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The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2021 (Day Four: 20-11)

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Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2021The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. 

To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs must have had a Korean release as a title track, follow-up or promotional video between Dec. 1st, 2020 and Nov. 30th, 2021.

Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!

Honorable Mentions
Songs 50-41
Songs 40-31
Songs 30-21

20. BTS – Butter

I’ve got no beef with glossy, sellout pop music as long as the melodies are strong. Butter impresses with its whopper of a hook — breezy and euphoric and smooth as… well, you know. Too many commercial placements chipped away at its effect over time, but this is still capitalistic pop at its most concentrated. (full review)

19. CIX – Cinema

Cinema became one of 2021’s biggest growers thanks to it unassuming, unadorned simplicity. This approach has become all-too rare in K-pop, and requires a clear melody to compel attention. Luckily, CIX found their greatest tune yet: a soft yet rousing slice of timeless pop. (full review)

18. Yuqi – Bonnie & Clyde

(G)I-DLE’s Yuqi was finally able to unleash her full potential and we were lucky to reap the rewards. Bonnie & Clyde takes an insistent, trance-like energy and melds it with rock production. Her husky vocal completes the package, powering a knockout chorus. (full review)

17. ONEUS – Life Is Beautiful

Somehow, it seems fitting that my highest-ranked ONEUS single of the year is also their most straightforward pop song. You just can’t beat a killer melody and surging, well-produced instrumental. The catchy woodwind ornamentations are delicious icing on the cake. (full review)

16. Jessi – What Type Of X

Jessi’s What Type Of X is a force of nature. Do not trifle with this song unless you want an aural beatdown. By fusing her hyper-charismatic rap with rock guitar, a stomping drop and a little help from agency-head PSY, Jessi found the formula for her strongest single yet. (full review)

15. ONF – Popping

Riffing off the bright sounds of their triumphant 2018 track Complete, Popping tied a bow on the summer season with its optimistic energy and hard-hitting percussion. Performed with addictive enthusiasm, the final product is just quirky enough to counter its sugary-sweet melodies. (full review)

14. aespa – Next Level

Next Level shouldn’t work. A Fast & Furious b-side, chopped up with ‘Black Mamba’ SM nonsense and a bridge that feels ripped from another song entirely? I mean, come on. But, aespa own every syllable of the track, transforming a bizarre hodgepodge into one of the year’s most iconic moments. (full review)

13. UP10TION – Spin Off

I can’t overstate the importance of a great chorus. Spin Off messes about too much during its verses, but that colossal hook is always waiting in the wings to sweep you off your feet. Even without the power of their full roster, UP10TION remain an underrated force. (full review)

12. Monsta X – Gambler

As popular as they are, Monsta X rarely pop up in my end-of-year countdowns. Thankfully, Gambler shifts their sound right into my wheelhouse, bringing hard-hitting funk as the track careens into a groovy centerpiece. But, it’s the go-for-broke climax that really sets this song apart. (full review)

11. BDC – Moon Rider

BDC’s “Moon” trilogy has been one of 2021’s best surprises, and it climaxed with the powerful (and, yes… propulsive!) Moon Rider. This is my kind of sleek, sci-fi dance music, driving ever-forward as strings add majestic flair to the taut melody. (full review)

NEXT: NUMBERS 10-1

62 thoughts on “The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2021 (Day Four: 20-11)”

  1. Pingback: The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2021 (Day Three: 30-21) | The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion

  3. Let’s go! THE TOP TEN HAVE BEEN REVEALED!

    We have:
    Brave Girls – After We Ride
    Brave Girls – Chi Mat Ba Ram
    Golden Child – Breathe
    Golden Child – Burn It
    Key – Bad Love
    Mirae – Killa
    ONF – Beautiful Beautiful
    OnlyOneOf – libidO
    SHINee – Atlantis
    TXT – 0x1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) (ft. Seori)

    This is gonna get so much bloodier and gorier.

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  6. I agree with you 100% on the pleasant surprise of BDC’s moon-themed ‘Intersection’ series. It’s so rare to find such a consistent yet strong run of singles in sound and concept. The only other series I can think of that I really like in recent memory is ATEEZ’s ‘Treasure’. ‘Moon Rider’ is still one of my favourite 2021 songs to play (amongst many great singles of course!)

