The rise of Kim Chungha has been astonishing to watch. While she finished in the top four of Produce 101‘s first season, she always seemed to be overshadowed by some of the bigger personalities of her I.O.I group members. Yet, while many Produce-related girl groups struggle to find their place in K-pop’s crowded marketplace, Chungha … Continue reading
Triple H made their unit debut in May of 2017, bringing together soloist HyunA and Pentagon members Hui and E’Dawn to form a trouble-making trio. 365 Fresh was a wonderfully retro funk track that got a bit overshadowed by its controversial music video. One might think that this muted commercial response would cause Triple H … Continue reading
Back in 2016, it felt like Ladies’ Code were on the cusp of a resurgence, rising from tragedy with a newly matured sound. But then 2017 passed with no new music from the girls. And in the ever-fickle world of K-pop, a year might as well be a lifetime. It’s refreshing, then, to hear the … Continue reading
After kicking off the year with the colorful music video for power ballad Paint Me, Mamamoo have embarked on a release schedule centered around colors and seasons. March gave us Yellow Flower and the folksy EDM of Starry Night, and now the girls have moved onto “red” summer with the Latin-pop of Egotistic (너나 해). … Continue reading
Since their debut in 2015, Seventeen has established themselves as an idol group that never disappoints. There’s a sense of comfort whenever they return because you know the song won’t fall below a certain level of quality. It helps that, along with in-house producer Bumzu, they compose their own material. But this consistency can also … Continue reading
In just a few short years, Taeyeon has gone from being the leader of Girls’ Generation to one of SM Entertainment’s most bankable solo stars. And with the recent arrival of her Japanese debut, she’s released just enough singles for a top ten list. Now, my favorite Taeyeon song of all time happens to be an … Continue reading
If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of k-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. Ferdy Years … Continue reading
With the likes of Zion.T and DEAN relatively quiet this year, it feels like 2018 has been lacking in solo male K-r&b. This leaves a gap in the market for Crush, who’s enjoyed a steady level of success ever since his big breakthrough in 2014. I’ve been pretty hot and cold with his music over … Continue reading
In one of the year’s most unexpected collaborations, pop group The Boyz has returned with a song written and produced by Block B’s Park Kyung. Kyung has already composed a lot of material for his own group and for himself, but this is the first time he’s created a song for an outside act. I … Continue reading
Boy group MYTEEN made their debut one year ago before quickly disappearing from the K-pop landscape. A few of the guys took place in YG’s failed survival show MIXNINE, but the group remains in a perilous place. Rookies are a dime a dozen these days, and without constant promotion it’s difficult to break into the … Continue reading
Before there was Gugudan, there were Sejeong, Mina and Nayoung, who made a splash during the first evaluation of Produce 101 season one. Their performance unleashed vocal firepower, but their work in Gugudan has mostly failed to show this off. However, that’s what sub-units are for. On one hand, the fact that Gugudan has spawned … Continue reading
Though not many people gave it the time of day, Target released a solid single album last January with the help of producers Sweetune. My hope was that the group would gradually build on this sound in the way that Snuper did last year, but Target has switched up collaborators for new single Is It … Continue reading
The competition for Korea’s girl group song of summer is incredibly tight this year, with almost every big name throwing their hat in the ring. Twice has an edge based on their name recognition and chart success alone, even if they’re not strictly known for summery material. I still maintain that last year’s album track … Continue reading
To celebrate SHINee’s tenth anniversary, and their recently completed Story of Light project, it’s the perfect time to look back at their impressive catalog of album tracks and b-sides. This was a post I was both looking forward to and dreading. SHINee’s discography is too strong and vast to narrow down to only ten tracks. … Continue reading
With over 2,300 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Towards the end of last year, I was suffering from DAY6 … Continue reading
Over the course of her career, Jessi has had a chameleon-like persona as an artist. She’ll release a stark, emotional ballad only to follow it up with a hard hitting hip-hop track. Her larger than life personality has often overshadowed her versatility, but she’s also suffered from material that hasn’t always felt very original. For … Continue reading
Holland made waves earlier this year as Korea’s first openly gay idol star, and most of us were happy to overlook a relatively subdued (some would even say “dull”) debut song for the larger meaning behind it. Now, he’s returned with stronger production and an even ballsier statement. I’m Not Afraid isn’t quite perfect, but … Continue reading
Over the course of Nine Muses’ convoluted history, the group has been home to fourteen different members. Not all have promoted at the same time, with girls leaving and joining on a pretty regular basis. This constant churn has made unit cohesion a difficult concept, and also affects the members’ ability to successfully go solo. … Continue reading
One of the most refreshing things about Golden Child’s emergence as K-pop rookies is their full embrace of upbeat, unashamed pop music. As idol groups continue to push into the West with sounds appealing to current trends, Golden Child has maintained a more classic approach. From Damdadi to It’s U, their brand of hooky, high-energy … Continue reading
