Congratulations to Golden Child’s Let Me! The song easily moves onto the semi-final with a whopping 68.5% of the vote. Based on last week’s results, I would have expected this match-up to be much tighter. But, these polls are proving to be a bit unpredictable! We’re onto the semi-final now, with two of our heavyweights … Continue reading
Tag Archives: kpop
Song Review: Rocket Punch – Bubble Up!
Many K-pop idols end up branching out to Japan, but Rocket Punch feel uniquely suited for that market. Most of their title tracks have a very J-pop sound already, and Juri is a former member of Japanese group AKB48. It’s no surprise that Woollim is pushing them abroad this early, while senior groups Lovelyz and … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: Limitless, Hwanhee, Sechs Kies, Royal Pirates, Ladies’ Code
It’s time for a new Bias List feature! 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 … Continue reading
The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2015 (Day Two: 40-31)
This week, we’re journeying back half a decade to look at K-pop’s best releases of 2015! 2015 was a prime year for K-pop. It saw the return of industry royalty, as Bigbang blitzed the market with no less than seven singles. It acted as the launchpad for many of today’s top acts (Twice, Seventeen, GFriend, … Continue reading
Ultimate K-pop Summer Song Match-Up: Golden Child vs. Astro
Congratulations to ATEEZ’s Wave! This was a tough fight, with Sistar leading through much of the day. But, ATEEZ turned things around and ended up snatching victory with 54.6% of the vote. Pour one out for Sistar, everyone. They would have gotten my vote! We’re down to our last match-up in this second round of … Continue reading
The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2015 (Day One: 50-41)
This week, we’re journeying back half a decade to look at K-pop’s best releases of 2015! 2015 was a prime year for K-pop. It saw the return of industry royalty, as Bigbang blitzed the market with no less than seven singles. It acted as the launchpad for many of today’s top acts (Twice, Seventeen, GFriend, … Continue reading
Ultimate K-pop Summer Song Match-Up: ATEEZ vs. Sistar
Congratulations to f(x)’s Hot Summer! The girls trounced their competition last Friday with 71.1% of the vote. Next, it’s on to the semi-finals against SHINee’s View. Before that, we’ve got another big match-up on our hands. I’m very curious about how today’s battle will go. On one hand, we’ve got an immensely popular new-gen group … Continue reading
The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2015: Honorable Mentions
Tomorrow kicks off my Top 50 2015 countdown with songs 50 to 41! Before that, I’ve got ten honorable mentions that barely missed out on making the main countdown. There are some fantastic tracks within this bunch. 2015 was a very strong year for K-pop, making this countdown pretty cutthroat. To give you some context, … Continue reading
Song Review: ATEEZ – Dreamers
Though it may not represent their definitive sound, 2019’s Wave is still my favorite ATEEZ single. It’s one of the most uplifting K-pop tracks in recent memory, with a brilliant build that saves all its vocal and instrumental fireworks for one knockout climax. New Japanese single Dreamers feels like a sonic successor, harnessing a tropical … Continue reading
Song Review: The Boyz – Drink It
Up to this point, music released through the Universe app has felt extraneous to an artist’s discography, making its restricted music videos less frustrating. Still, I’m surprised by just how much content this platform is churning out. Whoever’s funding this launch seems to have an unlimited budget, releasing glossy videos almost every week. The latest … Continue reading
The Top Ten Best Songs by TXT
Though they only debuted two years ago, TXT’s habit of promoting several songs from each albums means they’re already eligible for one of my top ten lists! The group has covered a lot of sonic ground in this short time, making for a strong and diverse list. Read on for my favorite releases, and make … Continue reading
Starting Monday: The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2015
K-pop is suffering a major lull this month, which means… It’s time to look back at years past! Starting Monday, I’ll be counting down my top fifty K-pop singles of 2015. There’s already a 2015 countdown rattling around this site somewhere, but it was created prior to the launch of The Bias List and is … Continue reading
Breaking Down the K-pop Song: Snuper – The Star Of Stars
As part of my “Top 100 K-pop Songs of All-Time” countdown, I took the effort to dive deeply into my top ten picks and break them down moment by moment. But, there are plenty of other songs that deserve this same treatment. So, The Bias List proudly presents an in-depth feature: “Breaking Down the K-pop … Continue reading
Ultimate K-pop Summer Song Match-Up: f(x) vs. Girls’ Generation
Congratulations to SHINee’s View! With 62.3% of the vote, the song triumphed over Red Flavor and moves onto the semi-final. Even though the result wasn’t as close as I thought it would be, this was still a very tough match. I hate to see Red Flavor go, but I’m delighted for View. Today, it’s the … Continue reading
Song Review: BTS – Permission To Dance
There’s a fine line between polished, sugary radio pop and cloying commercial jingle, and that difference was perfectly illustrated by BTS’s Dynamite and Butter. The two songs are quite similar in sound, style and execution, yet one feels fresh and fun while the other comes across as trite and overcooked. I’m not sure I could … Continue reading
Song Review: Kim Woojin – Still Dream
After Kim Woojin’s abrupt departure from Stray Kids in late 2019, the rumor mill went into action and he became the number one enemy of many an ardent fan. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the tabloid side of K-pop. If the guy did something wrong (as alleged on twitter), I hope justice will be … Continue reading
Song Review: Moon Jongup (B.A.P) – Us
Following the group’s disbandment, B.A.P’s Moon Jongup made his solo debut last year with Headache. I didn’t think much of the song on its release day, but it ended up being one of my biggest growers of the year. Loose, funky tracks like this don’t always get the attention they deserve. However, it’s a sound … Continue reading
Ultimate K-pop Summer Song Match-Up: Red Velvet vs. SHINee
Congratulations to Astro’s Breathless! This is a fantastic song, and a personal favorite of mine. But, I’m a little salty with this result because it happened in the exact way I’ve been trying to prevent. I’ve deliberately kept artist names and hashtags off of the polls because I didn’t want an artist’s fan base discovering … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: Kingdom – Warning
A K-pop group’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. K-pop’s concept-driven promotion can be a … Continue reading
Song Review: Girlkind – Good Vibes Only
I haven’t written about Girlkind since 2018’s S.O.R.R.Y, though the group has released a couple digital singles since then. They’ve even spawned their own 2019 sub-unit. But, you’d still be forgiven for not knowing who Girlkind are. Their promotions have been limited so far, and the music has been largely forgettable. With Good Vibes Only … Continue reading