On May 16, NJZ (formerly known as NewJeans) was prominently featured in Billboard’s esteemed “21 Under 21” list, which highlights the most influential artists under the age of 21. This year’s list notably included only one K-pop act, which underscores the group’s significant impact on the global music scene.
The selection criteria for this list encompass album sales, streaming numbers, and overall influence within the industry. NJZ earned their position for the second consecutive year despite facing recent legal challenges with HYBE and ADOR. Billboard pointed out that the group’s strong global chart performance was a key factor in their inclusion among a select group of peers.
Their second EP, Get Up, which topped the Billboard 200 in 2023, achieved an impressive 227,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. It also secured the No. 3 spot on the 2024 year-end World Albums chart and reached No. 50 in Top Album Sales. The singles “How Sweet” and “Supernatural," released in 2024, garnered 51.6 million and 41.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams respectively. Furthermore, HYBE reported that physical sales for both singles exceeded 1 million copies globally, marking the group’s fourth and fifth consecutive releases to reach this milestone.
While NJZ stood alone as the K-pop representative on the list, another HYBE girl group, KATSEYE, was mentioned as well. Billboard highlighted the chemistry of KATSEYE’s six members and hinted at their highly anticipated second EP, Beautiful Chaos, set to follow their 2024 release, SIS (Soft is Strong).
Notably, between 2010 and 2025, only eight K-pop acts have made it onto the “21 Under 21” list. In addition to NJZ, previous honorees include notable groups and artists such as NCT Dream, TWICE, SEVENTEEN, and IU, reflecting the ongoing evolution and impact of K-pop on the global music landscape.
