10 Great Things That Happened in K-Pop This Year (And 3 We Could Have Done Without)

It has been a pretty great year for K-Pop.

International record sales, sold-out overseas shows, and high profile collaborations are standing proof that Korean pop music is becoming incredibly well-known and popular all around the world.

2013 was a year full of great surprises and big leaps forward for many of K-Pop's biggest and brightest stars.

As the year draws to an end, lets take a look back at some of the greatest things that happened in K-Pop (and three others that we probably all could have done without).

Music Videos

For the past several years YouTube has been a driving force for the Korean Wave. Many of the world's most-viewed videos come from Korean pop stars, and it is a direct reflection of the creativity and energy poured into each one.

After Psy's "Gangnam Style" became the most popular music video in the world last year, eyes across the globe began to focus on Korean musicians.

The past year was full of everything from the creepy (VIXX's "Voodoo") to the surreal (G-Dragon's "MichiGO") with videos that told stories (Miss $'s "I Hope It's Not You") and taught us how to dance (Taeyang's "Ringa Linga"). They were sexy (After School's "First Love") and cute (Boyfriend's "On and On") and gave us plenty of eye-candy (Kim Hyun Joong's "Unbreakable").

The K-Pop videos of 2013 went above and beyond what anyone expected and with such a strong end-of the year-showing from many top stars, 2014 is bound to continue the trend.

Strong Females

A lot of fierce females stepped up to the plate in 2013, and their efforts earned them top spots across the music charts.

Lee Hyori made a stellar comeback with her 5th solo album, calling herself "Miss Korea" while IU and topped the charts in her "Red Shoes."

Park Ji Yoon professed her love for "Mr. Lee" and Yoon Mirae released one of the best soundtrack singles of the year with "Touch Love" from The Master's Sun.

And not just soloists, but girl groups as well, made tremendous strides this year releasing a steady stream of chart-topping hit songs and gaining popularity across the globe. From Girls' Generation's "I Got a Boy" to f(x)'s "Rum Pum Pum Pum" and the heart-breaking "Missing You" by 2NE1, the women of K-Pop certainly flourished this year.

YG Solo Artists

YG Entertainment is at the top of the ranks in the Korean music industry and not without reason. The label is home to some of the brightest stars in K-Pop. Groups like Big Bang and 2NE1 have proven time and time again to be multifaceted performers who have their hands on every step of the music-making process.

Already popular together, 2013 was a year of encouraging solo projects for everyone.

CL became K-Pop's "Baddest Female" with the launch of her solo career and monster rookie Lee Hi proved that with enough hard work and talent, even teenagers can rise to the top.

The Big Bang members, helmed by leader G-Dragon and his incredible second full-length solo album, all branched out on their own this year to hone in on their specific skills and styles.

Even veteran artist Psy proved that there is more to him than "Gangnam Style," and continued to break records with his catchy follow-up "Gentleman."

Music Note Project

LEDApple might not be the most popular pop band in Korea, but this year they proved to the world that they are creative, talented, and charitable.

At the beginning of 2013, the band launched their year-long Music Note project. Each week the members (specifically lead singer Hanbyul) would release a rearrangement of a hit pop song on their official YouTube channel and the profits from the advertisements were donated to the Save the Children foundation, and international charity dedicated to helping the world's poor children have a better life.

Aside from creating inventive versions of songs like Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," Katy Perry's "Roar," and the entire repertoire of Bruno Mars, LEDApple left their fans curious every week as to which song would be next, and all for a good cause too!

Block B is Back

After a rocky start to the year, hip-hop boy group Block B came back onto the scene under their very own record label, Seven Seasons.

On January 3, the group announced a suit had been filed against their agency Stardom Entertainment seeking payment for a year's worth of activites.

After several months of arguing, the company's former CEO committed suicide and the courts ultimately ruled in favor of Stardom.

Things were not looking good for the seven-member group and many fans of Block B were left as downtrodden as the idols themselves. However, in late August, an exciting new light was cast upon the group.

On August 28, Block B announced that after months of negotiating, the group's contracts had been transferred over to a brand new management company, Seven Seasons - an agency that was reportedly created just for them.

The group rejoiced in being able to continue their music careers while having a much bigger say in the process.

Block B made their official comeback on October 2 with the mini-album Very Good.

World Tours

K-Pop stars put a lot of stamps in their passports in 2013, holding concerts all around the world and making their international fans very happy.

While many groups and singers have been performing around Asia for years now, this year marked a lot of first-time shows for many artists in Europe, South America, and the United States.

Super Junior broke records in Brazil with their Super Show 5 tour, Teen Top trekked across western Europe, and INFINITE's One Great Step tour even brought them to the Middle East.

BAP undoubtedly gained more US fans with their four-city American tour and VIXX held a series of intimate showcase concerts all around the world.

For K-Pop fans outside of Asia, the new trend is an exciting one - and one that does not show any signs of slowing.

Collaborations

K-Pop seems to be continually breaking the mold. The mix of elements, styles, and genres makes it ideal for collaboration and many famed musicians from all over the world are tuning in and getting involved.

