The sprawling Fifty Fifty saga continues with two distinct acts. The re-formatted Fifty Fifty continue to promote with label Attrakt, most recently releasing title track Pookie. Meanwhile, the three former members who left the agency amidst legal issues have re-formed and re-debuted as ablume. To be completely honest, I’ve never cared about the music enough … Continue reading
The upcoming soundtrack to F1® The Movie (which is completely outside my wheelhouse – pun intended) promises to be a star-studded affair. And in 2025, that means a bit of K-pop representation — even if it’s tangential. Rosé has certainly leapfrogged over the classification of “K-pop,” and songs like Messy push her further into the … Continue reading
In a major rebrand, (G)I-DLE have renamed themselves “i-dle.” This comes on the heels of their contract renewal with Cube Entertainment and promises to usher in a new era for their music. The group has been remarkably popular since their debut in 2018, with their singles often defining trends of the era. Their discography tends … Continue reading
P1Harmony have developed a big global following, particularly in the States. However, I’ve had a hard time connecting to their music in any reliable way. It’s funny — from music to personality to variety content — some idols are just an instant match with my personal taste while I struggle to get into others no … Continue reading
When writing about Chuu’s title track Only Cry In The Rain last month, I was overly dismissive of its subdued sound. In my defense, it’s hard to muster excitement when you hear so many songs of this same energy day after day. Sometimes, it takes a while for the highlights to reveal themselves. Only Cry … Continue reading
It’s been over a year since E’Last made their most recent comeback, and looking back I can’t recall anything about that song except the fact that I didn’t really care for it at the time. The group debuted with a theatrical, strings-heavy sound that set them apart from most of their peers. Over the years, … Continue reading
It’s hard to come into Kiss Of Life’s new digital single Live, Love, Laugh without the impact of their severely misguided livestream rattling around in your head. That event, filmed and released a few weeks ago, left a bad taste in my mouth and makes even the title “Live, Love, Laugh” feel patronizing and tone … Continue reading
The revitalization of DAY6’s chart success continues with the release of digital single Maybe Tomorrow, which has instantly found a place in the top ten of Melon‘s streaming chart. The demand for their music seems truly insatiable at this moment. This can be a tricky time in an artist’s career, trying to balance the need … Continue reading
Collaborations between K-pop acts and western artists are nothing new, but occasionally a track will be released and I’ll have no idea who the western artist is. American duo Joan are new to me, and I’d consider myself very in-the-know when it comes to global pop music. This makes me wonder how exactly EPEX’s agency … Continue reading
It’s a slow day (week? year??) in K-pop, so I’m going to sidestep over to the Chinese market for a moment with the debut solo single from NCT Dream’s Chenle. The song is part of a “special EP,” and given the way Chinese music is usually promoted I assume this album will be released in … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
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
Sometimes, it’s fun to take a trip back in time and immerse yourself in a specific K-pop year. Similar to my Battle of the B-sides, this feature sees me shuffling a huge playlist of songs from a certain era, picking out six at random and sharing my thoughts about each. All songs are eligible: Title … Continue reading
A K-pop act’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. It’s amazing what happens when boy … Continue reading
Well, this is a surprise! I somehow missed the announcement about this song, so hearing a collaboration between two of K-pop’s most influential rappers comes as a pleasant little shock tonight. Stop The Rain pairs Epik High’s Tablo with BTS’s RM, crafting a multi-generational shot of emotional catharsis. I’m always hesitant to write about songs … Continue reading
BLACKPINK’s Lisa has been working the global press as late with a star turn on the recent season of White Lotus, performances at Coachella and The Oscars and a number of big-name collaborations. It feels like she’s really broken through, which means offers must be flying in. Now is the time to pick and choose. … Continue reading
Whenever an act releases a digital single with little lead-up time and no official comeback attached, I always assume one of two things. Either the song is too good and has too much chart potential to wait for an accompanying album, or it’s just a stop gap to get something new into the market between … Continue reading
TRENDZ have become one of my biggest frustrations in K-pop. They had such a good thing going with last year’s mega-banger Go Up, but a piecemeal approach to collaborators has resulted in music that feels haphazard and incongruous. New single Chameleon (카멜레온) might as well have come from a totally different group than Go Up … Continue reading
After a lengthy hiatus, RIIZE are gearing up for their first full album in a few weeks’ time. Teasers have promised a strong visual component and that kicks off with today’s pre-release single Bag Bad Back. Though RIIZE’s music has been high-quality across the board so far, their sound hasn’t embraced just one style. This … 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. April 2025 Overall Thoughts Oof. What a month. K-pop in 2025 hasn’t been overwhelmingly awesome so … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 