Rising girl group H1-KEY is racking up year-end accolades, with back-to-back nods from major international outlets spotlighting their 2025 K-pop standout.
H1-KEY placed No. 9 on The Hollywood Reporter’s “The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2025,” published Dec. 29 (local time), with their mini-album lead single “Summer Was You.”
Praising the track, The Hollywood Reporter called it “the defining K-pop song of summer 2025,” noting its “near-perfect” execution and “breezy, bright energy that belongs on every K-pop fan’s playlist.” The outlet also dubbed H1-KEY “a hidden gem of the K-pop scene.”
“Summer Was You,” released in June, previously ranked No. 6 on NME’s “The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2025” and No. 10 on Billboard’s list. With THR’s recognition, the group pulls off a rare hat trick of Top 10 placements across influential U.S. and U.K. publications―further cementing their global momentum.
H1-KEY returns Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. KST with the new single “Not like a Movie,” arriving on major streaming platforms. The track marks their first release in about seven months since the mini-album Lovestruck and drops on the group’s fourth debut anniversary―a timely gift for fans. Framed as a H1-KEY-style winter anthem with themes of comfort and encouragement, it’s poised to follow “Summer Was You” as another season-defining release.
Riding a wave of international attention, H1-KEY will kick off 2026 with “Not like a Movie,” followed by more music and activities throughout the year.
Photo= Choi Creative Lab
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)