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The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2023 (Day Five: 10-1)

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The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2023The 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, 2022 and Nov. 30th, 2023.

Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!

Honorable Mentions
SONGS 50-41
SONGS 40-31
SONGS 30-21
SONGS 20-11

10. TAN – Heartbeat

There’s a style of crunchy electro dance that peaked in the early 2010’s when SHINee (and by extension, SM Entertainment) were lodged in their bombastic complextro era. Since then, we hear it every once and awhile – mostly through the work of producers 1Take and TAK. This year, TAN became the unlikely wielders of this mighty synth crunch, throwing down an intense workout with Heartbeat. Initially, the song leaves you thinking it may fizzle into a wordless drop chorus, but the guys counterattack with a vocal punch every bit as strong as the surging electronics underfoot. (full review)

9. Key – Killer

While K-pop idol groups are often at the behest of agency-led sounds and concepts, soloists seem to be afforded more creative control – especially if that soloist is someone as lauded as SHINee’s Key. He knows his strengths and his musical taste, which gives songs like Killer a welcome dose of personality. It may be the umpteenth synthwave track we’ve heard recently in K-pop, but Key transforms it into a psychodrama all his own. By the time we careen into Killer’s soaring bridge, he’s got us exactly where he wants us. (full review)

8. The Boyz – Lip Gloss

Sunny, summertime fare often gets dismissed as little more than pop fluff – easy, singalong melodies without any weight behind them. But as K-pop has proven time and time again, it can be much harder honing your bubblegum hooks to a fine sheen than simply stomping around, puffing your chest and declaring your own prowess. Lip Gloss knows its own silliness, inviting listeners into a dayglo party where the chintziness is a feature, not a bug. It takes a ton of personality to sell this concept, but The Boyz careen through the track with an effortless smile on their faces. (full review)

7. U-KISS – The Wonderful Escape

Of all the second-gen acts making a long-awaited comeback this summer, I would not have expected U-KISS to be the one shooting all the way to the top of my list. They did so by embracing a sound listeners love from them, belting sky-high melodies with the panache of veteran performers. The Wonderful Escape is one of the biggest-sounding songs of the year – as if the producers took a listen to various instrumental loops and thought it better to simply shove every single one into the mix. This brute force could easily overpower, but it’s a testament to U-KISS that their performance cuts through, leading the charge with a triumphant note of resilience. (full review)

6. The Wind – Summer Vacation

The summer season ended up being a boon for this year in K-pop. Many of my favorite tracks were tied to these months, and none feels more inextricable than The Wind’s Summer Vacation. The song takes their GFriend-esque sound to its natural peak, placing robust melodies on top of resounding percussion. Each time the soaring chorus emerges, it’s as if the clouds have parted to reveal a beam of brilliant sunlight. That sense of expansiveness has always been one of pop music’s greatest joys, and the boys take it even further during the track’s double power-note climax. A group this young has no right being this good!

Sadly, Summer Vacation may also act as a denouement to this sound, as main vocal Jaewon has left the group this month. Why can’t we have nice things, K-pop?? (full review)

5. SHINee – The Feeling

I may not have been very taken with SHINee’s 2023 comeback overall, but they led off with their strongest material. The Feeling is a natural successor to View and Good Evening (both top five entries during their respective years), delivering euphoric summer vibes while showcasing the members’ individual tones and natural proclivity toward a dramatic vocal flourish. The skittery percussion during the chorus is the trendiest element you’ll find in my top ten, but The Feeling’s fireworks display of a climax (complete with muted brass accents and belt-it-out refrains) is utterly timeless. (full review)

4. Golden Child – Feel Me

Last year’s chart-topping group only had one chance to land on this year’s list, but sometimes all it takes is that single shot. With Feel Me, Golden Child continue their run of melodic, emotionally resonant pop. This time, their sound is given a rock makeover well-suited to the group’s roster of strong vocalists, cresting in a cathartic chorus that stands as one of the most satisfying moments in this year of K-pop. There’s nothing better than great payoff in a pop song, and Feel Me cements its appeal by building its entire existence around a refrain you want to revisit again and again. (full review)

3. RIIZE – Get A Guitar

You can cast the term “earworm” in a positive or negative light. At its worst, it becomes that treacly commercial jingle lodged in your brain when you’re trying to fall asleep. But at its most potent, an earworm results in a song like RIIZE’s Get A Guitar – a piece of music that only grows more addictive and lovable with time. Beyond the sheer novelty of a new K-pop group debuting with something this effervescent, Guitar’s taut frame feels laser-focused on wringing every ounce of charm from each strum of its guitar. Buoyed by joyful harmonies and playful phrasing, this track never failed to put a smile on my face. It already feels like a classic – infinitely hummable but never cloying. (full review)

2. IVE – I Am

I Am feels like a prizefighter among songs, coming at you with everything it has. It fulfills the incredible promise showcased during IVE’s debut year, scaling new heights with an ever-expanding sense of urgency.

While many of their peers opted for sing-talk attitude or hazy, understated grace, IVE strapped on their boxing gloves and tackled this behemoth of a pop song. I Am segues from one melodic highlight to the next, feinting and attacking with utter confidence. From the damn-near dolphin pitch of its pre-chorus to the harmonic wallop that divides verse two, the melodic range feels as limitless as the members’ charisma.

