EXO, 2NE1 and Babymetal included in Billboard’s ‘2014 World Albums Artists’ list; 2NE1 collaborates with Capitol Records and is scheduled to attend the SBS Gayo Daejun without Park Bom

By Staff Writer

Dec 11 2014, 22:29 PM EST

US music chart publication Billboard recently revealed their "2014 World Albums Artists," which includes this year's top 10 global artists based on their sales data.

Two K-pop acts made it to the list - highly successful male megagroup EXO and globally famous female idol group 2NE1. EXO and 2NE1 were in the list's 7^th and 9^th places, respectively, allkpop reports.

The idol groups were joined by other internationally famous acts including the Japanese female trio Babymetal who ranked 5^th. It was also reported that Babymetal's self-titled album also made it to Billboard's "World Album" category, ranking 7th place.

2NE1, who made a successful comeback earlier this year, also made it to the same category. Their album "Crush" ranked 11^th place.

In other news, 2NE1 recently collaborated with American record label Capitol Records for the group's song redistribution. According to Koreaboo, the record label released an updated version of 2NE1's hit song "I Am The Best" on iTunes where the track was featured with a new album cover.

It was also reported that the track's previous version originally uploaded by 2NE1's record label and management agency YG Entertainment in 2011 was already removed and updated.

The news left fans speculating that this could be a part of the idol group's potential comeback next year. In recent reports, the group is scheduled to attend in the upcoming 2014 Gayo Daejun award ceremony, without Park Bom who was recently embroiled with a drug smuggling issue.

Meanwhile, EXO is also gearing for their comeback in 2015. At the Mnet Asian Music Awards 2014 held earlier this month, it was revealed that the 10-member will be returning next year. This was announced through a mysterious teaser that hinted a potential change in the lineup of the group.

The surprising announcement thrilled many fans who were left with various speculations about it. EXO's upcoming return marks their first comeback following the departure of members Kris and Luhan who are currently both in China pursuing their solo careers.