Destination Jam: 5 highest-grossing K-pop songs that prove South Korean music's increasing worldwide popularity
With genres like K-pop blossoming and booming out of South Korea, the country's music is becoming increasingly popular across the globe. Chances are likely you would have heard this year's K-pop hits such as BTS' 'Dynamite' or Blackpink's collab with Selena Gomez, 'Ice Cream', but on today's list we want to showcase some of the most popular songs birthed from South Korea of all time, whatever the genre may be. Check out the top five highest-grossing songs from South Korean artistes below.
Please note, sources have been taken from compiled information by the Korea Music Content Industry Association for the Gaon Music Charts since 2010, and Wikipedia. All total sales are rounded to the nearest 100 and do not include sales of remixes.
Busker Busker - 'Cherry Blossom Ending'
This longtime popular track is by an alternative rock group from South Korea, Busker Busker. With their biggest hit 'Cherry Blossom Ending', the band has earned a massive total of 7.5 million sales since the song's release in 2012. Over the years since then, fans have kept returning to the honey-dripped sounds of the midtempo ballad. The song entered numerous local and international charts within the top 10 or top 20, and returned in almost every following year.
IU - 'You and I'
IU is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress who debuted as a singer at the age of 15 with her full-length 'Lost and Found'. Her music incorporates elements of K-pop, R&B and soul. IU's biggest-selling hit 'You and I' released in 2011 and sold almost 5.5 million digital copies sold by the end of 2012. It has a total of 6.07 million in sales. 'You and I' carries a soft pop beat with elements of '70s disco as IU croons of young love.
Park Hyo-shin - 'Wild Flower'
The stunning piano-centered ballad 'Wild Flower' by Park Hyo-shin pulls on all heartstrings from the moment you hear it for the first time. The song was released in 2014 and has a total of 5 million digital sales.'Wild Flower' is about overcoming emotional turmoil through the metaphor of a resilient wildflower and, sonically, feels healing and empowering.
IU - 'Through the Night'
Another IU track to garner formidable commercial success, 'Through the Night' released in 2017. Scaling back to a near-hush, the tender ballad swells its emotions to a peppy acoustic rhythm and we hear a mix of '90s-inspired R&B and pop. 'Through the Night' has a total of 5 million sales.
Paul Kim - 'Every Day, Every Moment'
Sometimes, nothing hits more emotive than a ballad, and the order of these tracks on our list proves it. The gentle, romantically-charged 'Every Day, Every Moment' released just two years ago and has also achieved a total of 5 million sales. Taking into account the year of its release (2018), the ratio of accumulative sales for 'Every Day, Every Moment' as opposed to the aforementioned songs is considerably stronger.
Destination Jam is a daily list of songs that will keep you entertained and grooving up top in lieu of feeling drained and losing the plot. Look out for a fresh selection of great tunes from MEAWW to refresh your mood every day!