rolling kpop 2023

can never be too early for a new thread when NewJeans keep on releasing great tracks

"OMG"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZAgIHmHLdc

doesn't blow me away like "ditto" but it's still really good, love the percussion

TAEYANG - "VIBE (feat. Jimin of BTS)"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXCBiF67jLM

aggressively underwhelming imo but recent k-pop has been sorely missing vocally distinctive/charismatic male soloists like Taeyang so I'm glad he's back to making music at least (and here's my annual complaint about YG artists continuing to work with Teddy instead of branching out to other composers/producers *grumble grumble*)

Yeah who are the top male solo rnb and pop singers right now.. Jay Park, Dean, whatever popular boy band member is releasing something.

pretty slim pickings. I guess Rain is still out there, though mostly just coasting off his past successes - quite enjoy him randomly showing up on someone else's track every few months or so lol

Among the boy groups, Taemin is the only one I can think of who regularly releases good and interesting music solo. Wonho tries but I find him pretty boring/generic as a performer

https://www.allkpop.com/article/2023/01/newjeans-earns-their-first-ever-entry-on-billboards-hot-100-with-ditto-making-them-the-fastest-k-pop-group-to-enter-the-chart

Yeah they hit top 10 on the global Spotify chart too

This is a real nice song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oj-9QqpQ4s

(The members are Japanese but they operate in Korea as a k-pop group, I think..?)

oh xg are an extremely weird situation yeah - japanese label, japanese members, based in south korea and operate as part of the industry there, sing nearly exclusively in english, still seem to have had the most success in the japanese market

it's a good track

I haven't had the energy to fully figure out the format of the former Loona creative mastermind's (way before their recent troubles) new group, but I understand it's a lot of sub-units and not all members are announced yet. Here's a new song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TQd2ahq6oU

is it just me or has kpop been particularly dire this year? finally came across a couple of decent releases this week:

Aespa's track from the soundtrack of the Tetris movie (of all things!) is an unexpected gem - a pulsating synthpop banger based around a sample of the Korobeiniki melody

AESPA - "Hold On Tight"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvtzZFhrKLE

BILLIE - EUNOIA - in the NewJeans/TripleS-style of laidback 90s bounce but BILLIE has enough personality that it doesn't seem completely like they're trendchasing. Also Youha has a songwriting credit on this. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVjQIQGqNFM

speaking of NewJeans... their Coke Zero tie-up actually starts off pretty well but good god, that chorus is awful. shame because I really liked the sound of NewJeans doing dnb:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIOoqJyx8E4

i enjoyed that aespa track

I like the Zero chorus, it's kinda psychotic but based on a Korean schoolyard rhyme.

Also the rookie group Fifty Fifty now have a certified major global hit with Cupid, which never took off in Korea before it hit tiktok, spotify, billboard, uk charts etc.

It's currently #13 on global Spotify. Belatedly it is now also climbing in Korea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7_zRjH808

in more international chart news, Jimin of BTS has the US number one single this week with “Like Crazy”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOI67IDlNMQ

And what does it take to dethrone NewJeans from the top spots? Only IVE's more conventional pop bangers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZUIwj3FgUY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os_heh8vPfs

sound design on this is great but it feels like it's missing something to truly make it a great song overall?

yeah kinda feel that way about their whole mini (and a lot of current k-pop in general)

a few more good recent songs I've liked, but also feel like they're missing a little something:

NCT DOJAEJUNG - "Perfume" - boyband r&b straight out of 1998
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nRiE4sLLxE

(G)I-DLE - "Allergy" - cute pop punk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZaBkbvteBc

IVE - "Wave" - japanese single that's very... IVE - I like that they seem to have established a signature sound/mood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD1kP_nJU3o