Despite its initial fanfare, the first season of Produce 101 only resulted in a small handful of long-lasting breakthroughs. Generally, these came in the form of single artists rather than groups. Kim Sejeong is the perfect example. She’s a steady fixture on variety shows, yet her own group Gugudan haven’t had a comeback in over … Continue reading
The whole Produce X 101 and X1 phenomenon may have collapsed, but its biggest beneficiary was boy group Victon. They came roaring back last fall, their popularity buoyed immensely by the series. And now that X1 has disbanded, leader Seungwoo is able to join the guys for new single Howling (하울링). This should bring the … Continue reading
So far, it feels like AleXa’s story and music videos have gotten more attention than her songs. Though I didn’t write about her October debut, I was impressed with the quality and ambition of its sci-fi video. But several months later, I can’t remember much about Bomb as an actual piece of music. Still, concept … Continue reading
Before the debut of AB6IX, duo MXM shone a spotlight on members Donghyun and Youngmin. The guys even released a full album in 2018, which included a solo track from each. Even with this added attention, I’ve never gotten a strong sense of Youngmin as a performer. Judging from all we’ve heard so far, he … Continue reading
Only a month after her last solo release, ex-Fiestar member Yezi has already returned with another track. For most of her solo career, she’s capitalized on her skills as a rapper. However, January’s My Gravity painted her as a power vocalist, pitched at the OST-loving public. New single Home continues this trajectory, but injects a … Continue reading
Debuts from major agencies are always exciting, but we really haven’t seen any yet this year. TOP Media isn’t one of K-pop’s biggest agencies, but their roster (Teen Top, 100%, UP10TION) are certainly known to most idol fans. With Ice Age, rookies MCND officially join that line-up. This comes after pre-release TOP Gang, which I … Continue reading
Boy group Spectrum debuted in 2018, and have struggled to find an audience despite consistently releasing solid material. Up to this point, their singles have been composed by production team Code 9, who have giving them an identifiable sound. New track Showtime switches up producers (and lowers the budget, if its music video is any … Continue reading
Rather than the big-name, big agency rookies that peppered 2019, 2020 has seen much more modest debuts. We’ve had several of these so far – the kind of idol groups who are swimming upstream from their very first release. The K-pop industry is ridiculously saturated at the moment, and unless you arrive with pre-debut hype … Continue reading
BTS’s new album Map Of The Soul: 7 arrives with the kind of multi-week media roll-out that’s more commonly attached to artists outside the K-pop industry. It’s billed as a momentous release – possibly the last full group work we’ll hear before members start enlisting. Yet, none of its pre-release material has felt all that … Continue reading
Weki Meki didn’t release much music in 2019, but it was their strongest year yet. Picky Picky drew on their quirkier side to great appeal, and Tiki Taka was the summer anthem that should have taken over all of the charts. Taken together, these songs formed a solid stepping stone to build upon. Unfortunately, new … Continue reading
SM Entertainment’s EDM division has always felt like a pet project, often forgotten and rarely promoted well. We’ll get a Hitchhiker track here, a BeatBurger track there, and none seem to stick in the public consciousness for long. To tell you the truth, I’m really only drawn to these kinds of releases when a known … Continue reading
Originally scheduled for release last November, IZ*ONE’s BLOOM*IZ album has become something of a K-pop holy grail. With MNET’s Produce 101 scandal sending its related groups into disarray, it seemed as if the music might never be released. But, while boy group X1 bore the brunt of the controversy and ended in disbandment, IZ*ONE have … Continue reading
Even as the Produce 101 monolith crumbled in Korea, the franchise remained alive and well this past fall in Japan. The first season spawned new boy group JO1 – an eleven-member unit who might as well be interchangeable with any other winner from the series. Still, the idol corner of the J-pop market has shown … Continue reading
Nu’est have been models/spokesmen for character-based business Spoonz since 2018, and that occasionally results in a CF song that harnesses their cuter, more cheerful sound. This collaboration began with the genial I Don’t Care, and now we have Let’s Love – just in time for Valentine’s Day. I usually prefer Nu’est’s brighter side (Love Me … Continue reading
KARD have publicly talked about their difficulties finding music within the K-pop industry that’s written for a co-ed group. Their mixed configuration has become a distinct calling card, but also boxed them in. Compared to single-sex groups, it feels like they’re more limited when it comes to concept. Perhaps because of this, their 2019 work … Continue reading
Cherry Bullet had a rocky debut year, kicking off 2019 with the popular Q&A but soon losing momentum after an underwhelming comeback and months-long hiatus. Making matters worse, the group lost three of its ten members. That’s a pretty big shift less than a year into an idol career. Still, it’s not without precedent when … Continue reading
Throughout their career, The Boyz’ music has moved between bright, funky pop and darker material. It should surprise no reader of this site which sound I prefer. Like Seventeen, this group is at their best when they embrace big, shiny hooks and unflagging energy. But with international fame knocking on the door, the temptation to … Continue reading
If I have one complaint about Sunmi’s music, it’s that she doesn’t release enough of it. She delivered a grand total of two songs last year, despite previewing new material on her international tour. Hell, at this point BLACKPINK has released more music over the past few years, and that’s a very low bar to … Continue reading
Last year, rookie group Good Day sat atop my list of new K-pop acts with the longest hiatuses, and their endless break turned out to be their death knell. But, like a phoenix from the ashes, the group has been reconfigured as Cignature, consisting of five of the former Good Day members plus two new … Continue reading
In only a couple of years, GFriend went from being my favorite active girl group to a hit-or-miss prospect whose album tracks are often better than their singles. As usual, this shift came with a change in producers. The group abandoned their “powerful innocence” sound – courtesy of composers Seo Youngbae and Iggy – for … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 