Billboard names ‘Reboot’ top K-pop album of 2015

U.S. music magazine Billboard released its list of the “10 Best K-pop Albums of 2015” last Wednesday, giving the top spot to “Reboot,” from the Wonder Girls.

The top 10 list showed a mixed bag of established idol groups, including Wonder Girls, 2PM and TVXQ, and newcomers such as Red Velvet, BTS and Seventeen.

The chart only included full-length albums, rarities in the current Korean music market that is flooded with singles and EPs, and gave credit to artists who crafted records in 2015 based on a firm understanding of their musical identity.

Billboard praised the winner “Reboot” as showcasing “the importance of a concept and what happens when an act believes in that concept.”

Following the Wonder Girls’ “Reboot,” the list named “4 Walls” by f(x), “Basic” by the Brown Eyed Girls, “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2” by BTS, “Wondaland” by hip-hop trio MFBTY, “Chat-Shire” by songstress IU, “The Red” by Red Velvet, “No. 5” by 2PM, “17 Carat” by Seventeen and “Rise as God” by TVXQ.

This was Billboard’s second annual listing of the top K-pop albums following the inaugural list in 2014.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)