After taking a look at K-pop’s biggest agencies, I’d like to turn my attention to the smaller (but still important) players in the K-pop game, three at a time. Disclaimer: As with my write-ups on K-Pop’s biggest agencies, this is written from an outsider’s perspective. I’m not privy to any business-related financial information beyond what … Continue reading
Tag Archives: kep1er
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of August 2025
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 2025 Overall Thoughts In the immortal words of BABYMONSTER: “Sheesh!” Based on recent history, I’ve … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from August 17 – 23
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
Song Review: Kep1er – Bubble Gum
Kep1er’s most recent Korean title track Tipi-Tap felt like a non-entity — a song so slight that it tippy tapped its way from memory almost instantly. But after that, they released the surprisingly boisterous Yum in Japan. After performing that song at this year’s KCON LA, they teased new single Bubble Gum. This song exists … Continue reading
Top J-Pop Songs of 2025 (So Far)
It’s a bit bleak over here, ladies and gentlemen. Over the years there have been many times where I’ve been more enamored with the quality of J-pop’s output than K-pop, but 2025 is not one of those years. In fact, there are fewer highlights than I can ever remember at this time of the year … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of May 2025
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 2025 Overall Thoughts The other day, I commented on Twitter/X that K-pop was struggling to … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of April 2025
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. April 2025 Overall Thoughts Oof. What a month. K-pop in 2025 hasn’t been overwhelmingly awesome so … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from April 6 – 12
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (April 13, 2025)
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
Song Review: Kep1er – Yum
Beyond a return to fantastic songs, the number one aspect I’ve been missing in current girl groups is energy. STAYC’s Bebe managed to overcome a spoken-word chorus through sheer, explosive verve, proving that a blazing dance beat can make up for so-so melodies. The same can be said about Kep1er’s new Japanese single Yum. Even … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: fromis_9, AOA, Kep1er, Twice, miss A
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
2024 KBS Global Song Festival: Recap & My Top Performances
(Note: If you’re unable to view this post on a phone, please try on another device. I believe the number of video embeds is causing trouble on certain browsers.) Yep, I’m back to writing about K-pop’s year-end festivals. They were some of the earliest events I covered on this blog but over the past few … Continue reading
The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2024 (Day Four: 20-11)
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
Grading the K-Pop Agencies 2024: MYSTIC STORY / RBW / WAKE ONE
After taking a look at K-pop’s biggest agencies, I’d like to turn my attention to the smaller (but still important) players in the K-pop game, three at a time. Disclaimer: As with my write-ups on K-Pop’s biggest agencies, this is written from an outsider’s perspective. I’m not privy to any business-related financial information beyond what … Continue reading
Song Review: Kep1er – Tipi-Tap
I loved Kep1er’s nine-member swan song Shooting Star and was upset when they never performed it at this year’s KCON LA. Now the group is down to seven, as Mashiro and Yeseo parted ways to join 143 Entertainment’s Madein. A new configuration opens potential for a new sound, and Tipi-Tap certainly switches things up. Unfortunately, … Continue reading
Top K-Pop Songs of 2024 (So Far)
Wow, what a change a year can make! At this point in 2023, I was only able to pick a small handful of tracks to feature in my mid-year countdown, but 2024 has me spoiled for choice. My list is unusually long this time and probably won’t be all that surprising (barring one or two … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of June 2024
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 2024 Overall Thoughts It’s been awhile since I’ve said this, but K-pop is in a … Continue reading
Song Review: Kep1er – Shooting Star
It’s been a “will they or won’t they” situation with Kep1er over the past few weeks. After all, acts spawned from MNET competition shows usually come with an expiration date. However, the group has bucked tradition and extended their contract — minus members Mashiro and Yeseo. Shooting Star heralds the release of their first full … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (April 28, 2024)
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
Song Review: Kep1er – Straight Line
Kep1er’s future as a group remains unsteady, with activities set to end in early July unless their contract is extended. I’m not sure if we’ll get another Korean comeback before that point, but for now fans can enjoy a new Japanese album from the group. Some of their strongest material has been released in Japan … Continue reading