“Drowning” named 2025’s most-streamed song

KT Genie Music has unveiled its annual year-end music recap, revealing that WOODZ’s “Drowning” was the most popular song of 2025 on its streaming platform.

The company announced the release of its “2025 re:genie” year-end roundup on Tuesday, offering users a comprehensive look back at the year through chart highlights, personalized listening data and fan-participation promotions.

Based on streaming data tallied through Nov. 30, “Drowning” — originally released in 2023 — claimed the top spot on Genie’s annual chart after a strong resurgence that propelled it to this year’s No. 1 position. The second-most streamed song was Im Young-woong’s “Beautiful Than Heaven,” followed by “Golden,” performed by Huntress X from the K-pop Demon Hunters original soundtrack.

Listening trends varied by age group. Teen users streamed BoyNextDoor’s “Only Today I LOVE YOU” the most, while listeners in their 20s and 30s favored WOODZ’s “Drowning.” Users in their 40s most frequently played “Golden,” and those aged 50 and above overwhelmingly chose Im Young-woong’s “Beautiful Than Heaven.”

The year-end report also spotlighted emerging rookie artists who made notable chart debuts in 2025, including Jo Jjaez with “Don’t You Know,” AllDay Project with “FAMOUS,” Kiki with “I DO ME,” and Hearts2Hearts with “The Chase.”

In addition to chart rankings, Genie introduced “My Genie,” a personalized feature that analyzes users’ listening habits using big data and AI curation. The service allows users to revisit their most-played songs, albums and artists of the year, as well as rediscover the first track they streamed in 2025.

The platform is also running a fan message promotion, enabling users to send words of support to their favorite artists. Messages for the top three most-supported artists will be displayed on large digital billboards in Seoul’s Gangnam, Hongdae and Dongdaemun districts. Paid subscribers can send up to three messages per day, while free users are allowed one.

Participants will be entered into prize drawings that include an iPhone 17 Pro, AirPods Max and Starbucks gift cards. Genie is also launching a New Year-themed promotion that recommends “fortune songs” to match users’ outlooks for 2026, rounding out its year-end festivities.

ⓒ "젊은 파워, 모바일 넘버원 아시아투데이"