With the end of the decade came some incredible beginnings. Check out our top 10 debuts of 2019 – we’re wrapping the year up as nicely as these K-pop idols rap it up.
10. SuperM
SuperM was made with breaking the internet in mind: SM's super boygroup is comprised of SHINee's Taemin, EXO's Kai and Baekhyun, NCT's Mark and Taeyong, and WayV's Ten and Lucas. Their debut track "Jopping" had people across the world jumping and popping simultaneously.... even Ellen DeGeneres. They jopped their way into the American music charts and everyone's repeat playlists, and we can't get Mark's verse out of our heads to this very day.
9. Rocket Punch
Rocket Punch's debut was highly anticipated – Juri, Suyun, and Sohee participated in Produce 48, with Juri being a member of AKB48 who then launched her Korean music career with Woollim Entertainment. The six-member girl group debuted this August with "Bim Bam Bum," an eclectic pop track with enough sweetness to spice up our entire summer. It punched its way into our heavy rotations.
8. Daniel K / Kang Daniel
The handsome "It Boy" of Korea makes waves with everything he does. Formerly the center of WANNA-ONE, Kang Daniel's release of the slow groove "What Are You Up To" this July stole the hearts of Korean citizens and international fans alike once again. The star faced many struggles in suing his past company and starting a solo career, but these struggles came to a fruitful end in the creation of Konnect Entertainment, where Daniel is his own CEO! (And loving fans get to reap the benefits of Daniel creating the music he loves.)
7. 1TEAM
Who else is doing it like 1TEAM? The answer is: no one, especially not when 1TEAM debuted with a track as colorful as “VIBE”. Their candy-colored suits and trendy dance moves elevated the synth-filled R&B bop into an experience fitting of its name – the song really does pass our vibe check (the debut of both 1TEAM and the phrase ‘vibe check’ can be viewed as landmarks of 2019.) We followed the two members of 1TEAM, BC and Rubin, from Boys24 to Mixnine and finally watched as they assembled 1TEAM with Jehyun, Jinwoo, and Junghoon – the payoff is huge, and we’re so glad to see it.
6. EVERGLOW
With a title like “Bon Bon Chocolat,” you’d expect nothing but sugary, sweet fluff. Instead, the six members of EVERGLOW delivered perhaps the fiercest track of the season, bringing with it a dance that swept the nation. The only thing to drop harder than the bass of “Bon Bon Chocolat” was our jaws.
5. TXT
As the brother group of reigning K-pop kings BTS, the five members of TXT were met with both hype and high expectations in spades. “Crown” met and even surpassed these expectations: the track is upbeat, refreshing, and bright in every sense of the word, from its synthy beats to their carefully and eclectically-styled outfits to the colors of the music video. The track follows the tale of a boy who learns to view his differences (his horns!) as his strengths (a crown!) through the power of ~friendship~. As the boy learned to love himself, we learned to love TXT – and we can’t wait to follow more of their growth in the future!
4. ITZY
After ITZY debuted with “Dalla Dalla,” we’ll never hear elevator ding noises the same – nothing hits as hard as ITZY’s eclectic deep house beats paired with their iconic hairography. The five members of JYP Entertainment’s newest girl group quickly became it-girls of Korea, landing deals with fashion houses and themselves into the hearts of the nation… and stan twitter! The song preached self-love, and we were apt to follow. Messages of “I love myself!” and “I see that I’m icy!” are exactly the type of positivity we need as the decade comes to a close.
3. AB6IX
The debut of AB6IX felt like puzzle pieces coming together: Daehwi and Woojin coming back from WANNA ONE, Donghyun and Youngmin releasing bops as MXM, Woong joining Brand New Music after competing on YG Treasure Box, and all five members assembled into an Avengers-equivalent of a musical powerhouse. Their debut track “Breathe” is evidence of just that, an eclectic EDM track that showcases the combination of their skillful vocals, rap, and dance. “Breathe” took our breath away.
2.OnlyOneOf
OnlyOneOf’s debut track “Savanna” was life-changing on all sides – it’s unorthodox for a group to debut with a track so smooth and atmospheric, and even more rare to have it be so successful. The boy group debuted in style, with “Savanna” and the entirety of their dot point jump album heading into our heavy rotations, and the seven members heading straight into our hearts and ult bias lists. The group’s uniqueness is emphasized in their name (there’s only one of them! Jeez!). They’re broadening the horizons of what it means and sounds to be K-pop, and we can’t wait to see where they take us in the new year.
1. X1
The debut of a survival show-created group always brings the hype of an entire nation along with it. The end of Produce X 101 and the beginning of X1 is no exception. The eleven members of X1 had a record-breaking debut with "Flash": they charted on Billboard's Social 50 even before the track was even released, received the highest first week sales for a debut album, and won 11 music show awards. Their debut came with a scandal just as hot – the rankings of Produce X 101 were revealed to be rigged, and the group is not currently promoting. Nevertheless, we will be bumping “Flash” and X1’s sunnier B-Side “Like Always” into the new year and hoping for X1’s return.
These were our ten favorite debuts from the past year! They were only the thinnest slice of all the amazing groups that emerged in 2019. As this decade comes to an end, we eagerly await all the new songs and idol groups to debut in the next one – we can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store.
