I may not be a trained dancer, but I do watch music shows each week! In 2018, intricate and catchy choreography continued to play a huge part in K-pop comebacks. Here are the ten routines that caught my eye this year: Honorable Mentions Seungri – 1, 2, 3! NCT U – Boss Seventeen – Oh … Continue reading
I rarely get a chance to talk about K-pop’s music videos, even though they are without a doubt one of the industry’s most important facets. A dynamite video can really make a song stand out, and the following ten clips brought memorable visuals and storylines to the year’s K-pop offerings. + Make sure to check … Continue reading
Each year, I try to delve deeper into the vast world of J-pop. 2018, in particular, rewarded that persistence. J-pop may be difficult to find for international listeners, but it provided a wonderful antidote to some of K-pop’s overused trends. This countdown is usually littered with Japanese title tracks by Korean groups, but this year … Continue reading
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
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, as well as a host of honorable mentions. Honestly, I could’ve tripled the amount of honorable mentions and still had … Continue reading
You all know how much I love a good producer! Honestly, I almost get more excited by the presence of certain producers’ names on title tracks than the artists themselves. Like last year, my countdown includes ten of 2018’s best composers. You’ll notice a lot of repeats from 2017, shuffled into different places. But, 2018 … Continue reading
I always feel like I need to post a disclaimer before this particular countdown. In most “best artist” categories, the nominees are determined by taking things like sales and popularity into account. My top artists countdown is a bit different. This is a countdown for artists that made waves in 2018. Maybe they’re a newer … Continue reading
Though I’ve had my misgivings about many aspects of K-pop in 2018, it was actually a very strong year for albums. I could have easily expanded my “honorable mentions” list even more than I already did. Surprisingly, many of my top ten have one thing in common: the strongest tracks on them weren’t selected for … Continue reading
Unlike the past few years, no rookie really caught my attention in 2018. There were a few high-profile debuts, but most new acts came from very small agencies. Instead, this was a year where 2017’s rookies really got a chance to shine. In many ways, 2018 felt like the year of the project group — … Continue reading
2018 arrived still reeling from the lingering aftereffects of tragedy, as Jonghyun’s passing continued to loom large in everyone’s minds. But the year went on to deliver one of the strongest Januarys in memory. Title tracks pin-balled between genres and there seemed to be a renewed, free-wheeling energy within the idol industry. The Winter Olympics … Continue reading
Now that the top eighteen idols have been crowned and Units B and G are finalized, it’s the perfect time for a retrospective on survival show The Unit’s hefty discography of songs. Like similar series before it, the show spawned a number of digital singles — from full group anthems to competitive sub-unit standouts. With … Continue reading
Despite an extended strike sidelining much of the major networks’ output during 2017’s second half, Korean variety was quite strong this year. Taking a look at the following list, it will quickly become clear that my taste tends to steer towards idol-specific variety series, which makes sense since this is a k-pop blog first and … Continue reading
Though the Bias List focuses almost exclusively on k-pop, many Korean artists make a foray into Japan as well. Those releases deserve their own countdown, paired with a number of their Japanese counterparts. Huge disclaimer with this countdown. I am a k-pop blogger, first and foremost. My j-pop exposure is limited, and tends to be … Continue reading
As important as any other k-pop ingredient, 2017’s choreography deserves spotlight. From catchy point dances to complex formations, this year had plenty of striking performances to offer. Here are the very best: + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 10. BTS – NOT TODAY The army of back-up dancers … Continue reading
K-pop is a highly visual medium, and although my song reviews try not to focus on the accompanying music videos, I certainly have my opinions! Here are my top ten visual moments of 2017, along with quite a few incredible honorable mentions. + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! … Continue reading
Hundreds (if not thousands) of songs are released each year in Korea, but only a fraction receive full title track promotion. This leaves behind many buried treasures in need of a spotlight. Here are forty of 2017’s best: NUMBERS 40-21 HERE + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 20. LOONA … Continue reading
Hundreds (if not thousands) of songs are released each year in Korea, but only a fraction receive full title track promotion. This leaves behind many buried treasures in need of a spotlight. Here are forty of 2017’s best: + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 40. TWICE – 24/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTWsjLjCsA0 … Continue reading
Producers and composers are the fuel that keeps k-pop going, and they’re the very first album credit that I check when a new project is being teased. Last year, I counted down the top five producers, but I’m doubling that in 2017 to shine focus on some of the incredible talents that crafted this year … Continue reading
Artist of the year countdowns are controversial by nature, and if I was re-creating this list based solely on commercial success and impact on the k-pop industry, it would look very different. But there are enough of those countdowns floating around (and the consensus is usually pretty even across-the-board). This is a countdown for the … Continue reading
As I was looking back in preparation for this countdown, I realized that it’s actually been quite a strong year for mini and full albums, even if 2017 as a whole seemed to lack impact compared to past years. Quite a few solid albums failed to make the cut due to this heavy competition, but … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 