This decade's most influential k-pop artists and songs

[Guest aoizora]

Wow...just to list a few:

Dong Bang Shin Ki "Hug"- Not just because of fan bias or anything, but this group in itself, beyond sweeping awards left right and center, has broken down so many cultural and language barriers. Their successful integration into the Japanese music scene has brought much pride to Koreans. Beyond that, they are presumably the first group to actually mature from 'idol group' into full blown artists. Their name is pretty much known around the world to people who know any Korean musicians. Their ability to mature has changed the image of idol groups as a whole. Also - Two world records anyone?

Shinhwa: The longest lasting boy band ever. Over 50 million albums sold. And although they have fallen in popularity these past couple of years, their influence can still be felt. Enough said.

BoA: Influential female figure in the music industry. She's proven to the rest of the world that female 'idol's can indeed dance and sing and actually have talent. Her breakthrough first into the Japanese music scene and then into the American music scene are great things to note.

Rain: Hate him or love him, we've all got to admit that this man has charisma. Along with JYP, Rain has successfully made it into the American movie scene, which is nothing to be humble about.

Wonder Girls: World-wide popularity, and all their dances seem to induce similar cases of follow the leader syndrome. They are also actually making a name for themselves in the American music scene. So props for them.

[Miki_miki]

Even they're not as active and widely known as they used to be, but I'd like to vote for SG WannaBe. Their song? Of course Saldaga. It's their first hit that counted as many record as they may made. Their musicality and of course truly ability of singing, really charms everyone's ears...

Their MVs are amazing either! They always make a huge concept of MV, not selling the artist's image on the MV, they bring us the emotionality of their songs, makes us understand it deeper.

I believe that they'll be one of Korean music's legend, with their music and talent...

[Guest Megumi]

BoA Pretty much thé star of this decade. She made it all happen, the Hallyu Wave that is. Eventhough her career at the moment isn't much what it used to be, she's still one of the most respected artist in Asia. Song: Valenti

Dong Bang Shin Ki You can't deny the fact that in these 6 years, they've achieved a lot. They have worked hard, very hard in Japan. I have a lot of respect for these people for enduring so much for their dream and it breaks my heart if they would disband because of the lawsuit at the moment. Song: Rising Sun / 'O'

Epik High Their sound is unique for mainstream Kpop (I don't even know if I cán add them to mainstream though @_@). Eventhough I don't know Korean, if I read the translated lyrics, I can say that Tablo is a very gifted lyricist. Remapping the Human Soul truly deserved the Album of the Year in 2007, it was an astounding album with a deep impact. Song: Fan

Big Bang I also believe that they started a trend (that still exists and I really hope that someone will make another trend soon ) with electronica pop with their song "Lies". Trendsetters, yes for that they also deserve this Song: Lies

Rain I don't know - I think I know him more as an actor than a singer tbh lol

[Guest hjj1326]

Dong Bang Shin Ki - aside from all the awards and the recognitions that they achieved because of the hardwork passion and talent that they put into their works but i guess when this lawsuit happened, they open up the eyes of a lot of people that Kpop isn't all about the glitz and glamor. That's why for me, they deserve all the achievements they have and it makes me more proud to think of how far they have gone from being teeny boppers to mature singers. And their influence? Look at how Asia and the other countries are crazy for them. That alone pretty much contributes to a huge deal in spreading the Hallyu. This trial that the group is facing right now can be a catalyst for a change in the Kpop structure too and I've got a new level of respect for this group.

Song: Mirotic - this song showcases the group's maturity not just because of the album's concept but when you watch their live performances, you can see how much they improved on stage and their charisma and stage presence is like no other. All of their performances, as far as i can remember, were performed live unlike their performances before.

BoA - her achievements and contributions for the Hallyu,.. 'nuff said. and the girl got some undeniable skills, man.

Song: Girl's on Top - i've seen her live performance for this song during the MKMF '05 and i'm awed.

Shinhwa - their a good role model for the younger idol groups that having a strong bond and friendship and faith w/ each other, a group can definitely last longer and forever in the hearts of the members and their fans. WOW! that's 11 years of friendship.

