rolling kpop 2023

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