Top 5 K-pop soloists in 2021 so far

This year has seen many K-pop idols begin a new path as solo artists or return to their already established solo careers to pursue it further. Many new faces have also entered the industry, ones that are definitely not to be overlooked.

This article dives into some of the best K-pop soloists that have released music in 2021 so far.

Who is the best K-pop soloist?

1) Chung Ha

K-pop soloist Chung Ha (or simply Chungha) released her first full album this February, titled "Querencia." The 21-track album was teased with pre-release singles such as "Stay Tonight," "Dream Of You," featuring R3HAD, and "PLAY" featuring Changmo.

The album peaked at #1 on the Gaon Retail Album Chart. The title track, "Bicycle," peaked at #2 on both the Genie music chart and Bugs music chart. It was also among the top 10 of the US Billboard World Albums chart.

2) Taemin of SHINee

In May, Taemin released his 3rd EP titled "Advice," featuring a title track of the same name. This was the K-pop singer's final release before he began his military enlistment.

The album hit #2 in the South Korea Albums chart on Gaon and peaked at #14 on the Billboard US World Albums chart. "Advice" sold over 120k copies in South Korea. The album features various tracks in different genres, including an R&B track titled "If I Could Tell You," featuring label-mate Taeyeon (of Girl's Generation).

3) HyunA

The P Nation K-pop star made her solo debut over 10 years ago and is still active in the industry to date. Her most recent comeback was on the 28th of January, with her EP "I'm Not Cool," featuring 5 songs.

The 4th track on the album, "Party, Feel, Love," collaborates with HyunA's current boyfriend and ex-Pentagon member Dawn, who is also signed to P Nation. Hyuna's EP peaked at position #17 on the Gaon Weekly albums chart.

4) D.O of EXO

In July of this year, EXO member D.O made his much-awaited solo debut, releasing an 8-track EP titled "Empathy" or 공감. The K-pop idol's album features tracks in Korean, Spanish, and English.

The album hit #1 on the Gaon South Korea Albums chart and number 13 and 14 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums and Oricon Japanese Albums charts, respectively.

5) Sunmi

The K-pop idol released her single album "Tail" in February earlier this year and is all set to drop a full EP on the 6th of August, titled "1/6" or "One-Sixth."

The track "Tail" from Sunmi's single album of the same name hit the K-pop Hot 100 chart for South Korea, at position number 20. It also peaked at 13 on the US World Digital Songs chart on Billboard.