Best K-pop artist of 2021 as voted by entertainment companies: BTS is once again the pick of most industry insiders!

Around this time of the year, famous news sites in Korea often bring together industry professionals and organize polls to find out the most prominent names in the entertainment industry. Recently on December 20, News1 announced the results of different polls. News1‘s polls gather a total of 31 industry experts and representatives from entertainment companies including DSP Media, RBW, JYP, Jellyfish, FNC, SM, MBK, Yuehua, KQ, Woollim, IST, WM, BBC, Starship, HYBE, YG, Pledis, Cube, TOP Media, Brave, Blockberry Abyss, etc.

Some specific participants in the vote include Director Kim Sang Ho (JYP Entertainment), Director Kim Jiwon (SM Entertainment), Director Cho Woo Young (YG Entertainment), Head of Department Jeong Jinho (HYBE), Director Choi Sunjin (Pledis Entertainment), Director Kim Yongsup (FNC Entertainment), etc.

Among the categories that were open to vote, the one that garners the most attention is ‘Best K-Pop Artist of 2021’. The voting results are as follows. Note that each expert/representative can vote for multiple artists.

4th place: SEVENTEEN, aespa, Stray Kids, MONSTA X, BE’O (1 vote)

3rd place: NCT 127, Lim Youngwoong, BLACKPINK (2 votes)

2nd place: IU (3 votes)

“Nation’s little sister” IU comes in 2nd place with 3 votes. The representatives who voted for IU commented, ‘She is an artist with outstanding performances, who always outperforms expectations with new concepts’, ‘IU is a female soloist with unmatched power in Korea that doesn’t need further explanation’ and ‘I highly appreciate IU.’

1st place: BTS (25 votes)

This is the 4th year in a row that BTS ranks first in News1‘s industry survey of ‘Best Artist of the Year‘. 25 out of 39 experts and entertainment company representatives cast their votes for BTS, proving that most people in the industry acknowledge BTS’s achievements in 2021, from No.1 on Billboard Hot 100, AMA wins to Grammy nominations.

An industry official praised BTS: ‘It doesn’t require many words, their global achievements speak for themselves.’ Another expert shared: ‘Even during the pandemic, BTS has become a role model for young singers by strengthening their position as a global artist in addition to being a K-pop act.’ Another professional commented: ‘Every time BTS releases a new song, they set new records and prove their influence.’ Representatives of different entertainment companies all agree that BTS is ‘the best artist without further explanation‘.

Congratulations to all the Kpop artists who entered this list! Hopefully 2022 will be an even more successful year for their careers.