In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … 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. January 2025 Overall Thoughts It’s a new year! But it… kind of doesn’t feel like it … Continue reading
Because of MBC’s unprecedented decision to air their Gayo Daejejeon over two nights this year, my recap and ranking will also be divided into two parts. Make sure to check out part one for my general thoughts on the festival as well as a personal ranking of the best performances of night one. Now, it’s … Continue reading
Yes, you read that title right. We are going back to 2024 for two nights with MBC’s (delayed) Gayo Daejejeon. This end-of-year festival was filmed on New Year’s Eve, but its broadcast was postponed after the tragic Jeju Air Crash. At the time, I assumed the festival would air a week — maybe two — … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Every boy group worth their salt … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
ZEROBASEONE are having a very busy start to the year. Days after their new Japanese single we have pre-release Doctor! Doctor!, to be followed by two EPs — one J-pop, one K-pop — in the near future. Judging by its exclamation-heavy title, you might expect Doctor! Doctor! to be some campy pop romp (at least, … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
I’ve developed this little cadre of fifth-gen boy groups who are making K-pop really fun for me these days. At the top are my big three: TWS, RIIZE and BOYNEXTDOOR. Then, there are ZEROBASEONE and &TEAM, playing the role of the cool cousins who come visit every once and awhile. For me, their music has … Continue reading
As usual, SBS’s year-end festival falls on Christmas day. Because of this, the themes have been getting more and more holiday-focused with each passing year. Everyone and their mother performed a “Christmas version” of their songs tonight, but you don’t get to call something a “Christmas version” just because you throw sleigh bells on the … Continue reading
Before I move on to J-pop, global pop and other categories, I like to sum up the K-pop countdowns that have filled the past few weeks. The title of this post should technically be called “The Best Overall K-pop Comebacks & Debuts of 2024,” since not every album on this list marks the return of … Continue reading
(Note: If you’re unable to view this post on a phone, please try on another device. I believe the number of video embeds is causing trouble on certain browsers.) Yep, I’m back to writing about K-pop’s year-end festivals. They were some of the earliest events I covered on this blog but over the past few … Continue reading
A few years ago, many of K-pop’s best tracks were buried as b-sides. This year was different, with most of my favorite music promoted as title tracks. I certainly prefer this approach. After all, great songs should be paired with great visuals/choreo whenever possible. However, it made for a slightly less prolific slate of “buried … Continue reading
A few years ago, many of K-pop’s best tracks were buried as b-sides. This year was different, with most of my favorite music promoted as title tracks. I certainly prefer this approach. After all, great songs should be paired with great visuals/choreo whenever possible. However, it made for a slightly less prolific slate of “buried … Continue reading
K-pop has been a singles-driven market for awhile now, but that only seems to be truer with each passing year. Either comebacks don’t have enough songs to be called an “album,” or the b-sides are clearly designed to pad a tracklist rather than stand out on their own. With that said, there were a handful … Continue reading
Now that I’ve taken a look at the new acts that dominated 2024, it’s time to focus on their established counterparts. Though my favorite group of the year was a rookie, most of my favorite music came from artists who debuted in years prior. As usual, the criteria is built around these three factors: Quality … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll 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
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll 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
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 