Battle for 2026 - who will win? BTS vs IU vs New Jeans vs Stray Kids vs All Day Project - also Jungkook supported ADP's new song

There will be a lot of hoopla about BTS' return.

However I don't think it will end up better than Napoleon's comeback concert at Mont St. Jean in 1815, which was apoiled by an old guy named Blucher.

BTS has to outdo itself to be relevant again, which will be hard.

IU is flexing her muscles. Her failure of Flower Bookmark 3 showed that she cannot stay relevant just by doing the same old things, and she appears to be determined to regain her influence after the ignominious defeats suffered by Bibi in Feb 2024 and Kim Taeri in May 2025.

Meanwhile, the return of New Jeans adds a new variable.

I personally think the 5 will be restored. Too much was invested on them, and Lee Dokyung, the current head of Ador, has no malice against them. They will reconcile with Le Sserafim , and Illit will be sent to Japan to stay away from them.

NJ does have to have a spectacular comeback to show their power again to the world.

If BTS' comeback is not up to speed, JYP will unleash Stray Kids to dominate KPop once for all. This is his golden chance to be at the top of KPop.

However, the cosmic horror this time is All Day Project, the pet project of Annie Moon the billionaire.

Annie is richer than Bang and JYP and IU combined. She would have dominated if Netflix, market $486.5 billion and about 360 times bigger than the market cap of Shinsaegae Dept Store, owned by her grandmother, did not jump in.

However in 2026 there are no Netflix virtual acts to worry about, and she can outspend Bang, JYP and IU quite easily.

It is a winner take all battle. No quarters given, no excuses.

Jungkook supported ADP's new song

I don't know whether it is a protest against the way he is being treated by Hybe or what, but he does know that it is better to curry favor from a billionaire.

Quote from Seoged

But hadn't IU retired from music and become an actress?

That was probably the intention but given that singers did not pay filial duty to her when APT. and Golden ruled that she probably felt the need to flex her muscles again and teach the 4.5th gen a lesson, given her season's greeting photoshoots showing she has not given up music yet

Quote from msmelon

bts will underperform mark my words!

I think that will be the true

ADP's fortune is directly related with whatever the Billionaire thinks. If she tires of Korea she might ask for internationally relevant songs so we do not know yet