Brave Girls appear once in a blue moon, descending upon the K-pop industry like an immortal, unending force. Much to our delight, they deliver a little pop truffle before disappearing once more — a mythical entity that may not return until years later. This fiction vastly overstates their impact on the K-pop market, but I’m … Continue reading
Former Monsta X member Wonho fell victim to K-pop’s quick-to-judge outrage machine, exiting the group in dramatic fashion last October. Since then, he’s gone on to foster a solo career. After months of waiting, pre-release Losing You is the first taste of what a future Wonho discography might sound like. With that in mind, it’s … Continue reading
I have a weird sort of respect for SuperM. Sure, the project is about as inorganic as you can imagine, bringing together some of SM Entertainment’s most popular performers for an agency-forged super group. But if you’re going to take this approach, the music had better sound as big and over-the-top as its performers demand. … Continue reading
With over 3,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … Continue reading
Korean band Lucy gained prominence through 2019 survival show JTBC SuperBand, resulting in a debut earlier this year. I never wrote about Flowering, though I thought it was a refreshing rock track that took ample advantage of the fact they have a violinist as part of their roster. If I had it my way, Lucy … Continue reading
As the K-pop market has become more flooded with acts, it’s not unusual to see days with multiple comebacks. Usually, these are a grab bag of varying quality, but every once in awhile you’ll get a day that unveils multiple classics at once. This feature is dedicated to those epic days – days in which … Continue reading
As retro influences begin to work their way back into K-pop, who better to take advantage than J.Y. Park? After all, he built his career on retro sounds – even embracing disco on 1997’s classic She Was Pretty. New single When We Disco pairs him with former protégé (and fellow retro-lover) Sunmi, delivering an unabashed … Continue reading
I never watched Mnet’s Good Girl (too busy recapping frustrating episodes of Road to Kingdom), but I know that some of the series’ songs have gotten a fair amount of hype. And, any venue that gives Hyolyn a chance to shine is okay with me. She has one of my favorite K-pop voices, and I’ve … Continue reading
Han Seungwoo has had a whirlwind year. After ranking third in 2019’s Produce X 101, his immediate future seemed to be set as leader of project group X1. Yet after only one single, the group was disbanded and he returned to his original group Victon, who had since risen from the ashes thanks to Produce’s … Continue reading
Though they didn’t win Road to Kingdom, ONF have proven to be the series’ biggest beneficiaries so far. Like agency-mates Oh My Girl, the series raised their profile big time, making the release of new mini album Spin Off highly anticipated. If ever there was a time to pull the rabbit out of the hat … Continue reading
Exile’s iconic vocalist Atsushi is celebrating his 40th birthday with the impending release of a new album – his first in nearly seven years. Pre-release single Osaka Tokyo (オーサカトーキョー) stands as another milestone, recorded with fellow J-pop veteran Koda Kumi. The duo last collaborated way back in 2006, making this song a long-awaited reunion. As … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, 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. I was pretty hard on Rocket Punch’s Juicy, and still think … Continue reading
YG boy group Treasure are easily the most anticipated debut of 2020 so far. But, let’s be honest. With a few exceptions, YG Entertainment’s post-2017 material has been more successful at building hype than actually delivering on it. It’s hard to remain a dedicated fan of a hype machine when there’s no payoff. After well … Continue reading
Honestly, K-pop could keep serving me these retro 80’s anthems for months and I’d be happy. When a trend is this fun, even the smaller-name indie releases can be total standouts. Such is the case with Tonight (오늘 밤), from The Voice of Korea contestant Yi Saebom. The song embraces nostalgia in the best way … Continue reading
Though I don’t often return to it, ENOi’s Cheeky was a nice Seventeen-lite surprise back in January. It pointed toward a funkier concept than the group’s 2019 deep house debut. Those who hoped that ENOi would continue along these lines will likely be disappointed in new single W.A.Y (Where Are You). The song has its … Continue reading
In preparation for my “Summer of K-pop” series, I’ve been revisiting a lot of girl group summertime songs. This has made me crave the kind of breezy, exciting material delivered by acts like Sistar, BESTie, Red Velvet and Girl’s Day. 2020 has offered its share of summer tracks, but too many have been marred by … Continue reading
With Laughter, Official HIGE DANdism (Official髭男dism) delivered my favorite J-pop single of last month. The song took full advantage of their epic, emotional sound, doling out its powerful climaxes with a deliberate slow burn. But, Higedan have another side to their music as well. They can rock out with the best of them, and Hello … Continue reading
The fact that 1THE9 pulled a song like Bad Guy out of the hat just before disbandment is a surprising feat. It’s not that they guys didn’t deserve it – they’re far more talented than most give them credit for. But, the whole Under 19 project wasn’t the success that MBC was likely looking for. … Continue reading
I first heard (most of) Run during a live performance back in late March, and I knew right away that this was going to be a big pop moment. It’s rare that a song ticks so many of my musical boxes at once. But due to pandemic postponements, it’s been an excruciatingly long wait to … Continue reading
It would be an understatement to say that 1TEAM’s music hasn’t been for me. I’ve been pretty hard on them so far, mainly because the bulk of their sound has hinged upon the kind of swaggy trap-rap I detest. But, last November’s Make This proved to be a grower, and teased unforeseen potential. Like many … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 