    Now I’m itching to know who will top the list. Can’t wait for tomorrow 🙂

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  7. Coincidentally, I put “Moonrider” at 11 too!
    My list, in order
    11 BDC “Moonrider”
    12 Ghost9 “Starvoy”
    13 Oneus “Luna”
    14 Gaho “Right Now”
    15 Taemin “Advice”
    16 Super Junior “Burn the Floor”
    17 Sohlhee “freakin’ flower”
    18 Golden Child “Burn It”
    19 Pixy “Bewitched”
    20 OnlyOneOf “libido”

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    • Agreed! I don’t know why but I just listened to “Butter” today and it still feels fresh. Probably because I’ve rarely came across those commercials that overplay the song. And “Next Level” did grow on a lot of people big time.

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      • Every single Samsung ad on youtube or my tablet games, which is to say at least once or twice an hour. That’s for the full length 30sec ad. Then there are the 5-10 sec versions too that pop up in the middle of youtube vids. So when I stream my regular programs to listen to while I am working, I get to hear it a few times a day, every day.

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        • i really recommend a good ad blocker, it’s skipped like, tens of thousands of youtube ads for me 🙏

          though if you meant the youtube app, idk what we can do but suffer through 😔

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        • Same here. 90% of the time recently my ads are either Samsung, Google Pixel 6 (in Spanish), or Amazon lying about how happy their employees are.

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            • Yup, I get McDonalds in Korean and Spanish, although not so many recently. I really wish I knew what was triggering the Spanish ads – the only Spanish I otherwise encounter online are the occasional YT comment on a kpop video and I don’t live in a part of the country with an especially large Spanish-speaking community. I assume YT knows I grew up in California but that seems like a pretty vague data point for ad targeting.

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      • Butter is really solid even I have heard it a lot already. I think because it doesn’t sound as basic as other English kpop songs. I notice English kpop songs tend to use really basic pop chord progressions like I-V-VI-IV for example, but Butter put some slightly advanced funky stuff in it that’s why it still sounds fresh!

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  10. The top 20 is quite strong overall. Glad that Moon Rider got such a high placement, I played the hell out of it upon release. My list is still very far from being done but I expect there to be some pretty decent overlap between my top 20 and yours.

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  12. Chapter 4

    Yuto oppar, realizing One Hoe oppar is in danger, runs up to the dark tunnel, but ends up finding him lying on the ground, butt-naked and hurt.

    “ONE-HOE-AH!!!” Yuto oppar cried as he found him. “HANG IN THERE ONE HOE-AH!!!”

    Yuto oppar flips him onto his front, trying to ask him what happened. He soon realizes his ranking from 34th place is dropping like a money, going from 39th place to 50th place in the blink of an eye. He soon finds out One Hoe oppar’s underwear was removed to expose his, you know what, leading to his dramatic change in ranking despite his song being neomu good.

    “Th-there’s someone… who hasn’t accepted… the rankings…” One Hoe oppar weakly tells Yuto oppar. “Quickly… run away… that person… intends to alter… the results of the rankings…”

    Yuto is jinjja shocked by these news. “MWO!!??? MUSEUN TTEUS-IEYO???”

    “Seoduleuda…” One Hoe oppar weakly cries. “Protect your position in the rankings… You still have a chance for number one… You… must protect it at all costs…”

    One Hoe oppar tries raising his hand to Yuto oppar, but it falls on the ground as he seemingly dies.

    “One… One Hoe-ah?” Yuto oppar says shakily as he sees One Hoe oppar’s lifeless body.

    One Hoe oppar drops all the way to 69th place. Yuto oppar screams as he sees his ranking. He then runs out of the tunnel, trying to get answers as to what happened. He thought it was impossible to alter the rankings until now, so he tries running back to the school.

    The next day…

    Minold walks to Bias List High School with a fresh batch of cookies. All of them are iced with blue icing and green paste with writing that says “Summer Queen!” They sure taste neomu delicious.

    “Hey Minold,” Yuna comes up to Minold. “What you got there?”

