It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed … Continue reading
Tag Archives: boa
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (October 26, 2025)
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of August 2025
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. August 2025 Overall Thoughts In the immortal words of BABYMONSTER: “Sheesh!” Based on recent history, I’ve … Continue reading
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: August 2025
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from August 10 – 16
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (August 17, 2025)
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Song Review: BoA – Good For U
As if BoA wasn’t busy enough with her album released last week, she’s back with a new Japanese single as well. We have groundbreakers like BoA and Tohoshinki to thank for K-pop’s popularity in Japan, and it’s always nice to see them take another well-deserved victory lap. Good For U may not be a revelatory … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from August 3 – 9
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: BoA – Don’t Mind Me
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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. Judging from internet rumblings, the overriding … Continue reading
Song Review: BoA – Crazier
Throughout her historic career, BoA has tried her hand at just about any K-pop sub-genre you could imagine. Having started in the industry so young, she still feels like a contemporary to many of this era’s groups despite being one of K-pop’s most respected elder stateswomen. New title track Crazier is her first in over … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (June 1, 2025)
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
K-POP Time Machine: Ranking Six Random Songs from 2015
Sometimes, it’s fun to take a trip back in time and immerse yourself in a specific K-pop year. Similar to my Battle of the B-sides, this feature sees me shuffling a huge playlist of songs from a certain era, picking out six at random and sharing my thoughts about each. All songs are eligible: Title … Continue reading
Grading the K-Pop Agencies 2024: SM ENTERTAINMENT
It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: JYJ, Nu’est, 2PM, J.Y. Park, BoA
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: CSR, ITZY, CRAVITY, Chungha, BoA
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Song Review: BoA – Emptiness
SM Entertainment is in full swing this week, releasing a new NCT Dream mini album yesterday and a new single from K-pop legend BoA today. New BoA music is always something to celebrate, even if her promotions are usually more subdued these days. The sound of new single Emptiness (정말, 없니?) echoes this approach, harnessing … Continue reading
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of September-October 2008
September-October 2008 Overall Thoughts In addition to my monthly K-pop round-up, I’ve taken a look at my favorite three singles from each month since 2009 and factored them into my ultimate Bias List scorecard, which can be found here. The problem is, prior to 2009 it becomes harder to find reliable sources for K-pop release … Continue reading
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of May-June 2008
May-June 2008 Overall Thoughts In addition to my monthly K-pop round-up, I’ve taken a look at my favorite three singles from each month since 2009 and factored them into my ultimate Bias List scorecard, which can be found here. The problem is, prior to 2009 it becomes harder to find reliable sources for K-pop release … Continue reading
2022 KBS Gayo Daechukje (Song Festival): Recap & Best Performances
To be honest, you may or may not see recaps for future end-of-year festivals this December. I’d like to write about all three big nights if possible, but over the past few years these events have become so boring and predictable. Basically, acts emerge with some dramatic intro (swords, pyrotechnics, flags, etc) before performing a … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of November 2022
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. November 2022 Overall Thoughts The calendar may show one month left in 2022, but the year … Continue reading