Of all Korean girl groups, Girls’ Generation has the longest catalog of title tracks. They’re one of the few kpop acts who have managed tremendous success in Japan, and most of their j-pop singles are as good (or better) than their Korean material. Throughout their lengthy career, they’ve tackled almost every color of kpop, from … Continue reading
Chocolate is a song released as part of veteran singer Yoon Jong Shin’s year-long collaboration project. He previously worked with Epik High’s Tablo, and now he’s composed a track for Seventeen’s vocal unit. Jong Shin doesn’t actually sing on Chocolate, so it’s more of a Seventeen sub-unit release than an actual duet. One of the things … Continue reading
After pre-releasing a song a few weeks ago, Kim Jaejoong is back with his new album, No.X. It’s released as he’s serving in the military, so we won’t be seeing any sort of promotion. I’ve noted before that, although I can appreciate his solo material, none of it has really stuck with me in the … Continue reading
As a sub-unit of girl group AOA, AOA Cream is composed of members Chanmi, Hyejeong and Yuna, none of which have received a huge spotlight in the past. I don’t believe for a second that the trio’s suggestive name was an accident. AOA’s ridden the sexy concept to great success, but they’ve had a series of very … Continue reading
For anyone worried that Mamamoo’s upcoming album would be one-note, we now have their second pre-release, the satirical Pride of 1cm. Compared to the gorgeous darkness of I Miss You (review here), 1cm is a total departure in sound and message. Skewering Korean idols’ obsession with height, the track comes across as more of a … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Action is a song from Nine Muses’ 2013 mini-album Wild. It … Continue reading
It’s slim kpop pickings due to the Lunar New Year holiday, so I’m turning to a slightly odd source for this review. One Day, One Chance may be recorded by TVXQ’s Changmin, but it’s not a normal single release. The song is taken from SM’s first “hologram musical,” called School OZ. The musical featured many of their … Continue reading
(**Outdated list — check out the 2021 update here!) Super Junior are one of the biggest groups in all of Korea, and have developed into legends in the world of kpop. So how do you rate a legend? With Super Junior, it was a little easier than I anticipated. Though they’ve been around for over … Continue reading
Nine Muses are a girl group active under Star Empire. Depending on the stage of their career, the group has consisted of between six and nine members. As of 2016, they’re an eight-person group. For much of their discography, they’ve worked with production team Sweetune. This has given them a remarkably consistent singles run, even … Continue reading
Well, good luck focusing on the song when you have that music video. Borrowing a page from most k-dramas, the nearly seven minute video for Already Winter doesn’t opt for subtlety when it can instead bludgeon its characters’ emotions (and in this case, bodies as well). I’m not sure I’ve seen a kpop music video so dark and … Continue reading
I was one of the (very) few who didn’t care for Taeyeon’s solo debut, I. I understand why it was such a big hit, and why so many loved it. My qualms came down to personal taste more than anything. Still, the fact that I was less enamored than most led me to approach Rain without … Continue reading
Yoo Seungwoo rose to fame as part of Korea’s Superstar K audition program. Like many singer-songwriter types, the show afforded him the kind of break usually reserved for more traditional idol groups. Last year, he signed with Starship Entertainment, which is better known for its hip-hop and r&b-oriented artists, as well as being home to … Continue reading
I have a slight confession to make. Of all the major kpop girl groups, I’ve just never been able to get into 4minute’s music, and I find that baffling. I did love their entire Crazy mini album last year and Hyuna’s Red was one of my favorite tracks of 2014. They have so many of … Continue reading
Alongside their two group title tracks (Baby Baby and Sentimental), Winner has also released a solo from youngest member Nam Taehyun. Taehyun previously gave us the sweet, brittle Confession from the group’s debut album. But I’m Young does it one better, taking on darker, more nuanced territory. When writing about a song, I try not to … Continue reading
Winner has come back with no less than three title tracks, and the promise of more to come throughout the year. Of the three, Baby Baby probably makes the most impact, while Sentimental is happy being a looser, more fun addition to their discography. The track plays with Winner’s image and essentially turns them into an … Continue reading
When it became clear that both Winner and iKON were going to be active under YG at the same time, many were concerned how each group would differentiate themselves from the other. Now that we’ve had multiple comebacks from both, I think it’s safe to say that Winner has carved out its own specific niche … Continue reading
I’m still a loyal viewer of K-Pop Star, but lament that nowadays it’s mostly solo female vocalists with nearly identical styles. To me, the show’s peak was in season two. It was the most diverse line-up, had the best winning act, and genuinely felt exciting. One of my favorite groups that year was Raccoon Boys. Horrible name, … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
Girl’s Day was one of the last major kpop groups I got into, and I’m sorry to say that their group name turned me off for much too long. It sounded to me like a tween lifestyle magazine, and conjured up images of slumber parties and secret diaries. But eventually, the strength of their music wore … Continue reading
Mamamoo can sing. They’ve shown us that over and over again. They can also perform the hell out of a song. In this way, they’re a very different idol group than most. In fact, they have more in common with the golden age of Motown than with the kpop world. And just like Motown, their … Continue reading
