Yeah, yeah, I know. This article’s title is problematic in all sorts of ways. But, hear me out. Obviously, Lady Gaga isn’t a K-pop idol, nor does her career follow the traditional K-pop process. But, I would argue that her ascendance influenced the idol industry to a great degree. Back in the mid-2000’s, pop music … Continue reading
Once a titan of the K-ballad scene, Roy Kim got caught up in the wide-reaching Burning Sun scandal. And though investigations eventually cleared his name, the damage had already been done. The K-pop industry prizes image above all else, and once that’s been tarnished it’s hard for an artist to claw their way back. Linger … Continue reading
Stray Kids’ TOP has been rattling around for awhile now, but I wanted to wait until the music video was out before offering my thoughts. Though released in several different languages, TOP is essentially the group’s debut J-pop single – at least when it comes to original material. And as with most J-pop singles, it’s … Continue reading
I’ve spent pretty much all of ONEWE’s debut year complaining about their music’s lack of energy. I’d followed the group since before their re-branding, and it always seemed like they were playing fun, upbeat pop-rock at their busking shows. Yet, 2019-20 gave us the subdued trilogy of Reminisce About All, Regulus and Q. Two of … Continue reading
After a two-week delay, Monsta X has returned with their eighth (!) mini album. At this point, there’s not a lot to say about their title tracks. Apart from the occasional shift in sound, they’ve tended to follow the same general formula. If you like the Monsta X brand, you’re probably going to like Fantasia. … Continue reading
Rookie group DKB fit right within 2020 expectations by debuting with a noisy hip-hop track. But as forgettable as I found it to be, Sorry Mama did manage to incorporate a killer female vocal ad-lib that gave it a tiny bit of character. Unfortunately, that sliver of identity has been quashed by follow-up Still (오늘도 … Continue reading
Today is truly the day of male solo releases, with no less than three big-name tracks dropping. And of those three, Park Jihoon easily takes the win. I’m not sure I would’ve expected this. I’ve enjoyed his two title tracks, while finding their respective albums quite boring. But, for Wing he’s injected his music with … Continue reading
Whether purposefully or not, the Produce 101 franchise has resulted in a trend of soloists and duos. K-pop’s idol scene has long favored groups, and most of its performers are best suited to that configuration. It takes a special something to be a compelling soloist. Not every idol is cut out for it, and that’s … Continue reading
EXO’s Baekhyun has one of my favorite voices in K-pop. It’s been a huge part of my journey as a fan, but I found his debut mini album to be a bore. Someone once said that if idols were allowed to choose the music they performed, every single one would be doing lifeless trap/r&b or … Continue reading
After a promising start as a soloist in 2017, ex-2NE1 member Minzy kind of disappeared from the idol scene. But honestly, every 2NE1 member has struggled in some way when it comes to solo music. It’s a shame, because their legendary run as a group should have set them up for immense success in the … Continue reading
KEEMBO consists of ex-Spica members Boa and Bohyung, re-debuting as a duo. They’ve gotten precious little attention so far, but I’m here to change that for one very important reason: they’ve brought my lord and savior (and occasional Spica collaborator) Sweetune along for the ride! Sweetune have been MIA for too long now, only popping … Continue reading
You thought Stray Kids’ Side Effects was a wild ride? Well, you were right… and I dearly love that song. But, it’s got competition. I’ve wanted to write about Hey! Say! JUMP’s「I」ever since it was released last October, but couldn’t figure out a way to do it that would actually attract readers! So, I decided … Continue reading
I’ve reviewed every D-CRUNCH title track on this site, and I know that I enjoyed most of them. But, I can’t recall a single one. Sometimes that’s the way it is with K-pop – especially if you listen to every idol release you can. There’s such an over-supply of music flooding the market, and the … Continue reading
It feels like rumblings of a second Agust D mixtape have been circulating for years now. In case you didn’t know, Agust D is the name BTS’s Suga has taken for his solo work. His first mixtape dropped in the summer of 2016, and boy has a lot happened since then! It’s fitting, then, that … Continue reading
Despite a fair amount of online buzz, OnlyOneOf have largely flown under my radar. However, their 2019 title track Sage ended up growing on me quite a bit after watching it performed over and over on weekly music shows. I guess repetition will do that. Still, up to this point I think I’ve enjoyed their … Continue reading
Ex-Wonder Girl Yubin carved out a fun little niche for herself in 2018 with the retro releases Lady and Thank U Soooo Much. I hoped that she would continue down this road, but 2019 saw a return to more subdued fare with mid-tempo (and Yoon Mirae duet) Silent Movie. Now, she’s back with yet another … Continue reading
Okay, we’re going to switch things up a bit today – just this one time. R&B phenom Crush and Red Velvet’s Joy have released a single together, and like all the high-profile duets this month, it’s climbed straight to the top five of the charts. People clearly love Crush and Joy, I get that. I … Continue reading
Woollim Entertainment really missed the chance to give Lovelyz a comeback right after their stint on Queendom, but timing has never been the agency’s strength. However, the series finally gave more spotlight to the group’s individual members. Most casual fans probably have a set image of Lovelyz, but there are contrasting charms hidden within their … Continue reading
This has been quite the week for girl group debuts, hasn’t it? REDSQUARE is the third new act to emerge in the space of forty-eight hours. And like Woo!ah! and Secret Number, they come from a relatively small agency without the kind of clout that would render them instant successes. But of the three groups, … Continue reading
Originally scheduled for debut in March, COVID-19 pushed back Secret Number’s first single album to May. And, as any new act is wont to do, they’re confidently asking us: Who Dis? Extra points for the intentionally bad spelling and grammar. But though that title might conjure images of cringe-inducing “hip-hop hands” and misguided hair styles, … Continue reading
