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 2022 Overall Thoughts It’s a new K-pop year! I always feel optimistic in January because … Continue reading
Since going solo, Hyolyn has proven herself adept at a variety of genres. Nostalgia will always lure me toward her upbeat, Sistar-esque summer pop, but her R&B-influenced work has also been great. Nothing quite beats 2018’s Dally in this regard, but new single Layin’ Low certainly puts up a fight. When it comes to Hyolyn, … Continue reading
Imagine a big bushy Christmas tree — or replace that with whatever decoration or tradition matches your wintertime festivities. Underneath are packages galore, each containing a winter-themed K-pop track. Some have been unwrapped early (Stray Kids’ Christmas EveL, Billlie’s Snowy Night, ONEUS/ONEWE’s Stay) but there are still plenty to go. After furiously opening each gift, … Continue reading
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
A full summertime Sistar reunion is on my shortlist of “things I’d most like to see in K-pop.” So when it was announced that members Hyolyn and Dasom would pair for a summer track (produced by Duble Sidekick!), I tried to keep my expectations in check. We certainly couldn’t expect something as fantastic as Loving … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! November … Continue reading
Hyolyn has cobbled together solo tracks from the past few years and called it a mini album, which is pretty disappointing for fans waiting for more than two new songs. And, the approach has an unintended effect: it only serves to remind me how much better her 2018 material was than the generic pop she’s … Continue reading
I never watched Mnet’s Good Girl (too busy recapping frustrating episodes of Road to Kingdom), but I know that some of the series’ songs have gotten a fair amount of hype. And, any venue that gives Hyolyn a chance to shine is okay with me. She has one of my favorite K-pop voices, and I’ve … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again. The sun comes out, the temperature climbs, and K-pop goes tropical! Well, it wasn’t always this way. A few years ago, summer didn’t instantly mean tropical pop music, and I hope we’re working our way out of this persistent trend. But tropical or not, many of my top K-pop … Continue reading
Over the course of three digital singles, Hyolyn became one of 2018’s most magnetic solo performers. Dally, See Sea and Bae were all completely different in style, yet each mastered its intended sound. Because of this, I had high expectations for Hyolyn’s first 2019 work, the grammatically frustrating youknowbetter (니가 더 잘 알잖아). Making things … 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
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
Amidst all of the comebacks this season, Hyolyn has surprisingly become the summer MVP. Last month’s See Sea leapfrogged over its competition to soundtrack July, but she’s not finished yet. Reuniting with frequent Sistar producers Duble Sidekick, Bae sees Hyolyn closing out the summer with a classic, roller rink ready burst of undiluted pop. Hyolyn’s voice … 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
The past two months have seen a veritable army of girl groups vying for the “queens of summer” title previously held by the now-disbanded Sistar. But the season wouldn’t be complete without one of Sistar’s former members throwing her hat into the ring. And who better than Hyolyn, whose airy vocals are perfectly suited to summertime … Continue reading
Since Sistar disbanded last spring, Hyolyn has been busy with a number of digital singles and duets. Having dabbled in quite a few genres, it feels as if she’s still finding her place outside of her former girl group. But the thing about Hyolyn is that she’s always been a jack-of-all-trades. Her airy vocal sounds … Continue reading
Hyolyn didn’t waste any time continuing her solo career after the break-up of Sistar, which isn’t all that surprising considering how active she’s been over the past year or so. Her work seems to be most successful when she’s paired with another artist to play off of. In the case of Fruity, rapper Kisum was … Continue reading
After two weeks of pre-releases, Paradise marks the official title track of Hyolyn’s new mini album. Teasers promised something more uptempo and hip-hop influenced, and Paradise delivers in that regard, sounding like a cross between her work with Sistar and resident bad girl HyunA’s solo material. The song steams along quite promisingly during its initial … Continue reading
For the second pre-release before Sistar member Hyolyn’s debut solo album, she’s teamed up with Jay Park. Despite the high wattage of star power on display, One Step still feels like an album track rather than a proper single. But unlike last week’s offering, the song’s sound is much better suited to Hyolyn’s inimitable performance … Continue reading
Although members of Sistar have featured on many tracks outside of their group’s releases, Hyolyn is the first to go completely solo with her upcoming mini album. As befits a member of one of k-pop’s biggest groups, she’ll be releasing a trio of singles as part of her solo debut. First up is Love Like This, … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 