It’s been a good, yet ever a turbulent year for K-pop this year. We’ve had a number of good releases and not so great and Dazed Digital have recently posted their top 5 songs you should give a listen to in their article which you can read here which features BTS, Mignon, Matilda, SHINee and R&B artist Ocean.
BTS had broken the previously held record on the US Billboard 200 chart by 2ne1 with their success continuing through the end of the year. They’re definitely growing more in popularity and gaining interest, for a group that does not come from one of the main K-pop entertainment companies.
The boy group’s latest title track ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ was the first to be featured, their transition from their debut has been interesting to watch. With their dedicated and thriving fanbase continuing to witness their growth as artists by making a name for themselves in the highly competitive music industry. Since 2015, their MV style shifted in a different direction as they focused more on building up a complex story that inspired fans to come up with theories.
In addition, DJ and producer Mignon was second on the list with his track “808 Dunk”. Along with the rookie girl group MATILDA following after with their song “You Bad! Don’t Make Me Cry!”. It was disclosed that while this group was more of a guilty pleasure, with the track itself being a mix-mash of contrasting sounds that just clash with one another. While there wasn’t a winning formula with this particular song, the sudden drop in the chorus follows the trend seen in many K-pop songs.
SHINee were also included with their most recent comeback song ‘1of1’ which paid homage to the 90’s and hit us all with the sense of nostalgia. It’s definitely a throwback song for sure, but while it doesn’t instantly remind us of the kind of music that they’ve previously put out in the past, they do still manage to pull it off. And that’s what makes SHINee one of the versatile groups, not being one to follow trends given by this new – or rather old musical style.
And finally, the last artist of the list is Ocean! He’s relatively new to the scene and reportedly has only been releasing music for about a year now with 5 tracks on his soundcloud account which you can find here. From the first listen of his song ‘Baby’, his vocals are incredibly soothing on the ears. Dazed Digital’s review of his song really did it justice! Though there’s no doubt, he’ll definitely be an artist to watch out for in the future!
