WOODZ's 'Drowning' Tops Melon's 2025 Year-End Chart

DAY6 and aespa Lead with Six Chart Entries Each

Melon chart image. Provided by Melon

On January 8, Melon, the music platform operated by Kakao Entertainment, announced its '2025 Domestic Annual Chart,' with singer WOODZ's 'Drowning' taking the top spot.

Released in 2023, 'Drowning' gained renewed attention after WOODZ's live performance video went viral, entering the upper ranks of the chart approximately a year and six months after its release. The song continued its steady climb, eventually reaching number one on the 2025 annual chart, marking a remarkable resurgence.

Last year saw a notable rise in male solo artists. G-Dragon, returning with a full-length album after 11 years, secured second place with 'Home Sweet Home.' Singer-songwriter Lee Mujin had four songs, including 'Episode,' on the chart, while 10CM landed a remake of the soundtrack from the animation 'Kimi ni Todoke' at number ten.

Among groups, Day6 and aespa stood out. Each group placed six songs on the chart, earning the title of 'artists with the most entries.' IVE also had five songs ranked on the chart.

BLACKPINK achieved simultaneous hits with the group's new song 'Jump' (27th), Ros?'s solo track 'APT.' (6th), and Jennie's 'Like Jennie' (11th). Fifth-generation idols such as BOYNEXTDOOR (12th), BABYMONSTER (28th), and ILLIT (43rd), as well as rookies like the All Day Project (23rd), also made their presence felt.

On the international chart, soundtracks, pop, and J-Pop all enjoyed popularity. The top spot went to 'Golden' by Lee Jae, the soundtrack for the Netflix animation 'K-Pop Demon Hunters.' Eight songs from the soundtrack made it into the top 30.

In the pop market, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars's collaboration 'Die With A Smile' ranked third. In the J-Pop category, songs such as the theme from the animation 'Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc' entered the chart.