It’s Sunday, which means it’s time to end the week with an open discussion post!
To keep things civil, there are a few rules:
- Be kind and respectful to one another. Any harassing language will be deleted.
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Each week, I’ll open with a question to get the conversation going. Feel free to chat about anything, but if you’re not sure what to write you can use this question as a starting point.
This week’s question:
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I thought long and hard about this one because I was trying to come up with someone who had potential or a personal style that wasn’t always capitalized on within their group.
Ultimately, I think I’m going to go with TXT’s Yeonjun. Not only does he have all the makings of a solo superstar, but his multifaceted skills (rap, dance, vocals) give him the opportunity to explore a multitude of styles.
I imagine his solo work sounding a bit like the rockier side of G-Dragon’s music. He could pull off a Crooked, Runaway or Shake The World. He’s also got the face and charisma for edgy fashion, so I imagine that would be a big part of the concept.
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His feature on Enhypen’s Blockbuster felt more like Yeonjun ft. Enhypen! I don’t know what on Earth possessed them to give him the entirety of both verses, but I’m not about to complain.
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There are rumours it’s going to happen, but I believe it is criminal TWICE’s Jihyo hasn’t gotten a solo debut yet.
She was my first bias in K-Pop, and I’ve always felt like her vocals and great stage presence would fit for a disco album or something retro. Ala GFRIEND’s Mago.
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That was the first person that came to my mind, 100% team Jihyo. Her voice enhanced literally every TWICE songs.
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ok i have 2:
juyeon (tbz) – come on. that dude was practically born to do taemin style dance music. also idk why he never gets any notable singing lines in their songs like his deep voice is so sexy to me
taeyong (nct) – im kinda cheating here bc hes already done some solo sm stations but we are LONG overdue for a solo mini album from him. knowing his sorta quirky personality id imagine said mini to be really diverse in terms of sound like im thinking a repeat of around (his collab w hitchhiker) for the tt
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*빙글빙글 round……what goes around……comes a r o u n d*
Excited for proper solo album debuts from a lot of NCT members tbh! Taeyong is high on my list but I also eagerly await Haechan’s (hopefully) inevitable dance oriented EP, where it’s just banger after banger with that voice of his. Doyoung tackling an r&b album is the dream too.
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There are so many
Twice Jihyo. She is self explanatory.
Along with Yeonjun I think Huening Kai would also be one. Especially a Japanese release. I don’t know why but Kai sounds amazing when he sings Japanese. He has a lot of potential that hasn’t been shown.
Taeil from NCT. I want a nice RnB track from his voice
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DK from Seventeen. Boy can sing circles around his peers. He deserves an album in the Ballad – Karaoke – serious music show style that is a sizeable chunk of the music market in Korea, a la the Lim Young Woong and Jung Seung Hwan’s of the kpop world.
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I think DK would also nail a fun pop-rock album. IIRC he said something along the lines of wanting to become a rockstar (lol). But to be fair he has such a nice voice that would fit in a lot of stuff anyway.
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His recent collaboration with the musical actor Kai “Die Schatten Werden Laenger” – https://open.spotify.com/track/0lJh1wLuZKuGkGxTbQasjn?si=307e12aaa7bd4c58 – just blew me away. His voice is so versatile, but having an album’s worth of songs in this vein would be everything.
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I’m a bit obsessed with Liz’s voice in IVE. Obviously it’s super early in their career to be thinking of solos, and we’ve not seen enough to know what kind of range she might have in terms of concepts, but I am really looking forward to seeing how she develops as an artist.
Otherwise echoing calls for Twice’s Jihyo. It is overdue. Disco, jazzy or r’n’b, I think.
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I definitely agree with Yeonjun. He’d make a great soloist!
I have couple:
Technically we have gotten solo work from him, but Jimin of BTS….. I’d love to see the album that he drops as part of BTS’s solo release projects. Serendipity, Filter and especially Lie are some of BTS’s best solos imo and i’d like to see him take on the sort of style/musical genre he showed in the Wings era in his upcoming solo work
Han of Stray Kids. We’ve seen a couple of live stages, some unofficial releases. He has great rap talent and some pretty good vocals. He also produces/writes for Stray Kids sometimes so I’d like to see him explore a range of genres and styles both in terms of performance and production on a solo album of his own.
