This year, the K-pop industry is reviving slowly from COVID headwinds. ItŌĆÖs not a stretch to say that the business is getting back on track with large concerts being switched back to in-person events, like the ŌĆś2022 Dream Concert.ŌĆÖ The K-POP industry has progressed through four generations, and girl groups are enjoying their popularity more than ever. Following ITZY, the iconic fourth-generation K-pop ambassador, IVE, Kep1er, Billie, and LESSERAFIM rose to fame, and numerous female artists entered various music charts. So without further ado, letŌĆÖs take a look at the list of the best K-pop songs and albums of 2022 so far. Ā
This yearŌĆÖs most successful K-POP song would be ŌĆ£TOMBOYŌĆØ by (G)I-DLE. The song stayed atop numerous music charts for multiple weeks and is maintaining its spot as one of the most popular K-pop songs of the year. ŌĆ£TOMBOYŌĆØ has made good use of its trendy rhythm combined with So Yeon and Mi YeonŌĆÖs catchy voice, and Minnie and YuqiŌĆÖs unique but harmonious voice. The bridge and outro are also very neat, which makes it a quality album of (G)I-DLE. Due to controversies over Soo JinŌĆÖs school violence and her leaving the team, (G)I-DLE went through tough times and had to take a break from their career. However, they made their long-awaited comeback through the song ŌĆ£I NEVER DIEŌĆØ and settled all the controversies. ┬Ā
IVE proved the groupŌĆÖs potential with their debut single, ŌĆ£Eleven,ŌĆØ and ŌĆ£LOVE DIVEŌĆØ confirmed that the success of ŌĆ£ELEVENŌĆØ was no coincidence. IVE tweaked the hackneyed teenage music into something new and created the famous saying, ŌĆ£hold your breath and LOVE DIVE.ŌĆØ Following ŌĆ£Eleven,ŌĆØ ŌĆ£LOVE DIVEŌĆØ topped both music programs and charts, seeing an outstanding result for a second single album by a girl group. Although Jang Won Young and Ahn Yoo Jin were famous before their debut, the secret to their success does not only lie in their members. ┬Ā
It was a bold decision. They used guitar and bass sounds and created a track that can easily be a piece of band music than dance-pop music. The performance is also significantly more intense and detailed than anything weŌĆÖve seen from Drippin. It reminds us of artists like MONSTA X, NCT, and ENHYPEN, yet it attempts to find DrippinŌĆÖs own color. The song also gives us a precious opportunity to notice an incredibly talented member, Hwang Yun Sung, who is incredible at giving off the songŌĆÖs feel using his unique facial expression. Ā
Taeyeon proved her talent and showed her goal as a vocalist through her first and second full-length albums. The third full-length album, INVU, talks about relationships between people. This album can be roughly divided into two parts: #1 to #7 and #8 to #13. The first half of the music contains the feeling of ŌĆśenvyŌĆÖ (ŌĆ£INVUŌĆØ) beyond just love, which reaches an uncontrollable state (ŌĆ£CanŌĆÖt Control MyselfŌĆØ) after enduring ŌĆ£Some Nights,ŌĆØ resulting in one throwing themself on fire (ŌĆ£Set Myself on FireŌĆØ). The one wallows in self-pity and considers themself as an adult child (ŌĆ£ToddlerŌĆØ), describing their situation ŌĆ£Cold as Hell.ŌĆØ This tragic story steps into a brighter light as one gets determined (ŌĆ£Timeless, No Love AgainŌĆØ), takes a break (ŌĆ£WeekendŌĆØ) and gradually mends the bad blood (ŌĆ£Ending CreditsŌĆØ). Ranging from her deep resonating voice to perfect vibrato and wide vocal range to superb lyrical delivery, itŌĆÖs been a while since we came across a song that is led by the voice of the singer rather than synthetic sounds. ┬Ā
Last year, NCT DREAM achieved their new career-high with ŌĆ£Hot Sauce.ŌĆØ The title track of the second full-length album, ŌĆ£Glitch Mode,ŌĆØ is much like ŌĆ£Hot Sauce.ŌĆØ The song structure that employs chant melodies in the chorus and melodic lines in the main vocals is not novel but appealing. Furthermore, the boundaries between NCT and its other unit, NCT 127, are very distinct. The lyrics and voice are lively and witty, and the A&R teamŌĆÖs clever plan and the membersŌĆÖ outstanding performances have made a piece of fantastic music. ┬Ā
TXTŌĆÖs fourth mini-album, minisode 2: ThursdayŌĆÖs Child, has a bold message and an aggressive sound, yet itŌĆÖs not too serious or heavy. You can feel the songŌĆÖs narrative at the beginning and the feeble and sorrowful vibe that is often found in BTSŌĆÖ music. With its membersŌĆÖ different vibe, it may feel like a bonus track on one of TXTŌĆÖs albums, but the album title ŌĆ£minisodeŌĆØ safeguards the artistŌĆÖs distinct identity. ┬Ā Editor Yoon: I love music, especially K-POP, and I dream of becoming an A&R person, lyricist, artist, etc. I will cover various articles, including song reviews, artist reviews, and K-pop market analysis.
