At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade.
January 2024 Overall Thoughts
Well, what a nice surprise this month has been!
After many years writing this blog, I try to temper my expectations. I can’t say I was anticipating January more than any recent month, but I’ve been pleasantly shocked by how much great music has been stuffed into the past few weeks. I think this has been the strongest K-pop January since… maybe 2018?
What’s more, many of these highlights came from groups I don’t actively keep an eye out for. I mean, certain acts are almost guaranteed to release material I enjoy, but it can be even more fun when excellent songs spawn from unexpected sources.
Compared to Januarys of the past, this month felt unusually crowded. There were many debuts and a few big-name comebacks that kept K-pop conversation high. Pre-releases also played an important role, with many groups delivering several music videos. My blogging schedule was packed, which isn’t often the case during these winter months.
Choosing my top three songs was a struggle, as there were more than three 9-rated tracks this January. I’m still not totally sure which song belongs in third place, as TWS’s Plot Twist is a very strong contender that could easily have been number one in a weaker month. Beyond these top four, there were multiple highlights in my honorable mentions. I love ITZY’s Untouchable and Waker’s Atlantis, while AB6IX’s Grab Me, Sistar19’s No More and NMIXX’s Run For Roses are also strong contenders. Both RIIZE’s Love 119 and NMIXX’s Dash have proven to be huge growers, making January’s successes both sprinters and marathon runners.
As seems to be the pattern for me, my number one pick comes from a lesser-known act. But boy, did they deliver this time! The song is very much to my personal taste so its placement shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise. And, you know how I tend to love older K-pop producers with a signature sound.
J-pop was comparatively muted this month, but there were still highlights from some of my favorite acts. I’m keeping Takanori Nishikawa’s excellent Gundam theme Freedom out of contention for now in the hope that it will receive a music video soon, but otherwise it would have been part of my top three.
So… where do we go from here? A strong January doesn’t necessarily portend an equally strong year, but I’m feeling much more optimistic about where K-pop trends are heading. It’s nice to have this boost right at the start of the year because it sets up a positive mindset that can hopefully power through the inevitable lulls and doldrums the industry tends to experience. February is bound to be more sparse than January thanks to Lunar New Year celebrations briefly pausing the release schedule, but there are already some big-name comebacks on the horizon. Let’s keep this momentum going!
Month Cumulative Rating: 7.9
(compiled by averaging the scores of every K-pop review from this month)
J-Pop Highlights
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week One
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week Two
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week Three
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week Four
TOP J-POP SONGS OF THE MONTH
3. SixTONES – Anthem
2. SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] – LEvel (ft. TXT) (review)
1. One Love One Heart – Aise, Shigoku Sanzan na Bokura no Hi wo (review)
K-POP
Honorable Mentions
AB6IX – Grab Me (review)
B1A4 – Rewind (review)
The Boyz – Honey (Sunwoo & Eric) (review)
CIX – Lovers Or Enemies (review)
ICHILLIN – Bite Me (review)
ITZY – Untouchable (review)
IU – Love Wins All (review)
JD1 – Who Am I (review)
Lee Chanhyuk – 1 Trillion (review)
Niel – Parting Path (review)
NMIXX – Dash / Run For Roses (review / review)
RIIZE – Love 119 (review)
Seola – Without U (review)
Sistar19 – No More (Ma Boy) (review)
TWS – Oh Mymy: 7s / Plot Twist (review / review)
Vanner – Jackpot (review)
Waker – Atlantis (review)
Yena – Good Morning (review)
This Month’s Risers and Fallers
This Month’s Global Pop Round-Up
TOP THREE SONGS
3. SF9 – Bibora (review)
2. OnlyOneOf – dOpamine (review)
1. Trendz – Go Up (review)
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of December 2023
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of November 2023
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of October 2023
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of September 2023
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of August 2023
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It was a great month for groups from smaller companies for sure, I’m feeling optimistic about the rest of the year.
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I love Bibora! So happy to see SF9 in the top three
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Bibora my beloved.
Didn’ expect to be rapidly invested in kpop after years of “taking a break” but here we are listening every single mini album on spotify lol Hope to see even better songs on next months!
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My top three tracks of the month would be:
1. NMIXX – Run For Roses
2. TRENDZ – Go Up
3. ITZY – Untouchable
With OnlyOneOf’s, SF9’s, TWS’s and The Boyz’s subunit (Sunwoo and Eric)’s songs close behind. It was a PAIN to pick my top 3 because I agree that it has been a great month for music.
