20 Most Famous K-Pop Soloists According To Reddit

The Reddit K-Pop census results for 2023 were finally released – with in-depth infographics – and shared under the r/kpop thread on the online community.

On Monday, K-Pop enthusiast and Reddit account @alleybetwixt announced the list of artists who topped the annual census, which collected 2,997 responses this time – a big drop of about 2,000 respondents from last year.

Here are the 20 K-Pop soloists who received the highest votes in the census.

20.

BTS' Jungkook

The "Seven" and "3D" artist, who is scheduled to release his solo debut album "Golden" on Friday, made it to the top 20 with 279 votes.

After Jungkook made his official debut as a soloist with "Seven," while BTS' group activities were on a temporary hiatus, he set several records and milestones with his solo releases.

19.

EXO's Kai

EXO's Kai, who is currently serving as an active duty soldier in the military in South Korea, made his solo debut in November 2020 with his first mini-album, "Kai."

He tallied 290 votes from Reddit users, making him the 19th most popular K-Pop soloist in this year's census.

18.

MAMAMOO's Hwasa

Hwasa debuted as part of the K-Pop girl group MAMAMOO in 2014. While her group was known for hit songs such as "Um Oh Ah Yeh," "You're the Best" and "Yes I Am," she also made her own name as a soloist with the songs "Maria," "TWIT" and "I'm a B," among others.

In this year's Reddit K-Pop census, 310 users voted for her.

17.

BTS' RM

The leader of BTS tallied 318 votes in the census, making him the 17th most popular K-Pop soloist among Reddit users who participated.

RM officially debuted as a soloist with "Indigo" in December 2022.

16.

TWICE's Jihyo

Jihyo from TWICE made her solo debut with "Killin' Me Good" last August. "Killin' Me Good" is among the seven tracks on her solo mini-album "ZONE."

The second member of TWICE to make her official solo debut, next to Nayeon, tallied 343 votes in the census.

15.

BTS' J-Hope

Though J-Hope has released solo songs before, he made his official debut as a soloist with his "Jack In The Box" album in July 2022, before he enlisted in South Korea's mandatory military service in April 2023.

With 352 votes, J-Hope is named the 15th most popular K-Pop soloist among K-Pop fans on Reddit this year.

14.

Jeon Somi

South Korean-Canadian singer-rapper Jeon Somi, a former member of the group's I.O.I, Girls Next Door and Unnies, recently released her EP, "Game Plan," which was accompanied by a music video for its title track "Fast Forward."

Jeon Somi, who made her solo debut in June 2019 with "Birthday," tallied 359 votes in Reddit's census.

13.

Red Velvet's Seulgi

Eight years after debuting with Red Velvet, Seulgi dropped her first solo EP, "28 Reasons," in October 2022. With 386 votes, she was voted by Reddit users as the 13th most popular K-Pop soloist.

Seulgi and her Red Velvet bandmates are scheduled to release their third album, "Chill Kill," on Nov. 13.

12.

SHINee's Key

Kim Ki-bum – better known by his stage name Key – made his debut as a solo artist in November 2018 with the release of his single, "Forever Yours."

The SHINee member received 387 votes from Reddit users this year in the annual K-Pop census.

11.

EXO's Baekhyun

In July 2019, Baekhyun debuted as a solo artist with his EP, "City Lights," seven years after debuting with EXO.

With 394 votes, he is Reddit's 2023 K-Pop census' 11th most popular K-Pop soloist.

10.

Yena

Choi Ye-na

From 2018 to 2021, Yena was with the K-Pop girl group IZ*ONE. Currently, she is a soloist and actress under Yuehua Entertainment.

She made it to Reddit's list of the top 10 most popular K-Pop soloists this year with 447 votes.

9.

TWICE's Nayeon

Twenty-eight-year-old Nayeon from TWICE is the ninth most popular K-Pop soloist for 2023 per Reddit users' votes. She tallied 468 votes this year.

Nayeon officially made her debut as a soloist with her self-titled album "Im Nayeon" in June 2022.

8.

BTS' Suga/Agust D

Before starting his duty as a social service worker, Suga released his official solo debut album, "D-DAY," and held a world tour of the same name.

He tallied 471 votes from Reddit users, making him the eighth most popular K-Pop soloist in this year's census.

7.

Sunmi

From the fourth spot last year, former Wonder Girls member Sunmi moved to the seventh spot with 489 tallied votes.

Sunmi released her digital single "Stranger" on Oct. 17. This includes the songs "Calm Myself," "Stranger" and "Call My Name."

6.

Kwon Eun-bi

Kwon Eun-bi

Former IZ*ONE member Kwon Eun-bi took a great leap from the 18th spot last year to the sixth spot this year with 553 votes.

Kwon Eun-bi is scheduled to hold a fan meeting titled "Rubi's Room 2" in Japan in December.

5.

BIBI

South Korean singer Kim Hyung-seo – better known by her stage name BIBI – released her first studio album, "Lowlife Princess: Noir," in November 2022.

She tallied 629 votes in the Reddit K-Pop census and was named the fifth most popular K-Pop soloist among Reddit users.

4.

SHINee's Taemin

Taemin just recently made his solo comeback with his fourth mini-album, "Guilty." It's his first release since finishing his mandatory military service.

The 93-liner South Korean singer is the fourth most popular K-Pop soloist on Reddit, with 664 votes.

3.

Chungha

Kim Chung-ha

Former I.O.I member Chungha, who finished fourth on Mnet's girl group survival show "Produce 101" in 2016, debuted as a solo artist with her EP "Hands on Me" after her group disbanded in 2017.

Proving herself as a successful soloist, she tallied 705 votes in the 2023 Reddit K-Pop census, making her the third most popular K-Pop soloist.

2.

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon

Taeyeon recently finished her successful, sold-out "The Odd of Love" tour, which was held in South Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.

From the third spot last year, Taeyeon moved up to the second spot this year with 755 votes.

1.

IU

Same as last year's results, South Korean singer-actress IU still reigns supreme as the most popular K-Pop soloist among Reddit users, with 911 votes.

Since debuting in 2008 with her first EP "Lost and Found," she has released numerous hits like "Blueming," "Bbibbi," "Celebrity," "Good Day" and "Eight," among many others.