And of course, Jihyo of TWICE…. she’s the full package: vocals, dance, stage presence
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Also… Hongjoong of ATEEZ. He’s shown plenty of interesting vocal and rap potential in his covers and I’d like to see him take on a David Bowie-esque solo album, maybe some punk rock stuff. Something different from the usual kpop scene
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Honestly, I think that I’d really love to see SKZ’s Bang Chan tackle some solo material. Musically, it would be sexy, bluesy electric guitar-driven R&B, something like Red Lights featuring him and Hyunjin, but more vocal melody-focused (though I understand that instrumental and performance play a significant role in this genre, too, and there’s nothing wrong with that).
My second option would be MCND’s Win. I have no idea why, but he seems to be suitable for Norazo-esque, dumb fun fare. If I imagined him debuting as a solo artist, this would probably be a 90’s hip-hop-inspired goofy track featuring Mark of NCT.
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First, I’d love to see The Boyz’s Sunwoo get a solo album. He’s already released quite a bit on his SoundCloud proving even more what a talented songwriter he is. Plus, he’s really good at dancing and his singing is quite pleasant. His music will probably in line of k-r&b tracks.
I’d also love to see Sangyeon get a solo album. I think his music will be in the same line as Woodz’s or Han Seungwoo’s or Kihyun’s music.
I can also picture Chanhee (New) having a solo album full of ballads.
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omfg ur MIND…..its so huge….
(but for chanhee i was actually thinking a more r&b oriented mini—kinda in the vein of baekhyun)
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Omggg I’d love if Chanhee would do an album with that concept. I’m just so used to him covering ballads that I didn’t think about that.
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Absolutely agree with Han, Yeonjun, Hueningkai–the first two are natural all-rounder performers and Hueningkai has a really really pretty voice that he doesn’t get to show off as often as I would like.
My personal pick would have to be Han though. He’s an engaging rapper and talented producer, and he certainly has the personality to make himself a star. Evidently he’s capable of more than what SKZ’s music showcases.
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Ten is hugely underutilized in WayV and NCT in general. With his dance, vocal, rap, and language abilities he could definitely become an international superstar. He’s such a chameleon that I could see him go a Taemin or Key route, or pretty much anything he wants. Paint Me Naked and Low Low were pretty tame for what I think he is capable of.
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I agree!
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NCT’s Haechan.
In general SM has become a company that gives it senior artists a decent amount of solo exposure once they reach a certain point in their career. We’ve seen this from TVXQ all the way to the most recent ones from Red Velvet, but I always wondered how they might possibly handle NCT given the sheer number of members. Even if you take into account that not every member is cut out for a full-on solo album, that still leaves a pretty significant number of members who probably could be.
Out of all of them Heachan would be my first choice. He has a killer voice, can dance exceptionally well, and is uber charismatic. I also think out the many NCT vocalist that could drop solos his would be the most likely to have some bite too it and fall away from balladeer territory. I have also seen several interviews where Heachan talks about wanting to release solos, so based on what he’s already said and done I don’t doubt he would have the drive and vision to craft a great solo album.
As for the concept I’d leave that up to him but given his love for both Taemin and Michael Jackson, something in the vein of that but of course in his own style would not surprise me.
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Dami from Dreamcatcher. She’s an intriguing prospect. She shines as a rapper when she gets whole verses to herself on B-sides and non-Dreamcatcher features, as opposed to her more piecemeal pieces on promoted tracks. She’s a rapper and great at it, but she has also expressed a fondness for pop punk and we all saw this in her solo, “Beauty Full” which she was quite involved in composing. (I knew she was referencing Green Day’s “Basket Case” with that four chord progression, and I love her for that.) Her vocal delivery is normally in her lower register and that’s what fans love her for, but in songs like “Jazz Bar” and “Shadow” (the OST with her and Siyeon) she hits higher notes. It probably won’t happen while Dreamcatcher are still doing group activities, but someday I’d love to see her get even a mini/mixtape to herself with her doing most things if not everything, and see what she comes up with. I’m sure it would be amazing.
