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!
Honorable Mentions
Songs 50-41
Songs 40-31
30. DXMON – Girls, Love Boys, Love Girls
After an early-2024 debut marked by swaggering hip-hop, this gorgeous drum and bass track wafted in like a pleasant spring breeze. The falsetto-kissed chorus is everything. (full review)
29. ITZY – Untouchable
ITZY had a strong year and opened with their most powerful blow. Untouchable‘s beat recalls clanging machinery, rumbling with addictive force. (full review)
28. Young Posse – Ate That
I’ll always be biased toward nineties hip-hop, even if the song in question is little more than a pastiche. Ate That hits its goal and then some, offering a jolt of cartoonish energy buoyed by car rattling bass. (full review)
27. DKB – Flirting X
DKB earn their first placing on this countdown with a dynamic summer track that showcases their vocals. The ad-libs that pepper the bulk of Flirting X are absolutely brilliant and give it such spice. (full review)
26. BABYMONSTER – Forever
I’d be lying if I said Forever wasn’t here simply because it reminds me of better YG Entertainment songs of the past, but play count data doesn’t lie and I played the hell out of this during the summer of 2024. I love Forever‘s brand of Eurodance cheese. (full review)
25. The Wind – Hello, My First Love
My top rookies of 2023 didn’t disappoint this year. Hello, My First Love echoes melodies of K-pop’s past, standing as the group’s sweetest track yet. Puppy love sounds good on them. (full review)
24. RIIZE – Love 119
You all know I bristle immediately after hearing a chanted boy group chorus, which explains my lackluster response to Love 119 initially. But then Sohee comes in with those ridiculously satisfying power notes during the song’s finale and all musical sins are forgiven. (full review)
23. Just B – Daddy’s Girl
Many groups tried their hand at a pop-punk sound this year, but I found Just B’s 5-Seconds-Of-Summer-esque Daddy’s Girl to be the most over-the-top fun of the bunch. To be clear, it’s their silly explicit version that earns this spot on the list. (full review)
22. ZEROBASEONE – Good So Bad
Good So Bad‘s chorus is like cotton candy, spun from sugar and resulting in an instant head rush. The group is at their best when leaning into this melodic magic, and that approach cements their highest year-end placement yet. (full review)
21. YOUNITE – Geekin
I don’t believe in “guilty pleasures,” but if I did Geekin would be my 2024 choice. The song is relentlessly stupid in the best possible way, earning its glories through a brilliant hip-hop beat and some of the most ridiculous lyrical conceits of the year. (full review)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Good So Bad and Untouchable! Im also seeing 4 TWS songs in the top 20 👀 wonder how many make the top 10 (….all of them? 🤭)
Sorry every comment I make on these is about the TWS placements but I’m very interested to see if they make the records you’ve been referring to / I’ve been predicting lol
LikeLike
I’m betting it, we’re seeing hey! hey!, SN and Plot Twist in the Top 5. Not even Top 10, but Top 5. I defo see hey! hey! get the number 1 spot (unless SN or Riize’s Impossible gets it)
LikeLike
Oh I realize I haven’t even been thinking what would be Nick’s actual placements in the top 10 this year but now that you mention it I’m hoping for a hey! hey! number #1 and SN and plot twist in Top 5 (because that’s how I’d have them in my list too!) . Hey, if that happens it’ll be the first year mine and Nick’s #1s align – I mean, I generally quite like his top 10 choices every year, but it would be nice to see it align so well for once :p
LikeLike
I just hope Nick doesn’t curse TWS /jk 😭. No but seriously, I feel so bad for Nine.i. For TWS, I might not be the biggest fan or enjoyer of their music/sound (except for a few b-sides), but I wish them the best.
LikeLike
untouchable was actually
LikeLike
GOOD SO BAD made it 🫶 my most played song of the year!
LikeLike
Come on now, Love 119 is SOTY.
LikeLike
Girls, Love Boys, Love Girls is classic K-Pop’s style of drum and bass, but instead of airy melodies, they managed to add a lot of punch to it to make it interesting. I liked it.
Untouchable is great! The first ITZY title track I’ve loved since Cheshire :p
Ate That is still amazing. Young Posse are at their best when they add their silly energy to a song that manages to sound great while making the silliness even more fun. What a great birthday gift for a kid like me who loves songs with a banging production :9
Love 119 is cute. Haven’t listened to it in months (boycott…), but I love its mellow energy and the whiplash the shouty chorus gives lol. But it’s a cute song.
I really, really hope Baemon continues on with the Forever sound. They suit it so well. The key change in the end just gives me goosebumps and in the best way ever.
Good So Bad is good as well. Haven’t listened to it since its release, but yeah, I still liked it.
Geekin is so stupid yet so fun oml 😭 I admit I HATED the song cause of the chorus and the whispered “why you geekin’” grinding my gears a lot. But after a few more listens (especially when reading it from the perspective of your review), I started to love it a lot. It eventually got into my Top 25 Spotify Wrapped this year :9
LikeLike
didn’t really care for any of these songs, and i actually quite disliked daddy’s girl (still do, unfortunately), but i suddenly realized onlyoneof’s dopamine probably has a spot in the top 20! i really liked that release so the idea of it being placed high is exciting.
