Billboard China, Billboard Korea, and Tencent Music have officially announced the winners of their inaugural cross-market fan voting initiative. By combining editorial curation with fan participation, the initiative identified top-performing acts across four categories: Boy Group, Girl Group, Male Solo, and Female Solo.
The final winners, determined by aggregating results from both Chinese and Korean voting channels, include SEVENTEEN for their track “THUNDER” in the Boy Group category and i-dle for “Fate” in the Girl Group category. THE8 took the top spot for Male Solo with “Cold Love,” while NINGNING was recognized as the winner in the Female Solo category for “Ketchup And Lemonade (NINGNING Solo).”
How the Cross-Market Winners Were Selected
The selection process for this initiative relied on a multi-layered approach to ensure that the winners reflected both commercial success and active fan engagement. Nominees were selected based on their performance on the Tencent Music Korean Chart alongside recommendations from Billboard Korea‘s editorial team, with final results determined through fan voting.
The initiative featured distinct voting channels for the Chinese and Korean markets, which allowed for a comparison of regional listener preferences. While the final results represent a combined total, the data revealed interesting nuances in how specific tracks resonated with different audiences. For instance, in the Korea voting channel, BTS’ “Body to Body” topped the Boy Group category, while BLACKPINK’s “JUMP” led the Girl Group vote. In contrast, the Tencent Music Chart and Billboard China voting channel saw EXO’s “Crown” lead the Boy Group category.
Regional Trends in K-Pop Consumption
The alignment in the solo categories was notably stronger than in the group categories. Voting in both markets produced the same winners in the Male Solo and Female Solo categories. This trend offers a snapshot of how music resonates with listeners in different regions.
The inaugural cross-market initiative marks a new collaboration between Billboard China, Billboard Korea and Tencent Music, bringing together chart performance, editorial curation and fan participation. The project also reflects a broader effort to explore new ways of connecting music fans across different markets through Billboard’s global network.
The Future of Cross-Market Music Initiatives
This initiative marks a new collaboration between Billboard China, Billboard Korea and Tencent Music. The collaboration highlights a broader effort to explore new ways of connecting music fans across different markets through Billboard’s global network. As music consumption becomes increasingly digital and borderless, such initiatives provide stakeholders with clearer data on how artist popularity fluctuates between regions.
The final winners were determined by combining results from the China and Korea voting channels. Further details regarding potential future iterations of the initiative or upcoming data reports from the participating charts have not yet been released. Fans and industry observers are encouraged to monitor the official channels of Billboard China and Billboard Korea for updates on subsequent collaborations or future chart-based events.
We welcome your thoughts on these results. Which artists would you like to see featured in future cross-market initiatives? Share your comments below to join the conversation.