The 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, 2023 and Nov. 30th, 2024.
Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!
50. Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT.
I suppose it could be argued whether or not this song is K-pop at all, but what’s certain is its addictive energy and cultural dominance since its October release. (full review)
49. CRAVITY – Love Or Die
The guys leaned into rock sounds this year and no track did it better than the barreling Love Or Die. The song just never lets up. (full review)
48. B.I – Tasty
This could certainly be considered a slight entry into B.I’s discography, but its funky beat and taunting hook proved to have lasting impact on my springtime playlist. (full review)
47. BOYNEXTDOOR – Nice Guy
Initially, I found Nice Guy too subdued for its own good. But as BOYNEXTDOOR songs often do, its off-kilter personality endured in the long run. The song simply wouldn’t succeed if performed by any other group. (full review)
46. TWS – Double Take
Many fans are fearful of a dark, more traditionally “badass” transformation looming for TWS, but Double Take‘s quirky approach proves their take on hip-hop may be less generic than expected. (full review)
45. BOYNEXTDOOR – Dangerous
Speaking of quirky hip-hop, BOYNEXTDOOR are back again with a funky, brash banger that capitalizes on the group’s cartoonish energy. (full review)
44. RESCENE – Love Attack
RESCENE flew under the radar in 2024, but this first comeback marked them as a rookie to watch. The sparkling, multi-part chorus is everything I’ve been missing in K-pop’s girl group fare. (full review)
43. Vanner – Jackpot
Vanner just barely missed the countdown last year, but they kicked off 2024 with aplomb. Jackpot has raucous energy to spare, bolstered by strong performances from seasoned idols. (full review)
42. RIIZE – Combo
Though it didn’t receive the promotional heft of their other 2024 singles, don’t overlook this angsty 90’s rock banger. It’s yet another example of RIIZE’s emerging versatility. (full review)
41. TWS – BFF
TWS themed most of their debut-year material around friendship, finding ways to portray broad themes with specificity. BFF‘s many idiosyncratic lyrical hooks make it stand out. (full review)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
BFF and Double Take included 👀….I’m starting to think that the record you’ve been referencing is the most number of songs ever placed in a top 50 from one artist (which I’m starting to think will be 7 aka every single song TWS released this year with an MV).
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Hm, maybe Oh Mymy wont make it based on your initial review (though I personally prefer it over Double Take), but 6 is still a crazy number and really indicative of either how strong TWS’ debut year music has been (Im totally with you there!) or how much the rest of the industry has been lacking this year 😭
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yeah that’s what I think as well lol, even though Oh Mymy is a personal favorite of mine, 6/7 is pretty good.
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I personally think my top 50 this year is solid but there was a time when among those positions my ratings were mostly ‘9’, but unfortunately in recent years my list of favorites has encompassed a rating of ‘8.5’ meaning that K-Pop weakened a little over time
Ah… by the way, my top 50 is different from Nick, since I can still add songs that are released between December, it all depends on the quality. In short, my list covers January to December…
50. Sorn – Nobody
When it comes to promoting themselves artistically, Sorn and Lisa have had similar paths this year but only one of these Thai singers has given us a sensual dance track with electro-pop elements that is perfect for the club.
49. Kiss Of Life – Midas Touch
Following Britney Spears vibes, Kiss Of Life brought us back a new trend to the industry, with a sensual swing towards female K-Pop. Will Kiss Of Life ever release their Break The Ice (which is Britney’s best song)?
48. Xikers – Bittersweet
The punk elements really made Xikers stand out in the industry. Bittersweet is an exclamation point along with her performance.
47. A.C.E – Supernatural
Unlike Nick, I loved this. It seems so energetic to me, I love the instrumentals.
46. Dreamcatcher –Justice
Justice makes me FIIIGHTTT!!! I love the powerful scream of this chorus, it’s simply one of Dreamcatcher’s best singles of recent years.
45. Moon Jongup – Twist Ya
I love the watery, retro feel of it.
44. The Wind – Sirius Part. 2
Retaining its most prominent sound, Sirius, Pt. 2 is an emotional and captivating sound filled with subtle piano touches. The ferocity of this sound is difficult not to fall in love with.
43. RIIZE – 9 Days
The chorus is catchy.
42. Vahn – Feeling (ft. 블랙젠이)
Vahn suits the soft rock sound well.
41. Just B – Daddy’s Girl
Another rock sound that gets me. It reminds me a little of 2000s rock.
