Spotify releases 2025 Global Impact List, highlights rise of K-pop soloists like Jennie and Jin
The list ranks the 30 most-streamed tracks by South Korean artistes outside the country between Jan 1 and June 30. This year's list offers a glimpse into the evolving K-pop landscape through a diverse line-up of artistes, highlighting the importance of artistes' charm as soloists and their active interaction with overseas musicians.
One of the most notable trends is the rise of solo K-pop acts. Of the top 30 songs , 19 were by solo artistes and, among the top 10, nine tracks were sung by soloists. Spotify noted that the chart reflects a shift in K-pop from group-centred storytelling to more personal narratives and individual artistic identity.
A total of 14 South Korean acts appeared on the list, including boy band BTS members Jin and J-Hope, Blackpink's Jennie, Rose and Jisoo, as well as Ive, Le Sserafim, NCT's Ten, Tomorrow X Together (TXT), GOT7, Seventeen, Meovv, BoyNextDoor and G-Dragon. Of the 30 tracks, only 12 came from artistes or groups outside 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.
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Ten's Stunner, the title track of his March solo album, BTS' RM's surprise collaboration with Epik High's Tablo, Stop The Rain, and G-Dragon's comeback single Too Bad were also included.
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 artistes.
Jennie expanded her sound and global appeal through collaborations with American singers Doechii, Kali Uchis and Dominic Fike, British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa and American actor-musician Childish Gambino.
J-Hope solidified his global presence with collaborations featuring American singers Miguel, Pharrell Williams and GloRilla. G-Dragon's comeback track drew major attention thanks to his team-up with American singer Anderson Paak.
The Spotify list also pointed to the increasing impact of original soundtracks from films and animation.
In addition to Rose's Messy, 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. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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