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
Tag Archives: zerobaseone
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (January 19, 2025)
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
Song Review: ZEROBASEONE – Now Or Never
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
2024 SBS Gayo Daejeon: Recap & My Top Performances
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
Year-End List Recap: The Best Overall K-Pop Comebacks of 2024
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
2024 KBS Global Song Festival: Recap & My Top Performances
(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
The Top 40 K-Pop Album Tracks & B-Sides of 2024 (20-1)
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
The Top 40 K-Pop Album Tracks & B-Sides of 2024 (40-21)
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
The Top 10 K-Pop Albums of 2024
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
The Top 10 K-Pop Artists of 2024
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 Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2024 (Day Three: 30-21)
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 Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2024 (Day Two: 40-31)
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
Grading the K-Pop Agencies 2024: MYSTIC STORY / RBW / WAKE ONE
After taking a look at K-pop’s biggest agencies, I’d like to turn my attention to the smaller (but still important) players in the K-pop game, three at a time. 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 … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (October 13, 2024)
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
Buried Treasure: ZEROBASEONE – Road Movie
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. I didn’t have elevated anticipation for … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of August 2024
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 2024 Overall Thoughts Over the past few years, the month of August has trended toward … Continue reading
Song Review: ZEROBASEONE – Good So Bad
As with most survival show spawned groups, ZEROBASEONE’s discography has been a mixed bag. Most songs have grown on me, but none blew me away on first listen. And despite a number of similar b-sides, no title track has yet to recapture the airy effusiveness of their debut. New single Good So Bad manages to … Continue reading
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: May 2024
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
Song Review: ZEROBASEONE – Feel The Pop
ZEROBASEONE’s jubilant Sweat premiered a few weeks too early to fully capitalize on the summer season, but offered a taste of the upbeat energy the group would pursue on their new album. Title track Feel The Pop retains an upbeat sense of joy, but tempers the intensity by returning to the muted palette of their … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of April 2024
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 2024 Overall Thoughts K-pop years aren’t always frontloaded, but January was so strong that its … Continue reading