    “Cookies,” Minold answered. “They’re for Nick-nim.”

    “Why are you giving them to Principal Nick-nim?” Yuna asks.

    “Because he’s a special man,” Minold answered.

    “Ooooooooh,” Yuna teases. “I’m gonna tell Nick-nim you have a crush on him.”

    “Dagcheyo!” Minold says. She walks to Principal Nick oppar’s office.

    As always, Nick oppar was jopping when Minold came in.

    “Hey Nick-nim,” Minold says.

    “Minold-ah, what are you doing in my office again?” Nick-nim asks.

    “I came to give you cookies,” Minold tells him. “They’re jinjja tasty.”

    “Kahmsahamnida,” Nick oppar said as took one and bit into it. “Mmm, these taste good om nom nom.”

    Nick finishes the cookie and swallows it. “But just so you know, I’m still gonna rank you fairly.”

    “Mwo!? No, give these back!” Minold says as she tries to get the cookies back from Nick.

    “Ah ah ah, these are mine now,” Nick tells Minold.

    Minold, grumpy, leaves the office. After that, Yuto oppar bursts in too.

    “HOW DID ONE HOE GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM!!??” Yuto oppar shouts at Nick oppar.

    “What? Lemme check,” Nick oppar says as he pulls out his papers. He sees One Hoe oppar’s new ranking. “Oh Jesus, he really did.”

    “HOW CAN SOMEONE’S RANKING GO DOWN!!??” Yuto oppar shouts.

    “Uh, it’s kinda hard to explain,” Nick oppar responds. “It kinda has something to do with doing something that’s so embarrassing or bad their ranking goes down to the bottom.”

    “You mean,” Yuto oppar says. “One Hoe getting attacked caused that?”

    “I think so…” Nick oppar responds. “I see he hasn’t gotten to school yet.”

    The bell rings. Yuto oppar now has to leave the office.

    In class, JYPapi and Oily London oppars announce the 20-11 rankings. Of course since Bee Tea Ass got 20th place, they were awarded a special award that was a golden stick of butter. Everyone under 34th place then realize they’ve climbed a ranking since One Hoe went down.

    “Hey guys, we all climbed a ranking, didn’t we?” Mork Lee asks.

    “Yeah, I realized that too,” Minold says. “Our song Pool Party is now at 41st place.”

    “But why though?” said Yujeong. She soon finds out One Hoe oppar is no longer in his 34th place. “Why isn’t One Hoe-ssi in his place?”

    “He must’ve gone down,” said Mork Lee.

    “This is mysterious…” said Yujeong. “We need to investigate this matter. I should get the aevatars. They could help.’

    Yujeong gets up from her seat to exit the class. She knows Aespa would help with this matter as they’re top tier investigators.

    To be continued…

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  13. Ah nice! Gambler and Spin Off! 😀 My 20-11 is going to be an odd collection with some very unexpected songs probably 😂

    20. Ateez Deja Vu
    This is no Wonderland…. or Inception for that matter. But I love this kinda concept and the final hype rap kinda part by Mingi and Hongjoong sealed the deal for me! 😀 So satisfying! And San’s vocals really stood out! I would say if I have to pick my Favorite Ending of a Song of 2021, Deja Vu is the clear winner! ❤️

    19. Golcha Ddara
    Not much of a surprise 🤣 I like Suits and this is my fave Golcha “title track” of the year. But putting aside the visual aspect, the song itself grew a LOT on me. Their live vocals and the harmonisation – especially post-bridge are just perfect! 🥂

    18. Tri. Be Would you Run
    I honestly really love this song! Singing it makes me feel really happy! The chorus is gorgeous and the dance is so pretty! One song I didn’t mind looping in my head 24/7.

    17. Pixy Addicted
    My gg Roty and their final cb slayed! I’ll be very honest – this year my favourite gg group raps all came from Pixy. I know a lot of people think their rap parts are not good but it’s perfectly my style! Lola and Satbyeol hot so hard with their style! The girls performed the heck out of this song and I love it!

    16. Weeekly After School
    One of the funnest songs ever and I don’t get tired of the chorus. I did overplay this a bit but still it feels super energizing!