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Alright, I caved in and decided to list all of the songs released (or promoted) this month that I liked (in alphabetical order):
As for the b-sides, I’ll have to admit I haven’t dove into much of the albums this month but I LOVE NMIXX’s new album. I’m really loving the direction NMIXX is taking and I can’t wait to hear their future releases. ITZY’s Ryujin’s and Yeji’s solos were good as well (I really want to see ITZY do rock tracks more often).
I’ll give a huge thanks to “Honey” for finally getting me to check out The Boyz’s discography. I’m mad at myself for not listening to their recent summer album earlier (aside from Lip Gloss); it’s very stellar. I think “Fantasize” would be my favorite track from that album.
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January produced a decent batch of okay sounding things though none of it really stopped me in my tracks and made me go, “THIS IS AMAZING.” But here are some that caught attention:
🔸Kyuhyun Rainbow – it’s the only one I liked on his EP, but I latched onto it pretty good. Looped it several times.
🔸Itzy Untouchable & Crown On My Head – unexpected since Itzy almost never works for me. Not sure about the longevity, but I kept returning to them this month at least.
🔸TXT Level – thanks, Nick, for alerting me to this one. Took a couple listens for it to click but it’s nice.
🔸RIIZE Love 119 – this is one of those annoying songs that you really don’t want to like but it keeps pulling you back towards itself for some inexplicable reason until you’re like OK FINE. I LIKE YOU.
My first impression of it was opposite of most in that I actually kinda liked the chanting. It’s youthful and nice and pangs my heart a bit. But the rest of the song felt underwhelming. Subsequent listens have pulled me around to the whole thing. This is, interestingly, the first RIIZE song that has really invaded my consciousness.
🔸SuJu L.S.S Old Skool, Close the Shutter, New Road – so fun! Will definitely keep returning to these.
🔸Hui Cold Killer – I really need Hui to lean into the rock. That growl he has in his voice could go places.
HM:
🔸VANNER – Jackpot (JACK TO THE POT JACK JACK TO THE POT. This has potential to go up in my rankings with further listens. Definitely stands out to me more than Performer did which is exciting because I love them and want to be able to enjoy their music)
🔸Yena – Good Morning
🔸Kim Jonghyeon – Whatever
🔸SF9 – Bibora
🔸Niel – Loved XX, Parting Path
🔸Zhang Hao – I Wanna Know
🔸maybe some of TWS’s album…still deciding. I didn’t think I liked Oh Mymy, but it seems to be growing on me.
🔸maybe A3’s album if I can ever get over the absence of Jinyoung and Baro
Other discoveries/rediscoveries:
🔹J-JUN – Mine, NO.X album
🔹TVXQ – Always There…, Tonight
🔹Lim Ji Soo – Monologue
🔹MIYAVI – Butterfly, Other Side, Stars, Fire Bird
🔹YOASOBI – Heart Beat
🔹ICHILLIN – La Luna
🔹Forestella – Stuck in a Maze
🔹PITTA (Forestella member Kang Hyung Ho) – Wave on the sea, Be Free
🔹Bae Doohoon, Enoch (another Forestella member and some dude named Enoch) – Big Cat (From ‘A Killer Party’)
🔹FTISLAND – Hello Hello
🔹Seo Taiji & Boys – Regret of the Times
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Who are you? Are you me?
I also have PITTA “Wave on the Sea”. Forestella “Stuck in a Maze” – I prefer the remixes to the original viz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXAQ1IUOXf4
For the Kyuhyun, I pick “Restart” off the album, followed by “Rainbow”. I feel like he phoned in most of the vocal on the album. He sung the songs straight ahead Kyu style, and the songs are crafted for more emphatic performance, viz Forestella singing the shit out of every song.
Finally Yunsae “People don’t change”, and I am real mad that they bleeped the shit out of the chorus on the itunes download. Literally, as the chorus goes “People don’t change, we do this (shit) again”. What censors are they trying to avoid here, as the video isn’t bleeped.
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I don’t know…am I?? 😄
I feel like Wave on the sea gets better each time I hear it.
Ooh I have not heard Stuck in a Maze remixes. Will check that out!
The song kinda threw me off at first because it’s not what I’m used to them sounding like. They really do sing the shit out of everything though bless them.
I find myself wishing Rainbow had a definitive high note climax moment – something akin to what Ryeowook’s Hiding Words had. But other than that I like it a lot.
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The thing is, as Kyuhyun’s voice has aged, he has lost his high notes and falsetto. His best belt is at C, and he can do D but it isn’t great. qv “When we felt the distance” the climax note, he has only really sung it live once or twice and never again.
