Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! July … Continue reading
Only three releases in, and rookie group PurpleBeck have gone from having Kim Jaejoong guest star in their music video to releasing a self-filmed, ultra-low-budget product like VALENTi. This downward curve is not unique to new groups from small agencies, but it’s always a bit depressing. After debuting last year with the quirky Crystal Ball, … Continue reading
With over 2,900 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
With over 2,900 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
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! June … Continue reading
Despite its initial fanfare, the first season of Produce 101 only resulted in a small handful of long-lasting breakthroughs. Generally, these came in the form of single artists rather than groups. Kim Sejeong is the perfect example. She’s a steady fixture on variety shows, yet her own group Gugudan haven’t had a comeback in over … Continue reading
With over 2,900 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
With over 2,900 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
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. In a normal week, this buried treasure probably would have been … Continue reading
Somehow, despite disliking the bulk of AB6IX’s special solos album 5NALLY, I have now written about all five tracks at length. And every once and awhile, I even had some positive things to say. That’s the kind of twisted dedication you’ll find on The Bias List! But now that we’ve arrived at the fifth and … Continue reading
With so many of their peers heading down a darker, moodier route, Dongkiz have become a welcome salve for the boy group landscape. It’s hard to imagine anything called “Dongkiz” being the least-bit edgy, but that’s okay. Given all the chaos and anxiety floating around the world right now, I think we could all use … Continue reading
It’s been over a year since Favorite released a single, which is a lifetime when it comes to a group of their standing. They could certainly use an influx of new fans, and the best way of doing that is to release (good) music frequently. Last year’s Loca was a step in the right direction, … 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. When thinking about picking a buried treasure for NCT 127’s newest … Continue reading
ITZY haven’t made a comeback since last summer, but their presence has definitely been felt within the K-pop industry during that hiatus. So many girl groups are taking influence from their bold, colorful sound and style, down to aping the unconventional structures of hits like Dalla Dalla and ICY. But like most imitations, a copy … Continue reading
The whole Produce X 101 and X1 phenomenon may have collapsed, but its biggest beneficiary was boy group Victon. They came roaring back last fall, their popularity buoyed immensely by the series. And now that X1 has disbanded, leader Seungwoo is able to join the guys for new single Howling (하울링). This should bring the … Continue reading
Though I’ve enjoyed Hey! Say! JUMP’s music for years now, I was still surprised by how much I loved last October’s Parade album. It felt like Johnny’s Entertainment at its best – widescreen, ambitious and infectiously joyful. With a roster of vocalists that I will politely call “nasally,” JUMP have never been a group to … Continue reading
So far, it feels like AleXa’s story and music videos have gotten more attention than her songs. Though I didn’t write about her October debut, I was impressed with the quality and ambition of its sci-fi video. But several months later, I can’t remember much about Bomb as an actual piece of music. Still, concept … Continue reading
Before the debut of AB6IX, duo MXM shone a spotlight on members Donghyun and Youngmin. The guys even released a full album in 2018, which included a solo track from each. Even with this added attention, I’ve never gotten a strong sense of Youngmin as a performer. Judging from all we’ve heard so far, he … Continue reading
Only a month after her last solo release, ex-Fiestar member Yezi has already returned with another track. For most of her solo career, she’s capitalized on her skills as a rapper. However, January’s My Gravity painted her as a power vocalist, pitched at the OST-loving public. New single Home continues this trajectory, but injects a … Continue reading
Between Korea and Japan, Dreamcatcher have been quite active these past few months. For each of their most recent promotional periods, they’ve released both a K-pop and J-pop single within mere weeks of each other. Their Korean work has been more willing to experiment, which resulted in the brilliant Scream last month. Japanese tracks like … Continue reading