LikeLike
I always enjoy how the year-end countdown unearths songs I missed the first time around. Especially in a year where I mostly ignored boy groups.
Girls, Love Boys, Love Girls is a jam. Nice to see drum n bass done right. Daddy’s Girl isn’t what I come to Kpop for, but it’s very well done and the vocals are nice. And Geekin is so fun.
Finally, happy to see Young Posse score so high!
LikeLike
GEEKIN is one of the worst songs I’ve had the misfortune of hearing this year. I’m gagged that it made it into your top and in such a high position, but it is what it is.
LikeLike
It’s on my top 10🫣…granted, my music taste may be questionable, but in this case I remember how big I smiled when I first listened to this song. And this is the thing, I still smile when it plays so it is what it is.
LikeLike
Late to the party but the hold both TWS and RIIZE have on the top 50 list is insane.
I think either RIIZE’s Impossible or any one of the remaining TWS songs will be 1st place for him lol. Manifesting that Supernova lands in the Top 10 though!
Really happy to also see ZB1, ITZY, NMIXX, and Taemin all make the Top 50.
LikeLike
Oh, BOYNEXTDOOR too! We’re really seeing a repeat of 2019 with the rookie groups having amazing tracks and ranking in the top 50.
I really hope “Earth, Wind and Fire” also makes the top 10 (or 15). It was one of the biggest growers for Nick this year so I’m manifesting that it places high.
LikeLike
For me, Impossible is my no.1 song this year, followed by Supernova (I also enjoyed BBB). Those were the songs that got my attention this year, since I admittedly mostly listened to 2nd & early 3rd gen songs this year
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, dawn, I’m late so let’s go there soon…
30. BabyMonster – Forever
In a year marked by the release of excessive and questionable singles, Forever emerges as a notable exception, standing out as the pinnacle of BabyMonster’s production, in the form of melodic and classic pop of rare excellence.
29. BoyNextDoor – Earth, Wind & Fire
Although it took some time for this BoyNextDoor song to really captivate me, the vibrant, trippy energy that evokes the intensity of Earth, Wind & Fire gives it a memorable character. The use of accelerated verses, which reference the stylistic vocals of Alvin & the Chipmunks, proves to be an element that enriches the single’s solidity and consolidates its artistic singularity.
28. Hello Gloom – Mamacita
Although it does not share the same style as Super Junior’s work of the same name, Mamacita is a show that displays the artistic essence of Hello Gloom, permeated by soft melodies and an engaging house beat.
27. Vahn – Crush On You
Almost like a sad anime ending song, Crush On You gives Vahn an atmospheric boost full of performance and light rock elements.
26. Cravity – Love Or Die
Love Or Die takes a sentimental approach within the rock universe, delivering an agile and intense track characterized by expressive raps that add depth and impact to the composition.
25. Moonbyul – Is This Love?
Is This Love? indulges in trends that are back in fashion, giving Moonbyul the chance to shine in a truly upbeat track, as if they were shooting fireworks into the sky.
24. Kave – Stone
Diving into a proposal entirely based on rock and accompanied by intense and fierce vocals, you will immediately capture my attention. Stone presents itself as an overwhelming track, as aggressive as a war confrontation. The delicate keys in the final section not only enrich the composition, but also underline its nature as an authentic masterpiece.
23. Young Posse – Ate That
Referring to the three-dimensional animation design characteristic of the 2000s, as in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and the evident influences of the renowned game GTA San Andreas, Ate That stands out as one of the few truly different songs of this year. The track employs a variety of classic hip-hop confluences, creating a unique and striking sound.
(I downloaded this song in the extended version, it’s really cool, the remix adds another chorus at the end of the song)
22. ITZY – Untouchable
I continue to maintain that Untouchable was a much-needed contribution for ITZY to gain positive reviews and take a leap forward, as its mechanized and impeccably executed sound makes it impossible to deny it. This is the essence of the group, exceptionally reflecting its brand.
21. Zerobaseone – Good So Bad
Layering harmonious vocals over an ethereal and melodically aspirational track, Good So Bad encapsulates the genuine essence of Zerobaseone’s artistry.
It’s at these times when I wish I knew English, if I did it wouldn’t take so long to write
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wrote “dawn” instead of “damn” 😐
LikeLike
I would have never guessed English was not your native language. Your posts read very well! And thank you for adding your lists to the comments. I always like seeing what others thought of the year. It looks like we have a lot of overlap.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s been months and I’m still MAKING ME FEEL GOOD WANTING IT MORE YOU’RE SO BAD!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ate that make it!!! Ate that definitely ate that up.
LikeLike
Untouchable was #1 on my wrapped!
LikeLike
LikeLike
I love Forever, it was the top song on my YouTube Music recap and good so bad is great too, haven’t listened to the rest except Love 119 but I will now that you recommend it.
LikeLike