K-Pop girl group NewJeans and Global Group KATSEYE have earned coveted spots on Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list for 2025, which recognizes the most influential young artists shaping the global music industry.
Billboard revealed the list on May 16, selecting artists based on a range of criteria, including album and single sales, streaming performance, and overall cultural impact.
Billboard’s annual 21 Under 21, revealed ✔️
Here’s our list of the next generation of superstars making waves in the music industry 👇
[THREAD] pic.twitter.com/siY5DFYlCx
— billboard (@billboard) May 16, 2025
For NewJeans, this marks their second consecutive appearance on the list. The five-member girl group continues to solidify its international stardom. Billboard highlighted the sustained success of their 2023 release ‘Get Up’, which sold an additional 227,000 copies in 2024 alone and peaked at No. 3 on the year-end Billboard World Albums chart. In 2024, NewJeans dropped two singles, ’How Sweet’ and ‘Supernatural’, which garnered 51.6 million and 41.2 million official on-demand streams in the U.S., respectively.
Meanwhile, KATSEYE, the global girl group co-created by HYBE and Geffen Records in June 2024, makes its debut on the 2025 list. The group has quickly gained momentum in the global market, with Billboard pointing to their viral single ‘Touch’ and the anticipation surrounding their upcoming mini-album ‘Beautiful Chaos’, scheduled for release next month.
The 2025 lineup also features other standout talents such as D4vd, the genre-blending artist set to perform in Korea this November, and Jessie Murph, fresh off a high-energy performance at Coachella.
Billboard’s annual 21 Under 21 list continues to showcase the rising stars defining the future of music, and with NewJeans and KATSEYE leading the way, K-pop’s global impact shows no signs of slowing down.
Written by: MANSHA CHAUHAN
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