Le Sserafim’s Kazuha Is Shaking Up the Trot Scene
Kazuha, the graceful ballerina-turned-K-pop idol from girl group Le Sserafim, just pulled off a chart-jumping surprise. As of July 22 at 4:11 PM KST, she landed in 9th place in the Best Female Singer category at the ongoing Netizen Awards—an arena historically ruled by Korea’s trot powerhouses. With 993 votes (1.2%), she’s officially broken into the Top 10.
Why This Ranking Matters
Trot, a genre akin to Korean country-pop with a nostalgic vibe, usually dominates these kind of fan-voted awards. Think enka in Japan meets Dolly Parton vibes in the U.S. lineup. But Kazuha, representing a cutting-edge Gen Z girl group, is crashing the party with an entirely different vibe.
Earlier this month, Kazuha even soared as high as 4th place, before slipping mid-rank due to shifting fan momentum. Now, she’s back with an upward swing, thanks to her dedicated fandom doubling down on votes.
Trot Queens vs. Idol Power
Right now, veteran trot singer Jeong Seoju is leading with a commanding 40.2% of the votes, with Bin Yesuh and My Jin battling it out for second at 18.1% each. Other big trot names like Kim Dahyun, Yang Ji-eun, Song Ga-in, and Hong Ji-yoon round out the usual suspects.
But Kazuha’s presence in this lineup? It’s the wild card. Her climb signals a potential genre shift, or at the very least, a pulse-check on how strong K-pop fandoms can influence traditional spaces.
More Idols Join the Fray
Trailing the Top 10, more K-pop idols are quietly staking their claim. VIVIZ’s Eunha sits at 19th, and NewJeans’ Minji at 20th. Sure, their votes are still in single digits (8 and 3, respectively), but don’t write them off just yet. Fandoms can flip rankings overnight— just ask ARMY or Bunnies.
Kazuha’s Rise: Fluke or Future Trend?
Is this just a one-time spike, or the kickoff to a genre mashup we didn’t see coming? With loyal fans on standby and voting still open, Kazuha’s upward momentum might be less of a fluke and more of a sign: K-pop idols are ready to challenge trot veterans in all the places they’ve historically dominated.
One thing’s for sure—this summer’s Netizen Awards just got a lot more interesting.
