A Roundup Of 7 Of The Best K-Pop Debuts Of 2023

Dec 14, 2023

2023 was a big year for K-pop, both in terms of rookies and veteran groups. It’s been a busy year! Here is a quick recap of some of the best debuts from this year—these are the groups that you’ll want to keep your eye on coming into the next year. They may be new, but they’re definitely leaving their mark on the K-pop scene!

In no particular order.

BOYNEXTDOOR

A six-member boy group that debuted in May, BOYNEXTDOOR was breaking records only one week after they released their first mini album! The casual and refreshing vibe of their music was perfectly suited for a summertime debut, and they’ve been putting on fantastic performances ever since. This is definitely a group to keep tabs on as they keep on putting out releases!

KISS OF LIFE

A four-member girl group that debuted in July, KISS OF LIFE includes long-awaited survival show veteran Natty, who previously debuted as a soloist. The group’s first mini album, which includes a lot of composition and lyric credits from the members themselves, also includes a solo song from each member so that they can show off their individual charms. It’s always great to hear the members’ personal stories through their music!

xikers

Debuting in March of this year, xikers is a 10-member boy group. They’re the younger brother group of ATEEZ, which was enough to have the spotlight on them in the first place, but they easily proved that they’ve earned their spot among the top rookies! They’ve even started their first world tour less than a year into their career, which just shows how strong their star power is.

Loossemble

Composed of five former members of girl group LOONA, Loossemble has offered the members a fresh start both musically and professionally with their debut in September. They’ve been so successful that they went on a world tour starting earlier this year, and there’s no doubt that fans of LOONA have been thrilled to see the members back on the music scene. If you love fresh and fun music, Loossemble is perfect for you!

ZEROBASEONE

One of the most heavily-anticipated debuts of this year, ZEROBASEONE is the product of survival show “Boys Planet,” which garnered a huge fanbase. In fact, the debut was so well-received that the group set their own record by selling over 1 million copies of their album on the first day! If that’s not proof that all nine members of ZEROBASEONE are monster rookies, then nothing else is.

BABYMONSTER

Another incredibly anticipated debut, BABYMONSTER is a six-member group from YG Entertainment. They’re the first girl group to follow BLACKPINK, so there was a lot of excitement when the group finally made their debut in November. The music video for their title track “BATTER UP” even broke the record for fastest debut music video to hit 50 million views—which just goes to show that no matter how new they are, they’re playing in the big leagues!

RIIZE

Including two former members of NCT, fans were excited when RIIZE debuted with seven members in September of this year. Even with no prior exposure such as a survival show, RIIZE managed to sell 1 million copies of their single album in the first week—the first K-pop group ever to do so! The members are super active on social media, so even when they’re not promoting you can always check in with RIIZE.