Ryeowook on the other hand has always had the best and easiest accessible head voice in kpop for a very long time, and still has it. So all the high high notes in SuJu recorded and on the stage are now done by Ryeowook.
On the third hand, Kyuhyun can belt the shit out of the musical show numbers he does.
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Thank you, WordPress, for repeatedly crashing on me. 2nd attempt:
Mm yeah. I figured vocal capabilities were probably playing a role here.
I think Ryeowook is my favorite SuJu voice atm. I like Yesung’s too though he feels a bit restrained sometimes.
You and Bae Doohoon are reminding me that I need to explore the world of Korean musical theater more. It’s not a scene I tap into often, though I would like to. It doesn’t feel very accessible though I’m sure some things can be scrounged up on the tube.
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I enjoyed January as well, although my favorites are slightly different. The ones I think will still be my favorites by year-end are:
K-pop
1. B1A4 – REWIND
2. NMIXX – Dash
J-pop
1. NAQT VANE – NOWVERSE
2. Daichi Miura – Pixelated World
K-pop b-sides:
1. NMIXX – Passionfruit
2. OnlyOneOf – give me the lOve, bitxx
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PS – Somehow I missed Trenz’s Go Up; that slots into my top 3 for sure!
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What a contrast Jan. 2024 was compared to 2023! There were so many releases this month, I actually had to start cutting things out of my listening schedule…something I usually don’t start until Oct. I’m already pretty overwhelmed! But, this has been a great start to the year…I dunno if Feb. can live up to this hype, but I’m very excited to see what 2024 delivers after this strong start.
Top 5 (Jan. 2024):
Top 3 B-Sides (Jan. 2024):
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Everyone here’s down on Jan. 2023, but there were great songs released then that were still my favorites by the end of the year:
NewJeans – Ditto
NewJeans – OMG
Nine (OnlyOneOf) – beyOnd
Taeyang – Vibe (ft. Jimin)
Primrose – Primrose
Henry – Moonlight
XG – SHOOTING STAR
TWICE – Moonlight Sunrise
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I still love “Vibe” to this day despite its shortcomings. It was so nice to see Jimin collab with one of his idols and role models (Taeyang); and the song sounds refreshing when stacked among a lot of the other songs released that same month.
From that month, TXT’s “Sugar Rush Ride” also deserves a mention imo. I remember hating that beat drop in the chorus at first listen lmao. What a huge grower it has become!
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I actually listened along this month!!! Or…I caught up last weekend, at least. Which means I can officially have a top 3:
Shout out to Kyuhyun, his title track came in 4th, but if his title track had been Rainbow, it would have come in 1st. Restart would probably have squeezed into the top 3 as well. I’ve had those two songs on repeat this month.
WAKER’s Atlantis has also been getting a lot of airplay in my brain. In general, it was a pretty great month for music! Let’s go, 2024!!
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my top 3 would be
1/ NMIXX / Dash
2/ NMIXX / Run for roses
3/ OnlyOneOf / dOpamine
still can’t believe how much NMIXX has improved!
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i feel like a lot of non-popular groups had comebacks this month, which was sort of good since it gave them their chance to shine. dOpamine up there sitting pretty in all the glory and getting attention made me so proud.
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My Top 10 this month (in no chronological order)
1. Love 119 by RIIZE – I get it, you get it, everybody in Korea get it. KILLAAA, THRILAAA
2. Oh my my by TWS – The title is annoyingly complicated but the song is plain fun. Especially the verses and pre-chorus.
3. TA-DA! by Limelight – It’s cute.
4. 1 Trillion by Chanhyuk – Have a timeless appeal.
5. Untouchable by ITZY – It’s so 2nd gen coded! Refreshing to hear ITZY be this sophisticated while still retaining a bit of angst.
6. Bibora by SF9 – It’s like the twin brother of Last Sequence by WJSN.
7. Really Like You by Gyubin – thanks to kpopalypse. It’s cute.
8. Plot Twist by TWS – This is so pretty. Too short though.
9. Get Ready, Set Go! by Ryu Jihyun – thanks to kpopalypse once again. The rap derailed the song but apart from that, it’s pure bliss.
10. Traveler by AB6IX – The first part of the chorus is so chunky!
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I loved a lot (as usual), but my top 3 were very easy to pick:
CIX – Lovers or Enemies
SF9 – Bibora
Waker – Atlantis
HM:
Trendz – Go Up
Chanhuyk – 1 Trillion
TWS – OhMyMy & Plot Twist
POW – Valentine
Ryujin (Itzy) – Run Away
Dxmon – Spark
All(H)ours – Racer
BxB – Airplane
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