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! Which … Continue reading
Tag Archives: big hit
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of November 2015
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! Which … Continue reading
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of October 2014
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! Which … Continue reading
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of May 2014
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! Which … Continue reading
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of June 2015
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! Which … Continue reading
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of August 2014
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! Which … Continue reading
2019 in K-POP so far: Risers & Fallers
Reviews are only a snapshot in time, which means that many of the songs I write about will rise or fall as the months go on. I tend to be pretty moderate in my reviews, so none of these following selections have moved drastically from my original thoughts, but the first half of 2019 definitely … Continue reading
K-Pop Producer Spotlight: Melanie Fontana
If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of k-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. MELANIE FONTANA … Continue reading
Top K-Pop Albums of 2019 (So Far)
Now that I’ve looked at the year’s best singles, it’s time to spotlight the standout albums of 2019’s first six months. It’s been a relatively solid year for albums so far, though not as strong as 2018 at this same point. As usual, minis have been more plentiful than full albums — especially when it … Continue reading
Song Review: BTS – Lights
As popular as BTS are around the world, I’m surprised that their Japanese-language material hasn’t felt more essential. For me, the best thing to come out of their J-pop discography isn’t Japanese at all. Instead, it’s the galvanizing ‘Stadium Remix’ of Korean single IDOL (ie: my now-definitive version of the track). Barring a couple of … Continue reading
Top K-Pop Songs of 2019 (So Far)
So far, 2019 has been an odd year for K-pop. If I were to sum it up, these first six months have pinballed between “thrilling” and “frustrating.” Taken as a whole, I think 2019 easily usurps 2018 at this same point. But, many of my favorite songs were released in close proximity to one another … Continue reading
Song Review: BTS – Heartbeat
Only a group of BTS’s stature could elevate the OST for a mobile game into an event release. The guys have been releasing collaboration tracks for the past few weeks for their new BTS World soundtrack, but none have clicked with me in the way their music usually does. Heartbeat, though, features no guest artist … Continue reading
Top Three K-Pop Songs of April 2019
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. April 2019 Overall Thoughts After a March that included some of my favorite songs of the … Continue reading
Song Review: TXT – Cat & Dog
I adore TXT’s debut mini album, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they end 2019 as my favorite rookies of the year. Yet, when I heard that Cat & Dog (of all tracks) was selected to be a follow-up to the brilliant Crown, I wasn’t sure how to feel. In the context of … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: BTS – Mikrokosmos
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. Song for song, BTS’ Map Of The Soul: Persona is a … Continue reading
Song Review: BTS – Boy With Luv (ft. Halsey)
Where does an idol group go after they’ve reached the pinnacle of success? So many pop culture phenomena plateau at this point, or – worse yet – come to an abrupt end. My favorite era in any artist’s career tends to match their gradual ascent to the top. Once expectations and attention climb too high, … Continue reading
K-Pop Producer Spotlight: Pdogg
If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of k-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. PDOGG Years … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: TXT – Our Summer
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 wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. I wouldn’t have expected it, but I am fully aboard the … Continue reading
Song Review: TXT – Crown
One of my biggest K-pop new year’s wishes was that boy groups would ditch the moodiness and go brighter, so I was delighted when it was announced that Big Hit’s new group TXT would debut with an upbeat, youthful concept. Based on agency clout alone, the guys were destined for massive out-of-the-gate success — the … Continue reading
The Top 40 K-Pop Album Tracks & B-Sides of 2018 (Part Two: 20-1)
2018 was a fantastic year when it came to album tracks. In fact, many of them were stronger (and more interesting) than their title track counterparts. This makes for a very competitive top 40 list. Check out yesterday’s first part of the countdown, and read on for the top twenty of the year! NUMBERS 40-21 … Continue reading