ITZY’s new album won’t be with us until next week, but they’ve already given us two pre-release tracks and short versions of the members’ solo songs. I love seeing album rollouts this insistent! Mr. Vampire emerges as the second pre-release, following the more combative Born To Be last month. Given its title, I half-expected a … Continue reading
Every year at this time, I like to look back at which of my posts received the most views. If nothing else, it’s a good gauge of artist popularity. I know there are readers who take a look at everything I post, but there are also a lot of people who come to the blog … Continue reading
To be honest, this year I tended to watch most K-pop music videos one or two times before moving onto the song and leaving the visuals behind. The water mark for music videos has become very high, with the industry churning out cinematic, big-budget works every other day. While many videos could comfortably slot into … Continue reading
2023 was a weird year for K-pop choreography. There didn’t seem to be too many iconic point moves, even as TikTok challenges continue to necessitate catchy, easy-to-replicate routines. As usual, this is not a ranking of the most technically impressive performances of the year. Instead, here are ten routines that caught my eye in 2023. … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
One of the unique features of The Bias List is its “buried treasure” write-ups. I try my hardest to comb through every major K-pop album released each year and when a song catches my ear I highlight it on the blog. This countdown is an encapsulation of those write-ups, ranking my top 40 b-sides and … Continue reading
ITZY’s upcoming album promises a tsunami of music videos, which means you’ll be reading a lot about their music here. First up is the titular track Born To Be, which introduces a new era for the group. This is ITZY at their most powerful, unveiling a combative dance routine over a song that ticks off … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll 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 end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll 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
NMIXX will be one of the first acts to make a 2024 comeback, but before that they’ve unveiled pre-release Soñar (Breaker). So far, 2023 has seen them move away from the intense “mixx pop” that characterized their debut (and polarized opinion). It’s been nice to hear their vocals more clearly, with July’s Roller Coaster a … 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 2023 Overall Thoughts For the purpose of this blog, November marks the end of the … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
You’ve gotta hand it to JYP. He sticks to what he excels at… and often takes a mean promo shot to go along with it! I’m loving the styling and the pose of the picture above. It’s weirdly flattering, even if its inspirations lie in a bygone era. But really, JYP has made a late-career … Continue reading
Before the end-of-year countdowns next month, I like to take a look at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and see how their year went. Obviously, 2023 is not over yet so any upcoming changes to an agency’s grade will be reflected next year. Following SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment‘s analysis last week, it’s time to … Continue reading
Despite being an early supporter, somewhere along the line Stray Kids’ music began to lose me. It’s a frustration I feel with many of their contemporaries and I’m eagerly awaiting the song or album that brings me back. Unfortunately, new single Lalalala moves in the opposite direction. Lalalala blusters along in true Stray Kids fashion, … Continue reading
There’s a long history of K-pop groups debuting in Japan, but the opposite rarely happens. I expect this to change as a new generation of Japanese groups formed and managed by Korean companies make their mark on the industry. NiziU are a JYP act and have been doing quite well for themselves in Japan and … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Though past reviews might not suggest so, I’m very eager to board the Xdinary Heroes train. I’ve got my ticket on standby, waiting for the right song to coax me into the train car. After all, I love idol rock music and — judging by DAY6’s output — JYP Entertainment actually has a decent track … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
