There wasn't many debut's that stood out for me in 2024 especially for groups, as you can see above that it was mainly the solo debuts that really stood out for me. With that said I did enjoy a lot of the debuts but I want to share with you the main 10 that really stood out for me.
Here are the 10 debuts that stole the show for me in 2024.
Hui
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I loved Hui's solo debut, his album was one of my honourable mentions in my Top 20 K-pop Albums post. Hui really has a unique voice, he really excels and stands out with any song.
Jinho's solo debut was amazing, there is a good mixture of songs on his mini album. I want to hear him do more rock sounding songs as they really suit his voice. His B-side Over gave me FTISLAND vibes and I can really see him being a frontman for a rock band.
I don't know if I can really count Yuqi as she's released solo songs before but she finally got to release a mini album in 2024, and this is why I've included her. Because her solo album was too good to be ignored. I love every track on her album. I desperately want to get my hands on a physical copy.
His solo debut mini album was stunning. San-Ha has always one of my favourite voices in Astro, I can't help but feel like Losing My Mind is about Moonbin because as soon as I heard this song it made me think about him and made me feel emotional. Even if you're not an Astro fan, I highly recommend this album it really showcases his voice.
While it got some hate, I absolutely loves Yeonjun's solo debut single. It's really catchy and it's one of them songs that just gets stuck in your head. i really enjoyed seeing another side to him away from TXT.
Yuta's solo debut was definitely one of my favourites. His album was amazing and definitely my favourite of all the NCT members solo debuts. If you checked out my top 20 K-pop albums post, then you know that his album came in first place.
Tzuyu's solo debut has to be my favourite out of the Twice members so far. Her album is cute and catchy and really suits her. They didn't try to force her into any songs that were above her ability and it really shows she's a good vocalist. I really love her voice.
Like with Yuqi, Ten has had solo songs before but 2024 saw him release his first mini album. Each track on the album was really catchy and really showcase Ten's voice. Like with Yuta, if you're not an NCT fan, I still highly recommend giving Ten's album a listen.
I absolutely loved TWS' debut mini album. Each track was really catchy and could have easily been a title track. Each release of theirs so far have been really catchy and sounding really fresh and new.
With how much I love and enjoy PLAVE and their music, when I cam across Sphaze, I decided to give them a listen. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked their debut single album. Sphaze are 2nd male lead webtoon characters, I'm interested in checking out each of the webtoon's they're in as well as what music they will release next.
I thought I'd keep up with sharing my top 10 K-pop singles of the year, like in 2023, there were quite a few songs that I really liked and enjoyed in 2024. Trying to pick just 10 was both hard and easy as I knew some of the songs needed to be in my top 10.
Some of the songs were just pre-releases to albums so it was hard to decide whether to include them or not.
NO.10
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Mirae will always have a special place in my heart. I've loved their music since 2021 all of their albums were catchy. This song is no different, I love the melody and their vocals. It's just sad that their final song before disbandment was a Korean version of a Japanese release. I hope nothing but the best for all the members and hope the continue to follow their interests.
I've actually liked TNX since 2023 as I love their song Love or Die, but I've only ever known of them as TNX that I didn't realise they changed their name to The New Six, which they've recently changed back to TNX, which I'm assuming was due to a member leaving the group. As soon as I heard Fuego I was hooked, I think this is why I tend to lean more to male groups as I love these types of songs.
I feel like I could be being biased with this one as White Christmas is one of my favourite Christmas songs (as well as one of my favourite Christmas films). The more I listened to this song the more I loved how V's voice worked perfectly with the melody as well as with Bing Crosby. It's definitely going to be in my Christmas countdown at the end of the year (I can use the same song twice right). Thank you the Crosby family for allowing V to do this.
Yeonjun seemed to get a bit of hate for this track, both for the song itself as well as the choreography, I in fact love the song. It's really catchy and sticks in your head, I liked seeing a different side of Yeonjun away from TXT's music.
This is definitely my favourite ILY:1 track, while it's included on their album it was released digitally first and I'm obsessed with it. I always sing along with it when it comes on, this is definitely an underrated song for me.
