Upon the announcement of its official closure, I joked about owing K-pop’s Universe app a proper obituary. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really do need to document the demise of this longstanding frenemy. During its brief existence, Universe promised creepy AI-generated idol interactions (or so I’m told). … Continue reading
It’s time for K-pop’s final year-end festival of they year! As usual, MBC’s Gayo Daejejeon coincides with New Year’s Eve, pausing midway through for a countdown to 2023. Although HYBE artists were absent from the festival again this year, MBC’s Gayo tends to include a greater variety of genres than the other festivals. We had … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
Not every K-pop group will be for every listener, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Throughout 2022, I’ve listened to all of Kep1er’s music, watched them compete on Queendom and seen them live at KCON. And still, I approach new single We Fresh with tons of trepidation. From the teasers alone, I knew there’d be … Continue reading
Full disclosure: leading up to this release I promised myself I would forgo the usual parody review that has become a Bias List tradition when new music is released via the Universe app. After all, this whole venture has lasted much longer than I expected and my creative well has begun to run dry. But … Continue reading
After a three year hiatus, KCON LA returned in 2022 for its ten-year anniversary. The annual K-pop pilgrimage is back, and although none of my absolute favorite, tier one acts were attending, I couldn’t resist making the journey for the sixth time. As usual, I can’t “review” KCON because the experience is multifaceted and – … Continue reading
MNET has their multi-national K-pop formula down to a science. Bring together members from various countries and you have natural inroads for promotion in lucrative markets like Japan. Funnel your acts into agency-sponsored events like KCON and you’ve got a built-in venue with thousands of eager listeners. All K-pop is business, but it’s hard not … 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. June 2022 Overall Thoughts I’ll be publishing my top songs of the first half of 2022 … Continue reading
After debuting at the start of 2022, the MNET-spawned rookie group Kep1er took a detour via the company’s own Queendom competition, further building their fanbase as they competed with senior acts. Now, it’s time to get back to the music with the summer-themed Up. I’m more than ready for a great 2022 summer track, and … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP // EPISODE FIVE RECAP// EPISODE SIX RECAP // EPISODE SEVEN RECAP // EPISODE EIGHT RECAP // EPISODE NINE RECAP // Ranking Queendom’s Final Singles I always kick off these … Continue reading
As a supplement to my individual episode recaps, I like to take a look at the original songs that make up Queendom‘s finale. These were pre-released ahead of next week’s performances, which means we can judge them on their own merits rather than the effects-heavy stages that will no doubt bring a healthy dose of … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP // EPISODE FIVE RECAP// EPISODE SIX RECAP // EPISODE SEVEN RECAP // EPISODE EIGHT RECAP This week, we finish up the FANtastic Queendom round, made up of songs chosen … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP // EPISODE FIVE RECAP// EPISODE SIX RECAP // EPISODE SEVEN RECAP We begin this week with a seven (!) minute recap of the last round. Trust me, MNET, those … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP // EPISODE FIVE RECAP// EPISODE SIX RECAP We’re at the point in any Queendom/Kingdom series where I check the episode running length before watching and audibly cheer if it’s … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP // EPISODE FIVE RECAP Before we get into the main content, this episode kicks off with a cute (but completely skippable) vote on popularity categories (ie: best visual, etc). … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP We’re in between rounds at the start of this episode, which means a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and a fair amount of filler. It’s entertaining to watch, but there’s … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP We’re back with the remaining performances of the Cover Song Battle. Apart from one big standout, last week’s stages were a bit underwhelming. Let’s see if this week can turn the tables, or … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP This week’s episode took quite awhile to get to its performances. First, we had reaction and fallout from last week’s voting results. Then, we moved into a lengthy series of mini games where the groups could win … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP It’s time to finish the first round of Queendom performances. There’s only four of them this week, but the show still stretched for two uninterrupted hours. That’s a lot of backstage filler, folks. Watching the first few … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! Well, I’m back. I debated whether I wanted to cover season two of Queendom. Honestly, I’ve enjoyed this franchise less and less with each season, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to invest the time and energy it takes to watch and … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 