The 20 Best K-Pop Albums of 2024 (So Far): Staff Picks

2024 has been a year of exciting versatility in the K-pop scene. From highly anticipated albums by BTS’ RM, TWICE, and ATEEZ, which propelled K-pop to the upper echelons of the Billboard 200, to projects by several emerging and impressive newcomers, the year has practically delivered too many releases that demand full attention, appreciation, and listen-through.

Some artists underwent refreshing and creative switch-ups years into their careers: NCT DREAM embraced the dark on DREAM( )SCAPE, the ITZY members tried their hands at songwriting and composing across tracks on Born to Be, and Cha Eun Woo showcased his captivating storytelling Entity. Meanwhile, Trust Me by GOT7’s Yugyeom, Fourever from DAY6, DALL by ARTMS, My Girl : My Choice from A.C.E, and Yves’ first solo album LOOP all arrived with a revitalized energy from the artists, sounding like the beginning of new stories in their musical journeys.

As always true with the best K-pop projects, this year’s top albums bring the exciting experimentation and risk-taking that’s shot South Korea to compete on the global music stage. But these releases also stand out for spotlighting artists’ personalized stories, unveiling new areas for their careers to evolve through and developing the next step in their unique musical worldviews.

With so many top-notch mini-albums, EPs and full-length albums from the K-pop scene to choose from in just the first six months, these 20 records helped the artists stand out from their peers. Below, Billboard offers our critics’ picks of the 20 best albums from the Korean-pop industry released in 2024 so far.

Don’t miss the 20 best K-pop songs from this year, either.

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Blessd & Ryan Castro Unveil Joint Ay Bendito Ghetto Tour: ‘There’s No Ego, Only Union’

Blessd and Ryan Castro — two of Colombia’s breakthrough urban stars — are hitting the road together in 2024, Billboard can exclusively announce.

The 15-date trek dubbed Ay Bendito Ghetto (named after their nicknames: Blessd’s “El Bendito” and Castro’s “El Cantante del Ghetto”) is powered by Touring the World and Seitrack US and will kick off Oct. 31st in San Jose, Calif. The tour will wrap in Atlanta on Dec. 1st after visiting key cities such as Los Angeles and Miami. 

“It was teamwork being able to do this tour,” Blessd tells Billboard. “It represents the union of both teams. Ryan and Blessd are the duo that’s not a duo but who everyone likes. I think it’s something that people are going to be surprised about and will like it.” 

“This has never happened in Colombia … two urban artists touring together,” Castro adds. “There’s a lot of ego in Colombia, but we have the fortune of being the first ones, and be an example for the new generation.” 

The two former Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise musicians did a joint concert in Colombia in 2022, where Blessd performed his show, then Castro, and it ended with the two singing their various collaborations together. They plan on doing a similar show for the tour, where they also hope to invite special guests and sing their respective bangers such as “Jordan” and “Medallo.”

“The best part is that we’re going to have fun and demonstrate that there’s no ego, only union among the new generation,” Blessd notes. “We have very high expectations because we know what we’re capable of. We know we’re going to kick a– and represent our flag, how we do on the daily with our individual careers.” 

Blessd is currently making the rounds with his Ovy on the Drums-produced single “Mirame” and joint EP with Maluma, 1 OF 1. Castro is promoting his debut studio album, El Cantante del Ghetto, and “El Ritmo Que Nos Une,” which has become Colombia’s official anthem during the 2024 Copa America.

Pre-sale tickets for the ¡Ay Bendito Ghetto! Tour go on sale at 10 a.m. local time on July 10 with thecode BENDITOGHETTO. General tickets go on sale Friday, July 12. Ticketing information is here; see the full list of concert dates below

Oct. 31 – San Jose, Calif. @ San Jose Civic
Nov. 2 – San Diego, Calif. @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Nov 3. – Los Angeles @ Peacock Theater
Nov. 7 – Boston @ Wang Theatre
Nov. 8 – Reading, Penn. @ Santander Arena
Nov. 9 – Rosemont, Ill. @ Rosemont Theatre
Nov. 10 – Houston @ 713 Music Hall
Nov. 15 – Irving, Texas @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Nov. 17 – San Antonio, Texas @ Boeing Center
Nov. 20 – Newark, N.J. @ Prudential Center
Nov. 21 – Wallingford, Conn. @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Nov. 22 – Washington, D.C. @ EagleBank Arena
Nov. 29 – Hollywood, Fla @ Hard Rock Live
Nov. 30 – Orlando, Fla @ Hard Rock Live
Dec. 1 – Atlanta @ Gas South Arena

The “Ay Bendito Ghetto” tour is brought to the U.S. by Globalatino Music Partners/Cigol Music/Dímelo Jara Company in representation of Blessd and AWOO Corp/WK Records/BC Management in representation of Ryan Castro.

