The Summer of K-Pop? Music retailer predicts surge in interest ahead of BTS’ Jin releasing new album

• K-Pop is set to sweep the United Kingdom this summer.
• That’s according to hmv, who have seen sales of the genre increase by 245%.
• The forecast comes as BTS member Jin has announced a new album, Echo, and several K-Pop acts are set to perform in the UK this year.

Is 2025 the year the K-Pop wave fully takes over the United Kingdom? UK music retailer hmv thinks so.

A new report from the retail giant is forecasting that the genre is poised for a major breakthrough this summer - ideal timing for BTS’ Jin to release his brand new album Echo, which was announced earlier this week.

The prediction comes after sales of K-Pop titles rose by 245% between 2020 and 2025, with several artists also set for performance in the United Kingdom throughout the year. As Stray Kids, Ateez, and Enhyphen continue to dominate the CD, the retailer also saw JUNGKOOK, BTS and TWICE lead the vinyl category only four months into the year.

The interest in the genre, HMV believes, comes after several high-profile collaborations over the past 12 months, which included BLACKPINK’s Rosé scoring the UK’s highest-charting single of all time by a female K-pop artist with APT featuring Bruno Mars and Aespa selling-out Wembley.

They think that it shows that the genre is moving away from an initial ‘niche’ market into becoming more accepted by mainstream audiences.

Speaking about the findings, David Athey, hmv’s Commercial Director, commented: “Sales of K-Pop music and merchandise are stronger than ever at hmv as we see a rise in fandom across the UK, with more and more customers wanting to purchase their own piece of the music they love.

“The most magical part of K-Pop is in its ability to bring together an incredible community of devotees that want to celebrate the genre together. At hmv, new launch days are often overrun with K-Pop fans, and we regularly see large groups of young people come into the store to enjoy the latest K-Pop products on offer and meet like-minded people.”

What are the top selling K-Pop artists in the United Kingdom?

Hmv revealed that the following acts dominated sales on CD and vinyl so far in 2025:

• JungKook (BTS)
• Stray Kids
• Jimin (BTS)
• BLACKPINK
• Ateez
• RM (BTS)
• Enhyphen
• Seventeen
• TWICE
• NewJeans

When is Jin’s new album set for release?

BTS’ Jin is set to release his new album, Echo, on May 16 2025 through all leading digital retailers

What K-Pop acts are coming to the UK in 2025?

Some of the big hitters, according to Ticketmaster UK - with several shows either with tickets still available or are set to go on general sale soon.

• May 1 2025: ARTMS - Troxy, London
• June 15 2025: CIX - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
• June 17 and June 19 2025: The Rose - indigo at The O2, London
• June 18 and 19 2025: Stray Kids - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
• August 15 and 16 2025: BLACKPINK - Wembley Stadium, London
• August 22 and 25 2025: Enhyphen - The O2, London

Do you have an event you’d like to share with us? You can now promote your What’s On stories to us online via YourWorld at www.yourworld.net/submit. It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.