Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard!
Which month do you want to see next?
April 2014 Overall Thoughts
Many have noted that 2019 feels like K-pop’s most tragic year yet. Deaths, member departures, scandals, etc. It’s been a tough year for the industry, but 2014 gave it a run for its money. When it comes to K-pop, April 2014 was overshadowed by the Sewol Ferry tragedy, which rightfully consumed Korea’s attention as the entire nation was plunged into mourning. K-pop releases were halted from the 16th on, resulting in a month that was essentially half-empty.
Yet, before the Sewol incident, April’s first two weeks kept 2014’s momentum going. A few of the releases were holdovers from earlier albums, but the month also saw the debut of Akdong Musician and Crayon Pop’s first real attempt to follow up the massive success of their 2013 hit Bar Bar Bar.
My top three aren’t all that surprising. We’ve got a favorite girl group, a bit of Sweetune and that aforementioned debut, which resulted in some of the best songs of 2014. My honorable mentions list is quite small because there just wasn’t much released this month.
Honorable Mentions
Akdong Musician (AKMU) – Melted (review)
Block B – Jackpot (video)
Crayon Pop – Uh-ee (review)
Toheart – Tell Me Why (video)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
2014 was also the year of the LADIES’ CODE accident, which took the lives EunB and Rise. I still haven’t fully absorbed that tragedy. I had followed them from their debut. EunB was my bias. So no.. ..neither 2014, nor 2019, nor any other year gets a top prize when the contest metric is its weight in misery.
What looking back at these old lists does for me is make me realize how blissfully ignorant I was to all things K-Pop. The idols back then were.. ..idols. Real idols that I idolized. Now they’re people. Some really damn talented, sexy, “Like, OMG, OMG, OMG, did they just look my way???” people; but still just people.
LikeLike
Yeah, platforms like vlive and youtube have certainly changed the level of access fans get. Back in the day, we had to make due with the occasional tv reality show — and that was *if* someone was kind enough to sub it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s kind of crazy when you consider how much more “humanized” social media, VLIVE, etc allow idols to appear now compared to back in 2nd gen when they were on a sort of pedestal created by that lack of accessibility…yet we STILL have scandals upon scandals for so many things that the average teenage/young adult human being would be expected to go through over the course of growing up. It’s like idols are now expected to be relatable, “just like you” types who share their lives with their fans, but simultaneously have to be utterly pure and morally perfect at all times. It’s a strange disconnect…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
My “what a difference…” post (below) was suppose to be a reply to you. Oof doof!
LikeLike
2014 was a horrible year for the kpop community.
2019 had the reckoning of horrible people. (or the start of it)
But 2014 had a different level of misery. Ladie’s Code. the Sewol Ferry disaster. 4Minute concert accident. Leeteuk’s family.
LikeLike
This article is heart-breaking
https://www.soompi.com/article/1364968wpp/ladies-code-opens-up-for-1st-time-about-the-day-of-car-accident-that-led-to-passing-of-eunb-and-rise
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the link to that article. After reading the entire article, I thought of returning to this post with my thoughts on it, but I think I’d rather not comment.
R.I.P. Eunbi & RiSe
LikeLike
What a difference five years can make:
2014 female idol: A family from the country side moves in next door to you with a beautiful daughter that is innocent and pure. She’s a bit naive and has a good heart. She’s clueless about love and has never been kissed, let alone had a boyfriend. She falls for you instantly and wants to cook and take care of you.
2019 female idol: She sits across from you in math class. She’s wildly popular and wears the best clothes from top designers. She’s elegant, not trashy. She’s sexy, not slutty. She’s self-confident, not stuck up. And best yet, she’s into you!
2014 boy idol: He’s handsome and wholesome from a good family. He has two older sisters so he respects females and their feelings. He’s kind, gentle, sincere, masculine, funny, smart, confident, sexy, heroic, mannerly. There’s a hint of mischievousness and a glint of bad boy persona, but it is controlled and never allowed to take over his personality.
2019 boy idol: He’s the guy that enters the party and the music stops, time slows, and all eyes steer in his direction. Impeccably dressed, perfectly coiffed, and meticulously groomed. His qualities all dangerously straddle the line between good and bad; but never step over it. You don’t look at him and think “marriage and happily ever after”, you think “massage and the morning after”.
LikeLike
This is weird. All my replies to other posts are appearing as new posts instead of being attached to the post I’m replying to.
LikeLike
…except that one. ^
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t have much at all for April 2014 except a trio of Akdong Music songs. 200%, Give Love, and Melted, in some order. (… I have a new computer, with successfully transferred iTunes library, but I lost the play count which is both frustrating and relieving.)
Iirc there were many album release postponements in April 2014 due to the Sewol Ferry disaster.
LikeLike