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Ye & Ty Dolla $ign Are Bringing the ‘Vultures’ Listening Experience to Korea

Oh my God they’re back again. Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — and Ty Dolla $ign are headed to Korea for a Vultures listening experience later this summer.

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Amid the speculation of the Korea show, Ty made it official on Saturday (July 6) with a post to Instagram announcing the listening party slated for Aug. 23.

“Vultures listening experience Korea 08 23 24,” the flyer reads. No information regarding tickets or which venue will be hosting the event has been announced yet.

There seemed to be a mixed reaction in Dolla $ign’s comments section, as some fans are frustrated that Vultures 2 hasn’t landed yet.

“Atp, I really forgot there would be two other albums,” one person wrote, while another said, “Drop the album bro now what you wating for?!”

Vultures 2 was originally slated to arrive on May 3, but that date came and went without any specific update from Ye or Ty.

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However, in the “Or Nah” singer’s June Billboard cover story, Ty Dolla $ign confirmed that the album is essentially done and they’re mapping out a rollout for the sequel. “We got all the songs. Basically, it’s just like, ‘How can we get it there? How can we go bigger than the first album?’” he said. “Certain people will probably expect you to just do the same exact sound. But that sound’s already out.”

There were plans for a Vultures listening experience tour in the spring across the U.S., which also appeared to be scrapped as the dates vanished from Ye’s Ticketmaster page.

Vultures 1 arrived on Feb. 10 and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 148,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 15, according to Luminate. Ye and Ty also earned a Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “Carnival” featuring Rich The Kid and Playboi Carti. It was Ye’s first since guesting on Katy Perry’s “E.T.” in 2011 and Ty’s second following an appearance on Post Malone’s “Psycho” in 2018.

See Ty Dolla $ign post about the Korea listening experience below.

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Garth Brooks, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift & More Artists With Most Weeks at No. 1 on Top Country Albums Chart: Full List

Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time logs its 55th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated July 13), which ups Wallen’s career tally of weeks at No. 1 to 154 – a total topped by only one artist in the chart’s more than 60-year history. You can probably guess who it is, but we’re going to make you scroll through the list to find out for sure.

Wallen’s achievement is especially impressive because he has amassed this hefty total of weeks at No. 1 in such a short amount of time. He first topped the chart on Aug. 15, 2020.

Top Country Albums originated as Hot Country Albums in the Jan. 11, 1964 issue of Billboard. Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire (The Best of Johnny Cash) headed the inaugural chart. The compilation was well-timed: “Ring of Fire” had headed Hot Country Songs for seven weeks the previous summer and had crossed over to reach the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The chart was named Hot Country LP’s from 1968 to 1984, when vinyl LPs were king.

Twenty-one artists have logged 50 or more weeks at No. 1 on Top Country Albums. Male solo artists dominate, as you might expect, though three female solo artists have achieved the feat, as have two groups. (One of those groups is an all-female group.) Only one Black artist has amassed 50 or more weeks at No. 1, though that may change as country becomes more inclusive.

Here’s a look at all artists who have topped Top Country Albums for 50 or more weeks.

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Queen, Taylor Swift, Michael Bublé and the Albums With the Most Weeks at No. 1 on Top Catalog Albums

Taylor Swift’s Lover logs its 51st week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Catalog Albums chart this week (dated July 13), extending its record for the longest run by a female solo artist in the chart’s history. Lover eclipsed Adele’s debut album, 19, in May.

Lover didn’t get all that much love (at least by Swift’s sky-high standards) when it was released. The album spent just one week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was passed over for a Grammy nod for album of the year (though it did receive a Grammy nod for best pop vocal album). But the belated success of “Cruel Summer,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks starting in October 2023, more than four years after the album’s release, has revived the album. The phenomenal success of the Eras Tour has also kept it high on the charts.

The Catalog Albums chart ranks the week’s most popular catalog albums in the U.S. Catalog albums are titles that are older than 18 months old and have fallen below No. 100 on the Billboard 200 — or holiday albums in their second holiday season. The chart was introduced in Billboard in the issue dated May 25, 1991.

