In the past few weeks, many K-pop (Korean Pop) groups have made music history. With the 2019 AMA’s coming to a close and the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade recently occurring, two K-pop groups have outshined the rest. 

BTS, one of the most popular boy bands in the world, has had a great year. In April, they became only the second group in 50 years to have three number-one albums in less than a year; they are second next to The Beatles. Even with this outstanding streak, they were able to top it all off at the 2019 AMA’s. The seven-person group won first in two different categories. Ahead of famous groups such as the Jonas Brothers and Panic! At The Disco, BTS won the best group award. They also won the best tour, beating out Elton John, Pink, and even Ariana Grande. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to attend the event; however, they put out a video thanking their fans for the neverending support.

Though BTS has been incredibly successful, another group has also made history during the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by being the first K-pop group to perform in the parade. This group is an 8-member ensemble by the name of NCT 127. Fans are overjoyed by seemingly ever-growing success. Within the three years since their debut, they have had two number-one albums on the World Albums chart. During the parade, they rode in on a giant lego float and they performed one of their most popular songs, “Highway to Heaven.” This song is from their recent EP We Are Superhuman, which, at its debut, reached number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart. The massive lego float didn’t prohibit their brief performance, however. NCT exited the float in the middle of the song, dancing in front of many die-hard fans that drove hours to see them perform.

While K-pop music may still be a niche taste, it has risen drastically over the past few years. Groups such as BTS are becoming household names, with NCT 127 climbing the ranks fast. While BTS is hitting a little bit of a rut because of South Korean army obligations, NCT 127 shows no signs of stopping in the upcoming year.