TIME’s K-Pop Book captures the ins and outs of the wildly popular world of Korean pop music, from the groups at the top of the charts to the ones poised to break out next, the devotion of its fans to its dominance in the crowded global music landscape. It’s the perfect introduction for listeners who are new to the music, and a collector’s item for those who have already fallen in love with it.
There is one large component of the issue that profiles, in brief, 10 top K-pop groups. These include BTS, Blackpink, TWICE, Red Velvet, LOONA, Stray Kids, Itzy, SEVENTEEN, Monsta X and NCT. There is another section that focuses on six rookie groups to watch: TREASURE, aespa, P1Harmony, STAYC, ENHYPHEN and WEEEKLY. There will be many other groups mentioned in other components, such as a playlist of essential K-pop tracks, a story about the history of K-pop, etc.