2014 K-Pop Year In Review

2014 was a very long year for K-Pop, with numerous hit songs and even more earth-shattering scandals that rocked the Korean music industry. Here’s a look back at the best releases and top moments of each month of 2014.

January

The year started off with several big name comebacks. TVXQ, Rain, B1A4, AOA, Ailee, and Girl’s Day were the most popular comebacks of the month, and Girl’s Day’s “Something” became one of the hit songs of the first half of the year. Got7 and now-disbanded Kiss&Cry were the two highest profile debuts of the month.

In the news, Girls’ Generation members YoonA and Sooyoung confirmed relationships with other celebrities, Lee Seung Gi and Jung Kyung Ho respectively. Nicole and Jiyoung’s departures from Kara were also announced that month. Tragedy also struck when it became known that the father of Super Junior's Leeteuk had committed murder-suicide, killing himself and his parents, Leeteuk's grandparents.

February
Girls’ Generation, CNBLUE, 2NE1, B.A.P, Ga-In, and Sunmi all released hits in February. Soyou and Junggigo’s “Some” was the hit of the month, and essentially all of 2014. Stellar’s “Marionette” also garnered that girl group much attention. Melody Day was the only debut to really gain much attention in Korea.

The month’s big news was the potential rivalry between top tier girl groups, 2NE1 and Girls’ Generation, but because of delays 2NE1’s title track wasn’t released until March. Even so, the month was filled with hype and media outlets wondering which girl group would come out on time.

March

The rivalry kicked off for real when 2NE1 started the month off with their hit “Come Back Home.” February also saw the debut of project group Toheart, featuring SHINee’s Key and INFINITE’s Woohyun, and releases from Orange Caramel, 4Minute, Super Junior-M, and more.

It was a big month for debuts, with groups like Troy, Wings, 200 won, and JJCC gaining much attention for their talent and star power.

April
April started off strong, with comebacks from Block B, BTS, Crayon Pop, NS Yoon-G, Eric Nam, 15&, and great debuts from AKMU and HIGH4. However, everything suddenly came to a halt after tragedy gripped South Korea.

Due to the sinking of the Sewol Ferry and the loss of hundreds of lives on April 16, the Korean entertainment industry was extremely slow in April. Prior to that, Tiffany of Girls’ Generation and 2PM’s Nichkhun went public with their relationship.

May
EXO dominated May with “Overdose,” but there were also multiple female soloist releases. Hyoseong, Jiyeon and, G.Na all released songs in May. First generation idol groups g.o.d and Fly To The Sky also returned to the scene. INFINITE, VIXX, and others also made comebacks.

May was the start of shocking events that would continue throughout the rest of 2014. EXO subgroup EXO-M leader Kris (Wu Yi Fan) announced that he would be filing a lawsuit against SM Entertainment only days after EXO made its comeback.

June
The song of summer came early, with the release of Taeyang’s “Eyes, Nose, Lips.” June also saw Psy’s collaboration with Snoop Dogg, as well as comebacks from BEAST, AOA, ZE:A, ToppDogg, Boyfriend, U-KISS, Got7. Hyomin of T-ara followed the May trend and debuted as a solo artist. Mamamo was the biggest debut of the month.

June also had the news that Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and EXO’s Baekhyun were dating. Fans identified and were outraged over hidden meanings in messages on SNS, which had seemed to be about each idol’s relationship with their fans but in retrospect appeared to be about their relationship with one another.

July

f(x) dominated July’s music scene with “Red Light,” and the month also saw releases from INFINITE, Girl’s Day, Eddy Kim, Henry, Sistar, HyunA, Nu’Est, Block B, JYJ, and more. Play The Siren, a co-ed group from a SM Entertainment subsidiary, debuted and garnered a lot of pre-debut attention for the connection.

July followed the previous two months and was filled with issues. Korean media brought to light a drug scandal involving 2NE1’s lead vocalist Park Bom, which has led to a hiatus of the singer. In the midst of promotions, f(x)’s Sulli went inactive following health and dating issues.

