JYP Entertainment has been on such a roll lately. Their all-killer, no-filler 2019 singles run has been strong enough that they even had me excited for new GOT7 music. If you’ve been reading The Bias List long enough, you’ll know that GOT7 have often become the punching bags for my trend-related complaints over the past … Continue reading
Last year, my favorite Seventeen song wasn’t a Korean title track at all. It was their first original Japanese single, Call Call Call, which harnessed the guitar-fueled dance pop sound that I love most from the group. Because of this, anticipation was high for new J-pop track Happy Ending. It’s been exactly a year since … Continue reading
I wasn’t too kind with BVNDIT’s debut single Hocus Pocus, but it wasn’t because it was an objectively bad song. It just felt devoid of any unique point — like musical wallpaper that blended with every other like-minded, tropical-pop offering of the past few years. Luckily, BVNDIT have made a very quick turnaround with their … Continue reading
Though the girls have more or less denied it, there’s a chance that Me & You may be EXID’s final Korean title track — at least in the group’s current incarnation. This speculation comes after members Hani and Jeonghwa chose not to renew their contracts with Banana Culture Entertainment. Cross-agency reunions are not unheard of … Continue reading
Though most Weki Meki singles have ended up growing on me, they tend to have a knockoff quality that makes them feel like lesser versions of other girl group material. Almost two years in, I’ve yet to understand what kind of sound Weki Meki is meant to have. Many describe their title tracks as “messy,” … Continue reading
Taeyeon made her solo Japanese debut last year with the pretty — but extremely safe — Stay. That song jettisoned the funky backbone of Korean single Something New for straightforward, feel-good balladry. Judging from new single Voice, this middle-of-the-road pop style seems to be her go-to J-pop sound. There’s nothing wrong with a little adult … Continue reading
Lim Jimin made waves as part of musical competition The Fan, nearly making it to the final. Along with ITZY’s Yeji (who also competed), it was a foregone conclusion that he’d eventually be part of an idol group once the show was finished. I anticipate that his agency will take their time cobbling together their … Continue reading
