This year, the 'king' Jo Yong Pil returned to the music scene. Singers who became familiar to the public through audition programs were all the rage. EXO sold almost 100 million albums this year, and Crayon Pop's bizarre helmet attire and dance drove them to the top of the music charts. Hiphop musicians went vintage and began a verbal feud commonly seen in the American Hiphop scene. What was the music trend of 2013? A brief survey of government approved Gaon charts can tell us in detail about the year.

After the national sensation that was brought about by Wonder Girls and their mega-hit "Tell Me", idol groups became the focal point of the music market. Hundreds of idol groups were released every year, and it seemed like the trend would continue. However, this year marked the decline of the idol groups' hold on the music market. On the Gaon 100 Chart that lists the most popular 100 songs of the year, only 24 songs were sung by idol groups. Compared to 2011 which had 43 songs sung by idol groups on the Gaon 100 and 2012 which had 37, 2013 was a year that idol groups were unable to make a big impact. Idol groups seemed to be cooling down in 2013. In 2011 and 2012, there were at least 6-7 songs in the top 10 spots on the Gaon 100, but this year, there are only 3 - SISTAR's "Give It To Me", SISTAR19's "Gone Not Around Any Longer", and 4MINUTE's "What's Your Name".

Where idol groups weren't, audition stars were. With Busker Busker and Huh Gak taking their place among the top stars in the music market, many more audition stars rose to prominence in 2013. "Superstar K" graduates Busker Busker, Huh Gak, Roy Kim, and Lim Kim all had fantastic years, with Roy Kim taking the #4 spot on the Gaon 100 with "Bom Bom Bom". Huh Gak took 3 spots on the Gaon 100 chart with "Monodrama", "Short Hair", and "1440". KPop Star graduates Lee Hi and Akdong Musician also had their 2013 hits on the Gaon 100, with Akdong Musician placing two songs, "Cresendo" and "I Love You", on the chart even without an official debut or performing on music programs.

Hiphop is also on the rise. Baechigi's "Shower of Tears" was the #2 song on the Gaon 100, but that's not all - many hiphop musicians, including Leessang, Dynamic Duo, Bumkey, Geeks, San-E, Primary and Verbal Jint all had their songs on the Gaon 100.

Leessang and Dynamic Duo are already very well known and popular, but this year marked the rise of the underground hiphop musicians who were previously little known or completely unknown. One reason for this might be that hiphop has become more-or-less popularized - that is, Korean hiphop is now a uniquely Korean brand that is a mixture of the original hiphop and Kpop.

The return of the heavy hitting artists also had a big impact on the music market. Jo Yong Pil returned with his first album in 10 years and had his two title songs, "Bounce" and "Hello", both become sensational hits. They were both in the Gaon 100. Lee Seung Chul, the former frontman for the bad Boohwal(Born Again), came back with the single "My Love", which was also in the Gaon 100. Shin Seung Hoon, Lee Juk, and Deulgukhwa also made a recent splash on to the music scene, and even though they are not placed on the Gaon 100, their upcoming impact is to be expected.

So on the surface, at least, it seems that the idol groups have cooled down, while the audition graduates became the superstars.

Park Eun Suk, a music critic, stated, "There is a general fatigue over idol groups in the Kpop industry. The audition stars were able to scratch the itch the public had about new music. However, it's hard to imagine that the so called 'trend' that is idol groups will not be done away with."

Park Eun Suk added, "The rise of the indy musicians who produce their own music through many audition programs will be something to look out for in the future."

Kang Tae Kyu, another music critic, stated, "Idol groups were replaced by the audition stars for the most part this year, but the general trend of people flocking to visual media will bring them back to the idol groups."

Kang Tae Kyu added, "However, this year, more than any other, was marked by the general public making good decisions about music. Good music was chosen approriately - songs weren't just injected into these charts simply because they were sung by a certain idol group, but good music was chosen. People who performed in the 80's and 90's were able to come back to the music scene and still receive a warm welcome. Generational appreciation for music will go a long way."