K-pop summer songs come in all shapes and sizes, from bouyant blasts of pinwheeling energy to drowsy grooves perfect for lounging around in the sun. Unsurprisingly, Bibi has chosen the latter for her new single Bumpa. She doesn’t really have a toe in the idol world anyway, pursuing a quirkier singer-songwriter route instead. To me, … Continue reading
Astro may not release music as a group anymore, but its members still make solo comebacks from time to time. Last summer, Yoon Sanha dropped a solid album that drew upon funk and hip-hop. That approach continues with new single IDK Me. Sanha’s one of those “all rounder” idols. I can’t think of one thing … Continue reading
TWS’s No Tragedy album has replicated the exact promotional strategy as last year’s Try With Us mini, leading with a more bombastic pop track and following up with a mellower highlight. I already wrote about All The Possibilities back in April and you can find that text below. But now that the track has officially … Continue reading
Since their debut, xikers have shared producers with agency seniors ATEEZ, making it difficult to truly climb out of their lengthy shadow. Oftentimes, they feel like a junior ATEEZ to me, but their team rarely gives them music as undeniable as ATEEZ’s best hits. Perhaps its not surprising that their biggest musical triumphs have stepped … Continue reading
As the first act to spawn from MNET’s new era of survival series, I.O.I made their debut the same year The Bias List was founded. For as much discourse as they drove, the group really didn’t last for long. Back then, this whole process was new — including contract negotiations. I.O.I released music for just … Continue reading
Riding off the success of LNGSHOT’s debut, agency founder Jay Park is injecting even more credibility to the group by collaborating with them on an album release. I wasn’t too impressed with last week’s teaser 4SHO 4SHO, but understood the point of that exercise. LNGSHOT are building a fanbase at the fringes of mainstream K-pop, … Continue reading
NCT’s Taeyong jumped right from military enlistment to the studio, or at least that’s how it feels based on the quick release of his new album today. Maybe he’d already been working on the project pre-enlistment. He’s already teased us with pre-releases Rock Solid and Storm, each showing different facets to his sound. Now, it’s … Continue reading
Even when Bigbang were at their commercial peak, solo efforts by the members were just as important and oftentimes even more popular. In particular, G-Dragon and Taeyang ruled the zeitgeist with their respective hits, and even a decade (or more) later that nostalgia comes rushing back as soon as I hear their voices. Taeyang has … Continue reading
JYP Entertainment has been on a roll this year and as the agency released great song after great song I made a silent prayer that one of those great songs would make it to ITZY. I’ve always liked this group, but my interest in their music has waxed and waned as they struggled to find … Continue reading
A new era begins today as ZEROBASEONE make their first comeback as a newly-reconfigured five-member group. We’ve seen this approach before with Kep1er, but this situation has an extra layer of interest because the remainder of the (former) group will be re-debuting as AND2BLE in a week’s time, setting up showdown of sorts. With this … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. YOUNITE came out of nowhere with … Continue reading
Along with what feels like half the K-pop industry, Fifty Fifty are making their comeback on June 1st. Before that, they’ve cobbled together a special video for pre-release Starstruck. This video also functions as a teaser for their upcoming drama After-School Exorcism Club. Since debut and re-formation, Fifty Fifty’s style has run the gamut but … Continue reading
SeeYa were a vocal-focused trio active from 2006 to 2011. They were a big part of the K-pop landscape at the time, but not an act I’ve ever featured here since their promotional time ended before the blog began. However, the ladies have reunited for their twentieth anniversary, unveiling a new full album and title … Continue reading
The Boys II Planet series continues to spawn new acts and today we have the debut of duo FLARE U. This team consists of Chuei Li Yu and Kang Woo Jin, both under FNC Entertainment. It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes a longtime configuration or if the agency will eventually try to fold … Continue reading
Whether he’s with the group or not, Park Jinyoung’s always going to have that “GOT7” tag next to his name so that we don’t mistake him for JYP founder Park Jinyoung. I know it’s a common name, but I still think it’s amazing that there were two of them in the same agency! This Park … Continue reading
Weeks after labelmates DXMON made a surprise return, H Music Entertainment’s “get our artists out of the dungeon” series continues with a new song from girl group WOOAH. The group rebranded in 2024 but haven’t released anything since then. The rock-tinged WXW (Wish With W) tries its best to get things back on track. I … Continue reading
A&R teams are the unsung powerhouses of K-pop and in my mind Woollim Entertainment had the best, most consistent ear for picking great songs. That’s one of the reasons it’s been so depressing to watch the agency fold into obscurity. I’m still not certain they’re equipped to make a full comeback, but today we’ve got … Continue reading
Since their debut in 2022, YOUNITE has been one of those groups with little consistency across their discography. I’ll love a song, then I’ll hate a song, then I’ll love a song again. But when they hit the mark, their music can be fantastic. Fortunately, we’re in one of those eras today with new single … Continue reading
Amidst the hottest artists of the moment making comebacks today, we have a K-pop veteran in the mix. Rain hasn’t released new material in awhile, but his name still carries weight within the industry. He’s even been able to rack up a viral hit every now and then, though it’s been some years since his … Continue reading
Fresh out of the military, NCT’s Taeyong is gearing up for the release of his new album next week. He’s one to offer many different pre and post releases, filming content for a number of tracks. Storm gets a “classy performance video” today, meaning it gets a truncated review on this blog as well. I’m … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 