Even as the Produce 101 monolith crumbled in Korea, the franchise remained alive and well this past fall in Japan. The first season spawned new boy group JO1 – an eleven-member unit who might as well be interchangeable with any other winner from the series. Still, the idol corner of the J-pop market has shown … Continue reading
With the Tokyo Olympics coming up this year, I expect the J-pop industry to unveil all sorts of material highlighting Japanese culture and cheering their athletes on. The anthemic sounds often produced by Johnny’s Entertainment seem tailor made for this venture, and Sexy Zone’s new album Pop x Step!? does a good job exploring various … 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 2020 Overall Thoughts What a K-pop wasteland this January was. The new decade kicked off … Continue reading
As part of Johnny’s Entertainment’s dual-debut week, Snow Man joined SixTONES in releasing their first official single. With an age range from sixteen to twenty-seven and a nine-member configuration, they’re a bit of a hodgepodge group, unified by their skill for dance and acrobatics. While SixTONES introduced themselves with an unexpected sound in the rock-tinged … Continue reading
While K-pop took a break for the Lunar New Year, J-pop enjoyed a landmark week with the debut of two new Johnny’s Entertainment groups. Both SixTONES and Snow Man are already well-known to fans, but the agency has decided to give them their official unveiling on the same day with a split single release. I’ll … Continue reading
December’s glut of ballads seems to have extended into January this year. It feels like all I’m doing lately is reviewing ballads, which makes it hard to come up with anything new to say. Of course, TVXQ are no stranger to big, emotive balladry – especially when it comes to their Japanese work. But one … Continue reading
Despite its title, I’m quite confident that this list does not represent the “best” J-pop tracks of the year. It’s a much more filtered list than my K-pop countdowns, because I just don’t keep up with J-pop as strongly as I’d like to. So, what you’re getting here is twenty great tracks by artists that … 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. December 2019 Overall Thoughts December always feels like a throwaway month for K-pop, and this was … Continue reading
Dear Bias List readers: this is the kind of beat that makes me deliriously happy. Growing up, Michael and Janet Jackson’s discographies were my definition of pop perfection, and that really hasn’t changed. Give me a bright, funky instrumental and I’m happy. Add a powerful kick and layers upon layers of rhythm and I’ve reached … Continue reading
Though I never had a chance to cover it, EXID’s Japanese debut album bore some interesting fruit this spring. I especially enjoyed their willingness to explore a variety of retro beats, which has always been one of my favorite aspects of their music. With the group on indefinite hiatus, new J-pop single Bad Girl For … Continue reading
Despite the tense political climate between the countries, rookie K-pop acts are making Japanese debuts earlier and earlier these days. ONEUS haven’t even been around for a year and they’ve already released two J-pop singles. The first was a Japanese version of their Korean track Twilight. The second is 808, the group’s first original J-pop … 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. November 2019 Overall Thoughts While November was not the blockbuster month that October was, it offered … 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 want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. What a transformation Twice’s Japanese music has made this year! Previous … Continue reading
With Tattoo, The Boyz have made an odd move. The song is targeted at the Japanese market, yet 99% of it is performed in the Korean language. I’m not complaining – especially since I think pop music is best when delivered in its native tongue – but this is a mystifying approach, and one I … Continue reading
Most of this year’s releases by Johnny’s Entertainment artists have left me underwhelmed (hence, the lack of new reviews). But lately, the agency is enjoying a sort of renaissance. The new Sexy Zone singles were both stronger than the group has been in a year. The upcoming Kis-My-Ft2 tracks sound super promising. Arashi are finally … 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. October 2019 Overall Thoughts Well, friends, we have finally climbed out of the murk! October was … Continue reading
Over the past few years, my connection to GFriend’s music has started to fracture. From 2015 to 2017, they released some of my absolute favorite K-pop songs in recent memory, culminating in the flawless trilogy of Rough, Navillera and Fingertip. Since then, the group has lost too much of the power from their “powerful innocence” … Continue reading
Though TVXQ are one of my all-time favorite K-pop acts, most of their post-enlistment music hasn’t hit me in the same way as their classic material. However, new Japanese album XV is a strong collection of work, touching on many of the aspects that have made them such a musical force. The guys seem to … Continue reading
As Twice’s Korean output has shifted styles this year, their Japanese music has followed suit. This began with June’s striking Breakthrough, and continues with new single Fake & True. As with the last few years, Twice are churning out new singles with alarming speed, and that ubiquity has helped them make a convincing transformation in … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Drop That (from Countdown – 2018) For as bombastic as their music can be, EXO really don’t have that many straight-up party tracks. Drop That was clearly designed with concerts in mind — the kind of repetitive, high-energy song that spells out … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 