The competition for May’s biggest K-pop stars is officially underway as the global K-pop ranking platform KM Chart unveiled the nominees for its May 2026 monthly chart.
With voting now open until May 24, fans are already preparing for what could become one of the fiercest fan voting battles of the year.
The biggest attention is naturally falling on the K-Music category, where some of the industry’s most powerful artists are facing off against each other. A total of 50 songs were nominated, creating an extremely crowded and competitive field.
Among the most talked-about nominees are BTS with “SWIM,” BLACKPINK with “GO,” AKMU with both “The Rumored Paradise” and “Joy, Sorrow, Beautiful Heart,” LE SSERAFIM with “SPAGHETTI,” SEVENTEEN with “THUNDER,” Stray Kids with “Do It,” IVE with “BANG BANG,” and BABYMONSTER with “Dance (CHOOM).”
The K-Music Artist category is just as stacked.
Thirty major artists and groups received nominations, including BTS, Lim Young-woong, BLACKPINK, DAY6, LE SSERAFIM, BOYNEXTDOOR, Stray Kids, IVE, aespa, ATEEZ, EXO, NMIXX, ENHYPEN, Young Tak, and Lee Chan-won.
Meanwhile, the HOT CHOICE categories are expected to generate especially intense fandom competition online.
The male division includes huge names such as V, Onew, Kang Daniel, Kim Sung-kyu, Park Ji-hoon, MONSTA X, THE BOYZ, SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, TWS, and Young Tak.
The female division is equally competitive, featuring I.O.I, Suzy, Irene, aespa, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, BABYMONSTER, ILLIT, QWER, and NMIXX.
However, one of the most closely watched categories may end up being ROOKIE.
The male rookie lineup includes rapidly rising acts such as CORTIS, whose explosive album sales recently sparked major online debate, alongside groups like LNGSHOT, idntt, IDID, AHOF, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AxMxP, AM8IC, KEYVITUP, and MODYSSEY.
On the female side, contenders include ALLDAY PROJECT, Baby DONT Cry, iii, S2iT, AFuture, AtHeart, OWIS, Ifeye, KiiiKiii, and HADES.
Interestingly, ALLDAY PROJECT was placed in the female rookie category because the majority of its members are women.
According to KM Chart, voting is currently taking place through the my1pick and Idol Champ apps, with votes from both platforms combined at a 50-50 ratio. Final winners will ultimately be determined through a mix of fan votes, judges’ evaluations, and objective chart indicators including KM Chart data scores.
With global fandoms already mobilizing online, many fans expect the May rankings to become one of the most competitive chart battles of 2026 so far.