Kino definitely knows what he's doing, all his solo stuff has been insanely addictive. While I've loved all of PENTAGON's solo stuff, for me Kino's stands out more. I definitely feel like he'll be successful, you can tell he enjoys what he does.
I absolutely adore Forestella, there's something about them that makes me stop and listen, they are the only group that I listen to that has this style of music. This song blows me away and definitely deserves to be on my list.
Plave always have such catchy songs and I've loved this one since it's release. I love the melody and I love how they sing it. I hope Plave continue to gain fans as their music definitely deserves it. Also my Ahgase heart with Youngjae opening up the song
This has definitely been one of my favourite songs since it's release in 2024. This would have actually been at No.1 if it hadn't been for the song that took the win. When I first listened to this track I couldn't help laughing because they don't tend to have songs that are explicit but JustB really make it work. They always bring us something new and it really shows how versatile they are.
I absolutely love this song I love how The Rose made an already amazing song sound even more amazing. This version is absolutely stunning and I hope they perform this version in the future. It really is a masterpiece.
Other songs that I love from 2024 is BXB's cover of The Black Cat Nero, Jungkook's Never Let Go, Vanner's cover of I Don't Think That I Like Her, WEi's Love2You, Hui's Nameless and Kino's Everglow, just to name a few
I had a busy year with releases in 2024, in total I had 232 releases to check out and pick through. There was definitely albums that stood out to me from the get go, and I knew they would be a part of my Top 20, but some were hard to decide on because they were so good. January 2025, is already looking busy for new releases.
2024 saw quite a few disbandment's, but the main one for me was Mirae, I really enjoyed their music so was said to see them call it a day. It also saw the return of B.A.P aka Bang&Jung&Yoo&Moon, as well as 2NE1 and BIGBANG.
Please remember that this list is only based on my own personal tastes and opinion. I know what I've enjoyed won't be to everyone's tastes. So please no hate just because you may have liked an album more than I did. Also while this is about K-pop albums there are Japanese sung albums on this list that are from K-pop known artists, and they were too good not to include.
NO.20
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Coming in at No.20 we have Xikers with their 3rd mini album House of Tricky: Trial and Error.
These were one of my favourite rookie groups in 2023 and I've enjoyed all their albums, but this one for me deserved a spot on my list. Each track is catchy and I loved all of the B-sides.
Coming in at No.19 we have BOYNEXTDOOR with their 2nd mini album How?
Like with Xikers, BOYNEXTDOOR were also one of my favourite rookies of 2023. I've loved all their releases so far, but this one is definitely my favourite. I love the B-sides on this album.
Coming in at No.18 we have Bang&Jung&Yoo&Moon (B.A.P) with their Christmas special album Christmas With You..
This album really makes me feel Christmassy and it will definitely be an album I play each Christmas. I need to get my hands on a physical copy so I can share it on my blog in December.
Coming in at No.17 we have The Boyz with their 9th mini album Trigger.
I've always loved their darker sounding songs and this is no different. If I remember correctly at their show in London, Eric said this album was hardcore and lit, which is the best description. I get Goosebumps whenever I listen to Bite Back as it takes me right back to seeing it live.
Coming in at No.17 is Soo Young with her solo debut Japanese album Unstoppable.
I'm not surprised that this album is so good and it's definitely an expected release as Soo Young was initially meant to debut in Japan before she debuted in Girls' Generation. This album from start to finish is really catchy and I love her voice in each of the tracks.
Coming in at No.15 we have ENHYPEN with their Repackaged album, Romance: Untold daydream.
I absolutely loved this album and I love their more mature sounding tracks, for me it shows that their allowing their music to grow with them. I love how different No Doubt and XO (Only If You Say Yes) are as title tracks.
Coming in at No.14 we have Bang&Jung&Yoo&Moon (B.A.P) with their return album Curtain Call.
I was over the moon when it was announced that B.A.P were returning and releasing a new album, watching their documentary made me cry and their album made me feel proud of their return. I get Goosebumps whenever I listen to this album because it reminds me of how much I love B.A.P and how much I've missed their voices together.
Coming in at No.13 is (G)I-dle with their 2nd full album 2.
Super Lady was my most listened to song in 2024 on Spotify and I'm not surprised I loved Super Lady as the title track and all the B-side tracks were amazing. I had this album on repeat so much, just not more than some others.
