Before the 3rd generation of K-pop, no one really cared how beautiful the box or the photobook of an album was – music was all that mattered. However, the audience is way pickier now. Therefore, many albums have insane sales numbers, mainly because they'd look stunning on a bookshelf! Today, kpop girl groups dominate the world of aesthetics in physical k pop releases. Thus, we'll show you the top ten kpop groups with such pretty albums that you won't resist them!
10. Red Velvet, Sometimes, Lately
If we turn a blind eye when it comes to jewel cases, Red Velvet has a gorgeous physical collection
| Most beautiful physical album: "Summer Magic" limited editions or "The ReVe Festival: Finale" | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Rookie" or "The Red Summer" | |
| Most surprising packaging: "ReVe Festival 2022: Feel My Rhythm" Orgel version | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: All of the miserable jewel cases (unless you like the concept) | |
We had to put "sometimes, lately" in the title since Red Velvet belongs to the 3rd generation, and SM Entertainment used to mess things up in the past. Unfortunately, the ladies used to get jewel cases in thin boxes for their fantastic music. Still, SM tries to solve this issue by giving them way better physical releases now!
Since SM is prone to experiment and sometimes makes mistakes, we'll highlight some of their best creative attempts. "Feel My Rhythm" is absolutely gorgeous and royalcore. "Queendom" has a case version that looks awesome on any shelf, and the "ReVe Festival" era did them justice. Even the classic SM photobook like "The Red Summer" was remarkable for its concept!
9. Everglow
The girls had more albums after this video came out, but you can still see most of the beauty here!
| Most beautiful physical album: "−77.82X−78.29" | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "−77.82X−78.29" | |
| Most surprising packaging: None because the pattern is similar | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: Also none | |
Unlike Red Velvet, Everglow succeeded almost all the time when it came to the packaging, even when they experimented. However, there is one unique way of creating an album for them – the CD plate and the photobook are separated yet held together by a slipcover. "Arrival of Everglow," "Hush," and "Last Melody" work exactly like that!
Their prettiest album yet is "-77.82X-78.29", with holographic moments and iconic pictures brought in two versions. The colors, the vibe, everything makes you buy it! The truth is, Everglow, with its galaxy concept, suits the physical releases so well. You can get creative when you have such unique types of songs and music videos!
8. ITZY
"Checkmate" got five standard editions, one limited, and three special editions, and all of them are fabulous!
| Most beautiful physical album: "Checkmate" limited edition | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Guess Who" day version | |
| Most surprising packaging: "Crazy in Love" stands out for its shape | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: "Guess Who" limited edition (a.k.a. the trash can) | |
Another group almost constantly changing details about its packaging is ITZY. These JYP sweethearts are known for the girl crush and confidence concept. From "It'z Icy" to the newer releases, you can never predict the size and idea of the future photobook. "Crazy in Love" wasn't even a photobook only since it was a genuine pizza box!
Moreover, the most significant part about collecting ITZY is the inclusions you get. The tradition of two photocards per album is way better than only one, and they tend to have such cute moments with postcards, polaroids, and similar tiny inclusions. Their pre-order benefits are the best in the industry, so we'd pre-order their stuff if we were you!
7. WJSN
WJSN album covers are pure paradise!
| Most beautiful physical album: "Neverland" | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "WJ Stay?" | |
| Most surprising packaging: "From. WJSN" as it looks like a real journal | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: None of them | |
If the category were "album cover," WJSN would win every battle without anyone close to them. This Starship project is also high-quality with its music, so you'll be delighted if you want to stan and collect them. It's even hard to rank their physical releases because they're all gorgeous!
Surprisingly enough, WJSN are in the same company as IVE, another iconic girl group that got people obsessed. Yet IVE's packaging isn't that brilliant. Starship made WJSN fans proud, but IVE fans crave better design, especially for the album covers. IVE deserves the same treatment WJSN gets!
6. Cherry Bullet
The purple, dazzle version of "Cherry Wish" is a dream come true and one of the prettiest albums ever made!
| Most beautiful physical album: "Cherry Rush" | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Cherry Wish" | |
| Most surprising packaging: None of them is revolutionary | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: "Love Adventure" is a bit too bland | |
Here we are with another underrated group of ladies who deserve billions of views and millions of album sales since their packaging and music are always on point. Sometimes it isn't even about the form they create – their concept photos are so attractive that you'd buy the album for the beauty of the photobook!
For example, "Let's Play Cherry Bullet" and "Love Adventure" would be a basic hardcover photobook style if not for video game pictures. However, "Cherry Rush" stepped up the game in the best way possible, and we hope you grabbed it before it sold out on most sites. "Cherry Wish" and its butterflies might also be the greatest blessing on your shelf, so grab both!