Song - not really familiar w/ their songs,.. sorry~

[Guest 80slitenite]

SHINHWA

On top of being the longest group still active, Shinhwa has shown their ability to showcase their talents and stay in the public's interest for over 10 years. Whenever the younger groups like Big Bang, 2PM, etc are asked who do they want to be like or be good as they mention Shinhwa. Shinhwa is the ideal role model for any group. Each Shinhwa member has been able to have successful solo careers and branch out into other endeavors and still return to Shinhwa with the same passion for their work as when they first started.

Their most representative song would have to be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqCH5QKiDX0. That song came after they had left SM and finally won the Daesang for Best Artist of The Year for the first time and frankly its just a damn good song. Makes you want to get up and shake ya booty every single time.^^

Seriously how can you not love these guys? haha

[dothat36]

If I remember well, I think Shinhwa was the first group to successfully have solo careers and come back to the group. That was not very common before, but thanks to Shinhwa Ent companies have realised they can let their artists venture out of the group comfort and still have solo success. If it wasn'T for Shinhwa, I don't think we could've had the solo GD, Yunho (acting), Triple S etc.

As the Gif shows, they have also revolutionized greetings...hahaha... Annyonghaseyo! Shinhwa Himnida!! they were the first ones...Now look at all the idol groups, they all have their own gimmicks to stand out. Shinhwa started it

[Guest vietboi_tuan]

Wonder Girls' Tell Me, So Hot, and Nobody.

[Guest adikkeluangman]

After reading other posts so here I come.

This four like they have another hit songs and crazy talented singer but this is how I first get to know them:

Shin Seung Hoon - I Believe - the movie and the song is complement to each other.

Park Hyo Shin - Snow Flower

Kim Bum Soo - Bo Go Ship Da - I watch the drama just because to listen to this song. This is the song that made the drama popular.

Jo Sung Mo - To Your Side - He had so many hit song that I could not choose.

KISS - Because I'm A Girl - the one hit wonder for all time. How come people not notice this. This is like my first Korean MV that I saw without I even not realized it. Until now, I still had my friend asking whether this is a drama or just MV.

Jang Nara - Sweet Dream the cute song.

BoA at first I though he is from Japan. But it is not, she had worked so hard to reach the level. About the song, I not sure. Either she had many popular song or it don't appeal much to me. To my anime friends, BoA is the one that sing many anime song.

Shinhwa they known as the longest running boy band and so much too. But for the song, well, same goes as BoA. They don't have a song that really popular or public will recognized instantly. I read Shin HyeSung interview regarding that.

god yeah, maybe I'b bias but here the idol group at that time that reach 1million copies two albums sold back to back. They ain't be called nation big brother without nothing. The songs will be To My Mother, Lie and Road. Until now, I notice that it can be count how many singers have sing Lie and Road. It seem like those two songs like a scared only can be sang by them. Even To My Mother also have nicknamed The JaJangMyun song

DBSK - Rising Sun this is the song that appeal to me much and how the conquered Asia with it.

Wonder Girls - Tell Me and Nobody the reason posted by other posters much valid. Let's see how the world reaction after next Wednesday night.

Maybe I will add more.

[Guest simply123]

Tasha - The best female rapper in Korean. Nuff said.

Boa - Heard her album during 2000 on TV, was amazed at her vocals. I thought she was originally from Japan as well. And mind you, I was in elementary school and I do not listen to songs at all.

Wonder Girls - Everyone was mimicking their dance movements, even some games had the dance inside.

Kiss - The song(Because I'm a girl) is awesome-juice.

Big Bang - Lies. The song that brought in Korea into craziness.

The rest I do not know anymore. Given with my limited knowledge in Korea industry, that's all I can list. Time to check out DBSK.

