K-POP artists, led by Stray Kids, excel in global tours, breaking records and achieving top Billboard rankings in 2025.

For K-POP artists who have continuously occupied large-scale concert venues around the world, even stadiums are now too small. On December 9 (local time), Billboard in the U.S. announced the TOP TOURS 2025 chart. This ranking is based on the sales of artists who conducted world tours from October 1 of last year to September 30 of this year. According to this, Coldplay ranked first, Beyoncé second, Kendrick Lamar & SZA third, The Weeknd fourth, and Shakira fifth. The highest-ranking K-POP team was Stray Kids at 10th place. Following them were SEVENTEEN at 17th, BTS's J-HOPE at 32nd, and ENHYPEN at 37th. Stray Kids, who debuted in March 2018, has become a global artist representing K-POP at an unparalleled level. From March 2022, with 'ODDINARY' to the release of SKZ IT TAPE 'DO IT' on November 21, they recorded eight consecutive works that topped the U.S. Billboard main album chart 'Billboard 200'. This is an unprecedented record, the first of its kind in the history of the Billboard album chart, which began in 1956. With this, Stray Kids became the third group in the world to hold the most 'Billboard 200' number one works, following The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Not only that, but their first album of 2025, 'KARMA', surpassed 3 million copies in initial sales (sales in the first week after release), achieving the number one spot for K-POP album initial sales this year and winning the grand prize at the '2025 MAMA AWARDS'. Above all, it was a year of shining achievements as a stadium artist. Stray Kids conducted their largest world tour 'dominATE' across 35 regions (56 times), occupying stadiums worldwide. Of the total 31 performances counted on the Billboard chart, 29 were held in Latin America, North America, and Europe at super-large stadiums representing each region. They performed at 11 stadium venues for the first time as a K-POP artist. At the Stade de France in Paris, they achieved a new record for the largest scale and most audience in K-POP history. According to the Billboard Top Tours 2025 chart, HYBE artists, including J-HOPE, SEVENTEEN, and ENHYPEN, along with BTS's Jin, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, LE SSERAFIM, BOYNEXTDOOR, and &TEAM, attracted about 3.3 million spectators through a total of 213 performances during the counting period. Due to such achievements, HYBE recorded a total tour revenue of $469.2 million (approximately 73.4 billion yen) and ranked 4th in the Top Promoters category of Billboard's 2025 Boxscore annual report, rising five places from the previous year. Among them, SEVENTEEN from Pledis Entertainment, BTS's J-HOPE from BIG HIT MUSIC, and ENHYPEN from BELIFT LAB ranked 17th, 32nd, and 37th respectively on the 'Billboard Top Tours 2025' chart, proving remarkable global growth. SEVENTEEN successfully conducted a large-scale world tour, including stadium performances in North America, meeting approximately 964,000 spectators. Their tour revenue reached $142.4 million (approximately 22.3 billion yen). Their ongoing tour 'SEVENTEEN WORLD TOUR [NEW_]' is being held across 14 cities with a total of 29 performances. Notably, SEVENTEEN held all performances in four Asian cities at large stadiums. As part of this, they are set to return to the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on February 28 and March 1 next year. Prior to this, SEVENTEEN held a solo concert at the same venue on September 27 and 28, attracting about 72,600 spectators, including restricted view seats. J-HOPE achieved the remarkable feat of being the only K-POP artist to be listed on the 'Billboard Top Tours 2025' chart as a solo singer. This is because J-HOPE held a total of 21 performances in 10 Asian cities as part of his first solo world tour 'HOPE ON THE STAGE', all of which sold out. The number of attendees in Asia alone reached about 342,000. He also became the first Korean solo singer to hold a solo concert at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, USA. The total audience for J-HOPE's tour, which took place successfully in major cities around the world, exceeded 500,000. The tour revenue was recorded at approximately $80 million (about 12.5 billion yen). Meanwhile, ENHYPEN, who made their debut at the largest music festival in the U.S., Coachella Festival, in April this year, achieved their third double million seller with their 6th mini-album. Furthermore, they received the grand prize at the '2025 MAMA AWARDS' for the first time since their debut. ENHYPEN ranked 37th on the 'Billboard Top Tours 2025', making it into the top four K-POP artists. They concluded their world tour 'WALK THE LINE' at KSPO DOME (Olympic Gymnastics Arena) in October, meeting approximately 676,000 ENGENE (ENHYPEN's fans) across 32 performances in 19 cities, successfully completing their largest tour to date. This summer, they dominated stadiums in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, solidifying their status as a global top tour artist in their fifth year since debut, and expectations are high for their comeback on January 16 next year. BLACKPINK, who reunited after successful global individual activities, is currently conducting their world tour 'DEADLINE', which includes 33 performances across 16 cities, starting with the first-ever concert at Goyang Stadium for a K-POP girl group in July this year. After completing their North America and Europe performances, they are now meeting fans in Asia. A full group comeback is also confirmed for the first half of next year. Notably, BLACKPINK achieved the feat of performing at the Singapore National Stadium during this tour, being the only K-POP artist to hold two solo concerts at the venue, proving their overwhelming global popularity. In January next year, they will dominate the Tokyo Dome in Japan for three days, marking their third performance following 2019 and 2023. TWICE, celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, became the first K-POP girl group to rank in the 'Billboard 200' ten times, and along with the popularity of Netflix's 'K-POP Girls! Demon Hunters', they achieved a long-lasting global hit with the title track 'Strategy' from their 14th mini-album, while also reaching a career high in the concert field, raising expectations for their future endeavors. TWICE is currently holding their largest tour 'THIS IS FOR', which spans 43 regions and 78 performances, starting with the Inspire Arena concert in July. On December 6 and 7, they became the first K-POP girl group to perform at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, successfully concluding their performance with about 90,000 spectators on a 360-degree stage. Next year, they plan to hold 35 performances across 20 regions in North America, three performances each in Taipei and Tokyo, and 11 performances across eight regions in Europe. Additionally, on April 25, 26, and 28, they will be the first overseas artists to perform at the Tokyo National Stadium, marking a new chapter in concert history.