Do you need another list of favorites in order to find out if others share your opinions on your favorite kpop groups? Do you want some insight from someone who casually listens to kpop and throws out some interesting thoughts every now and then? Then this list is all you need! Come one come all, especially if you're an f(x), GOT7, or BTS fan!
2015 was honestly a pretty good year for kpop, at least compared to the disasters that were 2012-2014. There are very few songs from 2012-2013 that I actually liked, and that actually did cause me to stop caring about kpop for awhile. Now that I'm back at it, I think I'm gonna stay and check out the goods. Hopefully 2016 will turn out even better, because there were actually some great rookie groups that debuted in 2014 and 2015 that I already love which are slowly becoming favorites, next to the old guard of f(x), Infinite, GG and others.
I'm gonna try to limit myself to at most two songs per group, because if I didn't, this list would have way more f(x) songs than is fair for other groups. I also want to preface this by saying that I don't have a professional music background or anything like that, though I think I might have a tendency to pick up on certain terminology I've seen being used and employ them to sound more legit. BUT, I'm just a casual listener who doesn't even explore all the options tbh.
One particular genre you will NOT find on this list, or any of my favorites lists, is any song that is heavily hip-hop/rap based. I've never particularly enjoyed rapping, and especially not Korean rapping. The only exception to this rule is Tablo (and a select few Epik High songs), and his fan-FUCKING-tastic Fever's End album. I might not understand anything but goddamn that man can make me like rap.
Without further ado, my top 20 for 2015.
20. Just Right - Got7
I first started getting back into the groove of kpop around October, right when the college apps craze was at its height with earlies due and I was feeling that old urge again to listen to music in a language I don't understand. I looked around for recommendations and after watching a reaction video or three, I found this particular... gem? I don't know if I can quite call it that, because I really didn't like it when I fist listened to it. The weird disco scratching thing at the beginning threw me off a whole lot. If a song doesn't catch me within the first 30 seconds - 1 minuteish, I just skip it and move on to something I actually like. Shallow? Maybe. Efficient? I think so?
Anyway, fast forward a few months. I have BTS's "Run" on repeat. Except not really, because I had to keep going back to the Youtube window to restart the song. If I didn't, it would go to "If I do" (see what I did there LMAO). After a while, I realized that song was quite super. So of course I had to revisit "Just Right". And I finally started to like it. Youngjae's prechorus is fucking amazing. A+ Vocals. He even performs it live! I think. But then the whole "Ooooh ooooh" between the chorus and the second verse threw me off once again (I don't particularly enjoy that shit. Until it grows on me. And then I'm ok with that shit). So I moved on.
On the 3rd revisit, I finally realized that I actually liked the song. The scratchy thing grew on me. The oooh oooh thing grew on me. They're tolerable now. Jackson is fucking HOT. Mark is fucking CUTE. Youngjae's vocals are GREAT. Yea.
19. You Think - SNSD
The best song out of the four singles that GG put out this year. To date, my favorite of theirs has got to be Mr Mr, followed up closely with Genie and then Hoot. In this year only, though, Catch Me if You Can is actually a close second to this, then Lion Heart, then the boring ass generic-ness that was Party. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to the full album, but I haven't heard anything spectacular about it so...
Back to You Think! I was surprised by how edgy this song was. And my favorite line is from Sunny about the SNS - I think there was some Korean wordplay there, I'm not sure. She sings it with so much sass I was like damn girl your attitude on fire tho. The song is pretty catchy and the music video is sexy without venturing into anything overt. Not that I'm against really sexy videos, but it just doesn't suit their image.
Really what made this song even come on this list is the line "You think you're real cool (you're not!)" which was stuck in my head for weeks. I'd randomly (and also not so randomly) sing that line which baffled my Korean best friend because she was so shocked I even liked the song. And then she just got irritated because she wanted me to stop. RIP.
The one weak point, or I guess two weak points, is the rapping. Sooyoung's tone really just doesn't do it for me. I can't. Hyoyeon's was ok, but together, the extended breakdown really kind of ruins the song. If they had something else there, this song might be higher on the list.