But it’s not until we reach I Am’s final chorus that this song truly earns its spot in K-pop’s hall of fame. It’s the payoff of all payoffs – a knockout blow bolstered by guitar and delivered with a knowing strut. It makes listeners feel as if they can leap over skyscrapers and break through brick walls, and that sense of genuine empowerment will never go out of style. (full review)

1. NINE.i – Turn It Off

Apart from a number nine slot on last year’s rookie list, NINE.i have never appeared on any countdown before. But by teaming up with the always-excellent producers Sweetune, they delivered the year’s biggest jolt of pop euphoria.

I spent much of the year complaining about K-pop’s lack of melodic range. We’ve been mired in flat sing-talk for so long that you could easily forget how riveting a killer melody can be. Turn It Off won’t let you forget, unveiling one kaleidoscopic hook after another. The curve of this melody doesn’t always land where you’d expect it to, which is part of the thrill. Ideas bounce off ideas, colliding in explosions of musical pixie dust. Very little of Turn If Off sounds like anything else in 2023, and these idiosyncrasies give it musical perspective you just can’t get from song camps or corporate think tanks.

NINE.i supply much of the song’s character, utilizing their distinct tones to accentuate its colorful appeal. And when their performance meets the surging swell of Sweetune’s funhouse production, we get a series of choruses that feel like mana from pop heaven. Turn It Off’s high points sweep you off your feet with a sense of transcendent release, doling out mini climaxes across its entire running time. These moments didn’t come too often in K-pop this year, but they were all the sweeter when they did. (full review)

81 thoughts on “The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2023 (Day Five: 10-1)”

  1. .
    1 Onew “O – Circle” – gorgeous song, and one of a kind too, nothing else sounds like this song
    2 n.SSign “Higher” – another gorgeous song, gorgeously sung by rookies
    3 Blitzers “Macarena” – fight me
    4 Infinite “New Emotions” – yes, I’ll keep this one
    5 SF9 “Tight” – so (um) tight and firmly in the kpop sound
    6 YongYong “Cheetos” – food song of the year. I’m spicee cheeee toes.
    7 Forestella “Utopia” – if Abba covered a kpop song for epic Eurovision in four-part harmony
    8 MonstaX “Beautiful Liar” – I have never had a MonstaX song on my year end list until now
    9 IVE “I am” – I mean, of course
    10 Jung SeungHwan “Epilogue” – key change of the year! Its at 3:25 on the youtube video, mid-line too natch. ‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWp8KMYZzY0

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    • Also never thought I would have MonstaX on my list. As for Onew, if Circle doesn’t take the song of the year, the whole album sure does take the album of the year. Before that I didn’t see kpop albums as “cohesive beings”

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        • For me it was the song first, it shocked me so much that I went through everything he released afterwards😂. Since I didn’t make my list here, I’ll just say that Circle might be my no. 2, and as for the no. 1 it’s Chen’s Light of my life. I know it’s in japanese and technically Jpop, but man. The music itself might not make people go wow, but the whole vibe and understanding I got from it left me completely touched.

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    • Love your top three! The Macarena appreciation! I had fun with that one. And I liked b-side Question Mark even more.

      I’ve been hiding from Infinite’s new album for months afraid of being disappointed, but maybe I should try it out?

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    • I don’t know how, but they didn’t just fit four seasons into Circle. They put my whole damn life in that song.

      Not the kind of song that comes along every year.

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    • Not a bad pick for first place imo! Onew’s “Circle” is easily one of my favorite ballads of the year. There’s just something about Onew’s voice and the choir in the final chorus that makes me a bit emotional. 😭

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    • I’m ridiculously late (got a bit overwhelmed at the end of the year), but wanted to say thanks for recommending the Jung Seunghwan song, which I don’t think I’d ever have heard if not for your recommendation. Gorgeous song 🙂 and not low-energy like I tend to think of ballads as.

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  4. #ThatMomentOfTheYear 🙂
    I dare to share as well (rules are slightly different here):

    1. IVE, I Am
    2. TXT, Chasing That Feeling
    3. INFINITE, New Emotions
    4. AESPA, Hold On Tight
    5. SEVENTEEN, April Shower
    6. KANG DANIEL, Wasteland
    7. KINGDOM, On My Way
    8. BTS X BASTIONS, The Planet
    9. JEON SOMI, Fast Forward
    10. ATEEZ, Silver Light
    11. RIIZE, Get A Guitar (Chromeo Rmx)
    12. SF9, Puzzle
    13. SEVENTEEN, Super
    14. XIKERS, Rockstar
    15. P1HARMONY, Jump
    16. LEE GI HWANG, Predator
    17. JUNGKOOK, Yes Or No
    18. STRAY KIDS, S-Class
    19. MOON JONG UP, Common
    20. MIDNATT, Masquerade

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  6. idk about my actual top 10 except for the #1 spot, which belongs to I AM by IVE. it was undoubtedly going to be my favorite song of the year the moment it was released. I’ve danced to it, cried to it, laughed to it… I have been through a rollercoaster of emotions while listening to that song.

