K-pop arists Kang Daniel, Brave Girls, SHINee, EXO, MAMAMOO, Apink, and more dominated the "Best K-pop Idol Who Shone in 2021" rankings at the first-ever "Forbes Korea K-pop Awards"!
On November 30, Forbes Korea magazine hosted the 1st "Forbes Korea K-POP Awards" (FKA) and selected the "Best K-pop idol Who Shone in 2021." The award is divided into two categories: male and female, and the K-pop group or idol with the highest votes will be hailed as the winner.
Since July, the business and lifestyle magazine has been voting on a new theme every month in collaboration with fandom-voting platform Idol Champ to shed light on K-pop's global influence and its fandom.
As a result, Hallyu fans from more than 150 countries, including Korea, the United States, Indonesia, and Thailand, participated to vote for the candidates they prefer.
Kang Daniel Hailed as 'Best K-pop Idol Who Shone in 2021 - Male' at the 'Forbes Korea K-pop Awards'
Prior announcement of winners, the nominees went through the preliminary round (15 teams each) and the finals (7 teams each in the preliminary round).
The vote was held for about a month, from October 14 to 22 (preliminary round) and from October 25 to November 12 (final round).
The candidates were chosen through the accumulated data on the Idol Champ app, and the most frequently mentioned and chosen team by fans in 202 were selected.
In the preliminary, 15 teams in each category were selected, including ASTRO, SEVENTEEN, NCT 127, BTS, Stray Kids, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, NCT DREAM, ENHYPEN, Super Junior, GOT7, Kang Daniel, ATEEZ, SHINee, MONSTA X, and EXO were nominated for the men's category.
But only seven teams were able to proceed to the finals and reigned as Top 7 best male K-pop idols this 2021.
In particular, Kang Daniel topped the list with 67,023 votes, 38.94% of the 172,136 votes (total male votes), and even won the title of the second with the most win of all time following his second victory since September.
Here Are the Top 7 for 'Best K-pop Idol Who Shone in 2021 - Male':
1. Kang Daniel - 67,023 votes (38.94%)
2. GOT7 - 55, 350 votes (32.15%)
3. ASTRO - 15,932 votes (9.26%)
4. ATEEZ - 14,164 votes (8.23%)
5. MONSTA X - 9,216 votes (5.35%)
6. EXO - 6,547 votes (3.80%)
7. SHINee - 3,904 votes (2.27%)
Brave Girls Crowned as 'Best Female K-pop Idol Who Shone in 2021' at the 'Forbes Korea K-pop Awards'
Fans' participation and interest in the finals were so high that they recorded the highest number of votes among the Forbes selected idol projects ever. The competition was also fierce.
In the female category, BLACKPINK, (G)I-DLE, ITZY, Oh My Girl, TWICE, IU, Lovelyz, Dreamcatcher, Brave Girls, Secret Number, Loona, Apink, WJSN, Mamamoo, and Red Velvet were nominated.
ALSO READ: Kang Daniel Selected as the Idol Who Best Suits Forbes Korea + See Full List
The battle for the lead between Brave Girls, the hero of the success story of climbing backward, and the hot topic girl group Secret Number, who debuted last year, was a hot topic, with fans trying to defend the lead and fans competing to take the lead.
In the end, Brave Girls won a valuable championship with 233,009 votes, 46.79% of the 498,039 votes (total women's votes).
Here Are the Top 7 for 'Best K-pop Idol Who Shone in 2021 - Female':
1. Brave Girls - 233,009 votes (46.79%)
2. Secret Number - 208,646 votes (41.89%)
3. Red Velvet - 22,348 votes (4.49%)
4. MAMAMOO - 19,502 votes (3.92%)
5. Dreamcatcher - 11,870 votes (2.38%)
6. Apink - 2180 votes (0.44%)
7. WJSN - 484 votes (0.10%)
READ MORE: Forbes Korea Selects Top 'Visual Queen and King' of the K-pop Industry – See Who's No. 1
For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.
KpopStarz owns this article.
Written by Eunice Dawson
