ATEEZ, BABYMONSTER, MEOVV, & more named “Future of Music” by Rolling Stone Korea

On January 31, 2025, popular publication Rolling Stone Korea recently published its “Future of Music” list featuring K-pop acts like ATEEZ, BABYMONSTER, FiftyFifty, RIIZE, MEOVV, and more.

According to the publication, music is no longer characterized as a basic 'genre,' and artists are forging their own paths. In the Rolling Stone Korea 2024 ranking 'Future Of Music' category, 11 groups of musicians who are going to shape the music sector in the future were chosen. The emerging K-pop bands, which set the trend with their musical colors, all define the 'music of the future.'

Rolling Stone Korea also released a list of Hidden Gems, which featured twelve artists in the music industry but have received less attention in the mainstream.

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From ATEEZ to BABYMONSTER: Rolling Stone Korea featured 11 groups as ‘Future of Music’

Here’s a list of the artists Rolling Stone Korea has named:

• ATEEZ
• BABYMONSTER
• TWS
• KISS OF LIFE
• RIIZE
• BOYNEXTDOOR
• MEOVV
• tripleS
• FIFTY FIFTY
• QWER
• Nerd Connection

The publication highlighted KISS OF LIFE established a strong presence in the K-pop girl band landscape in 2024, owing to their performances and vocal abilities. KISS OF LIFE is a four-member girl group that debuted in July 2023 with the EP of the same name.

SM Entertainment's RIIZE is a six-member ensemble that has impacted the global market. Its distinctive music style, known as 'Emotional Pop,' delivers emotional feelings through lyrics and melody.

As per the publication, TWS is an ensemble that uses lively music to communicate 'the sensibility of youth'. The boy band released its first EP, Sparkling Blue, in January 2024.

Next, BABYMONSTER is a seven-member girl group gaining momentum for its performance and style. For those unaware, YG Entertainment's BABYMONSTER debuted in November 2023.

The most recently debuted girl group is MEOVV. According to Rolling Stone, this K-pop group has a distinct singing style and innovative creation, and they are expected to put out more exciting musical experiments in the future. This girl group was presented in September 2024 by THEBLACKLABEL company. The group marked their debut with their digital single Meovv.

Furthermore, FIFTYFIFTY is a prominent musical band with a pop style and literary lyrics. It is a five-member squad under ATTRAKT. The girl group marked their debut with the first mini album The Fifty.

As stated by Rolling Stone, QWER is an entirely novel idea group that blurs the distinction between gaming and music. The quartet debuted in October 2023 under Tamago Production.

BOYNEXTDOOR, a young Korean boy band, is based on the identity of 'cool boys' and elicits empathy from listeners through music with basic sensibility.

ATEEZ tries to distinguish itself by blending complex beats and songs. HYBE-managed ATEEZ marked it’s debut in October 2018. With their intensive performance and loud sound, ATEEZ is highly competitive outside of Korea's worldwide market.

tripleS is an experimental group that merges AI with K-pop and creates music in a novel way. The world's first decentralized K-pop group with 24 female members gained popularity for its experimental sound and distinctive visuals, as described by Rolling Stone.

Lastly, Nerd Connection, a Korean rock band, debuted in 2018. The publication underlined that the ensemble mixes popularity and musicality to deliver an explosive live performance.

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Additionally, Rolling Stone Korea's 'Hidden Gem' category featured 12 musicians who are not yet well-known to the mainstream but should be noticed for their unique colors and exceptional musicality.

This list of Hidden Gems featured Min Jiwoon, Gyubin, HEYOON, g0nny, JUNGWOO, HYPNOSIS THERAPY, 87dance, jisokuryClub, Ellui, Rovv, Dopein, and Daylotus.