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I hope we can get at least a mini album with Dami exploring her abilities in both rap and vocal…. especially with the classic dreamcatcher rock sound but maybe also a slower ballad-like song too? I think her vocal tone would sound so soothing on a ballad
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Oh yeah. Dami getting a ballad to herself would be amazing. We’ve had tastes of what she can do with those on their ballads and Deja Vu.
But also, I low-key want something like this underappreciated classic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXLReTgQCCg
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SF9 Taeyang! He’s really a good performer so he needs a song that let him dance.
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I’m surprised they haven’t tried to launch Taeyang. I don’t know SF9 super well, but he’s a great performer with model looks. Feels like a no brainer.
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Winter (aespa) takes on Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”
Ref #1 (LZ:IS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8OtzJtp-EM
Note: Think about it. No, really think about it.. ..in your head.
Sojung (LADIES’ CODE) takes on Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman:
Ref #2 (CK:IEW): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVDCNmdi7QI
Note: The girl can belt.
Swan (Purple Kiss) takes on Sade’s “Smooth Operator”
Ref #3 (S:SO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TYv2PhG89A
Note: Up the BPMs a bit and fuse in some Santana’esque guitar.
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P.S. I know the question looked for types/genres that you’d like to see tackled and I listed specific songs instead. I figured listing a specific song precisely narrowed the direction I think each artist should take.
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Hopping on the Stray kids Han’s train! When I listen to the lyrics to the song he has contributed to a lot, I get the feeling that he has something to say as an author/interpret/composer. And he has a knack for portraying angst without it sounding like posturing.
Then my pick would probably be Twice’s Mina, for whose classic aura I live. The sexy classy witchy vibe is already kind of a thing with solo kpop artists, but I have a feeling she could perfect it.
(On a side-note, I’m keeping an eye on G-idle Yuqi solo career + I dream of Nmix already branching out and making a r’n’b duo out of Lily and Haewon, as their Survivor cover hinted at)
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yes! agree with han & yuqi. really love yuqi’s vocal tone and her choice of sound in ‘a page’, especially ‘bonnie & clyde’. way too short, should’ve been at least a mini album
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Yuta – NCT
Something more Jrock but with some Western heavy metal earthiness and groove to it. Also a ballad or two because he’s been great on those, too.
Tag – Golden Child
a whole rap/hip-hop record could be amazing.
Swan – Purple Kiss
see @xenoterran’s analysis
Hwarang – Tempest
He has a ton of charisma, is a solid rapper, and I’d like to see him have a chance to stretch out.
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Also, I could use an album of NCT Taeyong Taeyong-ing.
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I have 2:
1) Jaehyun from NCT. This is solely based on the fact that I feel like his presence was all over 127’s last release. An R&B themed project with dance tracks at a faster BPM than 2 Baddies or Kick It and sensual slow songs is what I see him thriving with. Add in the charisma he showed during 127’s recent music show stages for his solo stages, and I think we have ourselves a winner!
2) Yeeun from CLC. I believe she has signed with a new agency, so I think a debut is coming soon. I loved the energy and presence she brought to CLC’s later work like No, and her pop song Barbie from the Good Girl show was an underrated gem. Mix the two sounds with the right concept and styling, and I think she has a great solo album era.
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Jaehyun is just NCT’s “it boy” this year.
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I agree with everything you said about Yeeun. She’s such a standout, she needs to be big.
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Sunny and sooyoung from snsd. I know they technically have solo songs but they really have solo singing careers. I honestly don’t know what they would do and that’s why I want to see them solo. They both dance well and have underrated vocal skills since neither of them got much spotlight during their time in snsd
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JIHYO, without a doubt. Probably one of the most recognizable great voices of any KPOP girl group.
Also think some SEVENTEEN members deserve a shot although I’m worried that the music won’t stand out. The recent solos acts were a bit underwhelming.
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Leedo, Hwanwoong, or Seoho
I think any of these 3 are talented enough to release a solo album.
Based on what we’ve seen so far
Leedo has such a versatile voice that can go both low and high. He can also rap or sing so that also adds to what he could do. He’s already released a rock song on his Soundcloud but I would develop that a bit more as I think that it suits him.
