Concluding this painful saga, I’ll demonstrate just why this K-pop addiction is so difficult to give up. At the end of the day the music is. Just. So . Catchy. About fifty percent of the music I listen to these days is K-pop (a statistic attained with ease, courtesy of iTunes). When I needed help choosing the songs to include in this part of my story, I knew exactly where to turn: my most played songs.
10. BTS - We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2
This group is one that I am currently getting into. They won the Best New Artist award at the Seoul Music Award this past year and I’m excited to see how they grow as a group. They’ve only been active for about a year but they’ve already released like five promotional songs and two albums. They are a hard-hitting hip-hop dance group that’s been gaining attention for producing a lot of their own music, which is pretty amazing for a new group. Their company obviously has a lot of faith in them as artists and it seems to be paying off with their growing popularity. Check out the translations for their songs, as their lyrics are typically loaded with meaning.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqhWHy0rrtM]
If you like this song, you should check out their other songs like N.O. or No More Dream
9. Big Bang - Bad Boy
Arguably the biggest boy band in K-pop right now, Big Bang’s members are seven year veterans in the K-pop industry. The group comprises my second favorite guy in K-pop (or as K-pop fans would say, my number two bias) G-Dragon, Taeyang, Seungri, Daesung, and T.O.P. They won MTV EMA’s “Best Worldwide Act” award, beating out both Britney and Bieber alike. It was quite an accomplishment and truly a demonstration of the dedication of their fans, called VIPS.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qnV55LUFVM]
Check out this song from their incredibly popular album, Alive, which also featured their hit song, Fantastic Baby
8. 2NE1 - I am the Best
2NE1, a labelmate with senior group Big Bang, is a force to be reckoned with. This song by 2NE1 is their biggest to date. 2NE1’s music is typically high energy with an easy island-inspired feel to them. Most recently they, and their song, were featured on an episode of The Bachelor. Yes, really. They were also the subject of an irritating installment of Kids React on Youtube. Jenna and Mark even danced to it on an episode of So You Think You Can Dance. We’ve been hearing about a US debut for like ten years over here in the K-pop world. Something about a will.i.am collab. But nothing ever came to fruition. At least not yet.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7_lSP8Vc3o]
If you liked this song you should check out some of their other hits like Fire and Falling In Love. Or maybe the leader CL’s debut single, The Baddest Female.
7. SHINee - Sherlock
This was easily one of my favorite songs of 2012 and is still a song I let play all the way through on shuffle. SHINee consists of Jonghyun, Minho, Taemin (my number 3 bias), Onew, and Key. They’re famous for being both excellent and amazing live performers. SHINee is actually my favorite K-pop group. I’ve seen all their variety programs and closely follow their individual activities. If you like this song, you’re sure to like their other songs like Everybody and Replay
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kyG5tTZ1iE]
6. BtoB - Wow
If you like Sherlock, then I guarantee you’ll like this song from a newer group called BtoB. It has a stronger new jack swing feel to it, earning it praise from the creator of the genre himself, Teddy Riley. BtoB debuted somewhat recently in 2012 and I’ve been following them these days. They come from Cube Entertainment, which is also home to my love, Rain, and my favorite, 4Minute. Mostly they stood out to me because of their incredible good looks (I am shameless) but they keep my interest because of their exciting concepts and catchy songs like Thriller and their newest song Beep Beep
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXcUXWL1mJA]
5. f(x) - Electric Shock
This song here is probably the definition of K-pop. Colorful box sets, an addictive chorus, and an incredibly catchy dance. f(x) is up there on my list of favorites. Their songs are always interesting and undeniably fresh. Most of their songs skew towards EDM and are a blast to work out to. Fun fact: Krystal of f(x) happens to be the sister of Jessica from Girls’ Generation.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8I8QGFA1oM]
If you like this song, you should check out their songs Danger (Pinocchio) and Hot Summer
4. 4Minute - Volume Up
Sones (Girl’s Generation fans) and Blackjacks (2NE1) fans engage one another in an ongoing war about who Korea’s best girl group is at the moment, and Youtube comments are their battlefield. I personally do not get involved with those kind of battles. I’m far too busy fangirling over my favorite girl group in K-pop, 4-4-4-4-4Minute. They are the only group for whom I am registered as an official fan. Yes, I’m a 4nia. I love literally all of their music and I follow all their releases. Here is my current favorite 4Minute song. It was really hard to choose because, like I said, I love all their songs.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsWl1--Niyg]
Coming in at a close second and third are their songs Muzik and I, My, Me, Mine
3. Hyuna - Ice Cream
You probably recognize this artist from the uber popular video for Gangnam Style (and if you don’t, you should). Hyuna is also the main rapper in 4Minute. Her solo songs are amazing and I think she has more charisma than anyone else in the K-pop industry. She’s super pretty and a great dancer with a great personality. She has a lot of potential as an artist and I look forward to seeing what she has in store for us.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlWZluzBNxM]
If you like this song, her other hit songs, Change and Bubble Pop, might be worth a listen.
2. Infinite - The Chaser
I’m going to be completely honest with you guys, I don’t know a lot about this group. I know only two of the members and that’s just from watching dramas and variety shows. However, I will say that the song below is one of my favorite K-pop songs ever. I played this song out during the summer of 2012. My love for this song pushed me to try getting into their other music, but in the end, nothing really stuck like this song did. If you like 80s synthpop and hot, charismatic stares, then this song is for you.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgmSImDoJNg]
1. Royal Pirates - On My Mind
This is a newer band that I’ve been getting into recently . They are a pop rock group with a slight R&B twist. The song I’ve chosen to include doesn’t have a video because it’s not a single. But, nonetheless, I was and am still obsessed with it. It was my most played K-pop song of 2013. Royal Pirates is a Korean-American band that debuted in Korea last year. Their three members, Moon (main vocal, guitar), Soyoon (vocal, drums), and James (vocal, bass), were previously famous for doing rock covers of famous K-pop songs on Youtube, so it’s neat to see them now promoting on music shows. So far I have loved every song they’ve released and I particularly enjoyed their first EP, Drawing the Line.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Qo76JI-gA]
If you like On My Mind, be sure to check out their other songs like Shout Out and Drawing the Line
And there you have it. I’m sure I’ll suddenly remember other songs and artists that should’ve been included, because honestly K-pop has a lot to offer in terms of variety of sound. Sure, I get to see and listen to great music every day. And yes, the men and women of K-pop are otherworldly attractive. But promise me that you won’t go down the same path as me. Spare yourselves, please.
But in all seriousness, K-pop has opened me up to a new culture, music, and language. I think I’m more open-minded now because of it and I’ve learned to be more accepting of new things. You never know if you like something until you try it. It’s hard to remember my life before K-pop, and honestly now that it’s here, I don’t think I’m quite ready to let it go. Maybe I never will be.
If you liked any of the songs mentioned in the series, please make sure to mention it in the comments section. It’s never too late, you know. I know they’re extremely catchy but just resist the urge to watch the videos again and whatever you do, DO NOT DOWNLOAD THEIR ALBUMS OFF OF ITUNES. No all nighters, okay?
Missed Part 1 and 2 of the series? Check it out here and here.
(photo credit: AppsZoom)
This post was written by Josein Wilson, who is a graduate of University of South Florida and is currently a student at Florida Atlantic University. When Josein isn’t at work, school or watching Korean drama’s online, you can find her practicing nail art and makeup looks via Youtube. Tweet her at @datgirljoseyConnect with Josein: Tumblr | Instagram
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