As Christmas approaches in a month, the K-Pop scene has officially entered the 'Carol War'. Idol groups with global fandoms are releasing year-end tracks one after another, and existing hit carols are gaining renewed attention, promising a richer year-end playlist in the music market this winter than ever before.
The opening shot was fired by the group ENHYPEN. ENHYPEN recently remade and released pop star Justin Bieber's hit carol 'Mistletoe'. This project was made possible through a collaboration between their agency Belift Lab and the global music platform Apple Music, and it was unveiled exclusively on Apple Music on the 11th, meeting fans. The original 'Mistletoe' is a Christmas single released by Justin Bieber in 2011 when he was a teenager, which peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and is one of the representative carols that is recalled every year at the end of the year.
The group tripleS, which is gaining attention for its 24-member system, has also joined in. On the 24th, tripleS released a Christmas special track 'Christmas Alone' along with a special clip. They completed a winter sentiment where loneliness and warmth coexist by layering sleigh bells and bell sounds, symbols of carols, over an electro-pop genre infused with Jersey club elements. In the special clip, the members perform in the middle of a street bustling with year-end crowds, and citizens watching naturally gather to enjoy the music together, creating a more realistic year-end street carol atmosphere.
Steady sellers known as 'trustworthy K-Carols' in Korea are still strong. 'Must Have Love' (Our Winter) released by SG Wannabe and Brown Eyed Girls in 2006, and IU's 'Merry Christmas in Advance' released in 2010, are representative winter songs that still dominate the top of major domestic music charts during the Christmas season even after more than ten years. Additionally, EXO's 'First Snow' has emerged as a new comeback contender since last year. In particular, the sped-up version has gained explosive popularity as a challenge track, especially on social media and TikTok, establishing itself as a 'new classic' carol that colors both the streets and online during the year-end.
As new carols from K-Pop groups with global fandoms and steady seller winter songs spanning generations are loved simultaneously, K-Pop carols are expected to resonate not only in Korea but also in playlists around the world this Christmas season.
