With Christmas merely a few days away and the new year looming closely behind, it's the perfect time to enjoy the many ways the industry celebrates this time of year. 

End of the year celebrations and festivals are truly a fun time in K-Pop, with groups and soloists coming together to put on a final performance before the start of the new year. These moments are almost always accompanied by new collaborations between idols, sometimes even endeavoring to cover iconic hits from their industry seniors. With that said, let’s take a trip back and rediscover the celebrations from years past. 

“Girl’s Present” - TWICE, Red Velvet, GFRIEND, I.O.I

This year's award season brought us the fourth-generation equivalent of this nostalgic stage, featuring the new, up-and-coming girl groups dominating this era. For the 2010s, we third-generation fans had the novel experience of witnessing TWICE, Red Velvet, GFRIEND, and temporary girl group I.O.I come together to perform snippets of their own songs and a large-scale cover of Girls’ Generation’s debut song “Into The New World.” Knowing how far each of these groups has come since this moment is sure to evoke some strong emotions looking back. 

“누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay)” - TXT

TXT (Tomorrow x Together) covering SHINee’s debut track “Replay” is a spectacular rendition of the beloved song. TXT, both vocally and through their dancing, maintained the charm of their predecessor’s stages, with each member filling the roles of the original five with verisimilitude. Taehyun, taking on the power vocals delivered by Jonghyun, was an obvious and amazing choice. 

“Perfect Man” - BTS

By this point, and with BTS’ astronomical success, it's impossible not to have seen this cover of SHINHWA’s “Perfect Man.” Even so, it doesn't hurt to see it again. Despite missing leader RM in this performance, the remaining six still performed a passionate rendition of the track. Jimin especially shined, singing in a low register that was unconventional for him at the time. Looking back on stages like this proves it was only a matter of time before BTS would go on to take over the world, with their talent easily observable in moments like these. 

“BOSS” - 2B2U [SinB (GFRIEND), YooA (Oh My Girl), Kwon Eunbi (former IZ*ONE), Ryujin (ITZY)]

Who doesn’t love when girl groups switch it up and annihilate a boy group song? This mix-up of aces was fun to see, especially hearing their harmonious voices come together to give a different edge to the powerful nature of “BOSS.” Ryujin of ITZY, who would also appear in the amazing “Fiction” cover at a future festival, definitely stood out if the copious amount of praise in the comments is any indicator. 

SHINee, f(x) VS. B.A.P, SECRET

This is a matchup we will never experience again, with three out of the four groups featured no longer actively promoting and SHINee involved in their solo projects. So, it absolutely deserves revisiting for the sake of this list. In harmonious pairings between each respective group’s members, the battle had the teams performing a unique choice of songs. Both teams delivered high-energy, upbeat medleys of popular western songs (in English, as well). The SHINee and f(x) team performed the vocals, whereas the B.A.P and SECRET team gave an intense dance collaboration. Both selections were very on-brand for each group, highlighting the areas where they excelled.

“SPECTRUM” - SM The Performance (U-Know, Taemin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Minho, Kai, Lay)

Before SuperM pursued the most ambitious crossover event in K-Pop history, à la the Avengers, there were collaborations like YOUNIQUE UNIT and SM The Performance that utilized representatives of each group to put on a truly engaging stage. Back when K-Pop companies held more cohesive brand identities, crossovers such as these were a true delight for fans of each group. 

“GOOD BYE” - TAEMIN x Momo and Jihyo (TWICE)

We all miss TAEMIN during his time serving his enlistment. Rewatching stages like this collaboration with Momo and Jihyo of TWICE helps fill the void somewhat. Earlier that year, a handful of TWICE members covered “MOVE,” so rounding out the year with a performance featuring TAEMIN himself was the best surprise. Jihyo’s vocals and TAEMIN and Momo’s dancing meshed into a stunning take on “GOOD BYE.” 

Edited by Erin Rupprecht