For the first 18 years of Top Catalog Albums, catalog albums weren’t eligible to appear on the Billboard 200. That changed with the Dec. 5, 2009-dated chart, when catalog restrictions were lifted, turning the Billboard 200 into an all-inclusive list of the best-selling albums in the country, regardless of their age. (The adjustment came after Michael Jackson’s death in June 2009, which triggered a sales explosion for his catalog titles. Jackson’s catalog compilation Number Ones was the best-selling album in six of the first seven weeks following his death, yet was ineligible for Billboard’s flagship chart – marking the first time a catalog album had outsold the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.) Starting with the issue dated Dec. 13, 2014, Billboard shifted from pure sales to a multi-factor consumption formula that also includes on-demand streaming and digital track sales.

We’re going to count down the 17 albums with the longest runs at No. 1 on Catalog Albums from 1991 to the present. It’s an eclectic list, to say the least. It includes two Christmas albums, a film soundtrack and a remarkably wide range of music, including pop, traditional pop, rock, hard rock, R&B, rap, country and reggae.

Eight of the albums on the list were released prior to the 1991 inception of the chart. Impressively, they made the list even though activity prior to the chart’s inception doesn’t count.

Here are the albums with the longest runs at No. 1 on Catalog Albums from 1991 to the present. Each entry includes the album’s release date, the date the album first reached No. 1 on Catalog Albums and the album’s peak position on the Billboard 200.

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5 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Morgan Wallen, Thomas Rhett, Avery Anna & More

This week’s crop of new music includes the latest from country music powerhouse Morgan Wallen, while Thomas Rhett delves into ’90s country influences on his contribution to the Twisters movie soundtrack. This week’s new country releases also include music from Avery Anna, Chase Matthew and Vincent Mason.

Morgan Wallen, “Lies Lies Lies”

The Sneedville, Tennessee native has swiftly become one of country music’s dominant forces — and with his recent Hyde Park show in London and an upcoming slate of U.K. shows, Wallen is displaying his prominence as a key figure in heightening country music’s global reach. He’s been a consistent hitmaker, lobbing one popular track after another at Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and earning two pinnacle-reaching Hot 100 hits (including the 16-week No. 1 “Last Night”). While many of those hits have been sleek, uptempo productions, Wallen takes a slight respite with this moody, heartbreak-riddled ballad, having previously recorded a live version of the song for his Abbey Road Sessions project. “Lies Lies Lies” finds Wallen in the throes of an unsuccessful attempt to convince himself that he is now fully removed from an ex-lover, only to collide with deep-seated, undeniable reality on the key line, “I’m still a fool for you.” Written by Jessie Jo Dillon, Josh Miller, Daniel Ross and Chris Tompkins, this angst-fueled ballad offers a vessel for the soulful nuances in Wallen’s Tennessee twang.

Thomas Rhett, “Feelin’ Country”

This rollicking track — which marks Thomas Rhett’s contribution to the soundtrack Twisters: The Album — details the early hours of an evening that seems guaranteed to bring both partying and romance, with a few essential elements including a local beer joint, some classic ‘90s George Strait filling the air and a lover with, as Rhett sings, “a neon green dance-with-me look in her eyes.” While much of this singer-songwriter’s catalog of 20 No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits has been woven upon a bedrock of glaze-smooth, pop-leaning constructions, here he reminds listeners that he can handle a hefty slice of ‘90s country with aplomb.

Avery Anna, “Girl Next Door”

Singer-songwriter Anna turns in one of her strongest tracks yet with this intricate sketch of a young girl who offers friendship to another 13-year-old who moves into the neighborhood, while also providing refuge as her friend navigates a strenuous family situation. She recalls the contrasting lives the two girls, with keen observations such as, “I was playing in the sun/ While you were taking care of everyone.” The fact that the composition was written by Anna alone makes the song, and her honeyed-yet-disquieted vocal rendering, all the more potent. Anna’s debut album, Breakup Over Breakfast, will be released July 19 on Warner Music Nashville, and seems aimed to heightening Anna’s promise as a towering, soul-baring tunesmith.

Vincent Mason, “Heart Like This”

Interscope/UMG Nashville/Music Soup artist Mason earned a viral hit earlier this year with the tune “Hell is a Dance Floor” and subsequently released his EP Can’t Just Be Me. On his latest, he lends his gritty, flame-warm voice to a song detailing the emergence from heartbreak’s emotional wreckage and the subsequent ache-numbing attempts, only to ponder the way forward for someone whose heart has been battered. Mason wrote this stripped-back track with Cary Barlowe and Jaxson Free, and lyrically, “Heart Like This” is at once poetic and direct in its assertion. Yet Mason and co. infuse it with a melody that hews slightly closer along the lines of modern country than some of his previous efforts, making for release both heartfelt and contemporary.

