Only three songs by K-pop artists have ruled Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, and all of them are by solo female superstars: Jennie, Rosé and Ejae from KPop Demon Hunters. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 05: Jennie attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
More than a decade ago, South Korean superstar Psy made history on the American Billboard charts with his breakout smash “Gangnam Style.” On most rankings, the tune became, if not the first K-pop cut to appear, then easily the top performer from the genre. “Gangnam Style” introduced K-pop to millions of Americans and helped usher in a new era of Asian pop popularity in the United States.
Nearly 15 years later, dozens of artists hailing from South Korea have landed on a variety of tallies published by Billboard, scoring sales and streaming wins as well as radio blockbusters. While the first true smash by a K-pop artist came from a solo male star, and boy bands like BTS dominate these days, on the Pop Airplay tally, it is women who rule – and specifically female soloists from the K-pop space.
Jennie and Tame Impala Reach No. 1 Together
This week, Tame Impala and Jennie – one of the four singers in Blackpink – reach No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart for the first time. Their collaboration, “Dracula,” a remix of a solo single originally shared by Tame Impala (the moniker used by multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker), climbs to the summit on the ranking of the tracks that reach the largest audiences via top 40 radio stations throughout the nation. It’s the first leader for both stars, and “Dracula” is a historic win for K-pop in the field.
“Dracula” Becomes K-Pop’s Third Pop Airplay Leader
“Dracula” is only the third tune connected to a K-pop artist — any musician or group typically associated with the style — to lead the Pop Airplay chart, one of the most competitive radio rankings published by Billboard. In only about two years, half of the members of Blackpink have climbed to the summit. Rosé did so alongside Bruno Mars with their Grammy-nominated “Apt.” “Golden” from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters – officially credited to the faux girl group Huntr.x, as well as singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami (of that bunch, Ejae is usually thought of as primarily a K-pop artist, while the other two have largely worked in other styles) followed not much later.
It’s been nearly a decade and a half since K-pop first reached the Pop Airplay rundown, but amazingly, the only songs that have worked their way to the penthouse are by solo women in K-pop. Though, of course, two of them climbed as high as possible thanks, at least in part, to their American male collaborators, who already had a following in this country.
BTS Claims Two Top 10 Pop Radio Hits
The highest-ranking hit by a K-pop act on the Pop Airplay chart not connected to a solo female is “Dynamite” by BTS. More than half a decade ago, that tune stopped surging at No. 5. BTS claims a pair of top 10s, as “Butter,” which followed “Dynamite” by less than a year, reached No. 7.
Huntr/x and Fifty Fifty Have Reached the Top 10
Huntr/x is the only K-pop girl group – which didn’t exist before KPop Demon Hunters – to reach not only No. 1 on the Pop Airplay rundown, but also the top five. The only other all-female vocal troupe from that genre to crack the top 10 is Fifty Fifty, which sent “Cupid” to No. 7 back in 2023.
Psy Remains K-Pop’s Only Solo Male Star to Crack the Top 10
Just seven tunes by K-pop artists of any kind have reached the highest tier on the Pop Airplay chart. Psy’s “Gangnam Style” was the first to do so, and it barely managed to break into the region, topping out at No. 10. Amazingly, Psy remains, to this day, the only solo male K-pop act to appear between Nos. 1 and 10 on the top 40 ranking.
BTS member Jung Kook came very close to joining Psy, but missed out by only one space. “Left and Right,” a collaboration with American pop singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, stalled at No. 11. A year later, Jung Kook climbed as high as No. 15 alongside The Kid Laroi and Central Cee with “Too Much.” They remain the second- and third-highest-ranking hits of all time on the Pop Airplay roster by a solo male K-pop artist.