The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, things kick off with the big one… The Bias List’s 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. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
Disclaimer: As with my write-ups on the Big Three agencies, this is written from an outsider’s perspective. I’m not privy to any business-related financial information beyond what any other fan would know. The purpose of these articles is to examine how well these agencies are serving their artists and the general k-pop fan-base. Before you … 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. November 2018 Overall Thoughts November is always packed with comebacks, but rarely have we seen one … Continue reading
Many of the Produce 101-spawned project groups have thrilled in fits and starts, but the series’ most enduring legacy will likely be Nu’est W (and eventually Nu’est as a whole). Before their stint on season two of Produce 101, the group was in a precarious position, destined to fade from memory the way so many … Continue reading
The idea of music agency fandom might seem strange to Western audiences, as most notable labels around the world are vast corporations with rosters that share very little common. But of course, K-pop is different. Even as the industry has expanded, it has remained a relatively small microcosm of the global pop music landscape. When … Continue reading
Nu’est W’s Dejavu has become one of the year’s biggest growers for me. The same thing happened with last October’s Where You At. Initially, I found the group’s reinvented sound to be a bit too trendy, but the songwriting has held up. If any qualms still remain, it’s that their material always seems to veer … 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. July 2018 Overall Thoughts I’ve always seen the month of July as the pinnacle of each … 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. Listening to Seventeen’s new album for the first time, I wondered … 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
As part of my 2018 mid-year retrospective, it’s time to look at those songs that either rose or fell as the months have passed. Some songs are slow-burners. Others impress in the moment but fizzle out quickly. And sometimes, a song surpasses expectations to become a cultural phenomenon. This year has actually seen more risers … 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. June 2018 Overall Thoughts After two and a half years, it finally happened. June’s cumulative rating … 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. If I have any misgiving about Nu’est’s post-2016 material, it’s that … Continue reading
Nu’est’s post-Produce 101 ascendance has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I’m surprised that they took so long to follow up on last October’s successful Where You At. Despite that song’s adherence to the annoying-instrumental-drop-as-chorus trend, I eventually came around to enjoying its dynamic arrangement. In contrast, new single Dejavu feels much more subdued and less … 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. May 2018 Overall Thoughts All things considered, May was a pretty solid month. It definitely had … Continue reading
Though they’re still early in their career, Pristin have quickly become known for their bright, light-hearted pop style. Most groups don’t venture out to sub-unit activities until several years into promotion, but it seems that these girls are already hungry to display their versatility. Place Pristin V’s Get It (네 멋대로) next to the full … 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 brand new “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first … 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. March 2018 Overall Thoughts Well, March certainly didn’t pan out the way I had expected. If … Continue reading
Of all of the big-name k-pop groups currently working, Seventeen is especially ripe for successful sub-unit releases. And while they’ve already given us quite a few unit tracks as part of their albums, they’ve yet to establish a spin-off with its own album and full fledged promotions. Boo Seok Soon (or BSS) seems to be … 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. February 2018 Overall Thoughts When it comes to k-pop, I was dreading February. Between the Pyeongchang … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop 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 k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Seventeen’s comeback track Thanks is a complex arrangement of EDM … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 