Chase Matthew, Always Be Mine (EP)

Across the span of five tracks on his newly released EP, the “Love You Again” singer makes a succinct yet vigorous bid to further build upon his hitmaking status. The EP offers up the heartbreak and hip-hop fusion of “Always Be Mine,” as well as the rock-dripped reminiscing of “First.”  But chief among them is the closer “How You Been (Letter to the County Line Girl),” a soulful track that dials up the angst with a story arc of a chance encounter with a former flame. Overall, the set highlights his unique sifting of country, rock and soul elements and his ability to fuse them with his muscular vocal.

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Paramount Agrees to Merger With Skydance, Ending Redstone Family’s Reign

The entertainment giant Paramount will merge with Skydance, closing out a decades long run by the Redstone family in Hollywood and injecting desperately needed cash into a legacy studio that has struggled to adapt to a shifting entertainment landscape.

It also signals rise of a new power player, David Ellison, the founder of Skydance and son of billionaire Larry Ellison, the founder of the software company Oracle.

Shari Redstone’s National Amusements has owned more than three-quarters of Paramount’s Class A voting shares though the estate of her late father, Sumner Redstone. She had battled to maintain control of the company that owns CBS, which is behind blockbuster films such as “Top Gun” and “The Godfather.”

Just weeks after turning down a similar agreement with Skydance, however, Redstone agreed to a deal on terms that had not changed much.

“Given the changes in the industry, we want to fortify Paramount for the future while ensuring that content remains king,” said Redstone, who is chair of Paramount Global.

The new combined company is valued at around $28 billion.

Skydance, based in Santa Monica, California, has helped produce some major Paramount hits in recent years, including Tom Cruise films like “Top Gun: Maverick” and installments of the “Mission Impossible” series.

Skydance was founded in 2010 by David Ellison and it quickly formed a production partnership with Paramount that same year. Ellison, if the deal is approved by U.S. regulators, will become chairman and chief executive officer of what’s being called New Paramount.

The on-again, off-again merger arrives at tumultuous time for Paramount, which in an annual shareholder meeting in early June laid out a restructuring plan that includes major cost cuts.

Leadership at Paramount has been volatile this year after its CEO Bob Bakish, following a number of disputes with Redstone, was replaced with an “office of the C.E.O,” run by three executives. Four company directors were also replaced.

Paramount, however, has struggled to find its footing for years and its cable business has been hemorrhaging. To capture today’s growing streaming audience, the company launched Paramount+ back in 2021, but losses and debts have continued to grow.

Sumner Redstone used National Amusements, his family’s movie theater chain, to build a vast media empire that included CBS and Viacom, which have merged and separated a number of times over the years. Most recently, the companies re-joined forces in 2019, undoing the split consummated in 2006. The company, ViacomCBS, changed its name to Paramount Global in 2022.

Under Sumner Redstone’s leadership, Viacom became one of the nation’s media titans, home to pay TV channels MTV and Comedy Central and movie studio Paramount Pictures.

It is a company with a rich history, as well as a deep bank of media assets, ankd Skydance wasn’t the only one to gun for Paramount in recent months — Apollo Global Management and Sony Pictures also made competing offers.

Late last year, Warner Bros. Discovery also made headlines for exploring a potential merger with Paramount. But by February, Warner had reportedly halted those talks.

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Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani & More Set for 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival

UPDATE (July 8): Dua Lipa and Halsey are joining the lineup for the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival, taking place on Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  Both artists reached the top five on the Billboard 200 with their most recent studio albums. Lipa’s Radical Optimism hit No. 2 in May. Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power reached No. 5 three years ago.

The iHeartRadio Music Festival live video stream on Hulu will be executive produced by John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Bart Peters from iHeartMedia along with Michael D. Ratner, Scott Ratner, Kfir Goldberg, Simone Spira, and Glenn Stickley from OBB LiVE, the live event and specials division of OBB Media.

Additional information about the livestream will be posted across Hulu’s platform and social media channels.

iHeart adds this disclaimer: “Artists and/or event are subject to change or cancellation without notice.”

