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. June 2018 Overall Thoughts After two and a half years, it finally happened. June’s cumulative rating … Continue reading
Though their music differs vastly in sound, I like to think of AAA as j-pop’s answer to Bigbang. Its members form a uniquely amazing unit when put together, but are just as strong as soloists pursuing their own musical interests. For Mitsuhiro Hidaka, that takes the form of a genre-bending brand of pop-infused hip-hop under the … Continue reading
As successful as Taeyeon has been in Korea, I’m surprised that it took SM this long to launch her as a soloist in Japan. The agency has been killing it with their Japanese releases lately by maintaining their artists’ signature sounds with a few j-pop twists. Taeyeon could have easily promoted Stay in Korea, and … Continue reading
News are no stranger to World Cup anthems. This partnership has already resulted in my favorite single of theirs — 2012’s World Quest — as well as the excellent One (For The Win) two years later. Now they’re back with Blue, which sounds exactly as you’d expect it to. But when it comes to News … Continue reading
It didn’t receive nearly as much media attention, but 100% are currently in a similar situation as SHINee. They’ve also been reduced to a four-member group after the tragic loss of their leader Minwoo earlier this year, even if the exact circumstances may differ. Japanese single Summer Night is their first new music without him, … Continue reading
It’s so great to have TVXQ back, steadily releasing new music in both Korea and Japan. Yet as much as I’ve enjoyed their new material, I’m still waiting for a comeback with that old “SM Performance” style that they execute better than anyone. Over the course of its history, the duo’s Japanese discography has been … Continue reading
To be clear, there is no reason for a pop song to be preceded by a hash tag. And under no circumstance whatsoever should that hash tag actually be part of the chorus. But here we are, with Red Velvet’s #Cookie Jar. This Japanese debut is likely to be their most polarizing title track since … Continue reading
I love a good comeback. And I don’t mean “comeback” in the new promotional cycle sense (though I obviously love those, too). I mean an honest to goodness resurgence in popularity after years of increased obscurity. J-pop group Da Pump has been around since the late 90’s, though they’ve struggled to maintain commercial success ever … Continue reading
Only a day before their Korean comeback, DAY6 will drop their second original Japanese single. Japan seems like a natural fit for the group, as the country’s rock scene is still thriving amidst the arrival of trendier genres. And with Stop The Rain, the band has released a solid follow-up to March’s If (We Meet … 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
V6 are the longest-running group still releasing music under j-pop agency Johnny’s Entertainment. Debuting all the way back in 1995, they’ve tackled almost every genre imaginable. And refreshingly, the group hasn’t allowed their age to drive their sound towards adult contemporary schlockiness. In fact, it feels like their team is taking the exact opposite approach … 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
2018 has been a strong year for j-pop so far, both when it comes to native Japanese artists and k-pop acts expanding into this territory. Though boy group Da-iCE’s January single Tokyo Merry-Go-Round didn’t do much for me, they’ve come roaring back with the brilliant Fakeshow. This is easily in the running for their best … Continue reading
Dominant j-pop agency Johnny’s Entertainment hasn’t debuted a new act since 2014, making King & Prince’s arrival highly anticipated. The group is a combination of two trainee units, Mr. King and Prince, and has already proven to be a huge commercial success with first single Cinderella Girl (シンデレラガール). As with most Johnny’s acts, no one voice … 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 brand new “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first … Continue reading
I don’t know what it is about this year, but so far most of my highest rated songs have been Japanese releases by Korean acts. The Hallyu Wave in Japan has well and truly reignited, and the prospect of so many original songs coming down the line is very exciting. With the rock-influenced Call Call … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks 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. EXO-CBX’s new Japanese album is pretty much a party from … Continue reading
I’ve long believed that the NCT concept is not half as confusing as many make it out to be, but even I’m a bit stymied by this new Japanese release. Wasn’t a large selling point of NCT the idea that the brand could encompass multi-national units that each operated in different countries? If that’s so, … Continue reading
There’s some irony in calling a song “The New Era,” but crafting it to sound like every other song from the last era. I’ve had my issues with GOT7’s Korean discography of late, but their Japanese releases are really just on another level. Sales-wise, they seem to be successful, but I can’t wrap my brain … Continue reading
Most of the time, a 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 (and j-pop), I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. This is probably the most “buried” of buried treasures I’ve … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 