On Friday, Feb. 12, Daily Sports dropped their annual Lunar New Year idol survey. In the survey, both soloists and idol group members were asked to vote on who the best visual idol is, which idol has the best body, which idols do they want to get close to, which idol they want to be introduced to, and which idol they are looking forward to in 2021.
Want to know which groups idols are most looking forward to in 2021? Then keep on reading.
This year's Daily Sports survey saw 22 groups and artists participating. The groups who took part in the survey are (G)I-DLE, BTOB, CRAVITY, Changmo, ENHYPEN, ITZY, IZ*ONE, Kang Daniel, LOONA, MAMAMOO, MONSTA X, NCT 127, NU'EST, Oh My Girl, SEVENTEEN, STAYC, Secret Number, Stray Kids, THE BOYZ, TREASURE, TXT, and PENTAGON.
The Most Anticipated Boy Groups for 2021
BTS took home the title of not just the most anticipated boy group but the most anticipated idol group in 2021, receiving 32 votes. It seems those who voted for them are in for a treat.
On Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, BTS will be releasing a repacked version of their Nov. 2020 release "BE" titled "BE (Essential Edition)." The original version of the album includes the title track "Life Goes On," which made headlines as the first Korean-language song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and is BTS's third over-all number one hit in the United States.
Stray Kids, with 20 votes, is the second most-anticipated boy group for 2021. This is most likely due to the popularity Stray Kids' garnered in 2020. That year, the group released their album "Go Live," which is Stray Kids' best-selling album. The album also includes the title track "God's Menu" and is their first single to chart on the Gaon Download Chart. In 2021, Stray Kids' will be competing in the Mnet show "Kingdom," and people are highly anticipating what kind of creative performances they will show.
Following Stray Kids is rookie group ENHYPEN, snagging 19 votes. The boy group debuted on Dec. 4, 2020, but they are already solidifying themselves as a global boy group. Their debut mini-album, "Border: Day One," debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart, making it the highest-selling debut K-pop album of the year. Additionally, it also debuted at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan.
The fourth most anticipated boy group is SEVENTEEN with, coincidentally, 17 votes!
2020 was definitely a great year for SEVENTEEN. In June 2020, the group officially became "million sellers" after their album "Heng:garae" sold over a million copies in under a week. They become two-time "million sellers" by Oct. 2020 with "; [Semicolon]."
TXT followed shortly after SEVENTEEN, nabbing 15 votes.
TXT is slowly gaining fame as an international boy group, with their most recent mini-album, "Minisode1: Blue Hour," debuting at number three on the Gaon Album Chart and charting at number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart. They already welcome 2021 by released a Japanese studio album titled "Still Dreaming" on Jan. 20.
The last two boy groups who made the rankings are NCT, and THE BOYZ, who tied and received 14 votes. It is no surprise people are looking forward to NCT.
Back on Jan. 13, member Sungchan revealed that NCT would be debuting a new unit this year. It is currently unsure which members will be in the unit and whether SM Entertainment will be debuting new members under the NCT rosters to fill the group.
After competing and winning "Road to Kingdom" back in June 2020, it was revealed that THE BOYZ would be competing in the Mnet program "Kingdom." As the boy group made headlines for their unique and creative performances during "Road to Kingdom," people are highly anticipating what they have in store.
The Most Anticipated Girl Groups For 2021
The most anticipated girl group for the year is the SM Entertainment rookie girl group aespa. Though the number of votes they received was not revealed, they got less than BTS but more than Stray Kids, making them the second most anticipated idol group overall.
On Feb. 5, aespa dropped a remake of Yoo Young Jin's song "Forever," greeting the New Year with heart-warming lyrics.
On Feb. 10, it was announced that aespa became Givenchy's first-ever K-pop brand ambassador.
The second most-anticipated girl group is JYP Entertainment's ITZY, with 14 votes. Their most recent mini-album, "Not Shy," may have something to do with the anticipating. The mini-album debuted at the top of the Gaon Album Chart, and the title track "NOT SHY" won five music show wins.
The final girl group that made the ranking is LOONA, who brought home 13 votes. LOONA made headlines in 2020 after their mini-album, "[12:00]" debuted at number 112 on the Billboard 200 charts, making it the group's first album to enter the said charts. The group released a music video for their English song "Star" on Nov. 18, 2020. It peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40, making them the second K-pop girl group to enter the aforementioned charts.
The Most Anticipated Idol Groups of 2021
1. BTS - 32 votes
2. aespa - votes undisclosed
3. Stray Kids - 20 votes
4. ENHYPEN - 19 votes
5. SEVENTEEN - 17 votes
6. TXT - 15 votes
7. NCT, THE BOYZ, ITZY - 14 votes
8. LOONA - 13 votes
Did your favorite K-pop group make it to the list? Tell us in the comments!
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Written by Alexa Lewis