August
August saw solo debuts from SHINee’s Taemin as well as Wonder Girl’s YeEun under the name HA:TFELT. Orange Caramel, San E, and many others released songs. EXID released their now-viral hit, “Up & Down.” There were several high profile debuts, including WINNER, who quickly won numerous award shows, and Red Velvet.

August continued the summer of scandals. Red Velvet’s debut was marred by political controversy while Suzy of Miss A was involved in an alleged sexual harassment scandal. Park Bom was dissed by A.KOR Kemy in a track that went viral and upset fans, but the month ended with shocking reports that Kim Hyun Joong had assaulted his girlfriend on multiple occasions. SM Entertainment also confirmed Sulli’s relationship with Dynamic Duo’s Choiza. Louis Vuitton also announced in August that it would be investing in YG Entertainment.

August also featured the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which took over the Korean entertainment industry.

September
Super Junior and 2PM made high profile comebacks. T-Ara, Teen Top, Girls’ Generation TTS, Ailee, and others also made their comebacks.

This month was the most shocking month of 2014 in the Korean entertainment industry. A tragic car accident that resulted in the deaths of two Ladies’ Code members, RiSe and EunB, which led the industry to temporarily come to a halt. Girls’ Generation became an eight member group following the news that Jessica would be leaving to focus on her fashion business. GLAM’s Dahee was arrested after attempting to blackmail actor Lee Byung Hun, and Big Bang’s Seungri got into a serious car accident. ZE:A’s former leader Lee Hoo went on Twitter to fight against the group’s agency, and gained ZE:A new contracts.

October
Seo Taiji released new music for the first time in years, and collaborated with IU on “Sogyeokdong.” Crayon Pop subgroup Strawberry Milk and Super Junior-M’s Zhoumi debuted, and Epik High, Secret’s Song Jieun all had comebacks. MADTOWN, Uniq, and Almeng were high-profile debuts.

Tragedy continued with an accident resulted in fans dying during a 4Minute performance due to unsound structures at the location. SM Entertainment took another blow when Luhan left EXO, making him the fourth member of an SM Entertainment group to leave or go on indefinite hiatus in 2014.
Super Junior’s Sungmin announced that he would be the first member of the group to get married, while 2NE1’s CL announced that she would be debuting as a solo artist in the United States. Big Bang performed without Seungri following the news that his September accident was more serious than previously thought. G-Dragon of the same group was also embroiled in a minor drug scandal, as well as rumors about his love life. Crayon Pop’s “Bar Bar Bar” was also played during a primetime US television show.

November
YG Entertainment introduced several new projects, with a G-Dragon X Taeyang collaboration and new project group Hi Suhyun. Super Junior’s Kyuhyun’s solo debut “At Gwanghwamun” was extremely well received. AOA, Apink, Zico of Block B, Mamamoo, and Got7 made high profile comebacks, and Woollim Entertainment debuted long-awaited girl group Lovelyz. Former Kara member Nicole also made her solo debut.

Shortly before debut, Lovely gained negative attention regarding member Seo Jisoo, who was accused of blackmailing former lovers and friends. Zico’s solo song came under fire for derogatory slur, and rookie girl group Pritz was blasted for performing in outfits that evoked Nazi uniforms.

December
Masta Wu made a long awaited comeback, and Nell and Yoon Mirae also released songs. Eric Nam, Kanto, Starship Entertainment, Brand New Music, and others have released holiday songs. Wa$$up, Sunny Hill, and more also made comebacks. Additional songs will be released throughout the month.

B.A.P filed a lawsuit against TS Entertainment, becoming another group with major problems in 2014. Solo artist and TROY member Bumkey began the month with drug selling accusations.MBLAQ also announced that members Lee Joon and Thunder did not resign their contracts with the group.

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kpop 2014
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