The Music Critics’ Circle is an annual industry award show started in 2010. This is the 12th edition of the Critics’ Cricle. The CC are voted by the various music critics from South Korea and all over the world specializing in Korean music and Asian music.

Notable participants include blogs like TheBiasList, KPOPREVIEWED, 10/10 Music, KBopped, 555 Reviews, Hallyureviews, Mozart Reviews, and more. K-Pop industry expert, kpop stuffs, and the members of the International Asian Music Critics Association. The nominations were determined via TrackScore and jury paneling from IZM.

This year’s eligibility period is from November 16, 2020 – November 5, 2021.

Let’s see what they got us on the table! This is the nominees of the Music Critics’ Circle, the Critics’ Choice of K-Pop.

Best Album

  • The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE – TOMORROW X TOGETHER
  • Game Changer – Golden Child
  • Imaginary – MIYAVI
  • The Land of Fantasy – JANNABI
  • LILAC – IU
  • Next Episode – AKMU
  • THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON – GWSN
  • Taste of Love – TWICE
  • tellusaboutyourself – Baek Yerin
  • Your Choice – SEVENTEEN

Best Record

  • Bad Love – Key
  • Beautiful Beautiful – ONF
  • Butter – BTS
  • CHI MAT BA RAM – Brave Girls
  • Dream – Song Gain
  • Jayu – SE SO NEON
  • LILAC – IU
  • My War – Shinsei Kamattechan
  • Poison – Pink Fantasy
  • Savage – aespa

Best Song

  • 0X1=LOVESONG – TOMORROW X TOGETHER & Seori
  • After We Ride – Brave Girls
  • Bad Love – Key
  • Beautiful Beautiful – ONF
  • Dream – Song Gain
  • Jayu – SE SO NEON
  • Like Water – Wendy
  • LILAC – IU
  • My War – Shinsei Kamattechan
  • Permission to Dance – BTS

Best New Artist

  • aespa
  • BLITZERS
  • bugAboo
  • DPR IAN
  • ENHYPEN
  • KINGDOM
  • Purple Kiss
  • Rolling Quartz
  • The Midnight Romance
  • Yuqi

Best Alternative Album

  • Instinct, Part 1 – OnlyOneOf
  • There is A Wolf – Lang Lee
  • Moodswings in this Order – DPR IAN

Best Alternative Record

  • FreezyVogue – FreezyBone & UUMilan
  • libidO – OnlyOneOf
  • Jayu – SE SO NEON

Best Pop Album

  • City of ONF – ONF
  • Game Changer – Golden Child
  • LILAC – IU

Best Pop Record

  • Beautiful Beautiful – ONF
  • Butter – BTS
  • CHI MAT BA RAM – Brave Girls

Best Electronic Album

  • Bad Love (Key)
  • BORDER: CARNIVAL – ENHYPEN
  • THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON – GWSN

Best Electronic Record

  • Bad Love – Key
  • Mega Punch – N.O.M
  • Tamed-Dashed – ENHYPEN

Best R&B Album

  • HELLO Chapter Ø: Hello, Strange Dream – CIX
  • Love Synonym #2: Right For Us – WONHO
  • tellusallaboutyourself – Baek Yerin

Best R&B Record

  • GHOST – DreamNote
  • Lose – WONHO
  • WAITING – WOODZ

Best Rock Album

  • THE CHAOS CHAPTER: FREEZE – TOMORROW X TOGETHER
  • The Land of Fantasy – JANNABI
  • Imaginary – MIYAVI

Best Rock Record

  • My War – Shinsei Kamattechan
  • Poison – Pink Fantasy
  • WADACHI – SPYAIR

Best Rap Album

  • CIRCLE – Mind Combined
  • Disharmony: Break Out – P1HARMONY
  • 그물,덫,발사대기,포획 – HAIFHAIF & unofficialboyy

Best Rap Record

  • Baptism of Blues – Lee Gyeong-min
  • Love Peace – Tiger JK
  • What Type of X – JESSI

Best Soundtrack Compilation

  • Netflix Squid Game
  • tvN Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
  • tvN Hospital Playlist 2

Best Soundtrack Record

  • I Like You (for Hospital Playlist) – Jo Jung-suk
  • Romantic Sunday (for Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) – Car, the garden
  • Way Back Then (for Squid Game) – Jung Jae-il

Best Music Video

  • Beautiful Beautiful – ONF
  • Frost – TOMORROW X TOGETHER
  • libidO – OnlyOneOf
  • LOCO – ITZY
  • Scared – P1HARMONY

Best Duo/Group Performance

  • LOCO – ITZY
  • Beautiful Beautiful – ONF
  • libidO – OnlyOneOf
  • My War – Shinsei Kamattechan
  • 0X1=LOVESONG – TXT & Seori

Best Solo Performance

  • So Beautiful – DPR IAN
  • LILAC – IU
  • Bad Love – Key
  • Like Water – Wendy
  • Bonnie & Clyde – Yuqi

Best Producer

  • 13
  • Bang Shi-hyuk
  • Brave Brothers
  • Kenzie
  • Monotree

Best Instrumental Composition

  • After We Ride – Brave Girls
  • Bad Love – Key
  • Beautiful Beautiful – ONF
  • GHOST – DreamNote
  • My War – Shinsei Kamattechan

Best Song Arrangement

  • Bad Love – Key
  • Beautiful Beautiful – ONF
  • Ghost – DreamNote
  • Jayu – SE SO NEON
  • My War – Shinsei Kamattechan

The Yoo Jae-ha Prize

Yoo Jae Ha steals my heart Part 1 | stealsmyheart
Yoo Jae-ha

Well, that seems a wrap. Those are the nominees for the 2021 Critics Circle. Who do you think will win? Comment down below and we’ll discuss!

Here is the voting link! Remember this award may only be voted by the music critics of the blogsphere. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXN1PXle9RpPLEqmYy520rGD4ABMTXEPjhro1ta2t34UvS3A/viewform?usp=sf_link

We will see the winners on November 13, 2021; 10AM KST.