Bunni Pop's Newsmakers of 2025
From the reign of KPop Demon Hunters, coming out announcements to solo eras, here's what stood out in the year of music
From demon slayers, Grammy nominations to coming out announcements, the year in K-pop was both busy and momentous.
While there have been releases I’ve enjoyed this year, I must admit I found myself paying way more attention to industry trends and the business of K-pop than the music itself.
Still, I couldn’t help but notice K-pop’s presence in mainstream culture in 2025, ushered in by the success of Blackpink’s solo careers and KPop Demon Hunters. But it’s also a good reminder that more complicated issues remain, including long drawn out legal battles between idols and companies.
So without further ado, here are some of the biggest K-pop stories I’ve found myself gravitating towards in 2025.
The reign of KPop Demon Hunters + why it’s a Canadian success story!
Since KPop Demon Hunters released on Netflix in June, it has become the streaming platform’s most successful original film. The movie, which chronicles around a trio of badass K-pop idols who moonlight as demon hunters, was embraced early on by lovers of K-pop and animated films. But three weeks after KPop Demon Hunters dropped on Netflix on June 20, it seemed like everyone and their children could not get enough of the story and its accompanying songs.
The soundtrack for the film spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 in September and October. “Golden”, which has since been shortlisted for Best Original Song for the 98th Academy Awards, has stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for at least 25 weeks. The song is also nominated for Song of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
What’s given KPop Demon Hunters an extra boost here at home is the fact that the film’s creator and co-director Maggie Kang is from Toronto. Trained as an animator at Sheridan College, Kang set out to create a story inspired by her Korean roots. When I spoke to Kang in September, she shared how Toronto helped inspire her storytelling and art. “Toronto is a place that celebrates culture, and it’s just a melting pot of different flavours from around the world.”
But Kang isn’t the only Canadian involved in the film! Ahn Hyo-seop, who voices the role of Jinu, also grew up in Toronto. Jenna Andrews, who co-wrote the songs “Free” and “What it Sounds Like”, is from Calgary.
The film is proof of the power of Asian Canadian storytelling.
LGBTQ+ representation
2025 broke new ground for idols in the K-pop industry and beyond when it comes to coming out announcements. While many strides have been made for queer representation in media, being a member of the LGBTQ+ community is still highly stigmatized in Korean society—let alone many Asian countries.
But back in April, Bain from the group JUSTB stood on stage and made a bold announcement following a performance of Lady Gaga’s queer anthem “Born This Way.” “I’m fucking proud to be part of the LGBTQ community as a gay person!”
Days later, Bain told me he decided to come out with the support of his members and company.
Bain’s coming out followed a similar announcement made by Lara Raj from the global group KATSEYE, who revealed she is queer while chatting with fans on the social media platform Weverse. In May, Raj accepted the Blooming Impact Award by the LA LGBT Center. In June, KATSEYE member Megan also revealed she’s bisexual on Weverse, with Raj by her side.
What’s more, Cocona of the group XG revealed they are transmasculine non-binary on their 20th birthday on December 6. The rapper/singer revealed they received top surgery earlier this year, and found support from their parents, bandmates and XG’s executive producer, Simon Jakops.
The confusion around the Rogers Stadium
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
This is technically a Toronto-specific story. But considering that two of the biggest K-pop tours (Stray Kids and Blackpink) stopped in the city’s newest stadium, I’m putting it on the list!
While temporary venues are not a new concept, the Rogers Stadium certainly did not help ease the confusion of music fans in Toronto. Stray Kids fans, known as STAYs, were the guinea pigs for the Rogers Stadium’s opening day on June 29. People complained about the venue’s lack of accessibility, lack of water, long wait times to get onto the subway and rickety bleachers. Even Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids, shared his confusion and amusement with Rogers Stadium, describing it as “in the middle of nowhere.”
I’ve said it before, but I liken the Rogers Stadium to a music festival experience. It’s not glamourous, but it gets the job done.
If we want more Canadian K-pop tours to stop by, I absolutely see a need for a venue like the Rogers Stadium. Here’s hoping the next few years can convince the city to create a more permanent venue.
KATSEYE ushers in a new era of girl groups
While KATSEYE is a global girl group modelled after the K-pop system, the six-piece act hit the mainstream in a major way in 2025. On April 30, KATSEYE released the shocking hyperpop track “Gnarly.” Reviews for the highly experimental track were mixed, but soon won praise for the KATSEYE members’ high energy performances. In June, KATSEYE showcased their duality by releasing the Latin-inspired “Gabriela”, which sees the members revealing their best flamenco movies during the song’s dance break.
While KATSEYE has managed to pull out viral hits in 2025, I would argue their popularity stems from the girls’ relatability and honesty (as mentioned above, Lara and Megan both came out as members of the LGBTQ+ community) but also HYBExGEFFEN’s marketing decisions.
KATSEYE were in several promotional campaigns this year, from Jollibee, Pandora and 5 Gum. Perhaps most popular of all is their appearance in a Gap Jeans ad, where the members danced along to Kelis’ “Milkshake.”
What makes KATSEYE particularly notable of course, is the fact that the members all come from different backgrounds ranging from Indian-American, Swiss-Ghanian, Cuban to South Korean. Representation matters, and KATSEYE’s success is proof of that.
Now with two Grammy nominations and a sold out North American tour under their belt, KATSEYE will have an even bigger 2026 ahead with a Coachella performance scheduled.