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  7. I ran out of steam keeping up with releases during the last few months so most of my picks are from earlier in the year and I can’t be bothered to rank them, but here are the ones I feel like shouting out right now:

    NCT Dream – Broken Melodies
    DreamNote – Lemonade
    n.SSign – Higher, Monologue
    BXB – Fly Away
    U-KISS – The Wonderful Escape
    IVE – I Am
    DOJAEJUNG – Perfume
    JYP – Changed Man
    JuJu Secret – Lonely Night
    P1Harmony – Jump
    ATEEZ – Halazia
    WOODZ- Abyss, Journey
    ONEW – Circle
    Kim Sejeong – Voyage
    ZB1 – In Bloom and mayybe Crush
    BLITZERS – Macarena
    Lim Young Woong – Do or Die
    Teen Top – Hweek
    Dreamcatcher – Bon Voyage
    NINE.i – Turn it off
    LUCY – Haze
    TRENDZ – New Days
    Taeyang – Seed
    ILY:1 – My Color
    &TEAM – Firework

    I need more time with them but also liking Ampers&one’s On And On and Golden Child’s Feel me

    Guilty pleasures:
    Xdinary Heroes – Freakin’ Bad
    ATEEZ – BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)
    xikers – Rockstar, DO or DIE
    TXT – Chasing That Feeling

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  8. Not in any particular order:

    1. Firework, &TEAM (Everything that HYBE is criticized for works here)
    2. Move, T5 (Classic suave bg vibes)
    3. Passion Fruit, THE BOYZ (THE BOYZ had a really great year overall)
    4. IDUBILU, SVT (PU had the best songs on both albums this year)
    5. Chrome Arts/Hearts, OnlyOneOf (Especially love the bridge)
    6. Back to Zerobase, ZB1 (Just transcendent)
    7. Comet, Kwon Eunbi (I learned about this song through this blog, so thank you!)
    8. Kitsch, IVE (Started out hating this, then something weird happened and I loved it)
    9. Love or Die, TNX (Glen Check remix)
    10. Lifeline, The Rose (Dual is one of my favorite albums of the year)

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  9. Title tracks are anything with a video where someone or something moves around.
    1. Onew – Circle
    2. Team 23 (DGNA) – chamomile
    3. Almighty Key – Keylar
    4. Kyoongie’s Cat Dad – Guilty
    5. MX – Beautiful Liar
    6. Ateez Muppet Babies – Tricky House
    7. Kookie – Standing next to you
    8. Kerenmi and friends – Tokyo gives me everything
    9. Epex – Sunshower
    10. Purple Kiss – Autopilot

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    • Here are my b-sides because I feel like typing.
1. NCT 127 -Misty
2. Seventeen- Dust
3. Fromis_8 – Attitude
4. Cavity – A to Z
5. Hojean – Bluffin
6. Dreamies – Tangerine Love
7. Moonbinnie and Sanha – Your Day
8. Ozaki Taiiku and Friends – Insane (B league version) instrumental
9. Kai – Sinner
10. The Wind – Sirius
      I’ll do the big a/b side shuffle in a couple of weeks.

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      • I love how you mess with the names😂 I was like, who in the world is Almighty Key, and thought it’s a song I don’t know. And why is Taemin Kyoongie’s Cat Dad? Dust and Sinner go for me too. All in all I’m also a b side person it seems.

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  10. this countdown made me realize how rarely title tracks connect with me. my top 10 are all b sides except jeon somi’s flash forward and from20’s bad revenge.

    i feel like the only person who didn’t care for “i am.” for some reason it feels too slow in the chorus, like it loses the momentum from the verses. but i really like the verses, so it’s a middling centerpiece in an otherwise excellent song.

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    • I’m late but I’m the rare soul who agrees with you!! Maybe the chorus itself is just overplayed via TikTok etc and that adds to the feeling, but it doesn’t do much for me… and yet the other day it came on shuffle and I was like “what’s this song, I like the verses!”

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  11. and now, im posting my own top 10

    1. magic – mrs green apple
    2. tattoo – loreen
    3. break the romance – tokyo gegegay
    4. i am – ive
    5. the wonderful escape- u-kiss
    6. flavor – genic
    7. red:birthmark – aina the end
    8. miracle – calvin harris feat ellie goulding
    9. turn it off – nine.i
    10. hoida mut – benjamin

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  12. My number 1 song is definitely Spicy, and I doubt that any other song from this year could eclipse my love for it in the future. Every time I listen, their voices and its craziness remind me why I love kpop

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    • And TAN’s heartbeat is another amazing song, definitely top 5 for me. Anything that sounds remotely like superhuman is like crack to me + they sound so good on the track

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  13. and presenting, my ranking for all of pop base’s nominations for SOTY they posted on twitter. im shocked that only ONE song made it into the 9’s, and it isn’t even from this year!