Leedo’s Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/2d0
Hwanwoong would be more a performer but he could branch out and do something similar to ‘Black Mirror’. This concept suited him very well.
Seoho has a powerful voice which he could utilize. He might suit some EDM style song where he belts his voice during the chorus and finale. Something similar to ‘Incomplete’
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Mia from everglow — can definitely make jokes about her already being a soloist but she really has what it takes. Sihyeon is a good option too.
Speaking of everglow, though, I have to mention Yiren’s solo Call Call. I never thought too much of Yiren as a singer but that song is absolutely a buried treasure (though it’s also in Chinese, not Korean.)
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A.C.E’s Chan! He always stands out to me in group performances and he has my favourite voice in the group too. He’s also a really good dancer despite not having a dance position in the group. I was hoping he would get a solo since the other members are doing their military service but I don’t know if that will happen. I’d like to see him do something a little funky like this: https://youtu.be/U8pkAJgcXAk
Or a house track (is this house?) like his recent OST:
I’d also reaaalllyy kill for a Sehyoon solo. Partly because he’s my favourite member, but also I feel like his vocals are so underutilised. He has such a wonderful voice that don’t really fit in with your typical K-Pop song. He has a unique sense of fashion and his personal taste in music leans towards R&B which fits his vocals perfectly.
He did a cover of Let Me Love You by Mario at the beginning of this video here: https://youtu.be/3a-B5O-iEc8
He’s laughing through most of it but I just love his voice here 🥺 He also did a short cover of So Sick by Ne-Yo, which I can’t find anymore.
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Also most of Wonder Girls have gone solo now apart Hyerim and Sohee. I don’t think Sohee would ever come back to music, and I’m not sure about Hyerim either. Hyerim is a really good producer however and I’d love to see that come out in some solo music from her if she would ever want to do that.
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Probably ATEEZ’ Hongjoong or San. Both have boatloads of charisma, and are solid rappers and singers respectively. Another option is Stray Kids’ Changbin, he can rap circles around his competition.
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Definitely Loona’s Heejin or Yves. I can definitely see Yves fitting a niche somewhere between Sunmi and Taemin and Heejin is an ace so she could really do anything if she wanted to. Unfortunately, I don’t think Blockberry are that interested in doing solo promotions. at the moment. More realistically I could see Jiwon from fromis_9 tackling a more vocal heavy track. Would kill to see her do R&B
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xiaojun, just because i think he would have a lot of fun and be great at it. don’t think it’ll ever happen (in the near future) any time soon but he would kill doing something theatrical.
ningning would be incredible, maybe something like fei’s fantasy / suzy’s yes no maybe conceptually would be up her alley?
i also don’t know him that much, but i think haechan would kill this type of sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UBcxKiS550
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Yuto from Onf. I’m not saying this because the rest of onf are in the military, but he would really sell a solo if he ever seized the day. He could show off his dancing skills and his underrated singing skills. I bet he could do something edm/house
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I’ve always loved the game of seeing which soloists will succeed from groups. I think it’s easy to think the big singers will succeed, but I think it’s often the most charismatic members that end up with the biggest careers (It was Cheryl Cole not Nadine that went big out of Girls Aloud, likewise Robbie Williams from Take That rather than Gary Barlow, N*Sync’s Justin Timberlake not JC Chasez, Wonder Girls Sunmi etc.) It’s no suprise that Twice launched Nayeon first.
In that theme, I’d love to see Yoon from StayC. I think of her as the Scary Spice of Kpop, and if she ran with her ridiculous fashion I think she could be a lot of fun as a soloist.
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Good choice. I wholeheartedly agree. She’s got character by the bucket loads.
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Would love to hear what anyone from Brave Girls would do solo! I think Minyoung could kill a powerful pop song akin to Lady Gaga’s earlier stuff. It would be really fun to hear Yujeong do something Doja-Cat esque as her rapping is really cool to listen to. Yuna I think could do some really lovely Lorde-style melancholic pop songs adjacent to her Melodrama era, and Eunji absolutely needs to do full Abba-style disco and showcase her dancing too.
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