Aespa · Eyelet → BB · Eunbi Kwon, 1st place to recruit for the 2024 University Festival

As the college festival season approaches with spring, expectations are rising for the lineup of celebrities preferred by each college.

According to Forlong, an AI recruitment platform, on the 9th, the artist category with the highest recruitment preference at university festivals across the country in 2024 was found to be popular girl groups.

Girl groups with top hit songs on music charts, such as (G)I-DLE, Ive, Aespa, and Aillet, are enjoying the greatest popularity as college students' recommended picks this year as they did last year. (G)I-DLE added the latest songs to their repertoire, such as 'Because I Hate Being Hurt', Ive's 'HEYA', and Aespa's 'Drama', heralding a more diverse stage. Aillet's 'Magnetic', which recently swept various charts and short-form challenges, is also expected to resonate at university festivals.

Even amidst the onslaught of girl groups, there is also a firm top priority for casting. Psy, who has captured the tastes of the MZ generation, still ranks at the top of the list of love calls. PSY recently revealed the names of the 17 universities that will participate in this year's festival on his SNS, predicting a packed schedule and passionate stage.

Solo artists, including PSY, are also expected to shine. Bibi, who reached her peak with the hit song 'Bam Yanggaeng' early this year, and Kwon Eunbi, who emerged as the 'Water Bomb Goddess' last year, are considered invited guests who are in the spotlight in the university festival recruitment market. Artists of various genres with many hit songs, such as Zico, Giriboy, and 10cm, are also showing strong performance.

In addition, trustworthy K-bands such as DAY6 and Jannabi, as well as new boy groups that have proven their music power such as Rise and Tours, will be making their first outing at college festivals starting this spring amid love calls.

Gyu-wan Hwang, CEO of Dermersen, a performance planning company, said, “This year, a variety of artists will perform on stage at various university festivals, playing a role as trendsetters for the MZ generation. Attention is focused on which team will stand out the most this year.”

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr