What You Missed in K-pop 2024: First Half Pt. 1
Reviewing and ranking 10 noteworthy releases from January to June. Here’s #10 to #7, plus an honorable mention. (Yes, this is the second time Nayeon graces a cover on this blog.)
I keep wanting to write about K-pop. At this point, I’m sure it has to do with familiarity. Where the music industry at large — as well as its publication sphere — looms colossal, self-important, and borderline impenetrable at times, my relationship to the K-pop scene resembles that to my lived-in apartment. I am far too god-fearing and insecure in my writing ability to ever refer to myself as “big fish.” Nonetheless, this is sort of like my small pond; for a few years now, I’ve been swimming around its crevices, observing its patterns, learning from its ups and downs, getting the hang of how to navigate its ecosystem to maximum joy.
Things are easy over here, if you go with the flow. Everything has structure and some linearity to it. All events take place under a centralized system. If something happens in the neighbor’s house, you will know. In fact, everyone’s peeping into their neighbor’s house at all times — unprovoked, unbothered. Everyone is judgemental. Treat this like one of our little gossip sessions at the town square. This is Stars Hollow and we are the Gilmore girls at Luke’s.
On the practical side, 2024 K-pop has kind of attacked me. It was less than a year ago when I mused on the state of the scene post the introduction of “easy listening” and the crystallization of the industry’s intentions to operate as a global entity, at least for a while. It’s fair to say that the last couple of years weren’t the most sonically ambitious for the genre, their most outstanding products being ones that adhere to solid, undeniable pop craftsmanship and engineering (see here, here, and here). As it seems, not much has changed. Girl groups still rule the world and the GP still loves a catchy, little tune. However, where ‘22 and ‘23 rollouts had their severely redundant moments — seen in the Y2K-inspired styling epidemic, incessant sampling with little to no added value, and TikTok-optimized choreography — the past five months have shown 2024 to be drastically more open to branching out of trendy pockets and into fully realized, higher-concept ideas.
With time, I’m starting to look at rankings more and more as thesis vehicles, when serving their ideal purpose. Often, the straightforward format simply works. If you know me and my taste, you know I’m speaking my truth here. We’re doing what it says on the tin. I’ve written entirely too much for each placement. Enjoy.
Honorable Mention: NAYEON - “ABCD”
NAYEON takes her job more seriously than many would. When the main vocalist of iconic 3rd gen girl group TWICE came out with her debut solo single in summer 2022, we sure made it “POP!,” we tweeted about it being the “most K-pop-y song to ever K-pop,” and boy *nostalgic chuckle* did we write terrible essays about how much we needed unapologetically bubblegum music back in the game. The aptly titled “POP!,” as suggested, harkened back to a retro-tinted, bouncy, feminine, and majorly cutesy pop sound, emblematic of the JYP Entertainment aesthetic and most notably popularized by the Wonder Girls, a generation before TWICE’s arrival and rise to stardom. Pop (or K-pop), in all its lab-engineered, satin-finish glory, as would be echoed in a highlight reel of TWICE title tracks over the years, is NAYEON’s bread and butter — she has been the face and embodiment of it, the parasocial relationship darling, the X-factor possessor whose magnetic stage presence can draw a smile out of anyone and everyone. On “ABCD,” she is claiming her diva status.
References abound. You’d be hard-pressed to find one listener who isn’t reminded of the fire-eyed momentum in Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love” when hearing the wind instruments layered atop “ABCD”’s post-chorus among repetitions of “in love, in love,” or doesn’t sense the household name’s influence in the dance break attire of white tank–denim shorts. The dance break itself (sadly only part of the music video mix, because God forbid pop songs’ durations surpass the three minute mark on streaming services nowadays), a mostly stripped-back, percussive section, features discreet interpolations of Amerie’s “1 Thing” for some sparse vocal moments. From classic visual cues for the ages such as a Britney schoolgirl fit revisited through a modern “library siren” lens, to free, make-of-it-what-you-will associations like the “Nah1 to the ah to the, no, no, no” cadence on the hook line, and spectacular, choreographed crotch grab, “ABCD” renders its goal evident from the get-go and has undebatably achieved it by the end. There is dancing in alleyways and disrupting traffic, black and white frames of singing in the rain, reimagined flamenco ensembles to match Latin guitars; pop in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Understandably, in the case applying for a diva card via extensive referencing sounds contrived, just remember, again, that this is K-pop. If “POP!” was about making that part clear and adhering to a popular, public perception of the genre, NAYEON’s level two looks to explore its fabric of reinterpreting all that graces US charts. “ABCD” might be just the song to show someone who asks you what K-pop is; a plethoric acknowledgement of its roots and charms, delivered by “a girl named NAYEON” who is “crossing the cosmos” and becoming a star. In Madonna’s words, it’s a celebration.
This takes the honorable mention spot because it released two days before my publishing goal, which was the latest I was willing to go, here. If Red Velvet drop the best song of all time on the 24th, you will be hearing about it in the second half round-up (hopefully). Noting that honorable mention means placement #0 and not #11. (I reveal that one in the next part. Stay tuned.)
#10 SEOLA - “Let’s Talk (Loneliness)”
It was around this time last year when “I Just Wanna Dance” by TIFFANY clicked for me out of nowhere. Released in May, 2016, the Girls’ Generation member’s “housetronica” solo debut carries the scent of summertime, clad in hazy pinks and blues, and filmed across the pastel-hued landscapes of Sun Valley, LA. The few English phrases sprinkled across the track speak to this perceived carefreeness; “I feel good,” “It’s alright,” “I just wanna dance the night away,” TIFFANY sings, yet underneath it all, lies a yearning for something deeper. Catharsis is the heroine’s secret wish, the dancing she talks of an alternative to getting “immersed in a very sad movie,” an act of reclaiming the real self she has been hiding “behind masks.” This, of course, is not about TIFFANY, but it is about the magic of breezy melancholy.
SEOLA, eldest and lead vocalist of girl group WJSN, made her official solo debut at the start of 2024. Clocking in at just eight and a half minutes, INSIDE OUT comprises three tracks, the least interesting of which happens to be the single. “Without U” builds on a pop-rock structure with synthpop elements, yet never makes it somewhere truly meaningful, with its forgettable topline marking its main weakness. The chorus gives SEOLA two seconds to prove she can belt, a likely welcome novelty for WJSN fans not used to punchier qualities in her voice; however, the idol associated with poised, girl crush charm sounds most at home when adhering to the delicate aspects of her persona.
“Let’s Talk (Loneliness),” unlike “Without U” which also features the longtime WJSN collaborators’ credits, has production team Full8loom at what they do best: EDM made ultra-feminine and vivid as technicolor. Guitar plucks turn into pulsating, 2-step club beats in the pre-chorus, to bloom into a melodic house chorus decorated with lush synths and harmonies. SEOLA is conversational across the song; narrating enveloping feelings of loneliness that follow her like a blue aura, “sometimes gentle, and sometimes heartless.” Even when lacking the jaunty hook ornamentations that TIFFANY employs (the English phrases here are fully-fledged and utterly confessional), this is music for the sad party girl, for feeling alone in a crowd. Propulsive and danceable, gloomy yet somehow sexy when backed by the underlying sensuality in SEOLA’s soft adlibs, “Let’s Talk” both wallows in its blueness and hints at the possibility of something new. After all, in the singer’s own words, “[Loneliness] can serve as a catalyst for people to move towards others and seek love.”
As of later 2022, WJSN are in their sunset era. A few months after a vaguely controversial win of Mnet’s Queendom 2 on the cusp of the “seven-year curse” and subsequent comeback “Last Sequence,” early 2023 saw the contract renewal of only eight out of 10 members, with STARSHIP Entertainment having evidently shifted focus to golden child IVE. As the group scatters around different paths of the entertainment industry, it will certainly be of interest to witness how upcoming solo efforts will pan out for the members still willing to pursue music — and whether any will be laying claim to a place on a branch of WJSN’s so carefully curated “Cosmic Girl” discography tree.
#9 BADVILLAIN - “YAH-HO (BADTITUDE)”
You’ve heard of VIVIZ, now get ready for “BV’s” — yes, as confused as I was pressing play on BADVILLAIN’s self-titled debut single for the first time, these two simply sound alike, though the subjective nod could be kind of cute. BADVILLAIN is VIVIZ and Taemin home BPM Entertainment’s newest girl group, comprising seven members, two of which of MBC’s My Teenage Girl and one of Mnet’s Street Woman Fighter 1 fame. You may know of BPM as the joint venture of South Korean rapper MC Mong and lyricist Park Jang-geun of Duble Sidekick, the duo whose production credits have graced numerous 2nd and early 3rd gen works (MBLAQ, Apink, Girl’s Day), often mentioned alongside Shinsadong Tiger and Brave Brothers. While Duble Sidekick’s other half, composer Chancellor, has recently been helping craft the spunky trap sound of all-Japanese, global ensemble XG, Park was, in part, cooking up a dance and rap-focused, teeth-gritting and street style-wearing girl group on his own turf.
“BADVILLAIN” by BADVILLAIN is just that: braggadocious lines about feeling no pain and cheating the “system,” brass and MIDI strings interrupted by Afrobeats-inspired breaks, “Mobbin’ with the bad girls, you ain’t even gang” — we’ve all seen this film before, a thousand times at that. It’s the whole reason my attention quickly shifted to another track from the septet’s debut triplet. And ended up held hostage. “YAH-HO (BADTITUDE)” is the most hypnotic caffeine pill you’ve ever tried. While matching the frontrunner in, well, “badtitude,” this aptly bite-sized tune is drastically less redundant, tighter, and infinitely more fun, trading spiky headpieces and vinyl for bright red jerseys, and apocalyptic sets for the greenest of grass. A snappy, minimal hip-hop beat underlines light-hearted, catchy bars that leave no space for the usual clunkiness of K-pop raps, and melodic sections that dissolve into dizzying, metallic sirens overlaid with the tongue-in-cheek chant of “Yah-ho.” (Onomatopeia or not, the interpretation is up to you.)
Instead of attacking the viewer with dramatic expressions, the girls opt for letting their natural coolness shine and their performance come off effortless. Their biggest asset, full-out, synchronized dancing whose synergy resembles that of dance crews’, is packed into accessible grooves and twerks which highlight the production, amplified by the presence of backup dancers. With K-pop’s Y2K revival era still going strong, there is no doubt that “YAH-HO” will bring to listeners’ minds echoes of Missy Elliott and Gwen Stefani — and for those who follow the scene more closely, you might hear a bit of Lil Cherry or XG’s Harvey in Korean-Canadian Chloe Young’s ultra-nasal rap, if you squint.
#8 tripleS - “Girls Never Die”
Jaden Jeong’s latest passion project has just begun taking flight. In an endeavor that closely rivals LOONA’s extensive, lore-heavy debut rollout in both novelty and controversy, the ex-group’s former creative director and LOONAVERSE conceptor turned MODHAUS CEO is currently overseeing the production of 24-membered girl group tripleS, touted as the world’s first decentralized K-pop idol group.
The vision here can be summarized as SM’s NCT project — an ultimately failed attempt at importing Japan’s AKB48 philosophy for the creation of an initially conceptualized as “limitless,” “K-pop & beyond” type of boy group — meeting the actual AKB48 model: an idol factory churning out girl group albums and performances through different member combinations, complete with an insular voting system that gives fans the ability to decide aspects of the act’s future activities, such as subunit lineups or title tracks. For tripleS, the latter is implemented through MODHAUS’ own Cosmo app and the digital purchase of in-app NFTs (known in this context as “objekts”), a fan-participatory as well as lucrative marketing method also adopted by post-LOONA unit and labelmate ARTMS, which has nonetheless come with its fair share of backlash due to the involvement of blockchain technology.
Late 2022 through early 2024 saw introductory releases from multiple subunits under the tripleS umbrella, leading up to the official debut of all 24 members with album ASSEMBLE24, helmed by the single (and 24-piece performance number) “Girls Never Die.” When it comes to producer duty, Jeong seems to have cracked a code by infusing into tripleS’ discography some of the special elixir that made LOONA’s sound stand out in the K-pop “underground” back in their humble beginnings: a viewpoint that maintains reach among the industry’s current musical trends where soundscapes once considered too lowkey for the main stage are continuously being revitalized. It’s a balance that works in favor of the group however: repackaging classic pop structures with fresh, customized conceptual spins to avoid falling into redundant pockets. The eyebrow-raising title of “Girls’ Capitalism” is but a slightly ostentatious wrapper for a tried and true ode to millennial-coded self-love and good ol’ girlbossing. “Generation” boasts retro instrumental touches and TikTok-originated dance moves to simultaneously comment on and successfully participate in “frowned-upon” Gen Z culture.
As of now, tripleS’ music gives the impression of being just a little too indie to conquer charts and a little too poppy to have a cult following; a little too serious to be classified as cute despite its bubbliness, and a little too personable for “girl crush” characterizations despite its aspirational themes. “Girls Never Die” — the undeniable centerpiece of an overall easygoing pop album — embodies all of the above, between signature, earworm “La la la”’s that secure its spot in your playlist, and its anthemic mood, reflective of a girl pack finally coming together.
#7 ITZY - “Mr. Vampire”
The main conversation around ITZY among the K-pop community hasn’t changed in a couple of years now. The JYP quintet born under BLACKPINK’s reign in 2019 first crystallized the “teen crush” concept among girl groups of their generation, then went on to suffer an identity crisis that would prove detrimental to their discography and permanently blur the waters of their stylistic perception.
Despite feeling the need to, I’m not really here to reiterate how JYP had the chance to stir ITZY into a truly of-the-times direction while they were still fresh off a SOPHIE collab and the release of 4th gen classic IT’z ME back in 2020. In the rough span of three years, the group has tried light and dark, soft and hard, Western and domestic approaches; pivoted aesthetics altogether, gone back to their roots and conformed to newer musical trends in quick succession — all while sonically outsmarting their Korean releases with Japanese singles that kept falling under fans’ radar.2 The linear approach has long been thrown out the window. But plain good music will never not be plain good music.
Full-length album BORN TO BE made its dramatic entrance in early January, led by a bombastic titular track dipped in 2018 girl crush militancy, and peaking with “UNTOUCHABLE”: a bouncy, future house cut, fit to breathe some fresh air into the group’s main single catalog with its tight, upbeat groove. Sandwiched between the two on the release timeline, “Mr. Vampire” steals the show, though not despite, but most definitely because of its refined subtlety.
Explicit sensual themes are a first for ITZY, yet the four members handling this comeback (given Lia’s health concern-induced hiatus) carry them with poise that can only come from years of performing and recording experience. From its hypnotic verses featuring sprinkled-in, arpeggiated piano and blossoming synths, to the catchy drop of a talk-rap chorus delivered with charismatic moxie by maknae Yuna, to Chaeryeong’s unexpected and equally unresolved bridge belts, “Mr. Vampire” illustrates the space from seduction to bite. “My blood becomes sweeter and sweeter / My heartbeat beats like a bird / Bite me,” the pre-chorus writes — and, yes, this would’ve been easy to read as a delayed Halloween comeback shoved into an LP release, hadn’t it been for ENHYPEN’s hit “Bite Me” from last May. As things are, vampires are literally so back.
The girls also have their first try at solo songs in this album: a couple of clunky takes on pop-rock, some run-of-the-mill synthpop, and two tracks cut from different eras’ backlogs in the TWICE vault. Yuna’s aegyo-tinged “Yet, but” recalls early TWICE hyper-cheer, while outstanding “Blossom” by Lia evokes the sunbae group’s mature side explored in more recent projects. “Mr. Vampire,” or BORN TO BE for that matter, by no means resumes ITZY’s “lost plot.” Nonetheless, it marks an overdue satisfactory moment in their new season.
Thank you for reading!
Check out Pt. 2, featuring placements #6 to #2, here.
You can find all mentioned songs in the Of The Moment playlist:
Comments are always appreciated! Feel free to reach out to me in any way you prefer. I would love to hear from you. Have a wonderful week!
NA!
As recently as last month, ITZY dropped two of the best tracks in their Japanese discography, "No Biggie" and "Algorhythm." Both could've topped this list if Japanese releases were included.
As someone who grew up with kpop, your lines about it being familiar and structured was so insanely relatable to me - there’s something so consistent about knowing that there’ll be a release at least twice a year for most well known groups, and a very defined hierarchy and structure in the system that rarely gets pushed. The fact that it feels at home to me is interesting, because I remember when I was first learning everything, it all felt super overwhelming, but I guess we’re all capable of learning haha.
Anyways, loved the descriptions of each song even if I don’t always have the same taste in music. I had no idea that Sophie had a hand in ITZY’s 24 Hours - it’s so interesting to see the collaborators behind Kpop songs, because the combination of western and korean producers is so fascinating and I would say more rare to see in other countries.