18. Hopeless Love - Park Jimin
I couldn't find the fucking original on Blogger's search thing so i guess this'll have to do
The only ballad you'll find on here, because after rapping, ballads are the bane of my existence. Even the best male vocalist and cute-as-fuck/sexy-as-fuck/ god's-gift-to-humanity Kyuhyun can't make me like ballads. But a confluence of factors for Hopeless Love made me fall in love with the song after just a one listen:
a. My fanboying for Jimin (aka Jamie) on After School Club. That program is an awesome variety show that connects kpop bands with international fans and even for someone so young, Jamie does a great job of hosting that show and holding her own with Eric and Kevin who are both much older than her. I knew that she was a singer before I listened to this, but I had no idea she was so awesome.
b. The instrumental isn't some boring ass piano. It's got some really nice drums and a hooking synth-piano thing (??) that really grabbed me right at the beginning. The note progression (??? I honestly don't know what I'm talking about) in the chorus is done in a way that really appeals to me.
c. Her fucking vocals. She may only be 18 but FUCK if her vocals aren't on point AS FUCK. The high notes in the chorus are sung with such sorrowful emotion, I could really feel the longing. Whether or not she's actually been through this is almost irrelevant, she handles the emotions so convincingly.
d. The music video was really interesting. Artsy, but not overwrought. I love it.
So this might be a slow ass song, but it's great nonetheless. 10/10 fighting!! I really hope she and 15& do well in the future.
17. Like Ooh Aah - Twice
A growing trend you might find amongst any of my reviews for any song is that I will not like it on the first listen. It is very rare that I like anything on the first listen, even some of the songs that are high up on this list. Like Ooh Ahh is no exception. I was really turned off by how... poppy? Overly pop? This song is at the beginning. And of course I clicked out of it after a few seconds.
I would constantly revisit it afterwards, and then I realized I actually did enjoy this song quite a bit. Jihyo's light and airy vocals, while possibly really bad technique, are really nice to listen to. Sana is my bias tho, her attempts at the gymnastics (?) that the other members were doing in the video were so endearing and funny. And she's so CUTE. The song as a whole is catchy as fuck and the dance to it is pretty fun too. The zombies concept is like. kind of out place with the lyrics? Idk.
16. Heart Attack - AOA
AOA is one of those groups that I really never intended on liking, but then they showed up with some good songs and I was like. I'm not a fan but your music is decent. With AOA, I began with some of their hits last year like Miniskirt and Like a Cat. Like a Cat very recently began to grow on me (after listening to too much of it at work lmao), but Heart Attack beats both of them by far.
Let me briefly say that I don't understand the Choa hype at all. One of friends who listened to kpop before said she was his favorite and I was like ??? Her solo was a boring ass ballad which didn't help me understand the hype any better.
Anyway, Heart Attack opens very strongly and definitely drew me in with the EDM-pop inflection of the instrumental. It overpowered the vocals at times, but that's fine for me tbh. I could not care less if I can properly hear them singing or not, the instrumental definitely carries this song for me. There's some random yelling in the background at times which kind of throws things off for me. But it's very catchy... which is all that matters in this industry TBH
15. Rude Love - f(x)
I love f(x). Let me say it again. I LOVE f(x).
Back in the old days of 2011 when I first got into kpop, f(x) wasn't even on my radar. That was when I could honestly say SNSD was my favorite group, and that SHINEE songs were consistently good. Fast forward a few years, I come back, and I hear everywhere that Pink Tape is quite possibly the best kpop album to EVER be produced by any group. Of course, that's a lofty goal to attain, but I gave it a try.
