The year is only a few days old, but we already have a new debut! The five-member Geenius hail from Sure Place Music & Creative, but had previous ties with the embattled Blockberry Creative. Their first digital single Voyage shows promise, even if its unfocused nature ultimately makes for a frustrating listen. In my recent … Continue reading
Rather than debut with a mini or full album, RIIZE have blitzed the market with digital singles. While it’s nice to promote music more often, I firmly believe that — during the first year of a rookie’s debut — every song needs to be a stone-cold classic. Like… one mega-hit after another to quickly cement … Continue reading
The Boyz have recently started releasing music videos for unit tracks. Last summer’s Passion Fruit got one and now we have a stylish visual for Sunwoo and Eric’s hip-hop track Honey, originally released on the group’s November album. Apart from its excellent title track, that album didn’t resonate with me the same way Christmas In … Continue reading
Over the years, the length between Jeong Sewoon’s comebacks has grown, making him more of a niche artist in K-pop. There was a time when his groovy pop sound consistently found its way onto my playlist, peaking with 2020’s addictive Say Yes. Since then, I’ve had a harder time connecting with his music. Sewoon’s vocals … Continue reading
Thus far, ICHILLIN’ have pinballed through a variety of styles, most recently getting caught in the sing-chant nursery rhyme style that plagues many of their peers’ discographies. New digital single Bite Me still has a (lack of) melody problem, but its dynamic instrumental counterpunches with surprising force. Bite Me opens with a wallop, as thundering … Continue reading
Kim Jonghyeon’s newest comeback snuck up on me, but he’s always a welcome presence in K-pop. Nu’est’s solo tracks did a good job tailoring each member’s personality to the music. I had a pretty clear idea of who they wanted to be as performers, and that sense has extended to most of their post-group work. … Continue reading
With the new year, ATEEZ have established an ambitious project of releasing music videos for the unit tracks on their most recent album. First up is the aggressive MATZ, performed by Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Apart from one standout b-side, I wasn’t a huge fan of The World Ep.Fin: Will, so these unit tracks will likely … Continue reading
TWS are not set to debut until later this month, but as the first Pledis Entertainment boy group following the incredible success of Seventeen, many eyes are already on them. As a taste of their self-described “boyhood pop,” they’ve dropped a fun music video for pre-release Oh Mymy: 7s. The early Seventeen vibes are strong … Continue reading
For the second year in a row, I’m rounding out my year-end countdowns with a spotlight on my favorite Japanese dramas of the year. Though I don’t write much about them on the blog, I’ve become a huge fan of Japanese series and tend to give pretty much anything a try. This countdown is divided … 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. December 2023 Overall Thoughts This December round-up always feels more like a formality than a need. … Continue reading
DXMON have already captured attention with their dramatic, anime-style haircuts, reminiscent of early-TVXQ in their sheer ridiculousness. I’m all for “ridiculous” in K-pop, and this image gave me hope that the group would deliver a similarly bombastic, cartoonish sound. Unfortunately, pre-debut track Burn Up is just the latest in shouty boy group slop. When thinking … Continue reading
ITZY’s new album won’t be with us until next week, but they’ve already given us two pre-release tracks and short versions of the members’ solo songs. I love seeing album rollouts this insistent! Mr. Vampire emerges as the second pre-release, following the more combative Born To Be last month. Given its title, I half-expected a … Continue reading
Depending on when or where you’re reading this, it’s either the final day of 2023 or the first day of 2024. That means, it’s time to make my K-pop wishes for the new year. I tend to set my sights high, which inevitably leads to disappointment. But nothing ventured, nothing gained — and if even … Continue reading
Every year at this time, I like to look back at which of my posts received the most views. If nothing else, it’s a good gauge of artist popularity. I know there are readers who take a look at everything I post, but there are also a lot of people who come to the blog … Continue reading
I’ll be making my 2024 K-pop resolutions tomorrow, but in true Bias List tradition I’d like to rewind one year first. I usually set my wishes pretty high, and 2023 was a weird year for K-pop. But now that the dust has settled, how did I do? Make sure to look back at 2023’s resolutions … Continue reading
2023 may nearly be over, but fear not! The ever-expanding tripleS project won’t let the year end before unveiling another sub-unit. tripleS NXT is composed of members Park ShiOn, Lynn, Jeong HaYeon, and JooBin, each in their teens and debuting with the sprightly Just Do It. This song was revealed earlier in December, but today … Continue reading
Now that I’ve finished all my K-pop related countdowns of the year (yay!), I liked to take a macro view and determine which specific comeback or debut was my overall strongest of the year. There are always some personal surprises here, but the numbers don’t lie. As before, I took five categories and gave them … Continue reading
Though The Bias List is first and foremost a K-pop review blog, each month I spotlight a handful of “global pop” tracks that have been on my playlist. This culminates in a countdown of my favorite forty tracks of 2023. This year, I’m doing things a little differently. Rather than focus solely on singles, I’ve … Continue reading
Though The Bias List is first and foremost a K-pop review blog, each month I spotlight a handful of “global pop” tracks that have been on my playlist. This culminates in a countdown of my favorite forty tracks of 2023. This year, I’m doing things a little differently. Rather than focus solely on singles, I’ve … Continue reading
To be honest, this year I tended to watch most K-pop music videos one or two times before moving onto the song and leaving the visuals behind. The water mark for music videos has become very high, with the industry churning out cinematic, big-budget works every other day. While many videos could comfortably slot into … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 