    15. Monsta X Rush Hour
    JOOHONEY 😎 One word to describe the whole song lol. This is basically MonstaX doing a Cravity kinda song but showing how it can be pulled off in style 😉 💯 fun!

    14. Onewe A Book In Memory
    Good thing I remembered last December lol 😂 I know Nick finds Onewe a bit mopey… and the thing is I know that too, but I love it! 🙂 This song is so perfect. It makes me feel something every time. And Yonghoon’s vocals are life ✨

    13. Cravity Veni Vedi Vici
    The chorus ✨ Everything else just exists but in a way that makes the chorus so much for impactful for me. And the instrumental break is so cool. I really wish Cravity embraces this style more because they pulled off the stylish vibe so well!

    12. Lightsum Vivace
    My top gg song of the year 🙂 Omg… I can imagine the screams of shock but seriously I’m kinda shocked too by how much this this grew on me 😂. The song is perfect. Like, I can pick out any part from this at random and I’ll instantly vibe with it. The way it gives instant happiness for me is so surprising considering how I really wasn’t too taken by Lightsum after their debut. Yes, I must be the only one on the planet who wishes they continue this style of music 🤣

    And now beyond this point only bg exist on the rankings 🤭

    11. TXT Love Song
    The chorus is everything. I don’t really remember the rest of the song as much but Taehyung & Huening Kai in the chorus blow me away every time. The song has a raw passion to it which hits me hard every time and though it’s not in the top 10 in my list, I really want this song to rake up all those awards and stuff! 🤗

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  15. 20. Golden Child – Burn It
    Blood, Sweat and Tears is one of the best singles released in the past decade, and while Burn It isn’t nearly as majestic, it is the successor we all wanted. And, a heck long chorus is always a winner.

    19. Ciipher – Blind
    Ciipher went from -5 to a 10 pretty quick, and most of it is down to simple melody, great instrumental, sense of fun and an extremely addictive guitar loop. It is pretty hard for me to stop playing this on loop.

    18. Brave Girls – After We Ride
    While this is most definitely in the top 10 for Nick, it doesn’t quite reach that 9.5 threshold for me. But that should not take away from just how great that 80’s instrumental is. This has been the best K-pop resurgence story ever.

    17. Golden Child – Breathe
    Happy Golden Child always wins, no matter what you do. Just………what a chorus.

    16. BDC – Moon Rider
    The best two-part chorus this year has offered, tied to a propulsive, MJ-influenced dance beat, complete with strings. What more could you ask for?

    15. Monsta X – Gambler
    Monsta X had settled into a particular sound, while yes, it was enjoyable, have never really made it up this far my list. They do exactly that with the insane groove on Gambler. Also electric guitar. Easily my favorite single by them ever.

    14. Jessi – What Type Of X
    We need more electric guitar in everything K-pop. If you absolutely have to go cool and badass, there isn’t a better way to do it. Jessi proves it with this, and her performance on this track, and the incredible climax, elevate this so much.

    13. BTS – Butter
    Somehow, I never got any ads with this on it, so it has only grown since its release. This is pure, concentrated dance pop, with no fat on its bones. Easily my favorite BTS single since Idol.

    12. ONF – Popping
    In some awesome way, all of ONF’s 2021 title tracks have made it into my top 12. They won’t be coming back as a group till probably mid 2023, but they sure went out with a bang.
    Dance pop reigns supreme, and I’ve always liked flute/whistle samples, so no surprise this is so high. Also, key change!
    Also, I want to award the brilliant person who decided to put such a dark mv over such a happy song. (Someone explain to me their lore I didn’t understand anything pls)

    11. VERIVERY – Trigger
    This is like what Damage wanted to be but just(b) missed out on. Also, sung chorus! And it built to something! And, it was accompanied by my most played mini-album of the year!

    Something wild is coming up at 5th place tomorrow. You all, will probably hate me for it.

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  16. This list is absolute perfection. I love every one of these songs and they’d all find a place in my list, so let me just assume which place each of them are going to make it in.

    BTS’s Butter: This song is absolutely brilliant. With a crunchy production, incredible performance and a euphoric melody, It represents the pinnacle of their trilogy of pop jingles. This would place somewhere in my low 30’s.