I wasn't too impressed. This was back in 2014 btw, and Red Light had come out like a month before. Yes, Rum Pum Pum Pum was good, Airplane was AMAZING, but there weren't any other songs that really made me love it, besides maybe Step which was a distant 3rd to the above two songs. Then I listened to Red Light. I HATED it on the first listen. The trap beat threw me off (do you notice another trend here?). But of course I tried again. And again. And I realize (after a few months) that Red Light was literally the best song of 2014. The rest of the album was pretty spectacular too (Butterfly, Rainbow, Dracula). I became a sleeper f(x) stan. About 10 months of kpop hiatus later, in October, I go back and Red Light is still literally the best song of 2014. They announce f(x)'s comeback at the end of October, and I get fucking PUMPED and I fully embrace my love of f(x).
Rude Love is my 3rd favorite off the album. Yes, I'm including 3 f(x) songs on here. I can honestly say they came out with more than 3 of the top 20 songs of 2015. I could probably replace 2 songs above with another 2 from the album. This song, in particular, is catchy right from the beginning. The EDM beat is really addicting, but Amber's vocals really steal the show for me I think.
14. Dumb Dumb/Automatic - Red Velvet
Red Velvet didn't really impress me with their debut. Happiness was a like a quirky, childish version of a random f(x) song. Be Natural was a boring almost-ballad. But Dumb Dumb came out right when I returned from my hiatus, and by god, it was addicting as hell. Annoying? Maybe. But addicting as hell. And it is by far the better of the "Red" singles between it and Ice Cream Cake, which was, again, just a bit too quirky and childish for me to like it.
I have to pay tribute to their "Velvet" side, of course, and I did genuinely like Automatic. Whereas Be Natural was honestly really boring and didn't really have a noticeable verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure that I needed to have stability in my life, Automatic did. And the really nice white noise like instrumental in the back really complemented the lovely vocals. Just all around chill music. Wendy is my fav. Best vocalist AND speaks English really well AND is Canadian AND has a really unique name you don't really see anymore? Sign me the fuck up.
13. 23 - IU
again, not letting me find the original
Right off the bat, I would like to say that I do not understand at all what the fuck the whole controversy surrounding IU has been about. Pedophilia?? What?? Use your fucking critical reading skills and actually try to analyze those basic ass lyrics. No, IU is NOT interested in little boys. Why the fuck would she write a song about that, never mind admit it on national television??? And then people started confusing it with 23 and then all of the sudden she's also a pedo for the imagery in the 23 video?? What?? I don't even know if I'm getting this right, for all the fucks I give about this.
I love how the lyrics in 23 almost kind of predicted the backlash against her (I think they're about a previous scandal where she's accused of being a fox?). I hope that she does stay away from public work so that she doesn't continue to get caught up in the netizen hate. Though I think there are also some good examples of where people can hold a mean grudge *cough* bom *cough*
Anyway, 23 is an awesome song. Extremely catchy. Kept me sated until the f(x) comeback a week after its release, which honestly makes me like it more than I probably should. It's got a really funky feel to it, and the music video is full of awesome imagery and symbolism that I make mental notes of while I'm watching but quickly forget afterwards lmao. IU really moved on from her cutesy little sister image which is also awesome (though tbh the Red Shoes was a better song).
12. I Need U - BTS
I have to admit, BTS really crept into my heart this December, long after I was first introduced to them back in 2014 when I was briefly reinvolved in kpop. I always had this impression that they were just another random boy group trying to pull off the hip hop, bad boy image. Perhaps I was just really sick of YG's push for more and more fake-ass swag in kpop (and I still am. I used to love Big Bang and 2NE1 but nothing they've released recently are any good). That automatically made me dislike them. I listened to a few of their songs and they did literally nothing for me, even Danger, which I now consider their best song of 2014. Coming back into kpop, however, really put things into perspective for me for just how good they are. Especially seeing Dope on Youtubers React was an interesting experience, as I initially really liked the sax breakdowns.
Then Run came out and I was shit. This shit is good. So good that it's pretty much my number 1 this year. Of course I had to go back and check out their other songs and re-evaluate. And Danger became one of my top songs of 2014. And I Need U is currently one of my favorites as well (obviously). Jungkook's pained declarations of need for the mystery girl in the video tugs at my heart strings (and he's cute as fuck so there's that), and I love the EDM style breakdowns in between chorus and verses (is that another trend I spot).
