The first thing that was immediately apparent when watching this year’s KBS Gayo Daechukje was that, rather than opting for the biggest stage possible like last year, the producers chose to go more intimate (like back in 2013). This resulted in a very different show than last year, filled with idol interactions and interviews (most … Continue reading
Wrapping up the end of year countdowns, it’s time to delve deeper into the albums 2016 gave us. Among hundreds and hundreds of tracks released this year (and last December!), here are forty of the absolute best. PART ONE HERE + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 20. UP10TION – STUCK … Continue reading
As actor/singer Seo In Guk’s 2017 enlistment date approaches, he’s tasked with leaving his final mark on the entertainment world until he returns to k-pop in a couple of years. When it comes to fans of male acts or groups, military conscription is a real thorn in the side. Fortunately, BeBe offers a glimpse at … Continue reading
Wrapping up the end of year countdowns, it’s time to delve deeper into the albums 2016 gave us. Among hundreds and hundreds of tracks released this year (and last December!), here are forty of the absolute best. + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 40. OH MY GIRL – KNOCK KNOCK … Continue reading
K-Pop dance legend Uhm Jung Hwa has returned with double title tracks — her first new music in nearly a decade. After the subdued electro pop of Dreamer (see full review here), Watch Me Move feels like the slightly more anthemic offering. Opening with an electronic throb, the track’s slinky dance beat perfectly suits Jung … Continue reading
Take a bit of Madonna and mix it with Kylie Minogue’s club-friendly dance music and you have a western approximation of what Uhm Jung Hwa is to k-pop. Debuting as a musician way back in 1993, she’s releasing her first new music in eight years. Legendary comebacks have seemed to become a thing in 2016, … Continue reading
It’s the time of the year for Korea’s annual music festivals! It’s a particularly exciting few days for k-pop, filled with special performances and a look back at the year’s most influential hits. SBS is the first of the three networks to kick off the week of “gayos,” and unfortunately they set the bar incredibly … Continue reading
The Bias List is a k-pop site first and foremost, but I’m always on the lookout for new j-pop as well. And though I can count myself as somewhat of an authority on Korean entertainment and idol groups, my knowledge of their Japanese counterparts is much more limited. Add to that the fact that j-pop … Continue reading
It was a long time coming, but EXO‘s first official sub-unit was an unqualified success this past October. Given the high quality of their first mini album, the emergence of new side track Crush U is definitely welcome. The song was released to promote NCSoft, a video game company, and is a collaboration with composer/singer … Continue reading
As we move through the year’s best k-pop moments, it’s important not to forget 2016’s most memorable choreography, which is one of the genre’s most valuable hallmarks. Dance routines are such a huge part of most k-pop comebacks, highlighted by a catchy “point dance” that aims to be easily repeated by viewers. As groups’ rosters begin … Continue reading
Nada is the latest act to utilize her newfound fame from variety show Unpretty Rapstar to jump start a solo career. Prior to her runner-up status on the series, she was known primarily as a member of girl group Wa$$up, though she had previously released a solo single as well. Wa$$up have had a hard … Continue reading
Now that we’ve taken a look at this year’s best debuts, it’s time to count down the ten artists who really defined 2016. This list’s criteria is about 75% musical quality/personal taste and 25% influence on the k-pop industry. Since rookies have their own list, they’re ineligible for this particular countdown. + Make sure to check … Continue reading
In k-pop, music videos are nearly as important as the songs themselves. It’s become such a visual genre, regularly churning out glossy videos that look much more expensive than they are. Without focusing too much on the actual song (though it’s impossible to fully separate the two), here were the top ten visual moments of … Continue reading
An idol group is nothing without their actual music, and that music doesn’t come to life on its own. K-pop producers and composers shape a year’s sound more than anybody else, and in 2016 there were five that stood out as being particularly energizing. + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end … Continue reading
One of the things I look most forward to each year in k-pop is the rise of new rookie groups. 2016 was particularly kind when it came to promising new artists, with a few offering some of the best songs of the year. Unlike the MAMA Awards, I won’t be considering the massively successful I.O.I as … Continue reading
Ever since December of 2013, EXO has released a special winter album or single around the holidays. This is a smart move, as it lets the guys deliver a ballad title track during an appropriate time of the year. Ballads aren’t usually used as title tracks when it comes to massive idol groups, but with … Continue reading
Now that we’ve taken a look at the best songs of the year, it’s time to dive deeper into the albums. K-pop is infamous for its diverse definition of what an “album” is, but my criteria for this countdown was that the project had to consist of at least five tracks to be eligible, though … Continue reading
Though it’s hard to gauge whether The East Light has made any meaningful impact on the k-pop scene thus far, they’ve been an unexpected highlight of the year for me. It’s refreshing to see a young group come on to shows like Music Bank playing instruments (or at the very least, miming them!) and tackling … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are here! We’re starting things off with the big one… the 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. Unlike last year, j-pop releases will be placed in their own countdown, … Continue reading
Apink have come to the stage in their career where they can release anything and it will become, at the very least, a moderate hit. I’m sure this is the goal for any idol group, but it presents its own challenges as well. So often, veteran groups (both k-pop and otherwise) fall into the trap … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 