    CIX’s Cinema: Cinema is a massive grower for me too! Even though the hooks don’t sweep you off your feet, the melody here is delicious! Simple but tightly performed. Our ranking is about the same!

    Yuqi’s Bonnie & Clyde: I’ve never really liked any of G-idle’s songs…but THIS! This is something I rave for. That mammoth chorus hits hard everytime, taking in a haunting melody and acting as an excellent top-line to that excellent trance-meets-rock instrumental. High 20’s for sure.

    ONEUS’s Life Is Beautiful: Luna is no doubt my favorite song from ONEUS this year (and maybe…overall) but before that, Life Is Beautiful used to own that throne. It’s straightforward but confident in its approach. And those woodwind breakdowns give the track a whole new dimension! It’ll most likely land on low 20’s.

    Jessi’s What Type Of X: This track gave me a whole new perspective on Jessi. Her charisma is incredible, fierce and full of grit. And when you add rock into the equation, then that would certainly be a knock-out! What Type Of X’s verses and conclusion are so good, that not even the bummer drop could harm the package. Low 30’s.

    ONF’s Popping: ONF! LET’S GO! Popping would land somewhere in my top seven spots. It’s cathartic, enthusiastic and produced expertly. It’s melodies, though may be light are backed up by a bright, kaleidoscopic instrumentation. It all culminates in that stellar key change.
    ONF are too perfect man.

    Aespa’s Next Level: What was confusing at first soon took months (and months) to truly blossom for me. Next Level is the definition of a mega-hit, It takes in the trends of the year but displays it in a very creative way! The arrangement of the track is fantastic, and the girl’s sheer charisma elevates the entire package. Top 20!

    UP10TION’s Spin Off: I am not lying when I say…I kind of love that rap-breakdown. It may carry on for a bit too long, It’s productional choices help flesh it out. But Spin Off shouldn’t be fully known for its (expertly done) derail in energy but rather, that massive chorus. UP10TION are truly an underrated force. I’ll place it…somewhere…in my Top 30ish.

    Monsta X’s Gambler: Oh yeah, this is getting top five treatment. Gambler is a Larger-than-life K-pop experience. With it’s sinister bass and rugged guitar, that pulsing beat-drop and fantastic conclusion. This is drama with a capital “D” and I am glad Monsta X performed the hell out of such a wonderful song!

    BDC’s Moon Rider: BDC’s Intersection series has given out some incredible music and Moon Rider stands on top of the pack. Just listen to that beat, those out-of-the-world vocals and stabs of strings and tell me that this isn’t fantastic. This is truly an encapsulation of 2021 trends, streamlined into a glorious 3-in a half minutes. It’ll land slightly higher on my list!

    With that, we will move onto the top ten. This…is…exhilarating.

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  17. Hey, I ranked these! Looks like the only overlap here is “Moonrider” but I think at this point bias is really coming into play.

    20. BDC “Moonlight”: I wasn’t initially onboard with this kind of mid-tempo city synth whatever sound BDC has had going this year, but enough positive mentions here plus a really catchy stage for “Moonlight” won me over, and in the time since they’ve grown on me enormously.

    19. JUST B “DAMAGE”: This one has come up before from Nick and a few others, so not much to add. I deeply hope they go back to this sound next comeback.

    18. P1Harmony “Breakthrough (full version)”: It turns out this didn’t actually qualify because there isn’t an MV, but I realized that too late to change my list. In any case, this is an extended version of the into to their debut that was released as a single at the end of December, and anyone who likes P1Harmony or louder rock-influenced tracks should check it out.

    17. DO HANSE “Take Over”: I was excited when I heard HANSE was getting a solo debut but this blew me away. I wish the EP stuck to this sound but it sounds like PLAY M gave him a pretty free reign on what to include, so I can’t be too grumpy about it.

    16. TAEMIN “Advice”: I don’t think I like this at first but it grew on me super fast.

    15. ATEEZ “Fireworks (I’m The One)”: Musically it’s not as appealing as other ATEEZ tracks, but the stage is stunning, and once this really starts picking up with Mingi’s rap I’m turning up the volume.

