The top 3 K-pop comebacks of 2025 so far
Contact Music has put together a list of the best 3 K-pop comebacks of the year.
Contact Music’s editors have compiled a list of the best 3 comebacks in K-pop this year so far.
K-pop’s roster of 2025 releases is nowhere near to being finished, with some upcoming projects including TWICE’s upcoming single with rapper Saweetie on 1 August and boy band Stray Kids’ album Karma on 22 August.
Fans have been fed with show-stopping comebacks this year such as Blackpink’s comeback single Jump, which served as the group’s first since the members went on to promote their solo work.
Among the upbeat singles and glitzy music videos, Contact Music has made a list of the top three comebacks that have bewitched our ears the most this year (so far).
1. Lemon Drop by Ateez
Ateez’s Lemon Drop is a refreshing K-pop summer anthem bound to get people moving. While the boy band broke onto the scene with thundering vocals and grand beats with their debut singles Pirate King and Treasure, this single is a sultry and smooth mix of R+B and Hip Hop.
Reminiscent of DJ Mustard’s sound with tracks like 2 On by Tinashe and Jeremih’s Don’t Tell Em, the song is like a blast to the past and just what we needed for the summertime.
2. Gnarly by Katseye
Katseye’s position as a K-pop act has become a major topic of online discourse within K-pop spaces. Formed under the collaboration of HYBE and Geffen Records on the 2023 reality competition Dream Academy, the group has been described as a global girl group.
Whether you think the girls are K-pop or not, their viral hit Gnarly takes some of the most entertaining parts of the genre and creates something you can’t take your eyes off. The combination of rambunctious electronic sounds, lyrics that don’t take themselves too seriously, and an energetic choreography makes for an amusingly catchy track.
3. Beautiful Strangers by TOMORROW X TOGETHER
The latest comeback from Bighit Music's TOMORROW X TOGETHER serves as a conclusion to their Star Chapter saga as well as one of the group’s best releases. Beautiful Strangers has a melancholic and passionate electronic sound, reminiscent of BTS’ I Need U. With their strong vocals on full display and melodic ad-libs sprinkled around the song, the five members make the track an epic finale to The Star Chapter series.
