Who will be the one to set the K-pop scene ablaze during July? The global standard K-pop chart 'KM Chart' has opened voting for the July monthly chart.
KM Chart has unveiled the formidable pool of candidates across six institutional sector categories for the July 2026 monthly chart and will begin full-scale voting through the 24th. The candidates this time include top artists who have shown a strong presence across all categories this year, including digital singles, artists, popularity and rookies.
In the K-MUSIC (digital singles) institutional sector, which is expected to be the fiercest battleground, a total of 50 songs will compete, led by BTS's SWIM; AKMU's "Paradise of Rumors"·"Joy, sadness, beautiful heart"; aespa's LEMONADE·"WDA (Feat. G-DRAGON)"; VV's BUMPA; Doh Kyung Soo's Popcorn; Le Chanwon's "Somehow today"; and Lim Young-woong's "Forgotten season." With digital singles powerhouses spanning generations and genres all assembled, a hotter competition than ever is expected.
The K-MUSIC ARTIST (artist) institutional sector, which crowns the performer with the best achievements, is also dazzling. Thirty K-pop representatives from Korea — including Taeyeon, LE SSERAFIM, BTS, BOYNEXTDOOR, Blackpink, SHINee, Stray Kids, Doh Kyung Soo, IVE, aespa, ATEEZ, RIIZE, ENHYPEN, Le Chanwon and Lim Young-woong — will compete for a single trophy.
The HOT CHOICE (popularity) institutional sector, where fans' wholehearted support directly determines the voting results, also features an exciting lineup.
In the male category, 30 nominees (artists or teams) such as TREASURE, Kang Daniel, Kim Sungkyu (INFINITE), RIIZE, V (BTS), TWS, SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, Yeonjun (TOMORROW X TOGETHER) and Jaehyun (NCT) are on the ballot, competing with formidable global firepower.
In the female category, 30 nominees (artists or teams) including LE SSERAFIM, Moonbyul (Mamamoo), Miyao, BABYMONSTER, BVG, IZNNA, (G)I-DLE, IVE, ILLIT, QWER, aespa and NMIXX have their names on the list, setting up a fierce clash of pride in which nothing can be predicted.
The ROOKIE (rookie) institutional sector competition is also intense. In the male category, 10 teams including Longshot, IDENTITY, Alpha Drive One and AMP will compete, and in the female category, 10 teams including dodree, III, AtHeart and Hype Princess will face off for the once-in-a-lifetime top rookie spot.
This KM Chart July monthly chart voting can be participated in through the official applications MyOnePick and Idol Champ. The vote tallies from the two apps will be combined with equal 50% weight, and after voting ends, final rankings will be announced after fairly and objectively compiling fan vote scores, a panel of judges' evaluations and KM Chart's own data scores.
Meanwhile, the mega K-pop festival KMA 2026, hosted by KM Chart and KM Chart World, is scheduled to be held on July 25 at Hwajeong Gymnasium, Korea University, in Seongbuk District, Seoul.
[Photo] Provided by KM Chart
[OSEN]