    14. KANG DANIEL “PARANOIA”: I have really strong feelings about this song that could be described as sentimentality if I had a single sentimental bone in my body, but I’ll just say that this is basically the perfect k-pop package – song, choreo, styling, and imagery come together perfectly to describe anxiety in a way that could be overwhelming (and the MV is too occasionally too much) but ultimately just feels very cathartic.

    13. OMEGA X “VAMOS”: Either you get it or you don’t.

    12. ATEEZ “The Real”: I decided to put this on my 2021 list even if Nick might count it as 2022 because it’s not going to be on either of his lists anyhow. I’ve been listening to this since the KINGDOM stage and somehow the MV made me love it even more. Bagpipe full of bees, people.

    11. PINK FANTASY “Poison”: Like “PARANOIA” I consider this comeback the perfect k-pop package, which probably puts a thumb on the scale even if I’m trying to keep the focus of this list on the actual music. Many of my favorite k-pop songs borrow from rock but pull back before going too hard. This pushes the limits to the point that I’m guessing is off-putting for some, but as someone who loves the pop-metal sound, it’s just perfect.

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    • I totally just remembered that “VAMOS”, “Damage”, and “Moonlight” all came out on the same day, so clearly June 30th was the best k-pop day of the year.

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    • I’m glad someone’s mentioning Moonlight! I might be in the minority but while I enjoy Moon Rider, Moonlight was definitely the stronger BDC song for me. Everything about it is perfection, from the synths to the aesthetics (a simple MV, but really well done) to the choreo.

      I also really like the way you described Paranoia, putting into words what I felt about it too. Daniel really surprised me with how hard that hit – last year’s singles were nice and I still revisit them often but Paranoia in particular was incredibly different in a great way.

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  18. Two English songs in the top 20 :0 Butter and Bonnie & Clyde have both faded for me quite a bit since they were released, but I still enjoy them both. Next Level suffered from some overplaying from me…there was a month or two in the summer where I could not stop listening to that song, and it was only compounded by the fact that I was helping my sister film a full dance cover (I tried to copy some of the cool camerawork aespa was using haha) and I was hearing it all the time – and of course, chanting along to every line. But now that I’ve given it a break for a while, it’s all good and I can blast it all the time again 😂. Popping also gives me such an energy boost – I feel like I can play summer songs all year round honestly. Case in point, last night i was still partying to Chi Mat Ba Ram when making my dinner at 1 AM (don’t mind my terrible schedule, its currently finals season shh).

    I wanted to ask how you guys have tried to factor in songs released at the beginning of the year naturally fading a little/suffering from overplaying when creating your lists (or does that just not happen with your favourite songs?). Do you try to think of how much you enjoyed the songs before? But obviously songs could have aged poorly because you realized you didn’t actually really like them all that much anyways. And of course, maybe it’s the perfect indicator of the songs you truly like if your interest never faded. Then how do you balance that with songs dropped a month ago where you’re unsure how they will age? Stuff like this is what makes ordering my favourite songs too hard for me 😂

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    • Re: earlier vs later in the year. I rank by play count on my ipod / itunes, copy it out to excel, and do a light normalization for those later in the year. This year however, for my top 8 or so it was so clear, it was not even close. And then I had a thirty way tie for the next n spots, so I used my own preference, with preference towards those where I can sing the song back readily and easily.

      I also don’t have my own blog so I don’t have to bother with any rules 🙂

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      • Ah yeah I saw that you mentioned that’s how you did it! It seems like a good method if you had play count data like that to use – unfortunately my Spotify usage is so inconsistent that the Wrapped doesn’t feel quite accurate enough. I remember that you said something along the lines of “the play button doesn’t lie about what I truly liked” and I gotta admit, I think I agree. There are plenty of songs that I like to think I like but when it comes down to it, the songs I end up listening to the most must really be my true favourites, right? Maybe next year I’ll commit to using Spotify more (though I’d probably need to get Premium so I can actually have full freedom with choosing songs) so I get an accurate Wrapped.

