Now that Sistar has officially disbanded, Cosmic Girls are Starship Entertainment’s sole remaining girl group. Over their past two releases, the girls have started to develop an intriguing, spacey pop style that has helped give them an identity within an overly crowded market. Rather than strengthen this burgeoning sound, Happy goes the easy route by … 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. January 2017 Overall Thoughts 2017 started with one of the strongest (and most packed) first weeks that we’ve … Continue reading
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. e.one Years … Continue reading
Cosmic Girls’ Secret (their first single with I.O.I’s Yeonjung), was the type of pop song that sounded pleasant — if a bit benign — on first listen, but grew into something quite spectacular the longer it stayed around. Songs like these are especially hard to review after only a day or so of release, and Secret‘s … Continue reading
In k-pop, music videos are nearly as important as the songs themselves. It’s become such a visual genre, regularly churning out glossy videos that look much more expensive than they are. Without focusing too much on the actual song (though it’s impossible to fully separate the two), here were the top ten visual moments of … Continue reading
One of the things I look most forward to each year in k-pop is the rise of new rookie groups. 2016 was particularly kind when it came to promising new artists, with a few offering some of the best songs of the year. Unlike the MAMA Awards, I won’t be considering the massively successful I.O.I as … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are here! We’re starting things off with the big one… the top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. Unlike last year, j-pop releases will be placed in their own countdown, … Continue reading
