Spotify's 2025 Global Impact List highlights rise of soloists
Global music streaming platform Spotify on Monday unveiled its 2025 Global Impact List for the first half of the year, spotlighting the growing influence of K-pop soloists such as Jennie, Jin and J-Hope.
The Global Impact List ranks the 30 most-streamed tracks by Korean artists outside of South Korea between Jan. 1 and June 30. This year's list offers a glimpse into the evolving K-pop landscape through a diverse lineup of artists, highlighting the importance of artists' charm as soloists and their active interaction with overseas musicians.
One of the most notable trends is the rise of solo K-pop acts — out of the top 30 songs, 19 were by solo artists, and among the top 10, 9 tracks were sung by soloists. Spotify noted that the chart reflects a shift in K-pop from group-centered storytelling to more personal narratives and individual artistic identity.
A total of 14 Korean acts appeared on the list, including BTS members Jin and J-Hope, Blackpink's Jennie, Rose and Jisoo, as well as Ive, Le Sserafim, NCT's Ten, Tomorrow X Together, GOT7, Seventeen, Meovv, BoyNextDoor and G-Dragon. Of the 30 tracks, only 12 came from artists or groups outside of BTS and Blackpink.
Topping the list is Jennie's main track 'Like Jennie' from her March solo album "Ruby," followed by Jin's 'Don't Say You Love Me' from his second mini album "Echo," released in May.
Jennie stood out with nine songs featured on the list, all from "Ruby." Fellow Blackpink member Jisoo placed No. 8 and No. 27 with 'Earthquake' and 'Your Love,' respectively, while Rose's 'Messy,' part of the 'F1 The Movie' soundtrack, ranked No. 14.
J-Hope, who has been actively promoting new releases and his solo world tour, landed four songs on the list: 'Mona Lisa' at No. 4, 'Sweet Dreams' at No. 6, 'LV Bag' at No. 10 and 'Killin' It Girl' at No. 16.
NCT Ten's 'Stunner,' the title track of its March solo album, RM's surprise collaboration with Epik High's Tablo, 'Stop The Rain' (released during RM's military service), and G-Dragon's comeback single 'Too Bad' were also included in the list.
Among group releases, Le Sserafim secured the highest group ranking with 'Hot' at No. 9, also placing No. 23 with 'Come Over.' Ive landed two tracks on the chart, 'Rebel Heart' at No. 12 and 'Attitude' at No. 21. TXT's 'Love Language' came in at No. 20, GOT7's 'Python' at No. 24 and Seventeen's 'Thunder' at No. 25. Rookie girl group Meovv appeared with 'Hands Up,' and BoyNextDoor closed out the list with 'If I Say, I Love You.'
Aside from the strong presence of solo mega hits, another key takeaway was the popularity of K-pop collaborations with global artists.
Jennie expanded her sound and global appeal through collaborations with Doechii, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis. J-Hope solidified his global presence with collaborations featuring Miguel, Pharrell Williams and GloRilla. G-Dragon's comeback track drew major attention thanks to his team-up with Anderson Paak.
The Spotify list also pointed to the increasing impact of original soundtracks from films and animation. In addition to Rose's 'Messy' at No. 14, the platform highlighted the rapid rise of "Your Idol" — a track from the Netflix hit "Kpop Demon Hunters" which, despite being released just six days before data collection ended, debuted at No. 41.
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