The future of NewJeans
(Photo credit: HYBE)
At the end of October, South Korean court upheld the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contracts with ADOR. Shortly after, all members announced their intention to return to the label. Hyein and Haerin were confirmed as the first members to stay. Then this Monday, ADOR also announced Hanni’s return while Minji remains in talks. However, the tables have turned dramatically for Danielle. ADOR is instead terminating her contract and kicking her out of NewJeans.
The move gets messier in a legal battle that has been met with pushback on both sides. ADOR alleges Danielle violated her exclusive contract by signing conflicting agreements. Now the label is seeking up to $42.5 million CAD worth in penalties and fees against Danielle, a member of her family and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin.
ADOR also claims Danielle’s relative and Min have been largely responsible in escalating the conflict between NewJeans and ADOR and further halting the band’s activities.
NewJeans has spent the majority of 2025 fighting ADOR in court, which is a dramatic shift from what was once the most exciting new girl group to jump onto the K-pop scene. Their down-to-earth style, coupled with minimalistic synth beats and Y2K sound brought in a new era to K-pop when NewJeans debuted in 2022. And the momentum only continued into 2023 and 2024.
Now after a messy legal battle with ADOR, and with three members of NewJeans (and one potentially) returning back to the label, it remains to be seen what will become of NewJeans’ future. Min Hee-jin, the woman behind the concept of NewJeans, is no longer directly involved in the band after resigning as ADOR CEO. And with Danielle being an integral part of the image of NewJeans, many fans are unconvinced the band’s music will be the same. Some also believe NewJeans might not even have many comebacks in the future. It’s also unclear how NewJeans will move forward with ADOR in good faith after such a long drawn out legal process.
Other notable stories worth paying attention to
A new it girl emerges
Dayoung, a member of WJSN, released the surprise hit of the summer with “body”, showcasing a more mature and sensual side to her. The single solidified her as one of the most exciting female soloists to hit the K-pop scene in 2025. DAYOUNG scored her first South Korean music show win with “body”, and received nominations at this year’s MAMA Awards (one of South Korea’s most prestigious awards shows) for “Best Dance Performance Female Solo” and “Song of the Year.”
CORTIS makes a splash debut
Just less than 100 days shy of their debut, CORTIS ended up taking this year’s Rookie of the Year award at this year’s MAMA Awards. It’s a pretty amazing feat to achieve, especially during an incredibly oversaturated market of new K-pop boy bands debuting onto the scene.
CORTIS’ debut EP Color Outside the Lines was released in September and became the first debut album from a K-pop act this year to sell more than 1 million copies.
CORTIS has been described as a self-producing group, writing and composing their own songs, but also taking initiative in planning their concepts. Their down-to-earth style and DIY approach to music gives the vibe of teenage boys hanging out. The group is also led by Korean-Canadian Martin, who became instantly recognizable for his spikey bleach blonde hairstyle and 6’3 frame.
CORTIS’ success is proof that it’s time the K-pop industry shakes things up, and lets singers let loose and be creatively involved as artists.
Blackpink’s ROSÉ emerges as a Grammy frontrunner
This year’s Grammy nominations saw a wave of K-pop nominees from KPop Demon Hunters, KATSEYE (they are K-pop adjacent, in my view) and ROSÉ. I’d be remiss not to mention ROSÉ in this week’s post because she had one heck of a year. Her hit song “APT” featuring Bruno Mars spent 12 weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 since it released in November 2024.
Now ROSÉ has received three Grammy awards nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. “APT” makes the most nominated song by a K-pop artist and the first to be nominated in a Big Four category as a lead artist.
P1Harmony takes over a Toronto park after concert gets postponed
After P1Harmony faced a system outage at the Canada-U.S. border, the band did not let a concert postponement prevent them from spending time with their beloved fans. Instead, P1Harmony and their team went back to basics, hosting an impromptu park meet-up in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park.
Of course, there was no way P1Harmony leader KEEHO would want to let down his hometown fans. “People who called off jobs [and] made a lot of sacrifices to make sure that they come to the show today. We wanted to do a little surprise,” KEEHO mentioned on livestream moments before touching down at Trinity Bellwoods Park.
The group danced with fans, and performed tracks like “EX” and “Duh!”. But most wholesome of all, was seeing P1Harmony fans come out to support the band and root hard for the hometown boy. “We love Canadian representation in K-pop, and for [KEEHO] to show his home to his members,” a fan told me.
I love when K-pop and local news collide!
BTS members discharged from the military. Now the anticipation for 2026 begins!
(Photo credit: rkive/Instagram)
As 2025 comes to a close, the world of BTS ARMY is waiting with bated breath for a comeback and tour announcement. After all, it’s been two long years since the boys have been seen performing together on stage as OT7.
Still, 2025 saw j-hope and Jin embark on solo tours of their own, showcasing their duality, charisma and charms on stage. A well-rounded rapper and dancer, j-hope paid homage to his street dance roots during his “Hope on the Stage” tour. While Jin, went against K-pop concert conventions and instead hosted a gameshow/hangout with fans on tour.
For months, the BTS members have provided small glimpses of their preparations for a big comeback in 2026, offering teases through Weverse livestreams and behind-the-scenes photos in the rehearsal room.
I have no doubt concert ticketing will be absolutely competitive and brutal for fans. But according to reports, the world tour is set to be BTS’ biggest yet.
For more updates, follow bunni pop on Instagram, TikTok and Threads.
Hello from LinkedIn!
Glad to have been able to attend both Stray Kids' and P1Harmony's Toronto concerts this year, as well as that park meetup for the latter. Here's to hoping ZEROBASEONE comes to visit before they d*sband...