11. I - Taeyeon
Taeyeon surprised the shit out of me which this glorious solo debut. Possibly the best solo debut of 2015 (sorry Amber). I went in expecting a boring ass ballad, and it seemed like it would be just that until after Verbal's verse and then the song really starts getting going. The rock instrumental really does wonders to complement Taeyeon's vocals, which are among the best in the business.
I was initially hesitant about the long ass extended guitar breakdown thing in the middle of the song, but then I listened to the audio version of the song and it turns out that long ass guitar was just for the music video. Which is fucking GORGEOUS by the way, New Zealand hello? Take me there pls? The storyline and lyrics are very inspiring as well, about Taeyeon's breaking free from the chains of mediocrity and truly embracing herself. In the music video, she literally reunites with her other self and becomes a nature hippie.
10. When I'm Alone - f(x)
The next f(x) song on the list, and just another reason why the 4 walls album is probably the best in all of their discography (yes I did just say that 4 walls is better than Pink Tape sorrynotsorry). Apparently it was originally written by Carly Rae Jepsen about masturbating? Title makes sense lmao. I'm guessing it's only the composition that was taken from her, not the actual lyrics, since Carly probably did not write in Korean and they would not ever make a song with lyrics that was actually about something so edgy.
When I'm alone is just such a chill song. The perfect ending to a stellar album. It takes things slower than the other songs, with an mesmerizingly calm white noise type instrumental that I just love (similar to automatic, but better). The repetitions of "when I'm, when I'm alone" yearn for some desperately needed alone time, possibly, a respite from their crazy idol lives (or so my inner bullshitting analyst claims).
9. Crazy - 4minute
I can confidently say that 4minute did not release anything of value in the years 2013 and 2014, and although I have Volume Up back in 2012 as proof of their potential for high quality, Crazy is all I really needed to start really anticipating 4minute's comebacks (the next of which is coming this month!!! with skrillex!! hopefully it isn't shit and takes after the precedent Crazy set). Goddamn, Crazy is the banger of 2015 and it really set the standard for bangers for the rest of the year. One reason you won't see Dope on this list is because Crazy does its job and does it better.
It starts off fierce and continues being fierce until Jihyun's breakdown, which... left something to be desired, to say the least. But goddmamn does the rest of the song more than make for it, with Gayoon's hype vocals for the prechorus buildup, and then the excellent trap beat in the chorus. Even Hyuna and Jiyoon's raps this time was actually fairly good and projected an effortlessly cool image, instead of the wannabe bad girl mess that usually ends up happening with female Korean rappers.
8. Closer - Oh My Girl
Many of the songs on this list were happy accidents, and Closer is no exception. Oh My Girl wasn't anywhere on my radar, until I stumbled across them as a recommendation on a random article about kpop. To me, they seemed like just another generic cutesy girl group like Bestie, GFriend, Apink, Lovelyz etc. who usually produce the kind of cutesy schoolgirl pop that tries too hard to be the next Gee or copies Into the New World in some way, which I despise. But Closer defied all expectations and instead gave me this dream-like fantasisa-inspired triumph of a song. It was seriously catchy but extremely relaxing at the same time. Also, the choreography to this song is really interesting. Most of the time, girl group choreography is really boring and uninspired, either lots of hip gyrating for the fanboys or weak-ass aegyo cute that make me want to barf. It reminds me of the Mr Mr choreo (one reason why it's my fav snsd song), in that the members get into groups and do their own thing to create complexity, but also come together and dance together.
My hopes are that OMG continue to gain popularity next year and continue coming out with high quality material like this.
