Happy 2026! As we transition to a new year, it’s Bias List tradition to unveil some wishes I have for K-pop going forward. I tend to go for broke with my resolutions, which more often than not leads to disappointment. But if you’re going to dream, why not dream big? I usually stop at ten … Continue reading
Author Archives: Nick
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of December 2025
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. December 2025 Overall Thoughts Well… I hate to say it but there are no “top three … Continue reading
2025 MBC Gayo Daejejeon: Recap & My Top Performances
It’s the last year-end festival of 2025! MBC’s Gayo Daejejeon is synonymous with the new year, as it also acts as a new year’s eve celebration (except for last year when it was postponed). As I always say, this adds a welcome sense of ceremony to the proceedings and makes it a special I look … Continue reading
The Top 50 J-Pop Songs of 2025: 10-1
I don’t write as many full J-pop reviews as I used to, mostly because I haven’t been as enamored with the industry as I was before, but I continue to spotlight new releases each and every Sunday. This countdown is a culmination of that feature, rounding up my fifty favorite singles (or promoted b-sides) of … Continue reading
The Top 50 J-Pop Songs of 2025: 30-11
I don’t write as many full J-pop reviews as I used to, mostly because I haven’t been as enamored with the industry as I was before, but I continue to spotlight new releases each and every Sunday. This countdown is a culmination of that feature, rounding up my fifty favorite singles (or promoted b-sides) of … Continue reading
The Top 50 J-Pop Songs of 2025: 50-31
I don’t write as many full J-pop reviews as I used to, mostly because I haven’t been as enamored with the industry as I was before, but I continue to spotlight new releases each and every Sunday. This countdown is a culmination of that feature, rounding up my fifty favorite singles (or promoted b-sides) of … Continue reading
Looking Back at Last Year’s K-Pop Resolutions — Did 2025 Deliver?
I’ll be making my 2026 K-pop resolutions tomorrow, but before that I like to look back at my resolutions for last year and see if 2025 measured up to expectations. In short, I probably need to be less optimistic with these wishes… 1. Heighten the melody “Hmm… this resolution looks pretty familiar. It’s become my … Continue reading
2025 Music Bank Global Festival: Recap & My Top Performances
Last year, Music Bank’s Global Festival was interwoven into KBS’s year-end festival. This year, they’ve chosen to broadcast it separately but I thought I’d cover it anyway because (like last year) parts of it were stronger than many of the proper year-end stages. This year’s theme was “The Golden Path” and the show was held … Continue reading
Year-End List Recap: The Best Overall K-Pop Comebacks of 2025
Before I move on to my J-pop and global pop countdowns over the next few days, I like to sum up the K-pop lists that have filled the past few weeks. The title of this post should technically be called “The Best Overall K-pop Comebacks & Debuts of 2025,” since not every album on this … Continue reading
The Top 10 K-Pop Choreography of 2025
It’s time once again for someone who knows next to nothing about dance to rank his favorite dances of the year. As usual, I tend to prefer quirky, iconic moves to technically difficult material. The thing is, the vast majority of idol choreo has become so polished that it’s hard to choose which routines are … Continue reading
Song Review: Say My Name – UFO (ATTENT!ON)
It feels like it’s been ages since I last wrote a proper song review. In reality, it’s only been a week, but when you’re used to doing this every single day a week can feel like a year. Soon it’ll be January and the K-pop industry will whir back to life, but before that we’ve … Continue reading
The Top 10 K-Pop Music Videos of 2025
For a moment, I debated whether or not to go forward with this particular countdown this year. Yes, K-pop music videos are generally great, but to be honest I just don’t watch them as intently as I used to. I’m much more familiar with the music than the visuals, which threatens to turn this list … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (December 28, 2025)
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Ten Years of THE BIAS LIST
Amid the non-stop countdowns and round-ups that mark the end of the year, THE BIAS LIST is celebrating an important milestone. Today is the blog’s tenth anniversary! Jeez. Ten years. In theory, a decade doesn’t seem that long, but when you look at just how much changes in that time it’s pretty astounding. For the … Continue reading
The Top 40 K-Pop Album Tracks & B-Sides of 2025 (20-1)
Now that I’ve taken a look at my favorite title tracks and singles of the year, it’s time to move on to… everything else. This countdown encompasses any track that didn’t receive a full music video. This becomes more nebulous by the year, with “track videos” and “special videos” and the like. I allow myself … Continue reading
The Top 40 K-Pop Album Tracks & B-Sides of 2025 (40-21)
Now that I’ve taken a look at my favorite title tracks and singles of the year, it’s time to move on to… everything else. This countdown encompasses any track that didn’t receive a full music video. This becomes more nebulous by the year, with “track videos” and “special videos” and the like. I allow myself … Continue reading
2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon: Recap & My Top Performances
After KBS’s festival-that-didn’t-really-feel-like-a-festival last week, it’s time for the celebration to truly begin with SBS’s Gayo Daejeon. This is the show that airs every Christmas and usually features a ton of festive stages. It’s also held in a big venue with tons of artists in attendance, so it makes for a nice seasonal gift for … Continue reading
Unwrapping 2025’s K-pop Holiday Tracks: Keep Or Return?
Following a tradition first established in 2020, I’m celebrating the holidays today with the opening of gifts. These packages come in the form of seasonal K-pop tracks not yet reviewed on the blog. As much as possible, I’m only focusing on original songs. There are TONS of song covers and “Christmas versions” of existing tracks … Continue reading
The Top K-Pop Producers of 2025
It’s a sad state for K-pop producers this generation, as the vast majority of new songs are collaborations between armies of creators, making distinct voices much harder to spotlight. The days of a “super producer” with their own dedicated fanbase seem to be over, making this list almost impossible to compile. Because of this, I’ve … Continue reading
The Top K-Pop Albums of 2025: Mini Albums
This year, I’m breaking my “Top Albums” list into two: one focused on full-length albums and one focused on minis. For the mini album category, things get a bit repetitive because many of the year’s strongest acts released multiple projects and I don’t limit myself to spotlighting just one. As far as qualifications, I consider … Continue reading