    amazing i love it so much omg (10-9): cruel summer – taylor swift (9)

    i think its good (8.75-8): boy’s a liar – pinkpanthress and ice spice (8.25), cupid – fifty fifty (8), angel – halle (8), die for you – the weeknd feat ariana grande (8.75), flowers – miley cyrus (8), home to another one – madison beer (8), houdini – dua lipa (8.25), like crazy – jimin (8.5), my house – beyoncé (8.25), not strong enough – boygenius (8.5), one of your girls – troye sivan (8), padam padam – kylie minogue (8.75), set me free – twice (8.5), red ruby da sleeze – nicki minaj (8), seven – jungkook & latto (8.5), single soon – selena gomez (8.25), super shy – newjeans (8.25), swine – demi lovato (8.5), vampire – olivia rodrigo (8.5)

    mid (7.75-7): cream soda – exo (7.75), a&w – lana del rey (7.25), barbie world – ice spice & nicki minaj (7.5), greedy – tate mcrae (7.5), mil veces – anitta (7.75), my love mine all mine – mitski (7), on my mama – victoria monét (7), s-class – stray kids (7.25), paint the town red – doja cat (7.5), snooze – sza (7.25), void – melanie martinez (7.25), what was i made for – billie eilish (7), what it is – doechii (7.5), you and me – jennie (7.5)

    no likey (6.75-6): flower – jisoo (6), bongos – cardi b feat megan thee stallion (6.25), i’m just ken – barbie (6.75), where she goes – bad bunny (6.75)

    go to hell (5.75-1): n/a

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  14. Man, I was so close to predicting what your first-place winner was (“I AM” by IVE)! Forgot that NINE.i’s song was produced by one of your favorite music production teams of all time haha. I’m still glad that IVE is in second place though; it’s well deserved.

    I was also really surprised by “Get a Guitar” being in the top 3. I know it would be ranked top 10 but I never expected it to be this high.

    Here’s my top 10 (we share a couple of tracks but ranked them differently):
    10. RIIZE – Get A Guitar
    9. TAN – Fix You
    8. U-Kiss – The Wonderful Escape
    7. The Boyz – Lip Gloss
    6. ZB1 – In Bloom
    5. Key (SHINee) – Killer
    4. Golden Child – Feel Me
    3. Jungkook (BTS) – Standing Next to You
    2. SHINee – The Feeling
    1. IVE – I Am

    “I Am” is just pop perfection. From the chorus to that amazing climax at the bridge. I’ve rarely seen any other song from a girl group this year that delivered a song like this. It’s easily my K-pop SOTY. Plus, I was so glad that IVE ranked first place on my list for the second year in a row (last year was IVE’s “After Like”).

    Some songs from your top 50 that I missed and will be checking out:
    – NINE.i – Turn It Off
    – TAN – Heartbeat
    – All of The Wind’s title tracks of this year lol
    – Teen Top – HWEEK
    – The Boyz – Watch It
    – ONF – Love Effect
    – STAYC – Bubble
    – n.SSign – Higher

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  15. and now here is my top 50 best kpop songs of the year (in no order whatsoever)

    1. I AM – IVE (SOTY)
    2. Bite Me – ENHYPEN
    3. Icky – KARD
    4. Crazy Like That – VERIVERY
    5. Moody – SuperKind
    6. Standing Next To You – Jungkook (BTS)
    7. Heartbeat – TAN
    8. Megaverse – Stray Kids
    9. Love War – Choi Yena, Be’O
    10. Get A Guitar – RIIZE
    11. Feel Me – Golden Child
    12. Slay – EVERGLOW
    13. Fast Foward – Jeon Somi
    14. 3D – Jungkook (BTS)
    15. Paranoia – HEARTSTEEL (Technically not kpop but…)
    16. Rockstar – xikers (grew on me)
    17. Back To Me – The Rose
    18. Golden Age – NCT 2023
    19. Broken Melodies – NCT Dream
    20. Chasing That Feeling – TXT
    21. New Emotions – INFINITE
    22. Kitsch – IVE
    23. Hate You – Jungkook (BTS)
    24. Crush – ZEROBASEONE
    25. Bubble – StayC
    26. Full Metal Jacket – EPEX (I like the chanting now 🙂 )
    27. Super – SEVENTEEN
    28. Hard – SHINee
    29. Gods – NewJeans
    30. ETA – NewJeans
    31. Off The Record – IVE
    32. Rover – Kai (EXO)
    33. F*ck My Life – SEVENTEEN
    34. Take Two – BTS
    35. Fix You – TAN
    36. Homeboy – xikers
    37. Teddy Bear – StayC
    38. Love Or Die – TNX (THE NEW SIX)
    39. Fly Away – BXB
    40. Excel – 8TURN
    41. #menow – fromis_9
    42. Back For More – TXT, Anitta
    43. Karma – BLACKSWAN
    44. Kitsch – IVE
    45. Hear Me Out – EXO
    46. OMG – NewJeans
    47. Roar – The Boyz
    48. Like Crazy – Jimin (BTS)
    49. Seven – Jungkoom (BTS), Latto
    50. Beautiful Liar – MONSTA X

    (yes this is a long list…)

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  16. Love finding new music, I really liked number 10. Also, my favorite one on your list is probably RIIZE’s, which I didn’t think would be ranked so high, considering your opinions on the group and the score.

    An interesting thing is that I’ve been more distant to older K-pop groups and the releases from their soloists. An example of that would be Shinee, everyone here be loving Key and Onew and in my case I couldn’t connect with Key’s music (but I remember loving his first album and singles) and I also didn’t know Onew had released solo material. Literally, the only one I’ve “kept an eye on” is Taemin and I couldn’t connect with his music either (don’t know why, I love all of his previous albums).

