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, 2024 and Nov. 30th, 2025.
Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!
Honorable Mentions
Songs 50-41
40. NouerA – N (Number Of Cases)
Though I had some initial concerns with some of this song’s structural choices, its steadfast loyalty to NouerA’s crunchy, jagged electro sound made it a hit I kept returning to. (full review)
39. &TEAM – Back To Life
Repetition can be a double-edged sword, and Back To Life‘s droning melodies are sure to polarize opinion. However, its stomping rock-infused chorus acts as a natural extension to the group’s excellent Japanese output. (full review)
38. ALLDAY PROJECT – One More Time
We’re back to the early-2010s with this unabashedly BEP-esque EDM track. One More Time adds potent melodies to ALLDAY PROJECT’s cartoonish schtick and reminds us that drum and bass doesn’t have to be slow and subdued. (full review)
37. NCT Wish – Surf
One of the summer’s kitschiest tracks, Surf doubled down on Wish’s bright jubilance but sidestepped cloying chant-sung catchphrases in favor of kaleidoscopic pop hooks. (full review)
36. NOWZ – Fly To The Youth (ft.Yuqi)
NOWZ pulled off the year’s most striking reinvention and it all started with this beautiful early-summer track. i-dle’s Yuqi gifted them a suite of fantastic melodies and even made a cameo herself. (full review)
35. Key – Hunter
This is Key doing his Key thing, and that nacho reheating (last time I use that phrase, I promise) prevents this from charting higher. However, a solid Key synth-banger will always be something to celebrate. (full review)
34. KickFlip – Band-Aid
KickFlip found their niche with an angsty teen pop/rock sound, contrasting their bright side with more pathos and beefed up guitar. (full review)
33. ATEEZ – Lemon Drop
It’s been years since ATEEZ’s music has surprised me, but Lemon Drop‘s stripped back summer sound is a fresh avenue for the group and enjoyed a long life on my own summer playlist. (full review)
32. Fairy Mai – Light Please
This might be the least-known artist on my countdown, and that should change immediately. Fairy Mai carved her own unique musical path with this propulsive boogie guitar banger. (full review)
31. Close Your Eyes – Paint Candy
Old-school hip-hop beats are a dime a dozen in K-pop, but Paint Candy takes Close Your Eyes’s idiosyncratic sound and ties it to familiar new jack swing elements to craft something that feels unique to them. (full review)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Surprised to see One More Time here given it fell to an 8.5. Did it rise again? Didn’t expect the NouerA track to be here as well, but I do love its disjointed energy, though I hope they come back with a funkier, bombastic sound like N.I.N (and also, where’s the NouerA comeback, I need it so bad 😩)
And yay for Fairy Mai being here! I lowkey expected her to be higher on the list, but I’m glad for her, I hope she comes back soon, it’s been a while. (Now why do I sense that Lipstick might make it here 👀)
But overall, it’s a solid list. Didn’t expect some to be here, but ig it’s the power of longevity lmao
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light please is so good!! for me it had a little less replay value than my other favorite songs from this year but i can’t wait for new music from her 😀
i predicted nouera was gonna come back in november but since they’ve been traveling alot i see why its taking a little longer this time around..i need new music from them by january at the latest or i am going to explode
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Understandable, I also played Lipstick more than Light Please (and Lipstick was my 5th most played song of the year lmao), I hope she makes a quick comeback, it’s been almost 7 months atp
Fingers are crossed for a January comeback, it’s about to be 6 months since number of cases, which is a long time for a rookie group lol, but hopefully they return with an absolute banger (in e.one we trust!)
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i don’t think nick ever reviewed lipstick though so i don’t think it’s going to end up here
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For those wondering, I consider Lipstick an “album track/b-side” because it has no mv (even though it’s technically not an album track OR b-side!)
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Number Of Cases! Yesss!!
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Paint Candy and ONE MORE TIME 👍 Hunter, Surf and Back to Life are great picks as well
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I hate to say that ‘One More Time’ has really grown on me…. but Tarzzan’s “rap” is unsalvageable and hence the song will not be making it any where on my list lmao.
My 40 – 31:
40: Be Alright, IVE
39: like JENNIE, JENNIE
38: XOXZ, IVE
37: Jump, BLACKPINK
36: House Party, VVUP
35: Lucky=One, cosmosy
34: Band-Aid, KickFlip (!!!)
