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Seoul — Who will reign in K-pop this year? Here’s what the hitmakers themselves have to say. The annual survey conducted by Ilgan Sports since 2017 is out. It is a poll of K-pop idol groups. Anonymously, they cast their votes in a contest to find out which are the hottest, most anticipated, groups for the new year.

(G)I-DLE, ITZY, NCT 127, Kang Daniel, NU’EST, The Boyz, MAMAMOO, MONSTA X, BTOB, Seventeen, STAYC, Stray Kids, Secret Number, IZ*ONE, ENHYPEN, Oh My Girl, LOONA, Changmo, CRAVITY, TOMORROW x TOGETHER, TREASURE, and Pentagon are the groups that participated anonymously in this survey.

aespa is the second most anticipated K-pop group of 2021. Picture: YouTube

So here are the top idol groups that are the hottest, most anticipated, this year, according to  Allkpop, which reported the poll results on Feb 13.

1. BTS (32 votes)

BTS received 32 of the votes cast anonymously by 22 K-pop idol groups as the group they expect to reign in 2021. BTS is gaining a lot of attention, becoming the first K-pop group to be nominated for the Grammys, which will be announced on March 14th.

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2. Aespa (# of votes not revealed)

Coming in second is SM Entertainment’s rookie girl group aespa. They made a strong impression with their debut track Black Mamba. They are unique as each member has her  own AI avatar counterpart. Many are looking forward to how this group will fare in the future with the AI avatars.

3. Stray Kids (20 votes)

Last year Stray Kids emerged as a popular group with impressive performances. The group gained a lot of fans through their catchy music and many are keen to find what new music the group will come out with this year.

4. ENHYPEN (19 votes)

Created as a joint venture between CJ ENM and Big Hit Entertainment, ENHYPHEN is a new group ranking fourth with 19 votes. The members made their debut as they participated in the audition survival program me I-LAND and won the votes of global fans. The rookie group is determined to increase its fandom as the rising star in the K-pop industry.

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5. Seventeen (17 votes)

In 2021, Seventeen will step up their activities after releasing two albums last year and becoming a Double Million Seller. With their charm and superb performances, Seventeen are clearly on the rise. Seventeen received 17 votes, ranking fifth in the poll.

The other groups to make the list were TXT in sixth place with 15 votes, followed by ITZY, NCT, and The Boyz, all tied for seventh place with 14 votes each, and LOONA in eighth place with 13 votes.