K-pop is littered with acts who – for one reason or another – didn’t get the full spotlight they deserved. I’ve spent plenty of time ranking and reviewed the industry’s biggest artists, but these underrated acts should never be forgotten.
This feature will take a look at disbanded groups and rank/rate their entire singles run, placing them in the pantheon of K-pop history.
First up is one of my personal favorites… BESTie!
Career timeline: 2013-2015
Overall sound: Effusive pop music with a focus on melody and vocals. They received many comparisons to Sistar and that feels very apt.
7. Zzang Christmas (ft. Yoo Sae Yoon) (2013)
It feels weird to kick this off with a Christmas song, especially this time of year! But as far as seasonal offerings go, Zzang Christmas is a highlight. It’s fun and sprightly and very in keeping with the rest of their discography.
Rating: 8.25
6. Excuse Me (2015)
I doubt BESTie expected this to be their swan song. Excuse Me embraces the popular brass trend of 2015 in the group’s own style, delivering a whopper of a hook and attitude to spare.
Rating: 8.75
5. Pitapat (2013)
The group debuted with a splash, heralded by the ultra-catchy “dugundugun” intro of this track. Pitapat has a bounding energy that can barely be contained. I love how the chorus pulls no punches. Not even misplaced autotune can mar its effect.
Rating: 8.75
4. Hot Baby (2014)
I live for this style of summer-themed K-pop. BESTie’s indefatigable energy relaxes a bit for Hot Baby but climaxes in a rousing, roller-rink-ready chorus that makes brilliant effect of backing vocals.
Rating: 8.75
3. Love Options (2013)
Just pure Brave Brothers produced goodness. The retro synths are absolutely delicious and the cyclical melodies have that trademark sound we know and love. The chorus is deceptively catchy.
Rating: 8.75
2. I Need You (2014)
This is probably BESTie’s most successful bid at a Sistar-style summer classic. The melodies are gorgeous and shimmering and the production bounds with an effusive sense of joy. Then we have a brilliant melodic coda at the end that switches things up in anthemic fashion.
Rating: 9
1. Thank You Very Much (2014)
This is the kind of pop chorus you want to shout from the rafters. The verses set it up nicely, but Thank You Very Much is all about its mammoth centerpiece. Duble Sidekick know how to write a melody, and this one is so fleshed-out and multifaceted that it felt like an instant classic from the very first listen.
one of the best k-pop girl groups of their generation, period. they literally had it all: phenomenally talented and gorgeous members & a solid discography to back it up. they deserved soooo much better. my top 3 would be Love Options, Thank You Very Much and a toss-up between Excuse Me/Hot Baby.
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they’re sooo real for releasing love options
btw, tripleS’ inner dance isn’t getting a review?
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I didn’t think it had a music video?
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not exactly a music video, but they did this “reels compilation” (?). since just do it only had a performance video and got reviewed, i don’t know if inner dance’s reel compilation qualifies for a review too.
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I love the idea of this feature! I look forward to discovering more underrated artists^^
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I doubt BESTie expected this to be their swan song. Excuse Me embraces the popular brass trend of 2015 in the group’s own style, delivering a whopper of a hook and attitude to spare.
They actually had at least one more mini but Dahye got injured so the music video was postponed shooting and then they just…..never came back 😭
TRULY great voices and songs tho. And the B-sides were so good too! Making sure I show love to ‘I’m so Fine’, Roller Girl (easily a great follow-up song potential) and the remix of Pit-a-Pat as true stand-outs.
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Oh my god, Love Options has been my go-to song for the past several months, this list is extremely timely.
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It’s amazing how the last two songs sound exactly like “Loving U”, wow. Maybe #1 is a little bit of Cher Lloyd’s “Want U Back”?
Never listened to Bestie, in part over loyalty to EXID lol. Always wanted an excuse to actually see what they had going on.
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