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. January 2017 Overall Thoughts 2017 started with one of the strongest (and most packed) first weeks that we’ve … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Despite not being entirely in line with what I would … Continue reading
I remember how severely disappointed I was the first time I heard NCT 127’s Fire Truck. I came away feeling that it was nothing more than a bunch of noise, squandering the drop-dead gorgeous vocals of a song like Without You in an effort to catch trends and present a swag-filled, hip-hop image. Several months … Continue reading
Wrapping up the end of year countdowns, it’s time to delve deeper into the albums 2016 gave us. Among hundreds and hundreds of tracks released this year (and last December!), here are forty of the absolute best. PART ONE HERE + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 20. UP10TION – STUCK … Continue reading
Wrapping up the end of year countdowns, it’s time to delve deeper into the albums 2016 gave us. Among hundreds and hundreds of tracks released this year (and last December!), here are forty of the absolute best. + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 40. OH MY GIRL – KNOCK KNOCK … Continue reading
As we move through the year’s best k-pop moments, it’s important not to forget 2016’s most memorable choreography, which is one of the genre’s most valuable hallmarks. Dance routines are such a huge part of most k-pop comebacks, highlighted by a catchy “point dance” that aims to be easily repeated by viewers. As groups’ rosters begin … Continue reading
One of the things I look most forward to each year in k-pop is the rise of new rookie groups. 2016 was particularly kind when it came to promising new artists, with a few offering some of the best songs of the year. Unlike the MAMA Awards, I won’t be considering the massively successful I.O.I as … Continue reading
Now that we’ve taken a look at the best songs of the year, it’s time to dive deeper into the albums. K-pop is infamous for its diverse definition of what an “album” is, but my criteria for this countdown was that the project had to consist of at least five tracks to be eligible, though … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are here! We’re starting things off with the big one… the top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. Unlike last year, j-pop releases will be placed in their own countdown, … Continue reading
It was a night of emotional acceptance speeches, expensive set pieces and, of course, a little behind-the-scenes drama as well. The MAMA Awards are always an exciting, larger than life capper on the year of k-pop, and this year’s broadcast was strong in a number of ways. But as with all award shows dedicated to … 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. LDN NOISE … Continue reading
With NCT 127’s Taste the Feeling, SM Station has given us a song with a purpose, though it might be kind of a silly one. The track is a cover of a song used to promote Coca Cola, and that’s exactly what it’ll do in Korea as well. It’s also tied to the upcoming Olympics, … 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. The concept of NCT is infinitely promising. But as much as … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 