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
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, things kick off with the big one… The Bias List’s 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. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
The season of ballads continues to roll on, and it’s the perfect time of year for BTOB’s Lee Changsub to release his debut mini album. As expected, it’s a down tempo affair. But like Infinite’s Sungkyu, he’s gone for a rock-tinged sound that helps differentiate his own music from that of his group’s. Given this … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, things kick off with the big one… The Bias List’s 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. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
Disclaimer: As with my write-ups on the Big Three agencies, this is written from an outsider’s perspective. I’m not privy to any business-related financial information beyond what any other fan would know. The purpose of these articles is to examine how well these agencies are serving their artists and the general k-pop fan-base. If you’re … Continue reading
In a sea change year for us older K-pop fans, BTOB are one of many established boy groups whose configuration has changed due to members beginning their mandatory military enlistment. Beautiful Pain (아름답고도 아프구나) is their first single as a six-member act, minus leader Eunkwang. Minhyuk is the next member scheduled for enlistment, at which … 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. September 2018 Overall Thoughts September’s usually a pretty slow month, with the Chuseok holiday holding back … Continue reading
There’s no shame in seeking to replicate the success of a hit single. Momoland did it earlier this year when BAAM all but plagiarized their own Bboom Bboom, and now Pentagon have doubled down on the musical hallmarks of their slow-burning spring hit Shine. Of course, Naughty Boy (청개구리) sees the group in a very … 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. August 2018 Overall Thoughts Well, if July was disappointing, August was downright anemic. For the first … Continue reading
With over 2,300 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the … Continue reading
After a strong start to the year, Cube Entertainment has collapsed in recent weeks with the mishandling of the E’Dawn/HyunA dating “scandal” and BTOB members’ impending military enlistments. It’s bound to be a rough road in the coming months, but new girl group (G)I-DLE remains a bright spot for the agency. Their May debut saw … Continue reading
By their very nature, ballads are difficult to write at length about. The vast majority follow a similar template, with a greater focus on performance and sentiment than novel production touches. But, when a ballad hits, it hits big. This was the case for BTOB’s late-career breakout It’s Okay, which reinvented them as a compelling … 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. July 2018 Overall Thoughts I’ve always seen the month of July as the pinnacle of each … Continue reading
Triple H made their unit debut in May of 2017, bringing together soloist HyunA and Pentagon members Hui and E’Dawn to form a trouble-making trio. 365 Fresh was a wonderfully retro funk track that got a bit overshadowed by its controversial music video. One might think that this muted commercial response would cause Triple H … 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. Ferdy Years … Continue reading
As part of my 2018 mid-year retrospective, it’s time to look at those songs that either rose or fell as the months have passed. Some songs are slow-burners. Others impress in the moment but fizzle out quickly. And sometimes, a song surpasses expectations to become a cultural phenomenon. This year has actually seen more risers … Continue reading
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. Back in k-pop’s second generation (approximately 2003-2011), agency collaboration albums were … Continue reading
Ever since their 2015 commercial resurgence with cathartic ballad It’s Okay, BTOB have fallen into a pattern of increasingly toothless pop music. They’ve never been more successful than they are now, so it’s hard to fault them from sticking to a winning formula, but I fear that any bit of edge has been completely ironed out … 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. May 2018 Overall Thoughts All things considered, May was a pretty solid month. It definitely had … Continue reading
Try as they might, Cube Entertainment just hasn’t been able to push girl group CLC over the finish line. This makes the decision to debut (G)I-DLE a little surprising — especially since these girls are peddling quite a similar sound. But business decisions aside, I’m always here for new female acts that opt for an … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 