5. aespa
Digipack, photobooks… You'll never know which version is your favorite
| Most beautiful physical album: "Savage" digipack | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Savage" digipack | |
| Most surprising packaging: "Savage" case | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: All of the "Girls" digipacks | |
We had to wait a bit longer until aespa received their physical release, as "Black Mamba," "Next Level," and their other songs didn't get an album you could buy. However, once that finally happened, it was fire, and it got three versions looking entirely different. Spoiler alert: you won't choose one of them since you'll get obsessed with all three!
Moreover, aespa is the best example of how album versions in kpop should look. It's not always about changing the color or cover but sticking to the same size and shape. aespa literally changed everything about the versions, with digipack, photobook, and case looking unique. The digipack got sold out so fast that it's a challenge to find it now, for a reason!
4. BLACKPINK
This collection costs thousands of dollars!
| Most beautiful physical album: "Born Pink" | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Square Up" | |
| Most surprising packaging: None because YG plays it safe | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: Jennie and Rosé's solo standard editions (buy special editions instead) | |
We're already in the god-tier zone, and BLACKPINK is the revolution in many ways. Their physical releases are so royal and give off that rich vibe that their group has always represented! From "Square Up" to the solo releases, BLACKPINK never misses; their albums are the minimalistic art on your shelf.
"The Album" might have a basic name, but it has class and thickness. That box could break glass, as it's cumbersome and full of content! Furthermore, BLACKPINK is well-known for its exclusive stuff, such as member photobooks, summer diaries, and season greetings that take your breath away. You'll need a lot of money, though!
3. IZ*ONE
This is one of the prettiest albums ever created!
| Most beautiful physical album: "Oneiric Diary" | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Heart*Iz" | |
| Most surprising packaging: "Bloom*Iz" structure (which is amazing) | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: "Color*Iz" if it's too basic for you | |
One of the greatest mistakes in k pop is IZ*ONE's disbandment, as they performed outstandingly on charts and were highly acclaimed. However, their physical releases are so fantastic that it's worth putting them in the top three! Most of their albums are boxes with many inclusions, versions, and colors, and you'll want all of them!
Unfortunately, it's a complex task to locate sealed IZ*ONE albums now, as the group is inactive now. Still, if you find them in any way, you'll have the prettiest shelf. Everyone will want to steal those albums from you, so keep your doors locked! Jokes aside, their thick boxes and aesthetic photos are any collector's burning desire.
2. Dreamcatcher
We have no idea what's better – the aesthetics or the songs!
| Most beautiful physical album: Any limited edition | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Dystopia: The Tree Of Language" | |
| Most surprising packaging: None because their albums follow a very similar pattern | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: None of them | |
When we say god-tier packaging, we imagine all Dreamcatcher releases sitting on our shelves. Both regular and limited editions, with thousands of photocards and other inclusions! This flawless group doesn't only have skipless discography, but they also seem to be game-changers regarding the packaging!
Moreover, if you asked a multi-stan to show you their shelf, they'd probably start with Dreamcatcher, as owning these is a kind of prestige in kpop. Most albums are out of print now and hardly get a restock. However, if you catch them on time, you'll never sell them because they make your shelf extraordinary!
1. TWICE
Collecting TWICE means thousands of photocards in your binder!
| Most beautiful physical album: "Between 1&2" | |
| The best photoshoot concept for the album: "Feel Special" | |
| Most surprising packaging: "Twicetagram," because everything inside is random | |
| The packaging you'd rather avoid: Get every TWICE album and you'll have zero regrets! | |
Ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the group that steals your heart for their personalities, insane music, and unpredictable yet fantastic packaging! Like ITZY, you'll never know what the next TWICE album will look like, but you'll 99% like it anyway since the girls sell their albums like hotcakes, and the company is putting an effort in!
Moreover, the girls are getting their own time to shine in their individual "Yes, I Am" photobooks, and these are so attractive you'll want to spend money on them all! To make it even better, TWICE are the only girl group releasing monographs for each era – a collection of high-quality hardcover and professional photos. Someone should give JYP a medal for TWICE promo and releases!
Take it as a blessing or curse - newer kpop girl groups are putting a lot of effort into the packaging. Hence, the whole industry focuses on pretty albums since people now care a lot about aesthetics. Once you start collecting, there's no way back, so welcome to heaven and hell!
Do you collect any K-pop groups from our top ten list? If so, which is your Achilles' heel, and you always have to spend money on it? Let us know your favorites!
Cover photo: Instagram/IZ*ONE