7. El Dorado - Exo
Oh boy. Exo. I have a very... mixed relationship with them. Their debut might have actually been a reason why I left kpop back in early 2013 - if that was the future of kpop, then I wanted no part of it. Exo for me represented a gross over reaching of SM in their efforts to create "universal superstars". Their debut songs and videos were just so... fucking TRYHARD. And it's not that I don't like it when people try hard in an effort to please me. I love it when I see that there has been a concerted effort to give me a polished, multifaceted product in order to give me a complete experience. But Exo's debut was so over the top (spanning almost half a year and TWO prologue singles wtf??), their music videos taking themselves way too fucking seriously, MAMA being a complete mess of a song, that I just could not take it. I think I Got a Boy was the straw that broke the camel's back btw, so it's not all exo's fault.
Of course, the first EXO material I'm exposed to when I return is Call Me Baby, and it was a god awfully generic song. Not bad, just generic. Same with Love Me Right. So I didn't bother checking out the album. It wasn't until that I stumbled across this recommendation that I gave El Dorado a go. And my god, what a fucking great decision that was. El Dorado is the moody boy band song with EDM elements that I was looking for. The intense attitude of the vocals actually suit this song and don't feel overwrought, unlike in their earlier songs. Baekhyun's high notes at the end of the bridge make me hard. It's also got some really nice middle eastern influences in the chord progressions, which is kind of strange given that El Dorado is a Latin American myth.
6. Vibrato - Stellar
Stellar is probably one of the best underrated groups out there. They’ve put out 2 *stellar* (I’m so funny) singles (Mask and this) now, and one pretty good one (Marionette) in the span of one year. Vibrato is really a triumph of pop music. The quirky little violin flourishes and quick sax bursts (??) keep the song interesting all the way through. The bridge slows down a bit from the rest, but quickly reveals itself to be the best part of the entire song. I don’t think I’ve stopped saying in broken Korean “AIGA TRIPPP GA TRIPP” (sic.) since I first listened to this song.
The music video is absolutely spectacular too, on a few different levels. First, ya got your basic sexy music video. You got your sex deprived fanboys fapping all over those ass visuals, I guarantee. Second, you got your edgy message about women’s sexual freedom, especially in the repressed society of Korea. The lyrics seem to imply her first orgasm, or perhaps her first sexual experience. The heavy vaginal imagery in the music video also alludes to this yearning for release. Third, you've got your continuation on a theme, in terms of the music videos. In Marionette, they’re puppets for the control of the public to be used as they wish. In Mask, they’re trying to shake off that façade, or at least try to show that their lives are an illusion. In Vibrato, they break free. And hopefully, in their upcoming comeback “Stabbed”, they will stab all the netizens who ever insulted them for being “too scandalous.”
5. 4 Walls - f(x)
I. LOVE. F(X).
4 Walls has been accused of copying View, but it's honestly so much better. Both are deep house, but 4 walls has that extra element of mysticism that just gives it an ethereal feel. Whenever I listen to this song, I feel so relaxed (which is yet another theme it seems among my favorites). There's not much to say here I think. It is the left field pop masterpiece that I've come to expect from f(x), but I have to admit, not as good as Red Light. Close, but not quite. Not as far out there, it definitely plays it more safe, and suffers a bit for that in comparison to Red Light.
4. FM - Crayon Pop
Yet another late discovery for me, from reading the blogs of more learned kpoppers than I. Crayon Pop seemed to me just another one of those generic cutesy girl groups, and Bar Bar Bar didn't do much to dispel that feeling for me. However, this song placed quite high in many end of the year lists I read, and I had to give it a listen.
And that first listen was enough for me to think that this is easily top 5 material. Again, the heavy electronic instrumental makes me want to listen to this over and over, and the chorus is catchy as fuck too. There are some quirky little flourishes and extra bells and whistles that don’t distract from the song but actually enhance it, which is actually rare (I’m thinking about Like Ooh Aah right now). Now that I’ve had a taste of this awesome, even-more-left-field-than-f(x) type music, I’m definitely looking to listen to their older discography. I also hear they’re making a domestic comeback soon, which is awesome.