    I guess I’ve been focusing more on listening groups that are trending, but I don’t think I’ve done it intentionally. Maybe I am more attracted to the current sounds that are popular in K-pop? Just trying to find an explanation to my own behavior lol.

    Anyway, been following the posts for a while now and this is my first comment. Straight of my Apple Music Replay 2023:

    1. XG – Left Right.
    2. NewJeans -OMG.
    3. aespa – Thirsty.
    4. Taeyang feat Jimin – Vibe.
    5. DeVita feat Dawn – Ride For Me.
    6. Stray Kids – S-Class.
    7. Jay Park feat Zion.T – Candy.
    8. NCT 127 – Ay-Yo.
    9. RIIZE – Talk Sexy.
    10. Jungkook feat Jack Harlow – 3D.

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    • That could be it since Shinee’s solos from this year, or maybe it’s what they do all the time, didn’t really fall into trends much..maybe Taemin’s did. They just seem to do whatever they feel like doing lol. I kinda saw that people here generally enjoy Shinee a lot which was partly a reason for me to stay😅. To me they are something of a 2010s symbol, it might be because of my age too. Next year first comes Minho in January again.

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  17. I don’t really have a ranking, just some songs (both title tracks and b-sides) that stood out to me this year:
    Onew – Circle, Expectations
    Key – CoolAs, Killer
    NCT U – The Bat
    WayV – Poppin’ Love, Ain’t No Thang
    SHINee – Identity
    TAN – Heartbeat
    Chuu – Aliens
    Weeekly – Backwards
    XG – Left Right
    Aespa – Welcome To MY World
    Red Velvet – Underwater
    Kai – Sinner
    Ateez – Django
    ITZY – Kill Shot
    Kwon Eunbi – The Flash

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  18. Woah! This was unexpected! I suppose I really underestimated how much you liked Turn it Off (Personally I honestly disliked that song on first listen and so never went back to it again 😅 Looks like I gotta give it another listen then!)

    My own list is sorta in the moment I suppose except for the top 2.

    1. TXT Chasing That Feeling
    Honestly this is everything I love in a song. It’s epic, passionate, emotional, simple yet filled – that pre-chorus alone solos a lot of stuff that I’ve heard this year for me…. And gotta say TXT is the best at songs like this. Vocals, choreo, instrumental – it’s a complete package and that’s why this is my Number One!

    And for once I won’t even say this was a biased choice ! I actively avoided listening to this at first because I did not like the thumbnail 😂 but one fine night it played on Spotify shuffle and I snapped awake and went “Omg what is this beautiful thing!?” And no turning back after that and I aggressively hunted down and watched every performance of this song!

    2. Ive I Am
    Honestly I’ve loved Ive’s songs the most in the new bunch of gg around. It’s cathartic, passionate but elegant and right from first listen you can feel it. This one’s chorus is definitely the best chorus of this year for me! Everything about this is perfect! And they’re gorgeous too lol.

    3 – 6 are interchangeable :

    3. Seventeen Super
    Atleast gotta have one biased choice in here 💀 This is the sorta heart pumping epic song that grows actually because of the performers. Like… I don’t think this song would have had much impact if it were just any group. The8’s entrance, Wonwoo’s opening, Jun’s few bits – all these stand out in the scheme of things BECAUSE it’s them and I shamelessly fell for this as a whole 😀 And yes they’re gorgeous too.

    4. Vienx On My Way
    This song is perfect from start to finish. Honestly it’s the kind of song that the second I hear I perk up. Cathartic, bright and energetic. Also for a new group they really captured the mood of the song really well! Also a sorta song you could say that if it were by a bigger group it would have been spotlighted more 🥲

    5. Trendz New Dayz
    I honestly love what Leez is doing here with them. Also Trendz are rising fast in my line of fave newer groups – the song’s got a nostalgic vibe and their charismatic performance really made me love this more! A pleasing song really!

    6. Trendz My Way
    And they get a second spot! Honestly sometimes this just feels like Top 3 material too for me! Could have been #1 if not for CTF really! (Don’t question why it is at 6 and not 4 💀 Like I said it’s all based on mood) That’s how good it is! The buildup, vocals, rap, chorus and the music – it’s energetic and fun and they really outdid themselves with the performance!

    7. Superkind Moody
    I’ve been openly supportive of this group. Even ignoring the AI factor – this song is great – it’s the kind of creepy moody storytelling vive I like in a song. The chorus and post-chorus and their matching choreo is what really made me love this, though the progression of the song as a whole is very catchy!. Wish they had more performances too. Also I actually like the AI avatars and stuff they do and this MV is probably one of my most favorites this year!

    8. Jungkook Standing Next To You
    I never thought I would have a non-Key/Kang Daniel solo in my top lists but here I am… Honestly this song slowly grows on you. I absolutely loved it on the first listen. Then it began earworming a few weeks later – there’s something intimidating yet powerful – the instrumental of this is probably one of my faves this year!

    9-10
    Here I plugin a list of songs that could work :

    Seventeen God of Music

    Xodiac Special Love (One of the most shocking switch ups this year and an improvement and this song’s amazing!)

