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. March 2021 Overall Thoughts I’ve heard whispers around social media lamenting that 2021 has been a … Continue reading
Tag Archives: jo1
Song Review: JO1 – Born To Be Wild
JO1 were borne from the Japanese iteration of the Produce 101 franchise, and like most groups under that umbrella, they’ve dabbled in all sorts of sounds. This has made their discography uneven, though each singles released after their debut has been charming in its own way. However, new track Born To Be Wild harnesses the … Continue reading
The Top 50 J-Pop Songs of 2020: 50-31
I’ve compiled a “Best of J-pop” list every year since The Bias List started, but it always came from a very narrow point of view. In 2020, one of my personal resolutions was to follow the J-pop industry more broadly and (hopefully) expand my palette in the process. So while those past lists definitely included … Continue reading
Recapping and Ranking the Ten Best Performances from the 2020 MAMA Awards
The theme of this year’s MAMA Awards was “New-topia,” which sounds a bit chilling in a weird way. But, things were definitely new here. This was unlike any MAMA yet, lacking a live audience. But even though everything was accomplished on soundstages, I think the producers did a great job making this still feel like … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of November 2020
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 2020 Overall Thoughts November was absolutely packed with releases, and though only one title track … Continue reading
Song Review: JO1 – Shine A Light
Less than a year after debut, Japan’s Produce 101-spawned JO1 is releasing their first full album. Of course, the Japanese market works differently than K-pop, usually cobbling together a run of already-released singles and b-sides into an album. But, this still seems like a quick accomplishment for the rookie group. After the generic Infinity, August’s … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of August 2020
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 2020 Overall Thoughts At the beginning of the year, one of my wishes for 2020 … Continue reading
Song Review: JO1 – Oh-Eh-Oh
Japan’s first season of Produce 101 spawned boy group JO1, who made their debut this March with their single Infinity. For me, that song amounted to little more than a checklist of boy group tropes, but it did quite well for the guys. Now, they’re back with the bigger, ballsier Oh-Eh-Oh. Co-produced by Pentagon’s Hui, … Continue reading
Song Review: JO1 – Infinity
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