3. If You Do - GOT7
Just Right may or may not deserve to be on this list (it was a contest between it and Rainbow's Black Swan), but If You Do definitely does for being the sexy ass, catchy ass song that is. And, of course, for introducing me to the wonders of GOT7, and specifically, JACKSON (and to a lesser extent, Mark and Youngjae). To be completely honest, I don’t care much for their earlier releases. Just Right turned out ok, A is generic boy band trash, and Girls Girls Girls and Stop Stop It are just strange songs that I don’t understand (both Mark and Jackson sing in the first one lmao). But holy shit did If You Do really trigger something in me when I realized how awesome the song was after it played a few times in the background while I wasn’t paying attention. Their styling is just so fucking hot, and in the music video, when Jackson punches the punching bag… oh my.
I can’t even pinpoint exactly what I like about this song, because of my lack of musical background. Just something about the first few seconds of synthy guitar type funk thing really got me. And then Junior’s soft delivery of the first verse kept me going until Jackson’s rap and by then I was already all in. Youngjae and JB do a great job in the chorus. I think the funniest part is when the girl starts talking though. I can’t help but think that’s Cara Delevigne. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Cara is such an awesome person, and that girl sounds exactly like her.
2. Bad - Infinite
why am i not suprised they chose L as the icon image lmao
Oh shit. We wandering into that old school Infinite territory now boys. I don’t know what I meant with that sentence. I think, something along the lines of, this song is just what I expect from one of the best boy bands in the business? I’ve really come to expect high quality from Infinite (when they’re not busy doing generic boy band bullshit like Man in Love or Last Romeo *shudder*), from The Chaser, to Destiny, to Back, to now this, fam that deserves some hardcore fanboying by me. And Woohyun is so CUTE. And his vocals are AWESOME. Especially here when he does the first part of the prechorus (the part right before Sunggyu’s). His voice is so distinctive, it has this deeper color compared to his bandmates that just makes it so sexy. Right off the bat, Bad slams you with an awesome… beeping sound?? I’m really not sure how else to describe it, but it's great. It also has symphonic violin instrumentals, which were honestly such a great inclusion of an instrument that you don’t normally see in pop (as I mentioned above, Vibrato also uses this to great effect). Year after year, Infinite is the one boy group I can count on to blow my fucking mind, and this year they definitely did not disappoint.
One last thing about the music video. That girl is fucking scary. Holy shit that’s like horror movie level amount of creepy.
1. Run - BTS
I forgot to mention this earlier, but there's a common thread between the I Need U music video and Run's music video. I would put more effort into researching the theories, but apparently it's not completely clear yet what it means so I think I'll just enjoy the music until everything comes out...
Oh boy. I wonder if this choice is common as a number 1. I’ve seen a lot of variety in the number ones, but no Run so far. To be honest, any of these top 5 songs can be interchangeable as my absolute favorite for the year. This order is almost completely arbitrary. Almost. I will say that Run is rare in that it took less than one listen for me to get completely hooked on it. Every single other song on this list required at least two listens for me to like it (yes I say differently for some songs on this list, but this overrides that ok). The chorus was just so fucking well done, it stayed in mind for an entire day even after less than 1 listen. I was sick, and possibly delusional, when I first heard this song, but listening to it was like the angels parting the clouds for me to converse directly with God. Now, again, I could say this about any of the other songs in the top 5, but this one took the least amount of effort to get into.
I can confidently say that I a huge BTS fanboy now. Yes Jungkook is the most popular member. Yes he is my bias despite that. He's so fucking CUTE. Like holy shit I didn't know it was possible to be so cute. Yes his vocal technique might not be great. But that airy quality fits the song well. I think. lmao
The theme of Run is actually pretty interesting too. I think it’s about the never ending run to get away from your problems? Something about running until you’re numb to the pain. The lyrics are very emotional and dark, and both the song's instrumental and the video are a good representation of that. Everything from Rap Monster’s rap to Suga’s Rap, to Jin’s prechorus, to Jungkook and Jimin’s handling of the chorus, to J-Hope’s rap to V’s prechorus, to the bridge to EVERYTHING was pretty much perfect. I might dislike most rapping, but even the rapping in this song actually enhanced the song as a whole.
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