

Anxious fans fearfully speculated this move meant GOT7 were disbanding, which wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion. GOT7 reassures worried fans with “Encore”Ģ021 opened with the end of an era, as all seven members of beloved boy group GOT7 choose to leave JYP Entertainment upon the expiration of their contracts. In chronological order, here are some of the best and most influential K-pop performances that swept the internet in 2021. Yet some K-pop performances had a larger impact on fandom than others, whether because they went viral, started a trend, or marked a significant milestone. There were also more serious instances, including when (G)I-DLE’s Soyeon gravely dressed down My Teenage Girl ‘s voters for thoughtlessly approving unprepared trainees. There were funny, viral moments, such as BTOB’s Eunkwang mistakenly telling the audience to scream despite it being banned, or when dancer/YouTuber Hyok Fork performed ITZY’s “Loco” in a cafe. There were important and eye-catching performances, like when Stray Kids’ Hyunjin danced to “Play With Fire” to mark his return from hiatus. Plus, of course, the release of new music. While the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on in-person events for most of 2021, K-pop groups continued to bring joy to global audiences through online performances, television show appearances, livestreams, and social media. There was no shortage of moments that cut through the loud and lively K-pop scene this year.