Coming in at No.11 and just missing out on my top 10 is Stray Kids with their 1st mixtape album Hop.
This album is really good, not only do we get solo tracks from the members that they've been performing during their ongoing tour, but we also get 3 brand new tracks that are insanely catchy and stick in your head. They're never afraid to try new things while staying true to what they want to do.
Coming in at No.10 we have Kino with his 1st mini album If This Is Love, I Want A Refund.
This album is really good and really catchy. The album is mostly in English, which shows that he's trying to establish himself as a solo artist and create music different from PENTAGON. Out of all the PENTAGON solo releases in 2024, his is definitely my favourite.
Coming in at No.9 we have Tzuyu with her solo debut mini album aboutTZU.
For me out of all of Twice's solo debuts, Tzuyu's is my favourite. All the tracks are really catchy and whenever I look as the track list each song pops into my head. I'll definitely be getting my hands on a physical copy. This album really allows her to shine as a vocalist, and it doesn't go above what she can do.
Coming in at No.8 we have NCT Dream with their 4th full length album Dreamscape.
From start to finish this album is amazing, it really gives off that NCT Dream sound and vibe. I got to hear a tiny snippet of title track When I'm With You at their London show, I knew we wouldn't get the full song but it still made it special. I also got to witness Rains In Heaven live.
Coming in at No.7 we have Xdinary Heroes with their 5th mini album LIVE and FALL.
This album has seen Xdinary Heroes move up in my top albums chart, each track on this album really stand out. This is definitely my favourite release from them.
Coming in at No.6 and just missing out on my top 5 is Yuqi and her 1st mini album YUQ1.
I've had this album on repeat so many times, each track is different and really catchy. I've always loved her solo stuff so it was no surprise to me that I've loved this album from the first listen.
Coming in at No.5 we have Plave with their 2nd mini album Asterum: 134-1.
For someone who said they wouldn't get into any virtual group, I fell for Plave hard. I love this album and to say I only started listening to Plave in 2024, they were in my top 10 artists on my Spotify Wrapped. I can't wait for their comeback in February.
Coming in at No.4 and just missing out on my top 3 is NCT Dream with their 6th mini album Dream()scape.
I've been in love with this album since it's release in March and I think I can honestly say it's one of my favourite NCT Dream albums. While I'm gutted Carat Cake wasn't on their setlist. They still picked the songs that would make an impact at the concert.
Keeping with my countdown in 2023, I want to share with you some honourable mentions before heading into my Top 3 albums. These albums while not making my list were really good and were strong contenders.
Coming in at No.3 is ATEEZ with their 10th mini album Golden Hour Part.1.
This is definitely one of my favourite albums of 2024, each track is different but still showcase that ATEEZ style. I'm in official countdown to their Manchester show which is in just over 2 weeks.
Coming in at No.2 is Stray Kids with their 9th mini album Ate.
This is a new peak for Stray Kids since their first appearance on my top albums list, they always tend to get top 5 and if it wasn't for my No.1 pick this would have been my No.1 album for 2024, but they were just pipped to the post. This album is amazing and definitely one of my favourites of theirs. I can't wait to see them live again this year and I can't wait to see them perform Stray Kids.
Coming in at No.1 is Yuta with his solo debut mini album Depth.
While this album is in Japanese it's too good not to be included. This is by far my favourite NCT solo debut. Each track is amazing, there is no song that I want to skip, and even if you're not an NCT fan, I highly recommend checking out Yuta's album. This definitely was my favourite album to be released in 2024.
So there you have it, that's my Top 20 K-pop Albums of 2024. I look forward to what the rest of 2025 brings, so far GFriend have reunited and GOT7 are releasing a new album this month and (G)I-dle's Minnie is releasing her first mini album. I look forward to see what groups debut this year and what solo debuts we may get. I also look forward to what new music we will get from the groups I love.
I have 2 K-pop concerts so far for this year, which is ATEEZ in Manchester at the end of the month an Stray Kids in London in July. I also have 2 normal shows with You Me At Six in March for their farewell tour and BUSTED vs McFly in September. I'm hoping for more K-pop concerts as we've decided to have another f**k it year to a certain extent.