[Guest [Deleted User]]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

[Guest minhoshi]

SHINHWA all the way!!! because of SHINHWA i started to listen to kpop..not only are they really real on and off screen, but they are also not afraid to show their true self...i started to like SHINHWA a couple months ago and i really like them....their 10th Anniversary Concert left a big impression on me...I think SHINHWA is really a legend and a lot of new groups are looking up to them...even though their popularity had drop...but i think many people out there still believe that SHINHWA had create a standard for kpop..so SHINHWA all the way

[Guest an_gelo]

here is my 10

g.o.d - (lies/road) one of the few to sell over 1,000,000 copies of more than 1 album! in the 2000s i believe

wonder girls - (tell me/nobody) pretty self explanatory, they've achieved asian domination, and are on their way to worldwide success, the very first koreans to hit the charts

hyori lee - has achieved so much this decade. even though she was involved in a plagiarism scandal, she still managed to go against the odds and become the highest paid korean singer, eventually returning to the top of the charts!

boa - (No.1) this woman has basically dominated asia. enough said. more than 10 #1 albums in Asia, the first korean to hit #1 in the japan oricon in the last gajillion years

dbsk - (Mirotic/Othesis)largest fanclub in the world. enough said as well!

shinhwa - longest running boyband, 11 years, no members changed, amazing

jewelry - (superstar/one more time) longest running girl band (despite member changes), the group has tackled almost every genre, and has been able to follow the trends since 2001, changing with the times, while continuing their growing fanbase. their 1st album was poppy, 2nd album was ballads, 3rd albums was poppy and tropical, 4th was sexy, 5th was sexier, 6th tackled a more electronic album. they've done a lot

k.i.s.s - (because i'm a girl) although a 1 hit wonder, their #1 hit song 'because i'm a girl' inspired a gajillion covers around asia, and even a french version was made too, i believe!

ahyoomee i doubt anyone will 2nd this nominee lol but i must say, correct me if im wrong but ayumi is probably the most successful zainichi artist in korea. not sure if thats worth anything... but i dont rlly know any zainichis!

rain rain has established himself as a talented singer, dancer, actor and has tackled the hollywood scene! he's established his own entertainment company and has created his own boyband

[Guest green_everyday]

Dong Bang Shin Ki

-first foreign group to have No. 1 singles on Japan's Oricon single chart.

-world's largest official fan club with over 800,000 members in 2008.

Also, BoA, Shinhwa

[Guest LemonMud]

Gold: BoA

Silver: DBSK

Bronze: Epik High

okay...

BoA... she honestly defines this decade. No if, ands, or buts; this girl (now woman) really has torn down barriers. Pretty much everyone else has said everything about BoA that makes her so awesome ^^

But, I don't think this is so much about popularity or good songs, but influence... as in BOOM. haha

In my personal experience, BoA was the one that introduced me to Kpop. Back in '05, GoT came out and really was my first exposure to Kpop... and eventually it sort of became one of my main sources of entertainment. Song: Listen to My Heart; because this is really when she practically owned Japan (I believe...), thus making her honestly an Asian sensation.

DBSK... holy freaking... they define the other side of Asian music. Again, aside from popularity (not mentioning the fact that they have the largest freaking fan club in the world, Cassies ftw), I'm talking more influence. Because of their popularity (slightly contradicting to the last sentence...) they've become sort of a worldwide phenomenon, which kinda makes them awesome? Song: Hug; rise to prominence...

Epik High... *bliss* I love these people. I just love that they have brought in the non-mainstream into the mainstream without making it really mainstream, and become "idols" and yet still stay away from becoming an "idol". You get my flow? I don't like the idea of "idols" very much... Song: Fan; epik

I could write more, but I'm sleepy...

[Guest hyunnied]

Hmmm, I don't think many might agree with some of my choices, but just read open-mindedly okay? (:

And if I didn't include a song means I'm not sure which song represents them the most. Sorry for the lengthy post.

Rain

Popular singer, popular actor, and now he has a rather successful Hollywood film. A big Hallyu star. He’s definitely influenced a lot of the younger artistes and has started his own ‘band’, MBLAQ.

BoA

To my recollection, she and Rain are one of the first Korean artistes I’ve heard of. I think she's a huge Hallyu star and her name has most likely been heard in a lot of parts of the world.

