June 8, 2026, SEOUL, KOREA – Kakao Entertainment artists are capturing the global spotlight, earning high praise from global media outlets thanks to their unique musical styles and commanding stage presences. Leveraging its powerful network, robust management systems, and deep expertise in music IP business including distribution and marketing, the company is aggressively expanding its global traction, with many of its label artists and SM Entertainment stars making waves on the world stage.  

Among them are WOODZ (EDAM Entertainment) and KiiiKiii (Starship Entertainment), who are drawing significant attention from both global fans and overseas media. Both acts recently made it onto the “The 30 Best Albums of 2026 So Far” by the prominent U.S. music publication The FADER, demonstrating their growing status in the international market.

WOODZ – ‘Archive.1’

WOODZ released his first full-length album “Archive. 1” in March – his first in 13 years – and won both fan and critical acclaim. The album, encapsulating his identity and prowess as a singer-songwriter and producer, garnered massive attention from fans at home and abroad upon its release, entering major music charts.

“There haven’t been many Korean artists like WOODZ who have grabbed my attention,” reads the review from THE FADER. “He’s a decade into his solo career, and his first full-length album is as raw as ever.”

It added, “He deviates from the usual pop formula; across 17 tracks, there’s head-banging rock mixed with heart-wrenching ballads that’ll make you shed a tear or two at night. It’s a refreshing palette cleanser in an oversaturated and extremely manufactured K-pop landscape.”

WOODZ is currently connecting with global fans through his “Archive. 1” world tour. Kicking it off in Incheon in March, he successfully wrapped up performances in major Asian countries, including Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia. After launching the European leg of his tour on June 7 in Berlin, WOODZ will perform in London and Paris before heading to South and North America.

Notably, he recently expanded the scale of his tour by adding shows in seven North American cities. Ahead of his upcoming performances in Sao Paulo and Mexico City this July, “Archive. 1” topped the iTunes Top Albums chart in Brazil, with Billboard Brazil running a feature spotlighting his music and activities as a testament to his soaring popularity in Latin America.

KiiiKiii – ‘Delulu Pack’

Alongside WOODZ, “Gen Z icon” KiiiKiii was the only other K-pop act to secure a spot on The FADER’s Best 30 list. Since its debut last year,KiiiKiii has been rapidly growing its presence in the global market with its unique musical color.

The FADER highlighted KiiiKiii as “one of K-pop’s most exciting acts,” saying its second mini-album “Delulu Pack” is “chock-full of club-ready tracks like ‘404’ and ‘Delulu,’ but it’s rounded out with soft pop ballads like ‘To Me From Me’ that harken back to K-pop forebears f(x) and Red Velvet. Plenty of K-pop acts right now are mining the Y2K revival, but not enough are paying tribute to the genre’s own lineage.”

Moreover, other major outlets, including British music magazine NME and Billboard in the U.S., have also praised KiiiKiii‘s music, highly rating its potential as next-generation K-pop leader.

KiiiKiii’s “Delulu Pack” also proved its immense global popularity by charting on the Billboard Global (Excl. US) chart for eight consecutive weeks. In particular, the title track “404 (New Era)” took home three music show wins in Korea and enjoyed substantial overseas success.

KiiiKiii continues to widen its scope through various global activities, including appearances at major music festivals this year. Recently, it participated as the only K-pop girl group at the HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Music & Arts Festival in TOKYO 2026 held in Chiba, Japan, steadily solidifying its influence worldwide.