You’ll never see me advocating for K-pop trends. Longtime readers will know that cut-and-paste trendiness (often of the tropical variety) has been one of my biggest criticisms of the industry as a whole. That extends to this burgeoning Latin trend, which may easily sink its teeth into the next few years of K-pop’s future. I … Continue reading
Modern K-pop has always felt the need to position its male groups as edgy and badass, but the moodiness has seemed to kick into overdrive this year. Call it the BTS-effect, or the mirroring of current trends in Western pop, but for a lover of upbeat production and colorful melodies, this trend has resulted in … Continue reading
After kicking off a series of digital singles with last November’s Here We Are, Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk are on the cusp of dropping their first Japanese album in three years. For whatever reason, SM Entertainment never seemed that intent on establishing Super Junior in the Japanese market, but these two have found success … Continue reading
With over 2,300 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the … 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 2018 Overall Thoughts In my mind, April represents the beginning of k-pop’s peak season. From … Continue reading
In many corners of the online k-pop community, “Latin” has been a buzzword when considering the industry’s next possible trend. This makes sense, as it would be a natural progression from the tropical house we’ve been inundated with over the past couple of years. It would also converge nicely with k-pop’s growing popularity in Central … 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. Coach & … Continue reading
Sometimes, songs aren’t designed to be experienced in traditional ways. Super Junior’s Super Duper first reared its head during the group’s tour, where spirits were high and adrenaline was pumping. Had I been there in the audience, I’m sure I would have been enthralled by its goofy energy. But, I was not there. And taken … Continue reading
When Super Junior made their long-awaited comeback late last year, member Sungmin did not participate. You may assume this was due to some terrible crime or clash of personalities, but this self-imposed exile really came down to one factor — and it’s one of the stupidest “controversies” in recent k-pop memory. The guy got married … Continue reading
Super Junior is home to many solo and sub-unit projects, but none has been quite as enduring as D&E. Composed of members Donghae and Eunhyuk, the duo has crafted an impressive discography of their own and enjoyed massive success in Japan. It’s worth mentioning that I didn’t consider the brilliantly bonkers Can You Feel It … Continue reading
K-pop is a highly visual medium, and although my song reviews try not to focus on the accompanying music videos, I certainly have my opinions! Here are my top ten visual moments of 2017, along with quite a few incredible honorable mentions. + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! … Continue reading
As I was looking back in preparation for this countdown, I realized that it’s actually been quite a strong year for mini and full albums, even if 2017 as a whole seemed to lack impact compared to past years. Quite a few solid albums failed to make the cut due to this heavy competition, but … 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
Now that three of its most popular members have completed their mandatory military service, Super Junior is wasting no time re-establishing themselves in multiple markets. This includes new material from sub-unit D&E, consisting of members Donghae and Eunhyuk. This duo has been a reliable source of upbeat, party-starting music in the past — most notably … 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
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. SM Entertainment’s releases have been somewhat scattershot this year (along … Continue reading
As part of their preparations for their first comeback in over two years, Super Junior have been releasing a documentary series online. If you’ve been watching, you’ll already have a pretty good idea of how Black Suit sounds. Upon hearing the first clip a couple of weeks ago, I feared that the song might be … 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. October 2017 Overall Thoughts October matched February with 2017’s highest cumulative rating thus far, and I’m not … Continue reading
To say that Super Junior’s ascent as elder statesmen of k-pop has been a graceful one would be wishful thinking. With multiple controversies sidelining several members, it feels like this upcoming comeback’s very existence is a minor miracle. And though there may only be seven of the once thirteen-member group promoting this time around, the … 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. ANDREW CHOI … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 