It’s hard to come into Kiss Of Life’s new digital single Live, Love, Laugh without the impact of their severely misguided livestream rattling around in your head. That event, filmed and released a few weeks ago, left a bad taste in my mouth and makes even the title “Live, Love, Laugh” feel patronizing and tone … Continue reading
The revitalization of DAY6’s chart success continues with the release of digital single Maybe Tomorrow, which has instantly found a place in the top ten of Melon‘s streaming chart. The demand for their music seems truly insatiable at this moment. This can be a tricky time in an artist’s career, trying to balance the need … Continue reading
Collaborations between K-pop acts and western artists are nothing new, but occasionally a track will be released and I’ll have no idea who the western artist is. American duo Joan are new to me, and I’d consider myself very in-the-know when it comes to global pop music. This makes me wonder how exactly EPEX’s agency … Continue reading
It’s a slow day (week? year??) in K-pop, so I’m going to sidestep over to the Chinese market for a moment with the debut solo single from NCT Dream’s Chenle. The song is part of a “special EP,” and given the way Chinese music is usually promoted I assume this album will be released in … Continue reading
Sometimes, it’s fun to take a trip back in time and immerse yourself in a specific K-pop year. Similar to my Battle of the B-sides, this feature sees me shuffling a huge playlist of songs from a certain era, picking out six at random and sharing my thoughts about each. All songs are eligible: Title … Continue reading
A K-pop act’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. It’s amazing what happens when boy … Continue reading
Well, this is a surprise! I somehow missed the announcement about this song, so hearing a collaboration between two of K-pop’s most influential rappers comes as a pleasant little shock tonight. Stop The Rain pairs Epik High’s Tablo with BTS’s RM, crafting a multi-generational shot of emotional catharsis. I’m always hesitant to write about songs … Continue reading
BLACKPINK’s Lisa has been working the global press as late with a star turn on the recent season of White Lotus, performances at Coachella and The Oscars and a number of big-name collaborations. It feels like she’s really broken through, which means offers must be flying in. Now is the time to pick and choose. … Continue reading
Whenever an act releases a digital single with little lead-up time and no official comeback attached, I always assume one of two things. Either the song is too good and has too much chart potential to wait for an accompanying album, or it’s just a stop gap to get something new into the market between … Continue reading
TRENDZ have become one of my biggest frustrations in K-pop. They had such a good thing going with last year’s mega-banger Go Up, but a piecemeal approach to collaborators has resulted in music that feels haphazard and incongruous. New single Chameleon (카멜레온) might as well have come from a totally different group than Go Up … Continue reading
After a lengthy hiatus, RIIZE are gearing up for their first full album in a few weeks’ time. Teasers have promised a strong visual component and that kicks off with today’s pre-release single Bag Bad Back. Though RIIZE’s music has been high-quality across the board so far, their sound hasn’t embraced just one style. This … 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. April 2025 Overall Thoughts Oof. What a month. K-pop in 2025 hasn’t been overwhelmingly awesome so … Continue reading
It’s a mini Wanna One reunion as AB6IX’s Park Woojin pairs with former bandmate Ha Sungwoon for his new title track Cool & Hot. This song aside, I’ve always felt a full Wanna One reunion would be a big moment on the Korean charts. Too often, the members of Produce 101/Girls/Boys Planet groups suffer a … Continue reading
It’s been an unexpected “Cube Entertainment circa 2011” flashback this week, with Highlight/Beast, Jang Hyunseung and now HyunA all releasing new music. The actual songs haven’t been nearly as fun or memorable as this flashback suggests, but it’s still nice to see familiar faces back in the fray. HyunA’s music career remains quite active, reliably … Continue reading
Another day, another girl group debuting with a confusing acronym. When I read “UDTT,” my mind goes immediately to “UTI,” which is probably not the reaction the agency is looking for. In reality, the acronym stands for “Uddang Tangtang Girls,” which… doesn’t make things any more clear. At any rate, their debut single Really Really … Continue reading
This has little to do with Fifty Fifty’s actual comeback, but the word “pookie” annoys me to no end. Over the years, it’s gone from cute little novelty nickname to a term used to show a dismissive attitude toward someone else. That connotation is absent in Fifty Fifty’s own Pookie, but the word is still … Continue reading
After a long-fought battle, Highlight have finally reclaimed their original name (Beast/B2ST) from their former agency. Even so, it seems like they’re hanging onto the Highlight moniker for promotions. They’ve promoted that way for over seven years now, which is longer than many entire idol careers. With this in mind, I guess it doesn’t make … Continue reading
Whenever I see a newly-debuted group with a long acronym for a name, I’m instantly curious what the letters stand for. The answer is usually entertaining, but “HITGS” is almost perfunctory in its meaning. “Hip, Innocent, Teenager, Girls, Story.” Yeah, that’s like a mad lib for the typical K-pop vision board. At any rate, HITGS … Continue reading
I’ve been searching for my entry point with NEXZ’s music. They’ve released material in both Korean and Japanese, befitting their status as a “global” group, but too much of it has fallen into the kind of chant-heavy swaggery peddled by so many current boy groups. Pre-release Simmer did not point a promising way forward and … Continue reading
Last year, The Black Label’s rookie girl group MEOVV released a pair of singles. Neither Meow nor Toxic did anything for me, with the first being oddly inscrutable and the second quite boring. But as they say, “the third time’s the charm,” and MEOVV are back for another try with pre-release Hands Up. Once again … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 