As packed as October’s release slate has been, it’s been surprisingly short on girl group comebacks. Apart from Ladies’ Code and Limesoda, new group ARIAZ practically have the month to themselves. That’s a boon for their debut, as it helps them stand out in a busy market. And let’s be honest, any new act from … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, things kick off with the big one… The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
I was lucky enough to be in the audience when IMFACT’s NaNaNa (나나나) was first premiered at KCON LA, making this the rare (only?) K-Pop comeback I’ve heard live and in person before it was released in its studio version. It’s impossible to fully separate the live experience from the song, but it’s nice to … Continue reading
Disclaimer: As with my write-ups on the Big Three agencies, this is written from an outsider’s perspective. I’m not privy to any business-related financial information beyond what any other fan would know. The purpose of these articles is to examine how well these agencies are serving their artists and the general k-pop fan-base. Read Part … Continue reading
Only a few weeks after their comeback as a four-member group, Nine Muses have returned with a single that flips the dark, evocative sound of Remember into a brighter dance pop concoction. Throughout the years, the girls have proven themselves capable of delivering high quality material regardless of style or group configuration. Love City (러브시티) … Continue reading
Groups with numbers as part of their name can be tricky in the ever-changing world of k-pop. Nine Muses haven’t had nine members in some time, and now they’re all the way down to four. That’s not exactly “truth in advertising.” But with so many groups of their age disbanding, it’s a small miracle that … Continue reading
Rookie group IMFACT were frustratingly managed in their debut year, suffering a fate that has affected many new acts before them. Rather than establish a distinct sound, they pin-balled between the upbeat novelty of debut Lollipop and the tuneless, swagger-on-steroids of Feel So Good. Neither were particularly great songs, and both seemed built to appeal to vastly … Continue reading
Those of you that have been following this site for the better part of the year will probably be able to accurately predict my thoughts on IMFACT’s Feel So Good. But before I go on to confirm those predictions, it’s worth noting how incredibly different the group’s February debut was in both sound and image. Looking … Continue reading
Throughout their six years together, Nine Muses have been one of the most consistent, underrated girl groups in all of k-pop. Even with so many member changes, their music has always remained quality. 9MUSES A is their first sub-unit project, and its very existence is honestly a little confusing. I get the need for solos … Continue reading
Also known as Children of Empire (though that name has more to do with their agency, Star Empire, than their actual concept), ZE:A is a nine-member boy group who has been around for over half a decade. Though they haven’t come back as a whole in quite awhile, individual members are very well known for their … Continue reading
If there’s any male group that deserves a full-fledged comeback, it’s got to be ZE:A. They’ve never been able to totally break into the a-list as a unit, despite a highly underrated discography and some very notable members. And now that their cohesion as a group seems to be somewhat fractured, it looks like we’ll have to make … Continue reading
Along with KARA, Nine Muses are one of the two long-lasting kpop girl groups to have paired with production team Sweetune more often than not. This instantly makes them important to me, as the sound of their music is directly to my taste. They’ve had an incredibly consistent singles run, with even their non-Sweetune tracks … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Action is a song from Nine Muses’ 2013 mini-album Wild. It … Continue reading
Nine Muses are a girl group active under Star Empire. Depending on the stage of their career, the group has consisted of between six and nine members. As of 2016, they’re an eight-person group. For much of their discography, they’ve worked with production team Sweetune. This has given them a remarkably consistent singles run, even … Continue reading
IMFACT is a new boy group from the infamous Star Empire agency, also home to acts like ZE:A and Nine Muses. I’m a big fan of both of those groups, though I realize that their debut songs were less than amazing. IMFACT continues this pattern, making a bizarre debut with Lollipop. The song attempts to … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 