Lee Hyori

Definitely one of the most influential K-pop artistes. Her song 10 Minutes gave her the title of Sexy Queen in Korea. I’m not really sure but I read that the year 10 Minutes was released was also named the Year of Hyori. She was also successful before her solo debut, winning the Daesang with Fin.K.L. She’s very famous in Korea, and has filmed many CFs, like the Samsung Anycall (which almost everyone has seen). She’s definitely influenced a lot of people which is a reason why she’s nicknamed ‘Nation’s Fairy’.

Shinhwa

Epic, 11 years and counting. Influential and Inspirational to a lot of the juniors. Their Hallyu status is also big, people worldwide has heard of them.

TVXQ

Guinness World Record for most number of fans. Enough said. Hahaha, kidding. But doesn’t that just show that their Hallyu status is humongous? I choose Love in the Ice cause it’s my favourite song, but I think people won’t necessarily agree.

SS501

Yes, you got it right, SS501. Before you think I’m just some ridiculous fangirl trying to put my favourite boy band name up here, I’ll explain why.

SS501 is definitely one of the biggest Hallyu star and it’s not just because of the ‘Boys Over Flowers’ Craze. Their FIRST Japanese single, Kokoro, debuted at #5 on the Japanese Oricon Charts on the day of release. I’m sure most know that this is absolutely rare for a new group, especially since they aren’t Japanese. (Also, please take note that this happened 2 years ago, NOT recently where the Hallyu wave is huge in Japan) Their second, third single also debuted in the Top 10 of the Oricon Charts at 3rd and 2nd respectively. Not enough? Their first Japanese debut album got into the Top 10 of the Weekly Oricon Charts which is the first time a Korean group managed to do so for their debut album. They also won the Best 10 New Artist in the Japan Gold Disc Award (try naming another Korean group who has done that before the recent Hallyu craze), which is why I think they paved the way for other Kpop artistes to enter the Japan Market.

And as of 16th October this year, for their Taiwan promotions, Warner Music released 5 of SS501’s album in Taiwan and ALL albums have reached Platinum disk sales. I’m not sure exactly how rare this is, but I have read an article that said Platinum disk sales are rare for foreign artistes.

Following all these, there is also the must-mention Boys Over Flowers craze, synonymous with the craze comes the hit song “Because I’m Stupid” by SS501. This song is definitely popular with people all around the world. Just on a random note, this song won the top song for a Singapore Chinese Radio Channel.

To sum it up, I think they are one of the most influential artistes this decade because of their huge Hallyu status. A song pick would be Déjà vu or Because I'm Stupid.

Wonder Girls

I hesitated adding this because they are a rather new group. But the Nobody craze? Everyone from little ones to middle-aged know that song. And well, they have now entered the Billboard charts so yeah. Song – Nobody.

Big Bang

Started the auto tuned songs, they are also big Hallyu stars in Japan and Korea, "I'm so sorry but I love you" - Lies

[Guest nankyu]

10 years range is too big for me.. *memory gap* >< so I can hardly remember the impact of the artist in the early parts of this decade..

I pretty much would say what everyone said about Boa, DBSK, Epik High and Wondergirls so yea.. >.>

Super Junior - they have been dominating album charts in Asia.. like Taiwan and Philippines. Largest boy band in the world. and they can pretty much do EVERYTHING.. singing/dancing/acting/hosting/entertaining/comedy/modeling/charity works

[Guest ilvesuju]

BOA,reasons are obvious enough.

i would say SHINee too,cause the guys are talented!

Of course,super junior would be another one.

Brown eyed girls are catching up too!

if i have enough time i will elaborate more.

[Guest cccatherine]

Definitely DBSK, BigBang (Taeyang&GD), Epik High, Wondergirls

[Guest haemin13]

2ne1.

they're new but their debut led to the reshaping of the girl group scene. they shook the grounds of the girly girls with their bad girl image. they showed everyone how talent is more important than just having a pretty-face.

they're fans are of all genders instead of just boys. many other kpop artists that debuted earlier look up to them.

[Guest iloveleadahmin]

BoA, Dong Bang Shin Ki, Rain, Wonder Girls, Shinhwa, Lee Hyori, Epik High, g.o.d, JYP