33: Lemon Drop, ATEEZ (!!!) [genuinely pure coincidence]
32: ENEMY, TWICE
31: Maybe Tomorrow, DAY6
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be alright is so underrated 🔥🔥
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OOOO i wasn’t expecting number of cases! nouera has quickly become one of my favorite groups of all time, i keep up with all their youtube content and am so impressed by their discography so far. can’t wait to see where NIN falls, probably (definitely) my favorite release this year!!
even though 2025 was underwhelming there were actually so many songs i loved! first love song, do the dance, all my poetry, the stranger, blue, style, blue valentine, rendezvous, countdown, summer was you, everglow, bebe/i want it, etc etc
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Good and fair choices. NouerA’s releases have been super solid. I’m happy NCT WISH has blossomed into something I can really enjoy now (couldn’t handle their cuteness before). Light Please dropped a bit for me, didn’t make it.
40 – CIX – THUNDER
39 – xikers – SUPERPOWER
38 – NOWZ – EVERGLOW
37 – RIIZE – Another Life (b-side oops)
36 – AMPERS&ONE – Kick Start
35 – SHINee – Poet | Artist (big grower)
34 – KickFlip – Knock Knock (the song that got me interested in them)
33 – STAYC – I WANT IT
32 – RIIZE – Ember to Solar (still a little bitter about that abridged “track video” this got)
31 – NouerA – N.I.N
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For the 30-40 range I’ll include songs that are the bread and butter of my playlist, and though they may be considered generic by many, to me they represent what I love about Kpop. Again, in no particular order because I really cannot make up my mind😅:
40 NewBeat – Look So Good
39 IDID – Don’t Push Back
38 Oneus – Ruperts Drop
37 Oneus – X
36 NTX – Over & Over
35 TNX – For Real
34 OnePact – 100!
33 AB6IX – Stupid
32 Epex – Grateful to Tears
31 Nowz- Fly to the Youth
PS: Lemon Drop will be in my Top 10 (probably). About &Team, unfortunately their Korean album didn’t impress me at all, which It’s a pity because I love them. About NouerA, their titles would be honorable mentions for me, but two of their Bsides would be on my top 20 list if they were promoted as Titles.
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nmixx blue valentine in at least top 30…? 🙂
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hoping STAYC bebe ends up on the list since it rose so much for you
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Blue Valentine is my number 1 song of the year 🥹
nice to see Do The Dance, I feel the exact same about ILLIT, is it the beginning of something great or is going to be the new FOREVER / babymonster?
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Keeping chugging on my all A&B sides top 50…
40. Band-Aid – Kickflip: Everything comes together in this pop punk rock happy boy band flavor track. Excited for them to keep putting out more like this!
39. Chan-Ran – IDID: This group REALLY resonated with me, and Chan-Ran. Nice, groovy, and great performances from the members. In Verse two how they come in after the rap is such a nice moment.
38. Reborn – Re:hearts: What an intro onto the scene! I love how the song hits you with mega energy from the very beginning. It’s a whole complete experience too! groovy strings in verse 2 and great buildups. I hope they don’t fade away into obscurity…
37. Burning Up – MEOVV: They are filling a void were Blackpink used to live with this style of track. I said somewhere they lacked the charisma BP has, and I wish I could retract that statement now.
36. Bang Bang – Kiiras: Just a great high energy, brass filled romp.
35. How It’s Done – Huntr/x: Another song that reminds me of Blackpink. This is such a high energy banger, and the movie elevates it. In the same way Nick doesn’t understand the appeal, I don’t understand not seeing the appeal… they are more cookie-cutter, but ultimately very emblamatic of kpop formulas done with focus on Western audiences.
34. One More Time – Allday Project: I wish they would layer the female and male voices more in their material, but this is a great jam. I can’t explain why, but the line “put your hands up – party” is such an earworm. The outro is super fun as well.
33. Invincible – i-dle: I love bass heavy bops, and the way the bass carries the verse until the lead up and then it builds into the rock pop chorus is just so nice.
32. Light Please – Fairy Mai: Like Nick noted, I want nothing more than to see this style of song and this nugu succeed. Great song structure, great performance, fun video. I’m here for this.
31. Psycho – Babymonster: This is classic YG, which I like a lot when they hit, and this hits. If they can keep giving me nice hiphop with a purple kiss esque chorus I’ll be happy.
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I think you’re doing Key dirty. Only song worth a damn this year X_X
My 31 through 40:
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