Yukika made her Korean debut just before the city pop revival took hold. This puts her in an enviable position. She comes across as a cool trendsetter, yet can also reap the benefits of that trend becoming more widespread. Her 2020 album was consistently strong, with the beguiling Yesterday positioning itself as a modern classic … Continue reading
Kim Jaehwan has a voice that can elevate any pop song. Too often, these voices are relegated to ballad after ballad after ballad. But, I love nothing more than hearing a powerful vocalist collide with an equally powerful dance or rock track. It’s one of the factors that made me such a huge fan of … Continue reading
Whenever Exile drops a new single, it feels like we’ve reached the final boss level. With more focus on the various Jr. Exile groups, their releases are less frequent than in years past. But, Exile is still the pillar of the whole enterprise, pulling in performers from various units to create a powerhouse squad. To … Continue reading
Double a-side singles are common in Japan. Similar to Korea’s double title tracks, they offer a chance for J-pop acts to quickly grow their singles discography. NiziU have immediately followed Take A Picture with its coupling song, Poppin’ Shakin’. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the group’s hyper pop style is rarely going to be for … Continue reading
EXO are one of my all-time favorite K-pop groups. In fact, much to my surprise they sit just below Infinite on this site’s “Bias List Scorecard” – a cumulative, weighted ranking of the acts with the most songs in my monthly round-ups. So, I say this as a major fan: EXO has some of the … Continue reading
It’s hard to believe D-CRUNCH has been around since mid-2018. With exactly one mini album released each year, the group’s long hiatuses make it difficult for their music to stick in memory. Each time they make a comeback, it’s like a long-lost friend returning to say hi. Often, their title tracks feel like they could … Continue reading
As hard as I’ve been on most of Lee Jinhyuk and Kim Wooseok’s solo releases, it might seem like I harbor some vendetta against UP10TION. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, I even included one of their singles in my “Top 100 K-pop Songs of All-Time.” I think you can still admire … Continue reading
After a 2020 spent in rehabilitation after an awful accident during rehearsals for 2019’s SBS Gayo Daejun, Red Velvet’s Wendy makes a triumphant return with her first solo mini album. I feel like SM releases a ballad-heavy album every year around this time, and they rarely elicit anything more than a sigh from this particular … Continue reading
I fell in love with Astro’s music over the course of their debut year. In fact, I picked them as my favorite rookies of 2016 – above even the much-hyped NCT. However, I’ve barely recognized Astro in their past two comebacks. It wasn’t just that their concepts had become “darker.” The music itself felt increasingly … Continue reading
When Rosé’s On The Ground was released, I noticed that quite a few fans seemed to prefer its b-side Gone. So of course, I immediately checked it out. But more than anything, the song just reaffirmed my disinterest in this style of pop. I can’t say I’ve listened to On The Ground much since its … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! December … Continue reading
A K-pop group’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. WJSN have released yet another strong … Continue reading
When I first started blogging – gosh, over fifteen years ago at this point – K-pop wasn’t even on my radar. Instead, I was enamored with this small movement of Swedish synth-rock groups. It’s a sound I’ve always had a strong pull towards, so when a Korean act dips their feet into the genre it’s … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! Well… I’m back! Last year’s Road to Kingdom was a bumpy road for sure, with one particular pothole that still has me feeling PTSD. But, this time will surely be less dramatic. Unlike RTK, Kingdom will not have eliminations! I’m celebrating on behalf of … Continue reading
Given their vast array of members and talents, I’m surprising we haven’t seen many solo projects from Seventeen. The group is approaching its sixth debut anniversary, which seems like the perfect excuse to further explore this possibility. Perhaps the release of Hoshi’s mixtape Spider will be the fuel for that fire. Before getting into the … Continue reading
Taking BTS’s success out of the equation, it’s fascinating to trace how much their music has changed since their 2013 debut. As happens with many world-conquering pop groups, their sound expanded beyond a niche market, becoming more palatable to a wider audience. This has its upsides and downsides, but in general I think BTS have … Continue reading
3YE have released a variety of different title tracks, and each has drawn upon edgier sounds than many girl groups tackle. I think the trio are at their best when given an insistent electro groove, such as last year’s Queen. New single Stalker replicates this charm in bits and pieces, and is at its strongest … Continue reading
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. March 2021 Overall Thoughts I’ve heard whispers around social media lamenting that 2021 has been a … Continue reading
“Park Bom comeback” is a statement that will always give me some thrill. 2NE1 were a vital component of my favorite generation of K-pop, and Bom’s unique voice contributed greatly to that appeal. But as with so many idols-gone-soloists, her own music can be hit or miss. That voice will always be enough to capture … Continue reading
T1419’s debut Asurabalbalta was one of the few K-pop singles that never grew on me. And, it definitely had the opportunity! I feel like I watched it promoted on music shows for months. To me, Asurabalbalta was emblematic of the worst “noise pop” that’s taken over certain sub-sections of the industry’s boy group landscape. Add … Continue reading