    Hor1zon SiX7een (THE MOST SHOCKING switch-up and improvement this year! 😂 Honestly I love this one but I’ve forgotten it a bit and it may go up next year lol)

    Lun8 Wildheart (This and the above 2 songs are a trio for me so they all go together)

    UKiss Wonderful Escape

    Treasure Bona Bona

    Golcha Feel Me (I need to listen to this more 😭)

    Honorable Mentions : StayC Teddy Bear & Bubble, Tri. be We are Young, JustB Medusa, TNX Love or Die, SF9 Puzzle, Monsta X Beautiful Liar, Cix Save Me Kill Me, G-idle Queencard

    My Ults… did not deliver that well this year lmao 🥲🥲 SKZ Lalala was my fave out of them all, then Bouncy and finally OOTD maybe. Music-wise Kingdom’s titles weren’t it for me this time which is super upsetting for some reason lmao but it is what it is. Maybe next year…. hopefully….

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  19. Yikes, only one of your top 10 makes my top 10; that’s unusual. Mine looks something like this:

    1) NewJeans – Ditto
    2) NewJeans – Super Shy
    3) NINE.i – Turn It Off
    4) Nine (OnlyOneOf) – BeyOnd
    5) B.I – Die for Love (was this a single?)
    6) NewJeans – Cool with You/Get Up
    7) Fifty Fifty – Cupid
    8) Lee Gi Kwang – Predator
    9) Primrose – Primrose
    10) Le Sserafim – Eve, Psyche, & Bluebeard’s Wife
    11) Soyou – Aloha
    12) aespa – Spicy
    13) NewJeans – ETA
    14) Yeeun – Strange Way to Love
    15) Lim Young Woong – Do or Die
    16) ONEW – O (Circle)
    17) Purple Kiss – Autopilot
    18) tripleS – New Look
    19) Henry – Moonlight
    20) Jung Kook – Standing Next to You

    And is XG K-pop or J-pop? I’m confused about that. I loved Shooting Star and Left Right, those would definitely be on my list too, if they’re Kpop.

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    • At least it was my number one! Haha

      I consider XG to be J-pop, but it’s very nebulous.

      (Also, I’ve decided to consider the B.I track a b-side/album track since it never had an accompanying visual and wasn’t performed on music shows)

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      • I re-listened to these, and I forgot just how good those tracks by Key & SHINee are.

        BTW, I’m really looking forward to your top J-pop tracks. In so many ways, those were the ones that excited me the most this year. Also looking forward to the b-sides/album tracks lists, so I can do a deep-dive on all the stuff I’ve probably missed this year.

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  20. I loved reading all the reviews and comments this year. Thanks!!!

    10. ONF – Love Effect
    9. BLITZERS – Macarena
    8. RIIZE – Get a Guitar
    7. NINE.i – Turn it off
    6. The BOYZ – LipGloss
    5. GOLCHA – Feel Me
    4. NCT DoJaeJung – Perfume
    3. N.SSIGN – Higher
    2. NCT Dream – Broken Melodies
    1. IVE – IAm

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  22. I usually have a hard time ranking songs and this year it’s even more complicated because most music I discovered is from older releases.
    I went through the whole GFRIEND discography (I want them back), checked out the older works of Purple Kiss after the excellent Cabin Fever, dived into Orange Caramel and, more recently, Crayon Pop, and checked out some more Sweetune produced works (like from INFINITE and Boyfriend). Limiting myself to just new releases feels a bit wrong, but nonetheless, here are some of my favorite songs of this year, in no particular order (well, by release date maybe):

    NewJeans – Ditto
    ILY:1 – Twinkle Twinkle (Secret Garden 2.0, finally?)
    DREAMCATCHER – REASON
    tripleS – Rising (most played song this year), New Look
    Purple Kiss – Autopilot (strongest B-side?), Sweet Juice
    TWICE – Got The Thrills
    JuJu Secret – Lonely Night (MonoTree produced retro perfection)
    CSR – the whole DELIGHT album, especially Picnic
    IVE – I AM (see above)
    OH MY GIRL – Miracle (precious fan song)
    tripleS +(KR)ystal Eyes – Deja Vu
    DREAMCATCHER – BON VOYAGE, Propose
    NMIXX – Roller Coaster (so addictive!)
    ODD EYE CIRCLE – Air Force One
    OH MY GIRL – Paradise
    LimeLight – MADELEINE (strong contender for #1 for me)
    tripleS LOVElution – Black Soul Dress, Girl’s Capitalism
    cignature – Mess with my mind
    Hur Young Ji – L.O.V.E (so cute!)
    mimiirose – the whole LIVE album was an unexpected highlight
    tripleS EVOLution – Rhodanthe, Enhanced Flower (best ballad), Invincible
    Chuu – Aliens, Howl
    HeeJin – Sad Girls Club
    Weeekly – Backwards (especially with that performance video)
    VIVIZ – Untie, Maniac
    ARTMS – The Carol 3.0

    A bit more than I thought, actually. I’d say this was a really good year for k-pop for me personally.

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  23. Great list!! I can’t really make a legit top ten list given I did NOT keep up with new releases like I wanted to this year. That being said, I know what comes out on top of what I have listened to. Back when I challenged February to come out with anything better than Killer, I didn’t realize I apparently should have challenged the rest of the year. Killer wins it for me. The Feeling squeaks right in under it at number two. And I love I AM to little bits, so I’m slightly confused how it just barely got edged out of my top 10, but I can’t bring myself to drop anything that’s ahead of it lower. I blame hopeless bias, haha.

