2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading
2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading
2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This phrase seems fitting to describe K-pop in 2019. The industry was forced to deal with some hard truths this year, and the reckoning was a long time coming. However, that didn’t make it any less messy. For the past few years, I’ve … Continue reading
It’s been a rough year for us Sweetune fanatics. 2018 gave us several new classics, but all 2019 has offered are a couple of way-below-the-radar boy group tracks, a standout Japanese Hara (RIP) track, and a trio of IZ singles, which don’t sound like Sweetune at all despite being composed by the team. Oh, and … Continue reading
Among other things, 2019 has suffered a distinct lack of Sweetune-produced tracks. Their work has been relegated to severely under-known boy groups and idol band IZ, with none of their songs making waves outside of small fan bases. So, when I heard that former Kara member Goo Hara would be returning with a Sweetune-penned Japanese … Continue reading
Idol rock back IZ have been active here and there, releasing one mini album each year since their debut in 2017. None of their title tracks really sound the same, which has made it difficult for them to cultivate a solid fan base. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be writing about them now if … Continue reading
Compared to this time last year, 2019 has seen a disturbing lack of Sweetune. You can imagine how well this has gone over with me. So unlike everyone else on the planet, salivating for Twice’s new comeback, I was off in a tiny corner of the internet waiting with bated breath for Beautiful (아름다워) — … Continue reading
Songs like Wake Up are easy to dismiss. They’re too catchy. They’re not self-serious enough. They have no redeeming artistic value. These are the kinds of criticisms that define what are considered “guilty pleasures” by many, and this outlook has been drilled subconsciously into my thinking as well. And yet, when I imagine the kind of … Continue reading
You all know how much I love a good producer! Honestly, I almost get more excited by the presence of certain producers’ names on title tracks than the artists themselves. Like last year, my countdown includes ten of 2018’s best composers. You’ll notice a lot of repeats from 2017, shuffled into different places. But, 2018 … Continue reading
We’ve been in the middle of a Sweetune drought for awhile now. The period of January through May spoiled us Sweetune-obsessives, with new tracks popping up almost every month. But, it’s been since TST’s own Love Story that we’ve heard something fully produced by the team. To raise anticipation even further, this new track is called … Continue reading
TST (formerly Top Secret) are one of a handful of boy groups who’ve enlisted production team Sweetune to craft their discography. But compared to the top shelf material recorded by Snuper and Golden Child, I feel like TST continue to get saddled with the bargain basement dregs. New single Love Story follows this trend. Sweetune ensure a … Continue reading
The fact that Lovelyz worked with Sweetune for That Day (그날의 너) is some consolation for personal faves Snuper ditching the production team for their upcoming comeback. It also brings renewed interest to the question of Woollim Entertainment’s partnership with Sweetune. I wish I had some knowledge of the inner workings of the industry, but the … Continue reading
Back in 2010, Woollim Entertainment’s Infinite debuted with Come Back Again, but followed it up by promoting album track-turned-single She’s Back. This multi-pronged promo approach doesn’t happen all that often anymore in k-pop without a repackage, but I’m delighted that it has been extended to Infinite-successors Golden Child. The group has made a quick turnaround … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop 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 k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Honestly, it’s been pretty awesome that I’ve gotten to write … Continue reading
When it was announced that Golden Child would be working with Sweetune for their comeback, I was absolutely elated. Not only would 2017’s most-promising rookie group be paired with my favorite producers, but it would also be the first time that Woollim Entertainment has worked with Sweetune on a title track since 2014. The agency made … Continue reading
Producers and composers are the fuel that keeps k-pop going, and they’re the very first album credit that I check when a new project is being teased. Last year, I counted down the top five producers, but I’m doubling that in 2017 to shine focus on some of the incredible talents that crafted this year … Continue reading
At this point, the tag team of Snuper and Sweetune has built up such good will that I’m bound to enjoy anything the two collaborate on. I love it when a group finds the perfect producer to steer their sound and actually sticks with them long enough to establish a cohesive discography. Snuper may have … Continue reading
As rookie acts become more and more prevalent, it seems like a good time to focus on a few that really deserve your attention. Underrated groups are a dime a dozen in k-pop, but some of them are releasing material that matches or surpasses their peers from much bigger agencies. To kick off this feature, … Continue reading
Though most of k-pop fandom’s obsession rests on groups and individual artists, I have just as strong a bias toward certain producers as the performers themselves. That’s why I started The Bias List‘s Producer Spotlight feature. There are dozens of amazing individuals and teams working behind the scenes to craft k-pop’s best songs. Here are … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 