Girl group Wa$$up are an excellent example of novelty-dependent hype failing to pay off in the long run. Rising to fame as a “twerking” group, the girls debuted in late 2013 amidst a swarm of controversy. Now three and a half years later, the controversy has died down and Wa$$up exist in uncertain territory without an identifiable brand … Continue reading
While 2016 gave us many notable debuts from big companies, 2017’s current crop of rookies seem to be coming from smaller agencies. In some ways, this makes their music harder to critique. Without big budgets and promotion behind them, it can be difficult to compete at even the most basic level. Still, a group like MVP … Continue reading
After re-branding from their previous sound as pop group Minx, the girls of Dreamcatcher reemerged with the ballsy dance/rock hybrid of Chase Me. Looking back on my thoughts about that track in January, I probably wasn’t generous enough with my score. Though it left a defining mark back then, the song has only grown more impressive … Continue reading
Lately, YG artists have taken to releasing nearly every new track as a single, complete with music video and extended promotion. As with anything, this strategy is a double-edged sword. It’s exciting to have a visual complement to each piece of music, even if the project’s hefty budgetary requirements may limit the amount of material that … Continue reading
J-Pop is not a particularly global genre, and it only has its own systems and practices to blame. Its music videos and albums are often heavily restricted from international users, making it hard to discover new artists. Its musical touchstones are sprawling and diverse, but don’t always adhere to global trends or tastes. Japan is … Continue reading
After being hinted at for years, Girl’s Day‘s highly anticipated comeback feels almost like a k-pop urban legend. It’s unusual for acts to take such a long break between albums, especially considering that the girls’ last track (2015’s Ring My Bell) didn’t quite reach the commercial heights of their biggest material. With all this pent-up … Continue reading
Of all the girl groups in k-pop, few are as underrated as Nine Muses. Though the group has released a string of super-solid singles, they’ve never been able to break through to the big leagues. Some of this might have to do with the seeming instability of the group itself. At various points in their … Continue reading
It must be a tricky choice when deciding how to debut a new group from a small agency. Without name recognition or pre-debut hype, a rookie’s success lies solely on how their first several tracks are received by the public. So do you try something out-of-the-box in hopes to appeal to Korea’s fickle taste? Or, do you … Continue reading
I’ve deliberately refrained from writing about the ongoing LOONA project, even though members of the upcoming girl group have been releasing songs steadily for the past five months. It’s an ambitious debut (by the time the actual group is unveiled, they will have had well over a dozen pre-releases), but so far it’s seemed like … Continue reading
Of all the comebacks and dramas that are likely to happen in k-pop this year, Beast‘s transformation into Highlight might just be the most interesting. Acts have left their agencies before, but I can’t think of another group of Beast’s caliber that have had to change their entire brand because of a switch in management. … Continue reading
Oh, GOT7. How I used to love you when you recorded songs with actual choruses. I still have great fondness for the group, but ever since they embarked on this year-long Flight Plan project, there’s been a noticeable change in their music. To say that the past three singles have been completely devoid of memorable … Continue reading
As YG Entertainment itself has continued to pull back on releasing new material from its artists, sub-labels HIGHGRND and The Black Label have started to flourish. Code Kunst is a producer from the former, which is headed by rapper/producer Tablo, who features on Fire Water. Joining the two is JYP’s G.Soul, who has seen a fair … Continue reading
Though not often mentioned alongside k-pop’s most prominent breakout acts, UP10TION have quietly sold an impressive amount of albums, positioning them as one of the most successful rookie groups of the moment. That success looks to be replicated as they make their debut in Japan. J-pop efforts from Korean groups can be very hit and … Continue reading
The story of HIGH4 is a frustrating one. Debuting in the spring of 2014 with a highly successful duet with soloist IU, the group seemed to be on the right track from the very first step. But that song ended up being more about IU than them, and was followed by a series of disparate … Continue reading
Girls’ Generation‘s Taeyeon has been all over the k-pop map this past year. Few artists have embarked on such a sprawling solo career, covering the spectrum from acoustic pop balladry to tropical house-influenced dance. Most recently, she teased us with the hypnotic I Got Love, which seemed to polarize opinion. For me, it was one … Continue reading
In the midst of riding high on the success of her OST work with hit drama Goblin, soloist Ailee released digital single Reminiscing. This comes after a subtle reinvention of her sound with last year’s Home. But Reminiscing (낡은 그리움) doesn’t aim to reinvent anything, content to provide Ailee with a mellow showcase for her … Continue reading
Gugudan’s 2016 debut confounded many. For an act comprised of so many high-profile members, from an agency known to take artistic risks with boy group VIXX, how was Wonderland so generic? Though Gugudan’s potential and name recognition afforded them modest debut success, many of us were hoping that their follow-up would be a leap into new … Continue reading
From the beginning, girl group Lovelyz debuted with a quirky synthpop sound that seemed all their own, even as it complimented the general vibe put forth by most of their peers. That’s a credit to main producers OnePiece, who have steered most of their work since 2014. At times this has worked wonders, though it … Continue reading
Twice aren’t a simple k-pop group anymore. In the course of a year, they’ve established themselves as a true cultural phenomenon. That they’ve been able to achieve this so quickly is just as much a testament to their idiosyncratic music as the members’ individual appeal. Production duo Black Eyed Pilseung has steered their sound from … Continue reading
Rookie group VAV have released a few songs already, but I didn’t bother writing about them because the music just seemed like a budget version of countless other boy groups. But looking at the production credits for Venus (Dance With Me), I was struck by one name: Ryan S. Jhun. Jhun, alongside a team of … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 