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oh all of TWS’ singles are making it? deserved honestly.
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Well, for me, Double Take is lowkey forgettable, not something I’d seek much often. I’d put it in low-8s or an 8.
Same goes for Nice Guy. Too muted for me. I’d put it in high-7s, but Dangerous is really silly and yet so fun. Dangerous is an 8.5 for me.
APT. is lowkey fun! Bright, poppy fun. Repetitive lyrics really work the best when paired with a melodic chorus and the song is good fun! Low/Mid-8s for me.
Love Attack is still beautiful. I am still in love with its chorus, the girls sound so dreamy in it. An 8.75 for me.
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i’m one of those that just started reading this year so i cant believe im able to witness a top 50 list live (or well im there when it’s just recently uploaded). i’m used to just reading the top 50 of previous years but now i have to wait to finish the top 50, idk why but this is lowkey crazy to me LOL
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Haha the suspense is fun!
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I thought Love Attack wouldn’t be here. Good, it’s in my top 20 favorite K-POP songs of the year for sure.
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Mine, too! It’s fantastic.
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Yesterday, I wrote that APT might be my song of the year. At least it snuck in at #50 here, haha.
This year marks the halfway point of the 2020s, and I put together a playlist of my favorite Kpop songs of the 2020s so far. And while I’m pretty happy with it, it became crystal clear that the 2020s cannot come close to the 2010s for Kpop greatness. https://shorturl.at/klomJ
Nick, if you ever think of updating, redoing or re-organizing your 100 Best K-Pop Songs of All-Time list, it might be interesting to break it up into separate lists, like Best K-Pop songs of the 2010s, Best Songs of the 2020s, and (since this feature is active recently), Best Songs of K-Pop’s First Generation (pre-2010s).
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(On 2nd thought, maybe it’s a terrible idea, since so many great and enduring classics came out pre-2010, like GG’s Gee, Sorry Sorry by Super Junior, classics by Kara, Wonder Girls, SHINee, TVXQ, etc etc.)
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A decades countdown would be really fun, actually! Or even a “K-pop generations” countdown.
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Definitely fun! I’d love to see your Best K-pop Songs of the 2020s when the decade’s through. Just 5 more years to go, lol.
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This list is already a testament to the way that Kpop and I have been slowly growing apart the last couple of years. The only song that (I think) made it onto my playlist out of these was Jackpot, and that one sounds like it came straight out of 3rd generation.
I don’t think any of these songs are bad, it’s just that I’m not connecting with the groups and the music as much anymore. I’d like to say that my taste in music has grown or whatever but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case either. What once was novel and fascinating is now one of the world’s leading musical genres, and though I’m proud and amazed at what Kpop has become now, I think that has made it lose some of it’s shine for me. Or maybe losing some of that strong passion is just part of growing up more myself. I don’t think I’ll ever really leave it behind, but I cycle back to it less frequently now. Emo corner lamentations aside, I am very curious about the rest of the list. Looking forward!
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I think it’s telling that the only kpop artists that made it to my Spotify Wrapped were SHINee and Onew :’
Robin Packalen was my #1 artist interestingly enough (but not really surprising).
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Shinee was also my number one played artists. They are my ults, but genuinely, their music does not age. Impeccably produced and Impeccably performed. If someone ever needs to resuscitate me, play Hitchhiker 🙏
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hitchhiking baby 😭
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Nice guy definitely only works with Boynextdoor performing it, they made it into something better than it is on it’s own.
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Was praying Love or Die was gonna be higher lmao, at least it made the list! A win is a win
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I love BFF, definitely one of my favorite songs of this year! On the other hand, since someone pointed out “double take” sounds exactly like a bigbang song from like a decade ago, that’s all I can think about when it comes to that song… it’s hard to think it’s not a ripoff. The videos even look very similar.
https://youtu.be/a5guoduVEBA?si=7xpb0cRfjfpmFWYq
as for bonedo, I think “nice guy” is a great song that stands on its own, I don’t really get what you’re saying about it not being good if another group performed it. But I think “dangerous” is horrid, so may just be a matter of taste lol
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APT and Cravity are surprises this low. Cravity is so great. They remind me of Twice in a way. They’re fun and they make me happy. They never miss with me. And APT has been stuck in my head since it came out. Bruno Mars just makes great music. If he makes a song, I will walk around singing it forever.
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