H1-KEY impressed with last summer’s three-track Run album, delivering a series of songs that shared a timeless K-pop appeal. With strong vocals and plenty of energy, they became a dark horse among 2022’s prolific slate of girl group debuts. New single Rose Blossom (건물 사이에 피어난 장미) leads their first mini album and again forgoes … Continue reading
After months of interconnected releases, OnlyOneOf’s Underground Idol series concludes with Nine’s Beyond. This series vaulted the group onto many of my year-end countdowns, tackling a variety of genres and moods while letting the members showcase their individual charms. For me, Rie’s Because and KB’s Be Free stood as highlights within the series. But, all … Continue reading
Over the past few years, Astro members have been more active in solos and sub-units than full-group comebacks. The most prolific has been the duo of Moonbin and Sanha. It’s hard to believe they’re already on their third mini album! They made a strong debut with 2020’s Bad Idea before embracing more atmospheric material with … Continue reading
In the past, this feature included both Korean and Japanese dramas. But in 2022, I realized I’m much more of a J-drama person. Their way of storytelling (and shorter, punchier running time) fits with my sensibilities and I completed over two dozen series this year. So this year, I’m going to run down my favorite … Continue reading
After pre-releasing Ditto last month, NewJeans have returned with their first single album. With 800,000 pre-orders, it’s astonishing how quickly this group has gone from complete unknowns to K-pop megastars. I guess it’s the power of several viral hits and HYBE’s intense market force. But as usual, all the popularity in the world doesn’t mean … 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 2022 Overall Thoughts December is historically a very slow month in K-pop, but every once … Continue reading
It’s time for K-pop’s final year-end festival of they year! As usual, MBC’s Gayo Daejejeon coincides with New Year’s Eve, pausing midway through for a countdown to 2023. Although HYBE artists were absent from the festival again this year, MBC’s Gayo tends to include a greater variety of genres than the other festivals. We had … Continue reading
Depending on when or where you’re reading this, it’s either the final day of 2022 or the first day of 2023. That means, it’s time to make my K-pop wishes for the new year. Many of these never end up coming true, but you’ve still got to put it into the universe, right?? 1. More … Continue reading
The dust has hardly settled on my “Top J-Pop songs of 2022” list and we’ve already got a contender for next year’s countdown! Violence arrives courtesy of rock group Queen Bee, who released their first work over a decade ago. I fully intend to explore their back catalog because – if it’s anything like this … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again! Before I make my 2023 K-pop resolutions (ie: wishes) tomorrow, I’d like to rewind one year and see how well 2022 fulfilled those hopes. This is usually a pretty disappointing reflection, but maybe this year will be different? Make sure to look back at 2022’s resolutions before continuing! 1. … Continue reading
With 2020’s Answer, ATEEZ established a precedent for releasing excellent material under the guise of an “epilogue” (or in today’s case, a “spin-off”). This December has been severely lacking in notable K-pop comebacks, so I’m excited to have a big-name track like this pushing us into the new year. With that said, my passion for … Continue reading
For the second year in a row, I’m adding a special countdown for all the pop music (ie: anything that isn’t Korean or Japanese) I loved in 2022. I’ve slowly dipped my feet back into international music markets, highlighted by the blog’s “Global Round-Up” posts that kicked off this February and will continue into the … Continue reading
For the second year in a row, I’m adding a special countdown for all the pop music (ie: anything that isn’t Korean or Japanese) I loved in 2022. I’ve slowly dipped my feet back into international music markets, highlighted by the blog’s “Global Round-Up” posts that kicked off this February and will continue into the … Continue reading
Much of today’s discussion around Boys Planet dissects this “signal song” to see which idols got roped into the Produce 101-esque survival series. Pentagon’s Hui is the name going around the internet. He seems much too established to participate in a show like this, but although platforms like Boys Planet are cruel and exploitative, they … Continue reading
WayV have often released the strongest music within the NCT universe, including standout singles like Turn Back Time, Take Off and Moonwalk. But, we haven’t had a proper WayV comeback in nearly two years. During that time, members have released solos and sub-units alongside their participation in larger NCT projects. New single Phantom picks up … Continue reading
There are still two more countdowns to come (Top 40 pop songs and Top Dramas), but now that the K-pop-specific lists are complete it’s time to add up the categories and find out which comebacks ranked strongest overall. From a pure numbers standpoint, I guess this is the most important list I’ll publish! Just like … Continue reading
Today is J-pop day on The Bias List and I’m counting down my eighty favorite songs of the year! Now that you’ve had a chance to check out songs 80 to 11, it’s time for the best of the best — my absolute favorite J-pop tracks of 2022. This year, it’s a great blend of … Continue reading
Today is J-pop day on The Bias List and I’m counting down my eighty favorite songs of the year! You’ll want to start with the honorable mentions, but this post will cover songs 30 to 11. HONORABLE MENTIONS SONGS 50-31 SONGS 30-11 SONGS 10-1 2022 YEAR-END MASTERPOST 30. Johnny’s West – Susumu Shikanee Johnny’s West … Continue reading
Today is J-pop day on The Bias List! I’m dropping eighty of my favorite songs from 2022 in one day. You may want to check out the honorable mentions first, but if you’re looking to dive into the proper countdown at once, you’ve found the right spot! Here are songs 50 to 31, presented with … Continue reading
Before I count down my top 50 J-pop songs of the year, I thought I’d blast you with a bunch of honorable mentions. J-pop can be notoriously difficult to find if you’re not already an active fan, and I figured readers who share my particular taste in music might appreciate having some extra recommendations. These … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 