Alongside their two group title tracks (Baby Baby and Sentimental), Winner has also released a solo from youngest member Nam Taehyun. Taehyun previously gave us the sweet, brittle Confession from the group’s debut album. But I’m Young does it one better, taking on darker, more nuanced territory. When writing about a song, I try not to … Continue reading
Winner has come back with no less than three title tracks, and the promise of more to come throughout the year. Of the three, Baby Baby probably makes the most impact, while Sentimental is happy being a looser, more fun addition to their discography. The track plays with Winner’s image and essentially turns them into an … Continue reading
When it became clear that both Winner and iKON were going to be active under YG at the same time, many were concerned how each group would differentiate themselves from the other. Now that we’ve had multiple comebacks from both, I think it’s safe to say that Winner has carved out its own specific niche … Continue reading
Mamamoo can sing. They’ve shown us that over and over again. They can also perform the hell out of a song. In this way, they’re a very different idol group than most. In fact, they have more in common with the golden age of Motown than with the kpop world. And just like Motown, their … Continue reading
R&B singer Dean (often stylized DΞΔN) is the new kid of the block who seems poised to gain a lot of traction this year. He’s written great tracks for EXO and Vixx, among others, and has been steadily collaborating with other artists over the past year or so. But, when it comes to his solo … Continue reading
Unpretty Rapstar has become the variety show that keeps on churning out hits over the past year or so. It’s rare to find a series so young, yet so able to create (or reconfigure) stars. To be honest, I never finished season two, though I have watched enough to know that Fiestar’s Yezi, with her breathless … Continue reading
After the massive solo success Super Junior’s Kyuhyun has received, it only made sense that another of the group’s vocal line should release a solo. As a vocalist, Ryeowook has a completely different style than Kyuhyun, which heightened interest in how The Little Prince would sound. Fortunately, the song gives Ryeowook’s light tenor plenty of … Continue reading
SUS4 debuted last year without much fanfare, and have since lost two members to become a three-piece. None of this is particularly encouraging news, but they’re back with their second digital single Pick Me Up. This time around, the girls have gone for a lighter version of the upbeat, girly pop that’s made groups like … Continue reading
IMFACT is a new boy group from the infamous Star Empire agency, also home to acts like ZE:A and Nine Muses. I’m a big fan of both of those groups, though I realize that their debut songs were less than amazing. IMFACT continues this pattern, making a bizarre debut with Lollipop. The song attempts to … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Airplane is a song from f(x)’s 2013 album Pink Tape. It’s … Continue reading
As stylish and charismatic a figure as Kim Jaejoong is within the Korean entertainment industry, I’ve always found his solo music to be melodically lightweight. Other than the heavy goth concept of Mine, none of his past singles felt particularly impactful. That’s not to say that they’re bad. It’s more an admission that, to me at … Continue reading
Road Boyz impressed me with their debut track Show Me Bang Bang last November, and now they’re back with follow-up single Be My Love. Despite being from a small agency without many resources for promotion, they’ve managed, at least, to secure the most important aspect: good songs. Be My Love won’t win any awards for … Continue reading
VIXX has recently embarked on a push into Japan, and Depend On Me is their second original Japanese single. I thought the first, Can’t Say, was a catchy piece of pop and was happy with the general direction they were going, but Depend On Me does it one step better. VIXX is well known for … Continue reading
Zico has been incredibly prolific over the past few months, releasing single after single. As a big fan of his group Block B, I’m just a little bitter that his solo career seems to be taking precedence over a full group comeback, but you can’t blame the guy. Everything he releases climbs straight to the … Continue reading
There’s no denying the fact that girl group GFriend’s speedy rise to fame has been nothing short of astounding. They debuted around this time last year without any real fanfare. And with a name like “GFriend,” I didn’t exactly have my hopes up. But like the good kpop fan I am, I took a look at … Continue reading
The guys of 2PM have been in the kpop scene in one form or another for over seven years, which means that the time is drawing near for their mandatory 2-year military conscription. As such, I fully expect that we’ll be hearing a lot from them for the next year or so, and that starts … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Reason is a song from MyName’s 2015 2nd Mini … Continue reading
Amoeba Culture is really a label on the rise. Fueled by the incredible success of Zion.T, they’ve cultivated a stable of artists that are at the forefront of Korean r&b. While not having the same unique character to his vocals as Zion.T, Crush has already proven himself a hitmaker despite being a relatively fresh debut. … Continue reading
The Legend is one of those kpop boy groups who just hasn’t been able to establish a solid sound for themselves. This has caused my opinion of their music to veer pretty wildly from release to release. I loved their Shadow from last summer, but thought November’s Nail was a total bore. Luckily, Crush On … Continue reading
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard one of these cross-genre, mash-up type of singles. There was a time when it was kind of a trend, exemplified by Girls’ Generation’s mega-hit I Got A Boy. The formula is a difficult one, and its success rests on how well the song’s disparate elements are fused together. As … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 