New K-Pop Christmas Include V, BoyNextDoor and Bing Crosby

Normally, I am not someone who wants anywhere near Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but the K-Pop community is making it hard for me this year.

Most prominently, there’s music news coming out this past week from both the official BTS feed and official feed for the estate of Bing Crosby. Yes, that Bing Crosby. BTS member V (Kim Taehyeong) will release a duet mix of Crosby’s classic “White Christmas” on December 6.

V is currently serving in the military as a Special Task Force of the Military Police Corps, so obviously he had this in the mix ready to go before heading into the service earlier this year. He has called Crosby his “all time favorite jazz artist” and grew up listening to his music as a child. The Crosby Estate is also thrilled about the partnership. V will be able to use some remixing magic and lend his voice to this timeless 1942 mainstay.

Pre-orders of the vinyl single are already selling out, but CDs are also offered. There will also be holiday merch offered as well like ornaments, hoodies and blankets.

Anyone who follows the music of BTS knows V has soft spot for vintage Christmas and included a version of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” on his “Le Jazz de V” short performance last year.

One of V’s non-Christmas songs is also something that has made its way into many holiday season playlists, as it certainly is seasonal vibe, “Winter Bear.”

V isn’t the only one with new Christmas music this year. This month, 5^th generation K-Pop stars BoyNextDoor also released their brand new version of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” as part of Apple Music’s “Carols Covered 2024 Playlist.” While V went more with the old school jazz, BoyNextDoor followed the more pop version from Michael Buble.

This is a follow up to their first holiday single last year, a cover of Wham’s “Last Christmas.”

There aren’t too many new holiday releases in the K-Pop world this year but there were some new ones that came out not long before Christmas in 2023. Another new group, Baby Monster, released a cover of the Ava Max’s “Christmas Without You.”

Girl group powerhouses Aespa and Red Velvet also teamed up at in 2023 an elaborate video for “Beautiful Christmas.”

There is also some non-holiday season news on the BTS front that has been raising concerns. HYBE, the entertainment company of which BTS is part, has mentioned a possible delay until 2026 for the group resuming activity as a team. Whether or not this happens, it makes sense, as the last remaining members won’t get out of their mandatory military service until June of 2025. All seven members either have upcoming or currently out successful solo projects, so it might not be a bad idea to give them a little time to breathe.

Either way, there is plenty of Christmas and holiday season music, like Jimin’s catch hit “Christmas Love.”

If you are already dreading the endless loop of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in stores, load up your music player with some new and not-so-new K-Pop Christmas tunes in time for December.

Of course, if you do love this song, K-Pop stars have several versions, including a special performance in 2021 for SBS Gaye Deleon, featuring members from Aespa, Astro, ITSY, IVE, NCT 127, Red Velvet, Nu’Est, Brave Girls, ATEEZ, Ethypen, Oh My Girl, StayC, Stray Kids, The Boyz and TXT.

That should pretty much cover it if you can’t decide.