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  24. ok top 10 tts of the year off the top of my head:

    1. trouble – evnne
    2. roar – tbz (im sorry but this absolutely washed lip gloss)
    3. epatbw – lssrfm
    4. heartbeat – tan
    5. rising – triples
    6. shhh – kiss of life
    7. super – svt (massive massive grower for me)
    8. eta – nwjns
    9. watch it – tbz
    10 . pow – chebul

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  25. My top 10!!

    1. Ayyo, NCT127
    2. I AM, IVE
    3. The Flash, Kwon Eunbi
    4. BONVOYAGE, Dreamcatcher
    5. Rising, TripleS
    6. Drama, aespa
    7. NUGUDOM, CRAXY
    8. Time to Shine, H1-KEY
    9. Chill Kill, Red Velvet
    10. Killer, KEY

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  26. I lost my computer recently, so I don’t have a good shortlist of songs I liked this year. Especially if it’s nugu I probably won’t remember it. So here’s my shortlist:
    (Order approximately best to worst, so first in the “least favorite” list is my favorite of the least favorites)

    Favorites
    I Am – IVE
    Bubble – StayC
    Teddy Bear – StayC
    D N D – Apink
    Queencard – Gidle
    Fast Forward – Somi
    Sensitive – Loossemble
    Here We Go Again – Jini
    Knock – Chaeyeon
    Rising – TripleS
    Cupid – Fifty Fifty
    Dalala – Yuju (heavily biased)
    Eunoia – Billlie
    Back to the City – Kep1er
    Rose Blossom – H1Key (BIG last minute grower, entire group has insane charisma)
    Hate Rodrigo – Yena
    Air Force One – Odd Eye Circle
    Blue Blood – IVE
    In Bloom – Zerobaseone
    Love Me Like This – NMIXX
    Autopilot – Purple Kiss
    Jump – P1Harmony
    Guilty – Taemin
    Maniac – Viviz
    Let’s Dance – Chaeyeon
    Untie – Viviz
    Ay-yo – NCT
    Sweet Juice – Purple Kiss
    Baddie – IVE
    Bon Voyage – Dreamcatcher
    Allergy – Gidle
    Cake – Itzy
    Love Effect – ONF
    Taxi – Jo Yuri
    Gum – Jessi
    Good & Great – Key
    We Are Young – Tri.be
    Fighting – BSS
    I want that – Gidle
    Rover – Kai
    Pandora – MAVE
    Shining Bright – CSR
    Macarena – Blitzers
    Bite Me – Enhypen
    The Wonderful Escape – U-KISS
    Beautiful Liar – Monsta X
    Icky – KARD
    Cheeky – El7z Up
    Newjeans – Newjeans

    Most neutral on
    Howl – Chuu
    Seoul – H1-Key
    Spicy – aespa
    Kitsch – IVE
    Eve Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife – Le Sserafim
    OOTD – Dreamcatcher
    I Love My Body – Hwasa
    Attitude – Hyuna
    Sugar Rush Ride – TXT
    Aurora – Cignature
    Pull Up – Viviz
    Killer – Key
    Flower – Jisoo
    Standing Next to You – Jungkook
    Bouncy – Ateez
    The Soojin solo
    Honey or Spice – Lightsum
    Hard – Shinee
    Ra ta ta – Ailee
    Giddy – Kep1er
    The Infinite song
    Killing Me Good – Jihyo
    Unforgiven – Le Sserafim
    #menow – fromis_9
    Slay – Everglow
    Every other Newjeans song

    Most disliked
    Algorithm – Heejin
    Seven, 3D – Jungkook
    Dang! – Billlie
    Roller Coaster – NMIXX
    GGBB – Mamamoo+
    Parallel Parallel – TVXQ
    OMG – Newjeans
    Dang dang – Mamamoo+
    Movie Star – Mijoo
    S-Class – Stray Kids

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  27. I loved Turn It Off so much too! I’m glad it’s your top song! I havent made a fully solidified ranking of my top 10 songs of the year but this should be pretty close (title tracks only):
    1. The Flash- Eunbi
    2. In Bloom- ZB1 (I’m a little biased because they became my ults this year but its also really good I love DNB)
    3. On and On- Ampers&One
    4. Discord- QWER
    5. Drama- Aespa
    6. Turn It Off- Nine.i
    7. Shooting Star- XG
    8. POW- Cherry Bullet
    9. I am- IVE
    10.Shhh- Kiss of Life

    And not a full list but some bsides I enjoyed this year are:
    Back to Zerobase- ZB1 (my absolute favorite that trancendent chorus is everything)
    Take My Hand- ZB1
    Welcome to My World- Aespa
    Kill Shot- Itzy
    Identity- Shinee
    Farewell Neverland- TXT
    All Night- (G)I-dle
    Attitude- Fromis9
    nevertheless- Billlie
    Sugarcoat- Kiss of Life

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  31. I like the Bias List because it introduces me to music I might not have otherwise heard. Also, your writing is very descriptive and helps the reader understand the song better. I’d like to comment on your top 5 because that’s all I had the time to listen (I intend to take a deeper dive over the holidays).

