Rather than take an expected route for her solo debut, Red Velvet’s Joy has released an album of covers. She reinvents songs of the past few decades, including title track Hello (안녕). This is a cover of Park Hye-kyung’s 1999 hit Goodbye, and mostly opts for a straightforward interpretation. But, I’m delighted to hear her … Continue reading
It seems like all we’ve been doing this spring is watch SM idols enlist in the military. Most have graced us with a final album or single before taking their leave, and SHINee’s Taemin is no exception. Two weeks before enlistment, he’s delivered Advice. This marks his third album in nine months — a staggering … Continue reading
Say you’re one of the biggest music agencies in the world and you’re looking to launch your next big girl group. What do you do? Saddle them with a Christmas song (in February!)? Toss them an old b-side from the soundtrack of a Fast & Furious spin-off? Both sound like awful ideas, yet this is … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! June … Continue reading
With boatloads of preorders and hundreds of millions of views, there’s no doubt NCT have become SM Entertainment’s new alpha group. And with the announcement (ugh…) of “NCT Hollywood,” their influence will only grow. I wish I could confidently join the bandwagon, but the longer this NCT project advances, the more repetitive it gets. I … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! May … Continue reading
Over the years, perfectly-scored, 10/10 songs have developed a sort of mythical status on The Bias List. I didn’t intend for this to be the case, but my hesitance to give full marks on release day has resulted in the concept of a “legendary song.” Last year, I inaugurated a handful of songs into this … Continue reading
Super Junior’s Yesung pre-released the emotional ballad Phantom Pain a little over a week ago, and as part of that review I expressed my hope for more upbeat material in the future. I suppose Beautiful Night is as good as we’re going to get when it comes to increased energy. Like his bandmate Kyuhyun, Yesung … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. April 2021 Overall Thoughts 2021 continues to be a strong year for K-pop. When it comes … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! March … Continue reading
Super Junior’s Yesung surprised fans with his announcement of a new mini album this week. The initial teaser seemed to indicate he’d be back in less than 24 hours, which would be a quick turnaround even by K-pop standards. But, that timetable ended up referring to a good old-fashioned pre-release. In the K-pop world, pre-releases … Continue reading
If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of K-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. 13 (SCORE … Continue reading
After SHINee’s Don’t Call Me album was released in February, I broke it down track by track. And now that we have a repackage on our hands, it’s time to add those new tracks to the in-depth album review! 1. Atlantis // 2. CØDE // 3. Don’t Call Me // 4. Area // 5. Heart … Continue reading
After SHINee’s Don’t Call Me album was released in February, I broke it down track by track. And now that we have a repackage on our hands, it’s time to add those new tracks to the in-depth album review! 1. Atlantis // 2. CØDE // 3. Don’t Call Me // 4. Area // 5. Heart … Continue reading
There are few things more satisfying than a pop group in their element. With age comes clarity, and SHINee are at a point in their career where they know their strengths. They can tackle pretty much any genre and make it their own (ie: Don’t Call Me), but no one does bombastic electro funk pop … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! January … Continue reading
As SM Entertainment’s Avengers-like super group, SuperM have been deployed as K-pop ambassadors, scooping up CFs in a variety of spaces. Occasionally, this results in new music. 2019’s Let’s Go Everywhere was a fun advert for Korean Air, while the newly released We Do soundtracks a partnership with Prudential Corporation Asia. Songs like this threaten … Continue reading
EXO are one of my all-time favorite K-pop groups. In fact, much to my surprise they sit just below Infinite on this site’s “Bias List Scorecard” – a cumulative, weighted ranking of the acts with the most songs in my monthly round-ups. So, I say this as a major fan: EXO has some of the … Continue reading
After a 2020 spent in rehabilitation after an awful accident during rehearsals for 2019’s SBS Gayo Daejun, Red Velvet’s Wendy makes a triumphant return with her first solo mini album. I feel like SM releases a ballad-heavy album every year around this time, and they rarely elicit anything more than a sigh from this particular … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! December … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 