Jin and IVE Top March as KM Chart Q1 2026 Voting Opens

K-pop fans have a new reason to open their voting apps. KM Chart has officially launched voting for its 2026 KM Chart Season Best Spring — the definitive Q1 awards crowning the best artists and songs from January through March 2026.

The voting window runs through April 14, 2026, covering seven award categories. This season ballot reads like a who is who of K-pop: BTS, BLACKPINK, IVE, Stray Kids, aespa, LE SSERAFIM, EXO, ENHYPEN, and Tomorrow X Together are all in the running. Scores are calculated by combining fan votes via the My One Pick and Idol Champ apps (50% each), official KM Chart data, and a panel of professional judges.

Who Owns Q1 2026? The Full Nominee Lineup

The Best K-Music category features 18 tracks including BLACKPINK songs JUMP and GO, both of which dominated music programs in Q1, Hwasa Good Goodbye, ILLIT NOT CUTE ANYMORE, and Lim Young-woong Sungan-eul Yeong-wonchoreom. The Best K-Music Artist category includes 20 artists with BTS members Jin, Jungkook, V, and Jimin each earning individual nominations. Joining them are Stray Kids, TXT, IVE, EXO, ENHYPEN, and LE SSERAFIM.

The fan-weighted Best Hot Choice category includes BTS members, Kang Daniel, and MONSTA X on the male side, and Jennie and Jisoo from BLACKPINK, Taeyeon, TWICE, and Oh My Girl on the female side. Rookie nominees include BABYMONSTER, ILLIT, and UNIS on the female side and COORTIZ, NEXZ, and ALPHA DRIVE ONE on the male side.

March Monthly Chart Results: Jin and IVE Take the Top

KM Chart also released its March monthly rankings. IVE BANG BANG claimed the top music spot, capping a strong debut run for the track. On the artist side, Jin of BTS took the monthly artist crown — a milestone underscoring the excitement surrounding his post-military music activities. His return has been one of the most-watched stories in K-pop in early 2026.

The HOT CHOICE rankings saw Lim Young-woong top the male vote, continuing his remarkable streak as one of the most beloved figures in Korean popular music. On the female side, Dreamcatcher claimed the top position, a win their dedicated Insomnia fanbase will celebrate as long-deserved recognition. In the rookie rankings, ALPHA DRIVE ONE (male) and Harts2Hearts (female) each took first place.

Why KM Chart Spring Season Best Matters

Unlike weekly music show wins, the KM Chart Season Best awards aggregate a full quarter of performance — meaning longevity, consistency, and fan mobilization all factor in equally. For BTS, Q1 2026 has been especially significant as several members continue returning from mandatory military service. BLACKPINK delivered two major tracks and continued to push their global profile through fashion and brand partnerships. BLACKPINK GO secured No. 1 on M! Countdown in March, while BTS SWIM also claimed the top spot on the same program.

For IVE, the March music chart win with BANG BANG positions them as a serious contender in Best K-Music heading into the final vote count. The group has shown a remarkable ability to debut songs that immediately connect — a pattern that has now held across multiple release cycles.

How to Vote Before April 14

Fans can cast votes through the official My One Pick and Idol Champ applications, which together account for 50% of each category final score. The remaining weight is split between KM Chart proprietary data metrics and the professional panel. The seven categories include Best K-Music, Best K-Music Artist, Best Hot Choice Male and Female, Best New Artist Male and Female, and Best Music Video.

The MV category includes BTS SWIM, ENHYPEN Knife, ZEROBASEONE LOVEPOCALYPSE, and 12 additional clips. For fanbases, this two-week window is one of the most important of the K-pop calendar year — a chance to cement their artist legacy in the quarterly record books before the summer season begins. With Jin holding the March artist crown and IVE claiming music supremacy, ARMY and Dive fans have significant momentum heading into the final countdown.

A Season of Comebacks and Milestones

The first quarter of 2026 has been unusually rich for K-pop releases, which makes the Spring Season Best ballot particularly competitive. BTS, in the midst of the group full reunion arc following mandatory military service completions, saw multiple members release solo work and appear on the charts — setting up what may be the most anticipated K-pop comeback season in recent memory. Jin return as a monthly chart leader signals that the anticipation is already translating into listening numbers.

BLACKPINK entered the quarter with a dual assault: "JUMP" and "GO" both landed in the Top 18 music nominations and both claimed No. 1 spots on M! Countdown during their respective promotional runs. The group ability to generate two chart-competing singles in the same award window is a testament to the staying power of their BLINK fanbase, which has only grown more organized and strategic in recent years.

For Stray Kids, ENHYPEN, and TXT, Q1 2026 continued a pattern of steady chart presence and strong fan mobilization. These groups have reached a point where their fanbases — STAY, ENGENE, and MOA respectively — approach major voting campaigns with detailed strategy, coordinating across time zones and platforms to maximize streaming and voting output. The Best Hot Choice category, in particular, tends to favor groups with tightly organized international fanbases, giving these three a real shot at a trophy even against the BTS and BLACKPINK juggernauts.

LE SSERAFIM and aespa round out the Best K-Music Artist field as representative voices of the fourth-generation girl group wave. Both groups have proven capable of generating hits that cross demographic lines — earning streams from casual listeners as well as dedicated fans — which is exactly the kind of broad appeal that KM Chart data metrics tend to reward.

Reading the Rookie Race

Perhaps the most intriguing storyline heading into April 14 is the rookie category, where the next generation of K-pop is making its case. BABYMONSTER, ILLIT, and UNIS on the female side represent three very different approaches to the current girl group playbook. BABYMONSTER brings YG Entertainment pedigree and a powerful performance identity. ILLIT has already demonstrated crossover appeal, landing in broader mainstream conversations beyond the traditional K-pop fan sphere. UNIS rounds out the trio as a group steadily building its audience through consistent releases and platform presence.

On the male side, ALPHA DRIVE ONE claimed the March monthly rookie title — a strong signal heading into the Spring Season Best vote. Their ability to win a monthly chart suggests they have an engaged fanbase capable of sustaining voting campaigns, which is the most important variable in any K-pop award race. NEXZ and COORTIZ bring additional competition that keeps the category unpredictable.

For long-time fans of the industry, watching the rookie landscape in 2026 carries a particular resonance: these are the artists who will define K-pop second half of the decade, much as the groups nominated in the other categories defined the first half.