    Turn it off: This song uses a popular composition technique that has one line in 4/4 and the other playing a counterpoint of triplets (you could write it in 6/8 but the effect is the same- there are 3 beats in one line for every 1 in the other). The effect is to have two different rhythms going at once. “I am” by Ive, does the same thing particularly prominent in the chorus. BTW, this technique is used in other genres e.g. theme to Downton Abbey which has a pulsating line of strings then joined by the stately piano theme). The chorus in Turn it Off has some interesting chord changes that make KPop much more interesting than American Pop to me.

    I am: I like your analysis but was not as knocked out with this song as you were.

    Get a Guitar: Hm, has the feel of “Butter” (you can hum the Butter verse in the verse of this song and you’ll hear it). Then, like Butter, the thumping verse in 4/4 breaks into a double time jazzy chorus with a heavy back beat. The guitar playing is first rate. But, my favorite feature of this song is the harmonies and not just the way the voices blend (although it’s great) but the chords and voicing of the chords. Great writing and singing. Probably my fave of your Top 5.

    Feel Me: Hm, pulsating upbeat eighth notes. Now where have I heard that before? Oh yes, “Bet on Me” by Itzy. I like Golden Child and this group but the song sounded a little ordinary to me.

    The Feeling: Very fine singers and very fine harmonies.

    I hope the fabulous composers and musicians of KPop will get some recognition. When you watch those It’s Live videos you can see the excellence in their musicianship.

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  32. Late but I’ve finally put a list together! The ordering isn’t really exact but it’s close enough and I didn’t want to spend too much time further working it out haha

    1. IVE – I AM
    2. Jungkook – Standing Next To You
    3. NewJeans – Super Shy
    4. RIIZE – Memories
    5. TWICE – Set Me Free
    6. Somi – Fast Forward
    7. aespa – Spicy
    8. RIIZE – Get A Guitar
    9. VIVIZ – Maniac
    10. Jungkook – 3D
    11. Key – Killer
    12. STAYC – Bubble
    13. aespa – Better Things
    14. STAYC – Teddy Bear
    15. XG – TGIF
    16. Eunbi – The Flash
    17. ZB1 – In Bloom
    18. aespa – Drama
    19. TXT – Chasing That Feeling
    20. NewJeans – ETA

    Honorable Mentions:
    – Dreamcatcher – Bon Voyage
    – Kep1er – Galileo
    – Purple Kiss – Sweet Juice
    – Stray Kids – S-Class
    – The Boyz – Lip Gloss

    Thanks again for another year of reviews Nick! I haven’t been commenting as much anymore but I still read every post and use your reviews to help me check out music I wouldnt otherwise! Seems like I have a decent amount of overlap with your top 50 haha

    Looking forward to continuing reading your blog in 2024!

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  33. I’m not sure I could name 50 kpop songs from this year haha. A lot of the boy group singles kind of blurred together; I enjoyed a ton of them, and had a really long playlist that I’d put on at work, but I couldn’t tell you what most of them were called or who sang them. 😅 (Unbeatable by TIOT gets stuck in my head a couple times a week, but I had to listen to my entire playlist to track down which one it was lol)

    The songs I got the most mileage out of this year were:

    Twice – Set Me Free (my youtube history consists of this song, the instrumental, the instrumental with backing vocals, an 8-bit version and literally nothing else for two months straight)
    Somi – Fast Forward
    Aespa – Spicy
    Purple Kiss – 7Heaven
    Jo Yuri – Taxi
    Shinee – The Feeling
    Ive – I Want

    Honourable mention goes to Jungkook’s Standing Next to You. From20, Hello Gloom, Woodz, Ren, Sungkyu, n.SSign, NINE.i, Cravity, TIOT, and The Boyz all put out good stuff. Aespa had some good bsides as well – I really liked Don’t Blink. I spent a lot of the year listening to old Twice album tracks and catching up with this blog’s jpop recs from previous years, so I didn’t actually listen to that much 2023 output.

    For jpop, I adored Violence, and Workin’ Hard really took me by surprise – it’s not the kind of song I usually go for, but I loved it and listened to it a lot. Death Anniversary is great, and I really enjoyed Oddlore’s entire album. All the europop recommended on this blog was fantastic, Rosi and Benjamin in particular. I think my song of the year would have to be Kylie’s Things We Do For Love, for sheer number of times it made me cry.

    I also spent some time this spring poking around the top 100 for different countries whose music I wasn’t very familiar with, and found some gems (not necessarily from this year):

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  34. As much as I like “Killer”, Key’s song for me this year was “Good and Great” – it just has that positive energy that I wouldn’t listening all day long wherever I am. “Gasoline” comes in second. As for Key’s group, Shinee, “The Feeling” is a nice song, but not one that would land in my library.

    “Heartbeat” and “Get A Guitar” were good, “Lip Gloss”- wow that chorus is catchy and the song kept winning me over as it went along, and “I Am” makes me want to walk and noboby can stop me.

    Overall, my favorite songs this year (which weren’t many) were “Good and Great”, “Gasoline”, all of Jungkook’s singles, EXO’s “Hear Me Out” and “Cream Soda” (which finally won me over). However, I heard some really good songs here that I missed out on, and hopefully I can continue to listen to some of these groups and see what they have to offer in the future.

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