It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed and delivered to fans. Scandals and non-musical factors can certainly impact an agency’s grade, but the biggest criteria will always be the music itself. Following SM Entertainment‘s analysis, it’s time to dive into HYBE Corporation.
As usual, the thoughts below are my own and aren’t privy to any insider information. There will be plenty of subjective critique.
The Good
It’s become fashionable to claim that HYBE is “ruining K-pop,” and I must admit I’ve had my criticisms of the agency in the past. But I’d argue that, more and more, they’re responsible for much of the year’s best music – especially among the “big four” agencies. Part of this is due to sheer quantity. They have so many artists and sub-labels under their umbrella, almost guaranteeing there will be something for everyone. But amidst some of HYBE’s artistic struggles (more on that later), their suite of 2025 songs is diverse and often quite strong.
Funny enough, the agency that started it all (Big Hit) ended up producing my least favorite music of the bunch. But even if songs weren’t to my taste, there’s no denying the success of BTS’s solos, TXT’s comebacks and the buzzy debut of new group CORTIS.
Next we’ve got Pledis Entertainment, which was actually the most profitable division of HYBE this year. I’m sure that’s mostly due to Seventeen, who released both full group and sub-unit material and (of course) toured extensively. But for me, TWS continue to lead the charge with so much of my favorite music of 2025 (and a successful Japanese debut, to boot!).
Belift Lab continued to bear fruit, with incredible sales for ENHYPEN. They’re firmly at the A-level now when it comes to popularity. After a successful debut year in 2024, ILLIT’s music really clicked with me this year. Both their Korean and Japanese work was strong and I feel like they’re starting to lean into more interesting sounds.
Next up we’ve got KOZ Entertainment, home to Zico and BOYNEXTDOOR. The former mostly worked behind the scenes while the latter enjoyed an extremely successful year. Not only did they release one of the year’s biggest chart hits back in January but they also became million-sellers. That’s hugely impressive.
Finally, Source Music’s LE SSERAFIM continue to chug along. I found their 2025 work to be a step up from last year, and new single Spaghetti is looking like a bonafide chart hit.
Moving into international markets, HYBE’s global projects also saw huge success. Katseye continue to be a very buzzy act worldwide and just scored a Grammy nomination for best new artist. Meanwhile, Japanese act &TEAM became million sellers in both Japan and Korea, kicking off what’s sure to be a mega-successful run for them. New group aoen is set to follow in their footsteps, debuting this year.
Apart from the musical side of things, HYBE’s idols just seem to be everywhere. Variety, advertisements, MC positions… You can’t turn your head in any direction without seeing at least one of them. Detractors will likely point to the agency’s vast resources giving them the ability to buy most of these positions, and that’s probably true. However, I’ve found the idols themselves to be some of the most engaging personalities of this K-pop generation and I’m certainly not tired of seeing them.
The Bad
While I’ve loved plenty of songs from HYBE this year, they are the agency most responsible for the “short running length” trend in K-pop. I’ve become so tired of fantastic music neutered of its potential because it’s not given the space needed to fully develop. I’ve personally had to cobble together “extended versions” of some of my favorite HYBE songs this year just to make them more satisfying. I should not need to be doing the producers’ work for them. HYBE is releasing good music and I need them to have confidence in that and let their songs breathe. Two minutes is just not enough.
Some of the musically weaker acts this year were especially vulnerable to this trend. I don’t think Big Hit knows what to do with TXT’s music. Their discography has seen a precipitous drop in quality over the past few years, and unfortunately that extended to member Yeonjun’s solo debut this month. Similarly, CORTIS’s meme-friendly sound has not been for me. I understand that many love it and it connects with a certain demographic, but I’m disheartened by the fact that they’re the first of the agency’s groups I can’t really get behind – at least so far.
With members of Seventeen heading into the military, that’s a big loss for HYBE’s roster. Fortunately, BTS are set to make their return next year so that will likely mitigate things. However, the agency has been in a weird spot for most of this year, absent some of their heaviest hitters.
Then, of course, there’s the missed potential of NewJeans. I’ve given up on following the travails of their court cases. For now, it seems that they’re out of the picture and no other HYBE group has yet to fully recapture that buzzy international appeal.
Finally, the jury’s out on HYBE’s first push into the Latin market with upcoming boy group Santos Bravos. It’s hard for me to judge the buzz around these guys since it’s a market I don’t follow closely, but my guess is it’s going to be a slow burn success like Katseye – at least if HYBE is lucky.
What I’d like to see in 2026:
- Longer and more developed songs! Please, I beg you!!
- Many comebacks from my favorite HYBE artists (TWS, &TEAM, BND). We need full albums!
- More global touring
- More full-agency content (Game Caterers, HYBE family tour, etc)
- A musically successful return for BTS that recaptures the spark I first fell in love with
- A musical reason for me to show interest in new group CORTIS
Previous years: 2024 // 2023 // 2022 // 2021 // 2020 // 2019 // 2018 // 2017
