5 best-selling JYP albums of 2021: Stray Kids’ NOEASY, TWICE’s Taste of Love, and more

The year 2021 has been extremely fruitful for the K-pop industry and more so for JYP Entertainment artists. Stray Kids, TWICE, ITZY and DAY6 have helped JYP Entertainment sell 5.96 million albums in 2021 alone, ranking the third biggest album sales company.

Each JYP artist released multiple albums throughout 2021, making their foothold as prominent K-pop artists stronger.

Stray Kids, TWICE and ITZY make up the top 5 best-selling JYP albums in 2021

Hundreds of K-pop albums were released in 2021, but the Big 4 agencies - BIGHIT MUSIC, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment - remained among the top 5 best-selling agencies. Needless to say, groups under JYPE did incredibly well. JYPE is home to some prominent K-pop boy and girl groups.

5) ITZY’s Guess Who? - 331.7k sales

The fourth EP from JYPE’s fourth-generation K-pop girl group ITZY, Guess Who, was released in March with the addictive lead single, In the Morning. The music video currently has 188 million views and has become a viral trend in no time. The choreography incorporated some seductive moves.

Additionally, stylists gave tight-fighting, full-leather outfits to the members that led to fans criticizing the company for overs*xualizing the members, especially the then-19-year-old maknae, Yuna.

4) TWICE’s Taste of Love - 557.4k sales

TWICE made a comeback with another banger in 2021. With the title track Alcohol-Free created by JYP, a whole new tropical, summer vibe for the girl group worked wonders. The album topped Billboard World Albums and Top Album Sales charts soon after release.

3) ITZY’s Crazy in Love - 487.6k sales

ITZY made another peppy comeback the same year with its first studio album Crazy in Love. The album earned the group its second Billboard ranking and was a commercial success.

The album’s title track LOCO was praised for its catchiness but criticized for not being on par with previous hits such as Wannabe, In the Morning, etc., that majorly talked about self-confidence and empowerment.

2) TWICE's Formula of Love: O + T = <3 - 632.5k sales

TWICE made another incredibly successful comeback with Formula of Love and a new 'scientist' concept. The girl group was already on the rise with the success of their previous album and their newly released English song, The Feels.

Though the album didn’t perform well on the South Korean charts, it was received greatly by international critics. The album ranks No. 7 on South China Morning Post’s ‘25 Best K-pop Albums of 2021’ list.

1) Stray Kids’ NOEASY - 1.29 million

The blockbuster of JYPE, Stray Kids’ first 2021 release, a full album titled NOEASY, has made the group the first and only artist to be deemed a million-seller group with only one album. The album’s title is a wordplay on the many criticisms Stray Kids’ experimental music has been limited to being “noisy.”

With a 14-track full-length album majorly created by in-group producers and songwriters 3Racha, the album’s incredible success is proof that Stray Kids' “noise” is actually loved by many.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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