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        • I’m old, so I don’t spotify. I don’t even know (or care) how to spotify, and what metrics it feeds back to you. I do know some friends on FB posted their spotify top ten somethings recently, and there were zero surprises.

          The replay button does not lie about what you really like and what your subconscious craves.

          This is my spotify story. Some years ago, I was volunteering at the kids’ elementary school doing some painting for a couple summer afternoons. The lead mom brought her bluetooth speaker and was streaming a genre I shall call “young women singing songs that sound all sound like Pink but are not Pink” for several afternoons in a row. It drove me nuts.

          Since I own three ipods, I stick with them, and show my stans my affection the old fashioned way: cold hard cash.

          Ipod nano 7th is my go to, as the battery lasts forever, the small size and navigation windows are easy to do one handed, and the screens are still uncracked years on. Available on ebay.

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          • The metrics you get at the very end of the year from Spotify aren’t the most detailed things, unfortunately – how much does iTunes give you? I don’t have any Apple products and so I probably wouldn’t get an iPod specifically; either way, Spotify works conveniently enough for me to stream music, though I appreciate the recommendation :)). Since I’ve bought some physical albums as well, I’ve ripped those to my computer and phone and listen to those often as well, and I also listen on YT sometimes.

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    • I think the way I listen to music tends to counter some of the bias – I use Apple Music and as the month goes on, add new releases to a playlist, relisten through the month as I feel like, assign star ratings, and sort onto one of my other playlists, which are roughly genre-based but mostly just reflect what I like to listen to at different times of the day or while in certain moods or doing certain things. I will pull up specific favorite artists occasionally but usually I just let shuffle do its thing. The songs that ended up on my year-end are the ones that jump out at me when they come up on shuffle, or that I’ll skip to if I’ve got the “playing next” screen up. I also watch a lot of music shows and try to watch a stage for each major release – if I end up watching multiple stages sometimes a strong performance will boost my feelings about a song. Ultimately though, it balances out so the likelihood of hearing a song has more to do with how my moods have been than when I downloaded it.

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    • Needlessly over detailed response part two: I put together my year end list by isolating everything I’d rated five stars and using hearts and comment tags to separate out titles, b-sides, and stuff not reviewed here. I try to rate stuff by gut feeling (do I like/really like/love this song) and not overthink it. I also had a four star playlist I went through a few times in case I wanted to upgrade anything. I ended up with eight “Best of” playlists that I’ll delete at the end of the year since I can recreate them using the comments if I want. And believe it or not, this is my idea of fun.

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    • Yes it becomes harder to rank the first half songs now, but my criteria is simple. It’s vibes. Like if just looking at the title of that song or the thumbnail of I can recreate the same intense vibe from before and I feel the same emotion then it’s on the list 😂 There are tons of songs I overplayed and so probably slipped down a bit but the songs which stand this test and I would still choose to listen to are the ones I would rank high.

      For me when selecting songs for a list it basically boils to songs I appreciate the quality of VS songs I listen to. 😅 Brave Girls as a whole falls in the former category. Quality wise they are unmatched. But if given the choice between say Chi Mat Baram and Wei’s Bye Bye Bye…. I would choose the second 😂 So that’s how some songs end up on my favorite list while the others are songs I can totally appreciate the quality of even now but don’t end up on the list.

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  20. This week has been crazy for me. In fact, I even wrote this comment while offline, without the internet connection. Nonetheless, for the last past two years, I have been predicting Nick’s award winners with limited success, and I plan to try again.

    SOTY: ONF – Beautiful Beautiful (Libido and Atlantis following soon potentially)
    Album of the Year:
    SHINee – Atlantis (Full-Length)
    Lucy – Gatcha! (If it fits into the track limit, Brave Girls’ After We Ride is likely if not)
    Artist of the Year: ONF
    Rookie of the Year: MIRAE
    J-Pop Song of the Year: JO1 – Born to be Wild
    Foreign SOTY: Justin Bieber, Kid Laroi – Stay or Agnes – 24 Hours

    I know that if I am wrong, I would mostly be within the ball-park

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    • The problem with the 2020 singles list was that I already knew which song would be topping it. This time around, all these tracks have an equal chance to take first place, makes me excited to see which song is the final spot.

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