PREVIOUSLY (June 4): The iHeartRadio Music Festival is returning to heat up Las Vegas on September 20 and 21, and iHeartMedia revealed the star-studded lineup on Tuesday (June 4).

The Ryan Seacrest-hosted event, which is presented by Capital One and will take place at T-Mobile Arena, is set to feature performances by Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Hozier, Keith Urban, New Kids on the Block, Paramore, Shaboozey, The Black Crowes, Thomas Rhett, Victoria Monét and more. 

For those who won’t be able to attend the fun in person, both nights of the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival will be broadcast live via iHeartMedia radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, Hulu is this year’s official streaming destination for the festival, and performances will be streamed live each night exclusively to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost.

“The iHeartRadio Music Festival is the one time each year when the best-in-class superstar artists from all genres of music come together to share one stage for a weekend of live music,” said Tom Poleman, chief programming officer and John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises of iHeartMedia in a press statement. “And with Hulu as the Official Streaming Destination, the festival will reach even more fans across the country.”

Capital One cardholders will have priority access to presale tickets for the iHeartRadio Music Festival starting on June 12 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET through June 14 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET or while presale tickets last. Tickets go on sale to the general public on AXS.com beginning June 14 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET.

For more details about the iHeartRadio Music Festival visit iHeartRadio.com/festival.

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ODESZA Show at Gorge Ends Early Due to Pyrotechnics-Sparked Brush Fire

A small brush fire near the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA on Saturday (July 6) near the end of a show by ODESZA was sparked by on-stage pyrotechnics. Fox News 13 in Seattle reported that the Grant County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the blaze broke out in a small area near the venue during the last song by the electronic duo from nearby Bellingham comprised of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight.

The incident came during the final gig in a three-show run at the picturesque venue on ODESZA’s three-year The Last Goodbye tour, which has hit 54 shows at 48 venues across North America. The fire was quickly extinguished and the show was cancelled, with fans asked to leave the venue.

In a statement, the venue said, “During the last song of ODESZA’s set at the Gorge, a brush fire broke out not far from the stage. The fire was contained and fortunately was quickly extinguished. Out of an abundance of caution and safety, the show ended without an encore. We truly appreciate everyone coming tonight and celebrating the end of the tour.”

Prior to the show, the venue issued a high heat warning and the state Department of Natural Resources’ said the fire danger in the region was “very high, according to the Seattle Times. At press time it did not appear as if the group had addressed the fire on their socials and a spokesperson for the group had not returned requests for comment. The duo’s Last Goodbye tour grossed $35.8 million and sold 601,000 tickets in 2022 and 2023 according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

The show at the iconic venue 150 miles southeast of the pair’s hometown was slated to draw more than 66,000 fans over three nights.

See the statement and fan footage of the fire below.

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Imagine Dragons Score Highest New Entry on U.K. Albums Chart with ‘LOOM’

Imagine Dragons have stormed the Official U.K. Albums Chart with their latest release, securing the highest new entry of the week. The Nevada rockers’ sixth top 10 album in the U.K., LOOM debuts at No. 5.

The latest release continues their streak of chart success, joining the ranks of 2013’s Night Visions (No. 3), 2015’s Smoke & Mirrors (No. 1), 2017’s Evolve (No. 3), 2018’s Origins (No. 9), and 2021’s Mercury – Acts 1 & 2 (No. 7).

However, it’s Taylor Swift who reigns supreme once again, with The Tortured Poets Department enjoying an eighth non-consecutive week at No. 1.

This week, the Official U.K. Charts named The Tortured Poets Department the biggest album of 2024 so far, having already accumulated over 542,000 chart units since its release in April.

Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT climbs one spot to No. 2. The Oscar winner’s third studio album has earned high praise from fans and critics its place as one of the year’s standout releases.

The album’s success follows her previous chart-toppers, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Happier Than Ever, which both reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart. The impressive feat makes the “Lunch” singer one of the few artists to have their first three albums debut in the top two positions.

Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 4, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Camila Cabello makes a bold statement with her new album C,XOXO, which debuts at No. 20. The album marks her fourth Top 20 entry, following Camila (No. 2), Romance (No. 14), and Familia (No. 9). Her debut solo single “Havana” topped the U.K. Singles Chart in 2017, marking her first solo No. 1 in the U.K.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER surges back into the U.K. top 40, leaping 59 places to No. 40 following its vinyl release. Back in April, Beyoncé made history after she became the first Black artist to take a country album to No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart.

The milestone also marked her first No. 1 on the UK’s Official Country Albums Chart.

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