NCT 127 and aespa part of 'Best Albums of 2021' list by The New York Times

South Korean label SM Entertainment is on a roll, as two of its top K-pop bands - NCT 127 and aespa - find a place in The New York Times’ list of the “Best Albums of 2021”.

Near the end of every year, The New York Times releases its The Best of 2021 lists for a variety of categories, including music, cinema, television, theater, and podcast. This time, the only South Korean representation in the Best Album of the Year list were aespa, one of the most exciting new K-pop groups, and NCT 127, a subunit of NCT.

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aespa and NCT 127 may have missed out on Top 20, but they find a place in the Top 40

The Best Albums of 2021 list, curated by eminent music critic Jon Caramanica, was released on December 1. While the K-pop bands did not find a place in the top 20 albums, including Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour and Mustafa’s When Smoke Rises, Caramanica added “20 more albums for a more well-rounded year.”

Consisting of 20 runners up to the Best Albums of 2021 title, the list includes, among other iconic albums like Dave’s We’re All Alone in This Together, Drake's Certified Lover Boy, and Halsey's If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.

aespa’s first mini-album, Savage, and NCT 127's latest album, which took the world by storm, Sticker, also found a place on the list. The list is dominated by mainly English-language musicians, hence, the two South Korean acts have left an indelible mark.

The four-member band aespa, which debuted only in 2020, has already had an impact in the world of entertainment, not only limited to South Korea. The aespa’s newest album, Savage, sold over 513,292 copies within 15 days of its release.

The girl group also recently won two Daesangs, first at the Asia Artist Awards for Stage of the Year and the other at the Melon Music Awards for Record of the Year. aespa was also part of the eagerly awaited Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in America, which NCT 127 has also been a part of in the past.

Fans of aespa, also known as MY, are ecstatic at their favorite band’s victory. Several also proclaimed Savage’s inclusion in the list, over other more popular projects, as vindication against all the aespa naysayers.

NCT 127, on the other hand, is a relatively more experienced group, having debuted in 2016. The band’s latest album, Sticker, which was released back in September, broke several records, becoming the highest pre-ordered K-pop album in one day.

Sticker also happens to be NCT 127’s highest-ranking album on the Billboard 200 chart at number three, and the highest-ranking K-pop album on the chart in 2021. NCT 127 is all set to kick off their long-awaited world tour with a concert in Seoul titled “NCT 127 2nd Tour ‘Neo City: Seoul – The Link'”.

The inclusion of NCT 127 and aespa over other more popular K-pop figures may have taken several by surprise, but it is also a testament to the range and innumerable talent that K-pop has on offer, which the world is slowly starting to realize.