going Dumb,” which almost became an important top 10 for the outfit. Instead, it stalled at No. 13, but the single did manage to spend 20 weeks on the list, making it one of the longest-running wins ever among K-pop artists.
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In November, Blackpink singer and rapper Lisa returned to the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, though not with her bandmates. Instead, she joined Ozuna, DJ Snake and Megan Thee Stallion on “SG,” which was a fast hit for all four artists. The tune peaked at No. 4 and is still going strong.
Both Stray Kids and Lisa earned their first appearances on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2021, at least under those names. Lisa had previously landed on the tally with Blackpink, who joined Lady Gaga on the promotional single “Sour Candy” in mid-2020. That tune lifted all the way to No. 3, becoming one of the biggest hits of all time on the list among K-pop acts.