G-Dragon's collaboration with Missy Elliott topped many critics' lists for this year as the ultimate combination of old school and contemporary hip-hop that piques everyone's interest.

Swedish DJ Avicii jumped on the K-Pop bandwagon working with members of 2AM and Chris Brown showed his love for T-Ara (although the end result was a tad disastrous). Will.i.am utilized the talents of the 2NE1 gals and Snoop Dogg followed up by inviting them on stage with him during his Seoul concert in May.

On top of all that we have already seen, there are dozens of reports saying that the coming year will be filled with plenty more exciting global collaborations.

Youngsters

Adolescent stars definitely found their voices in 2013. The year may have shown some serious comebacks from several legendary singers, but the youngsters definitely stole the show.

Akdong Musician, the teenage brother-sister singer-songwriting duo that won KpopStar season two, soared to the top of the charts with their catchy, original tunes. Even without an official album release, the pair proved that their unique sound and style was something the Korean music industry had long been missing and fans craved.

JYP Entertainment debuted 15& comprised of 15-year-olds Park Jimin and Baek Yerin, and YG Entertainment's Lee Hi continued on her successful career with her chart-topping first album.

Lim Kim said "Goodbye 20" and miss A's Suzy solidified her position as one of Korea's top stars at the young age of 19. She starred alongside Lee Seung Gi in one of 2013's most popular television dramas Gu Family Book and added a long list of variety show appearances and endorsement deals to her resume.

Diss Battle

In August a series of diss tracks were released online from some of Korean hip-hop's biggest players igniting a insult-slinging rap battle and piquing the interest of many.

Airing dirty laundry and slanderous lyrics might not normally be considered a good thing, but the back and forth between Swings, Simon D, E-Sens, Gaeko, and others was an exciting break from the norm and helped put Korean hip-hop in the spotlight.

With an industry that is, at times, far too focused on idols, for a week in the summer, all eyes and ears were on these major hip-hop players - and it was exciting!

The end result, the two Supreme Team members went their separate ways and Dynamic Duo came back with an evolved sound in their seventh studio album LUCKYNUMBERS.

International Recognition

This time last year, many people around the world were enjoying their first taste of K-Pop with Psy's "Gangnam Style."

That international hit song opened doors (and YouTube channels) for many other Korean artists to get their music out on the global stage.

G-Dragon, JYJ, and the Brown Eyed Girls (among many, many others) are becoming household names in parts of the world the singers themselves have never been to and K-Pop is well on its way to becoming the world's musical common denominator.

This past year was, without a doubt, a great one for K-Pop. However, aside from all the wonderful steps forward, a handful of things we'd be better off not taking with us into 2014.

Stalker Fans

Being a fan of K-Pop is a great thing. Supporting your favorite idols' latest projects, having a fun time with your friends at concerts, and maintaing fan sites are all great ways to show your love.

But one thing we learned again this year is that stalker fans are not cool.

SM Entertainment's 12-member boy band EXO knows all too well the damage these invasive fans can cause. The fandom got so extreme in 2013 that they were officially banned from attending Inkigayo tapings and it seems unlikely that any group member will ever be invited to a wedding again.

If you really love your favorite idols, give them some space and privacy. Please.

Military Scandals

Because military service is mandatory in South Korea for all eligible young men, many entertainers take a two-year hiatus to complete their patriotic obligations. A lot of these stars served in an elite unit as sort of cultural ambassador soldiers.

An investigation into the vacation time of singer Rain resulted in the uncovering of a lot of (unfair) perks received by these soldiers.

After R&B singer Se7en and Mighty Mouth rapper Sangchu were caught visiting an after-hours massage parlor while on duty, more investigating led to other entertainers being outed as having taken advantage of the system and the government ultimately absolved the entire unit.

For all the idols, musicians, and actors slated to start their military service in 2014, we sincerely hope such scandals will be a thing of the past.

Plagiarism

With so many great songs released in 2013, there were more than an acceptable amount of plagiarism accusations.

Primary had a number one song with Park Myung Soo as part of his participation in the Infinite Challenge song festival, only to find out that it had a lot of similarities to Caro Emerald's "Liquid Lunch."

Boy group BAP was attacked for similarities between two of their songs and some perviously released Shinhwa tracks and quirky girl group Crayon Pop had a hard time explaining why their concepts seemed to be taken from a similar Japanese group.

Roy Kim and IU were also scrutinized for possible plagiarism, leaving many K-Pop fans with a bad taste in their mouths.

Moving forward into 2014, K-Pop will likely continue on its way to global music prominence, just as long as the artists focus on the positive trends and stay away from the negative ones.

Tags
VIXX
G-Dragon
Lee Hi
Lee Hyori
Girls Generation
f(x)
Taeyang
miss $
After School
Boyfriend
Kim Hyun Joong
IU
Park Ji Yoon
Yoon Mirae
2NE1
CL
ledapple
Block B
Super Junior
INFINITE
BAP
2AM
T-ARA
akdong musician
Lim Kim
15&
Suzy
Dynamic Duo
Supreme Team
swings
Simon D
E-SENS
gaeko
JYJ
Brown Eyed Girls
EXO
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Se7en
sangchu
Primary
Crayon Pop
Roy Kim
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