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
EXO has seen many of its members go solo and I’m beginning to spot a musical pattern between their output. Kai aside, I can’t think of any other major boy group whose solos have hung on more tightly to adult contemporary sounds. The guys seems to love tasteful rock and R&B that draws upon the … Continue reading
EXO’s soloists each have their own distinct sound, and Chen has become the group’s reliable balladeer. He has the voice to match, and his music scratches a certain sentimental itch that has made it a fan favorite. However, it takes a whole lot for a ballad to stand out on my playlist. When I love … Continue reading
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
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
I’ll make a potentially unpopular confession: I’m just not a fan of Chen’s solo material. Given his status as a balladeer, the headwaters were always going to be against him. I don’t have much space in my music library for soft ballads. But, I love his voice and there are quite a few EXO ballads … Continue reading
Is it weird that, even after the first note, part of me expected Hello (안녕) to be a cover of Adele’s 2015 mega-hit? To be honest, I wouldn’t mind hearing that. Instead, Chen’s latest release is the kind of ballad you’d expect this time of year in Korea. It’s been awhile since I’ve written about … Continue reading
Despite being a big fan of the group, no EXO solo or sub-unit has connected with me this year. The guys are now elder statesman in the K-pop industry, and with that comes guaranteed success for any new material they release. But rather than branch out and push K-pop forward, the guys have channeled their … Continue reading
As SM Entertainment’s biggest-selling group for the past several years, EXO’s solo and sub-unit potential has been severely underutilized. I expect that this will change as members start enlisting, but I can’t believe it’s taken this long to see an official solo album from the group (not counting Lay’s Chinese efforts, of course). And honestly, … Continue reading
Since SM Station’s inception, some of its biggest beneficiaries have been the guys of EXO. The project has often paired the members with unlikely collaborators or simply let them go solo, but many of the resulting tracks have ended up to be quite boring. I understand the desire to break EXO out of the glossy … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
Thank the kpop gods! We finally have an SM Station release that isn’t a lifeless ballad! This alone is something to celebrate, but the fact that Lil’ Something is a great song in its own right is icing on the cake. For those unfamiliar, Chen is one of the main vocalists in mega-group EXO, and Heize … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 