2023 is among us! The year has barely started and we’ve already had iconic KPOP comebacks, haven’t we?! Today we’re going to take some time and remember other iconic hits that led us to where we are today. These are the top 10 singles from 10 years ago – 2013. Each hit important milestones for Kpop. Without these songs, Kpop would not be the world-wide phenomenon that it is today.
GENTLEMAN – PSY
Of course, we couldn’t leave out the one known as the King of Korea. After the worldwide success of “Gangnam Style”, rapper PSY released “Gentleman” in April of 2013. A continuation of the previous single, the hit also has a strong beat. The release went straight to the top of the Gaon Singles Chart in the third week of April 2013 with 429,255 digital downloads.
In its second week, the song remained at the top of the charts, selling 443,517 copies. It also debuted at number one on Billboard’s Korea K-Pop Hot 100 for the week of April 27, 2013.
WHO YOU? – G-DRAGON (BIGBANG)
BIGBANG, a group formed in August 2006 by YG Entertainment, is considered one of the legends of K-pop. The group has a sales record of over 70 million on Gaon. After the resounding success of the single “Fantastic Baby” released by the group in 2012, in 2013 it was G-Dragon’s turn to break out with the single “Who You?” from the album Coup d’Etat, which won the Artist of the Year award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards of the same year.
I GOT A BOY – Girls’ Generation
Girls Generation, or Sonyeo Shidae (SNSD), debuted in August 2007. In 2013, almost seven years into their career, the group expanded its success to the world. This year they released the iconic MV for “I Got A Boy” and showed versatility and a more mature concept of the group. Topping the Gaon chart, I Got a Boy became the second best-selling album of 2013 in the country. The album also reached number seven on the Oricon chart in Japan and number three on the Taiwanese G-Music chart and number one on the Billboard World Albums chart.
Give It to Me – SISTAR
In June 2013, the group SISTAR released the album Give It to Me with a Moulin Rouge theme. On June 11, the song “Give It to Me” reached the top of all nine music charts within two hours of its release, marking an all-kill. SISTAR ranked #1 on Melon, Mnet, Olleh Music, Bugs, Soribada, Monkey3, Naver Music, Cyworld Music, and Daum Music!
The song also received Triple Crown wins on Mnet’s MCountdown and KBS’s Music Bank, as well as Double Crown wins on MBC’s Show Music Core and SBS’s Inkigayo.
Everybody – SHINee
In 2013, the SM Entertainment group SHINee released their fifth EP titled Everybody. The tracks “Everybody” and “Symptoms” were chosen as singles for the promotions. This became one of SHINee’s most important albums, and its title track is one of the group’s best known. All the work done by the group earned them the Daesang – Artist of the Year award at the Melon Music Awards.
NoNoNo – APINK
In 2013, the then-sextet (after the departure of rapper Yookyung) had the most successful comeback of their career (or one of them). In July of the same year, the song “NoNoNo” was released, which is part of the mini album Secret Garden.
The song was a success, brought several new achievements for the group, became one of the most-played songs of the year, and reached several charts. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100, and the following week it reached number 4 on the same list, a true success!
Growl – EXO
In June, SM Entertainment group EXO made a comeback with their first studio album XOXO. The album was promoted by the entire group, despite the breakup of some members. A month later, the group released the repackaged version of the album with the hit “Growl”, which would become one of EXO’s biggest hits.
Inspired by the lyrics of the group’s previous single, “Wolf”, the lyrics of “Growl” talk about the male lead personified as a wolf. The song won the Best Song of the Year award at the Melon Music Awards and EXO won more than 5 Daesang (grand prizes) in the year and other awards such as Golden Disc Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards.
What’s your name? – 4MINUTE
The group formed in 2009 by Cube Entertainment achieved success with the single “What’s your name?”. The title track of the group’s fourth mini album, titled Name Is 4Minute, was 4MINUTE’s first to reach the top of the charts on the Gaon chart. “What’s your name?” it also reached number one on Melon, on May 13, 2013, and number one on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 on June 1 of the same year.
VOODOO DOLL – VIXX
The group that debuted in 2012 through Jellyfish Entertainment gained fame after the release of the album Voodoo in late 2013. The single “Voodoo Doll” brought the concept of terror and demonstrated all the power of VIXX. The MV was filmed in the style of a horror movie, the members are trapped in chambers and their captor happily controls and tortures them through the voodoo doll. Due to the presence of strong and violent images, the MV and choreography were censored. A “clean” version was released later.
The choreography was also modified to be shown on Korean TV shows. Even after these mishaps, the single reached number 7 on the Gaon Singles Chart and number 53 on Billboard’s K-Pop Hot 100. It also ranked 3rd on Gaon Social Chart and won on Music Bank.
Hello – NU’EST
In 2013 it was the boy group’s turn to release Hello, the group’s second mini album and the same name as the title track. The song showed a new side to the quintet and proved that they could venture into new musical styles. “Hello” became a NU’EST staple, peaking at number 20 on the Gaon Chart in 2013. After Produce 101 (part of the group participated in the attraction), the song re-emerged at the top of the charts, occupying Genie’s top spots in real time, 2nd on Bugs and 3rd on Melon on June 17, 2017, and has been nominated as a top contender on Inkigayo for 3 consecutive weeks. It was so successful that it led the group to re-record the song. The MV was also not far behind and was highly praised.
Which of these timeless amazing top songs did you already know? Let me know in the comments below!
