When I cued up Jeong Sewoon’s new single, I was expecting some soft, acoustic ballad. But January continues to surprise with upbeat material, as he’s taken a sudden shift towards EDM. To be clear, Sewoon’s August debut had a lot of rhythm and energy as well, but I’d still consider it to be driven primarily … 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. December 2017 Overall Thoughts 2017 certainly ended with a whimper. December is usually a pretty barren month, … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are here! We’re kicking things off with the big one… the 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, songs must have had … 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. November 2017 Overall Thoughts Just like last November, this month saw a quality stream of new releases. … 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
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. 1Take & … 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. Glory Face … Continue reading
With Dramarama, I think Monsta X have given k-pop its most awesome song title of the year. The word alone is so ridiculously overblown, conjuring a sense of rock opera action movie bombast (or maybe just “jazz hands”). It’s delightfully tongue-in-cheek — except this is k-pop, so of course it’s not actually tongue-in-cheek. My biggest … Continue reading
While Boyfriend have released a string of solid singles for the Japanese market during the past two years, they’ve been criminally ignored in their native Korea. Beyond a non-promoted anniversary song, we haven’t heard from the guys since March of 2015. And that’s a shame. Boyfriend has one of the strongest, most consistent discographies out … 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. July 2017 Overall Thoughts July is always the month I look most forward to when it comes … Continue reading
I wasn’t sure that we’d ever get to hear Monsta X‘s version of a fun, upbeat summer single. Their album material has been relatively varied, but when it comes to singles the group has more-or-less stuck with a harder-edged hip-hop sound. This has brought them a sizable fan base, even if it doesn’t always appeal … Continue reading
Only a month after the release of their first full-length album, Cosmic Girls have returned with a bid for the summer crown once held by their former label-mates Sistar. With their peppy, mile-a-minute style, you’d think Cosmic Girls + summer would be a match made in heaven. And with the right song, I still think … Continue reading
In contrast to Starship Entertainment’s first boy group, the bright and poppy Boyfriend, Monsta X debuted in 2015 with a much stronger hip-hop sound. Before that, the group had been formed through variety series No Mercy, which helped to develop an instant (and very international) fan base. Two years later and they’ve released just enough singles … 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. June 2017 Overall Thoughts Of the 18 months I’ve been running this site, June was the strangest … Continue reading
Monsta X are one of a few new wave boy groups who have enjoyed steadily increasing success since their debut. Their pursuit of a harder-edged sound hasn’t always been to my taste, but as they progress it feels like they’re beginning to incorporate some very BTS-like emotional weight to their music. While this seems like … Continue reading
Now that Sistar has officially disbanded, Cosmic Girls are Starship Entertainment’s sole remaining girl group. Over their past two releases, the girls have started to develop an intriguing, spacey pop style that has helped give them an identity within an overly crowded market. Rather than strengthen this burgeoning sound, Happy goes the easy route by … 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. May 2017 Overall Thoughts May was a month of contrasts. The first two weeks were among the … Continue reading
It seems like I’ve been writing about farewell songs much too frequently over the past several months. The Great 2017 Wave of Girl Group Disbandments is very real, and it’s not all that great. Sistar are the latest casualty, and a surprising, sudden loss for the dwindling handful of second generation idol groups that remain … Continue reading
Despite a general shift toward lighter, more ebullient fare in k-pop over the last year, Monsta X have never strayed too far from their hard-hitting sound. Last October’s bombastic Fighter was a red herring in their discography, but one that I personally enjoyed very much. With Beautiful (아름다워), they’re back to what most listeners love … Continue reading
It took them awhile, but SM Entertainment is doing a nice job allowing EXO’s individual members to embark on solo and duet opportunities. Almost all of them have had a chance to shine on their own or in sub-units, even if the focus tends to be on the group’s main vocalists. Though Chanyeol’s official position in EXO … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 