Since winning the first season of K-pop Star, Park Jimin has jumped from gig to gig — as part of pop duo 15&, as a co-host on After School Club, and as a soloist. She’s about to make her biggest leap yet: straight out of JYP Entertainment. It’ll be interesting to see what the future … Continue reading
With over 2,600 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 … Continue reading
I first gained interest in Winner via a solo release. In fact, it happened before Winner was even a thing. Back in the summer of 2013, Kang Seung Yoon dropped the brilliant pop rock of Wild & Young. As I watched the group debut a year later, I hoped that he would continue releasing solo … Continue reading
Fanxy Child is a hip-hop collective featuring members Zico, Crush, DEAN, Penomeco, Stay Tuned and Millic. To say it’s not my thing would be an understatement, but their first official single, 2016’s Bermuda Triangle, was surprisingly compelling even for those who don’t gravitate toward hip-hop. Much of its success spawned from the interplay between a … Continue reading
Prior to their full group debut today, Fanatics’ sub-unit Flavor delivered a quirky little synthpop song last November that hinted at interesting things to come. But as is the case so often with K-pop, the group has opted for a safer sound when it comes to their debut title track. Sunday is upbeat, bubblegum fare … Continue reading
As Wanna One’s first center and a bonafide variety show star, Kang Daniel is easily the most anticipated of the group’s post-disbandment debuts. He’s spent the past few months locked in a legal struggle with his former agency, but has come out victorious with his own label and (presumably) a new sense of artistic control. … Continue reading
Like it or not, this summer in K-pop has been completely hijacked by downtempo hip-hop and r&b — a holding pattern that is likely to continue next week with big releases by EXO-SC and Kang Daniel. I personally despise this turn of events, but what are you going to do? The music charts want what … Continue reading
Here’s a road map to the lead-up of Pentagon’s new comeback, as seen through my jaded eyes: 1. The group releases teasers for a summertime single. Good! Fun summery songs have been almost nonexistent this year. 2. The title track is revealed to have been produced by hip-hop artist Giriboy. 3. Ugh. Here’s the thing. … Continue reading
Rookie boy group 1TEAM debuted this March with a laid-back hip-hop sound that left me thoroughly underwhelmed. Judging from their new single and all of the b-sides they’ve released so far, this chill, heavily Western-influenced vibe will become the group’s signature style. If that’s the case, I’m afraid 1TEAM’s music will not be for me. … Continue reading
It’s been a decade since Sechs Kies’ Eun Jiwon last released solo material, though he’s been active with his group and in variety shows during the lengthy hiatus. As the first new music to come out of YG Entertainment since founder Yang Hyun-suk stepped down, comeback single I’m On Fire (불나방) is already infamous in … Continue reading
With so many K-pop survival shows on the market, not every series can be a hit. Unfortunately, “idol rebooting show” The Unit never resulted in much of a boon for its winning participants. Both resulting groups (UNB and U.NIT) delivered some solid material, but I wonder if all the work was worth it. Would it … Continue reading
Groups of N.Tic’s stature are often overlooked. Without access to the K-pop industry’s best songs, best producers or best anything, it can be hard to deliver a knockout track. Yet, N.Tic offered a solid one-two punch over the course of their debut year, thanks largely to up-and-coming production team Code 9. The exhilarating Do You … Continue reading
Between their Korean and Japanese promotions, IZ*ONE are set to accrue the largest discography of any Produce 101 group yet. Their cross-country releases are a shrewd business move, but I’m curious whether the girls will be able to maintain a high quality once they’ve moved beyond first few singles. That has always been an issue … Continue reading
It’s been a long road leading up to Jeon Somi’s solo debut. As the center for I.O.I, she enjoyed instant fame and shouldered endless speculation over where her career would go after the project group split up. After signing with YG’s Black Label (an unfortunate move, given recent YG-related scandals), she’s been paired with producer … Continue reading
Up to this point, fromis_9 have established an upbeat sound for themselves, pin-balling between hyper-cute quirkiness and more refined dance pop. Last year’s Love Bomb melded these two styles to great success, but new single Fun squanders much of that potential. While I can appreciate its bonkers approach to pop music, it’s the rare K-pop … Continue reading
The dissolution of B1A4 didn’t seem to send shockwaves through the K-pop industry last year, but it was a personal blow. At their peak, B1A4 were one of my top three bias groups, and offered a specific pop sound that no current act is tackling. Though they may still exist as a trio, the B1A4 … Continue reading
How to review a song like Summer Night (여름밤)? I deliberately steer away from this kind of subdued acoustic-pop because there’s just not much to write about it. Yes, this is a song. Yes, it has some vocals and a melody and even some instruments. And yet, I come away from Yoona’s new single feeling … Continue reading
This January, CLC out-(G)IDLE’d (G)-IDLE with the Soyeon-composed No. That quirky, attitude-driven track seemed to spark a sonic revolution in the group, drawing upon their charisma for an ear-catching performance. New single Me (美) harnesses that same vibe, but comes across as diminished returns. The first time through, it’s easy to compare Me to 4minute’s … Continue reading
Berry Good have just passed their fifth anniversary since debut, and they’ve been hanging on for all five of those years. Their 2016 work, in particular, deserved a much wider audience than it received. But no matter what they release, the girls have never been able to break through the competitive world of K-pop girl … Continue reading
K-pop tends to cannibalize itself, which can muddle the meaning of “debut” when it comes to new groups. 3YE (pronounced “Third Eye” — because, of course it is) have debuted with their first digital single DMT (Do Ma Thing), but the members have already been active in the industry. All three were part of disbanded … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 