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! September … Continue reading
Looking back at this feature from 2019, it seems like I identified quite a few risers and few fallers last year. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for 2020. Most title tracks — even the ones I loved — just haven’t enjoyed the same staying power. I’m not quite sure why this is. Maybe it … Continue reading
Is it wrong to want an UP10TION comeback? I understand that Jinhyuk and Wooseok gained popularity through Produce X 101, but I don’t buy either of them as a solo star. Plus, I feel bad for the rest of the group, having to watch as two members suddenly get more promotion than UP10TION has had … Continue reading
As the K-pop market has become more flooded with acts, it’s not unusual to see days with multiple comebacks. Usually, these are a grab bag of varying quality, but every once in awhile you’ll get a day that unveils multiple classics at once. This feature is dedicated to those epic days – days in which … Continue reading
Whether purposefully or not, the Produce 101 franchise has resulted in a trend of soloists and duos. K-pop’s idol scene has long favored groups, and most of its performers are best suited to that configuration. It takes a special something to be a compelling soloist. Not every idol is cut out for it, and that’s … Continue reading
Despite my initial hesitance, MCND’s Ice Age has slowly become one of my favorite boy group tracks of 2020. Of course, it hasn’t exactly had much competition in that realm, but its goofy charm has been a welcome salve in this era of trap-fueled angst. However, the rest of the group’s debut album was too … 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! July … 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
Debuts from major agencies are always exciting, but we really haven’t seen any yet this year. TOP Media isn’t one of K-pop’s biggest agencies, but their roster (Teen Top, 100%, UP10TION) are certainly known to most idol fans. With Ice Age, rookies MCND officially join that line-up. This comes after pre-release TOP Gang, which I … 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
We’re only two days into the new year, but K-pop has already delivered a new debut… of sorts. Top Gang feels more like a pre-release for boy group MCND, and the song was first performed on music shows last month. I’m not sure what MCND’s eventual concept will be, but I’m hoping that this track … Continue reading
Disclaimer: As with my write-ups on K-Pop’s biggest 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. If you’re curious … Continue reading
Back when I used to have more interest in UP10TION, I never imagined a future where we would get a Wei (Lee Jinhyuk) solo album. That’s no dig on him, but other members were clearly being positioned for more popularity with the general public. However, I couldn’t have foreseen the immense popularity of Produce 101, … 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. August 2019 Overall Thoughts I was certain that August was an improvement over July, but after … Continue reading
I was surprised when it was first announced that members of UP10TION would be participating in Produce X 101. I knew that the buzz around the group had slowed in recent years, but I always thought they were relatively high-selling. Maybe their agency just realized they needed more of a push when it came to … 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! Which … 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! Which … 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! Which … 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! Which … Continue reading
