This is the sixth year I've done this, which makes me like a grand old man of K-pop. I have now been a fan for nearly a decade, which has gone fast, and it seems amazing that so little remains of the scene that saved me from becoming a retro-indie bore, snoring on about how music peaked with the third Belle and Sebastian album or something. Anyway, in a totally too-old-to-be-hipster kind of way, it has been a bit sublime to see what felt like my own little world - one which took me to China for three years for the express purpose of blowing my wages on travel to a number of very costly concerts - now become so mainstream that I can find the albums in my local HMV. I usually mention the Dazed list in this introduction, but honestly - it's so disappointing this year (and I've always thought a list which in 2014 never even had Sugar Free in its top 20 eyebrow-raising anyway), I am not going to post a link.
Anyone (and I know it will be just a few) reading this has probably stumbled upon my blog accidentally or has some interest in K-pop already, so you already know some of the story of 2020. Nonetheless, here is a quick summary...
BTS ruled supreme with Swan, which is not (at the risk of upsetting the 'army') especially remarkable, Mamamoo, whose 2020 singles were not as strong as usual, splintered into a number of solo presentations (I've listed Hwasa as the best) as did EXO, with Suho's superior effort threatening to sound like a Bends-era Radiohead song from those opening notes. COVID-19 compromised the MAMA Awards and, of course, concerts, whilst many of the major names had disappointing comebacks - I wasn't too taken by Stray Kids, it's fine and all but it sounds less grand than usual, or Seventeen. The latest bout of A-Pink sugary-pop (described as 'a sophisticated sound' by Dazed, dear lord) was far too sickly and Loona's big moment made my head hurt. Maybe I'm (finally) too old? Judge for yourself, after all I am the fella who thought BTS sounded like a less interesting version of B.A.P. when they first emerged. I did like A.C.E. - number one for Dazed - but it doesn't make my list whilst, four years later, and I am still not sold on Weki Meki. Otherwise, 2020 was a good, solid year for the Korean pop scene - not as strong as the pre-2016 era, but about as healthy and exciting as you could hope, with a number of mature and maudlin songs, which might surprise some who are listening for the first time.
And The Guardian still doesn't list K-pop music in its best albums of the year, so we can at least have some comfort in the fact the 'establishment' remain slow to catch on.
K-pop moves fast, but the true classics are songs that endure forever. I can't imagine anyone will remember Weki Meki in four year's time. But they will probably still be listening to my number one choice for 2020. So without further ado, and with all sarcasm now at a limit, let's see what this year had to offer...
20) Siyeon - 'Paradise'
What? Really? Yes, in totally unexpected fashion, I am starting this year off with a heart-wrenching ballad, one that actually preceded the pandemic and which is just absolutely beautiful. Came along unexpectedly, pulled at the emotions and showed that Dreamcatcher are more than 'just' another leggy K-pop girl-group producing absolute bangers for over half a decade now. An exceptional 4.05 minutes of lovelorn emotion that, in the wake of such a sorry year, might provoke the feelings of even the biggest bigoted-Brexit buff (scrap that, this comment could be a little bit too hopeful, plus it's not got Liam Gallagher in it).
19) Hyo - 'Dessert' (featuring Loopy and Soyeon)
The solo(ish) career of Girls' Generation member Hyoyeon (or Hyo as she now prefers) has been glorious - her raspy voice reborn within a series of dance-orientated blinders that are usually released to capture the perfect flavour of summer abandon. This stomper was about as close as any of us got to imagining a drunken, late-night, second-wind in the tropics in 2020 but it captures a vision of a year that could have been, at least. Props to (G)I-DLE for lending Hyo their most charismatic member, Soyeon, to prop up not just the soundscape of this single but the attitude-infused music video. A triumph and enduring proof that SM Entertainment did well to keep those SNSD heavyweights on the payroll.
18) Treasure - 'I Love You’
YG Entertainment were looking forward to a glorious 2020 before the obvious. Big Bang were due to make a return at Coachella, without Seungri of course, which would indicate that the label - unlike rivals SM - were capable to keeping a unit together for longer than just a handful of years and Black Pink continued to rule the planet. However, obviously G-Dragon and company failed to make their long-awaited reappearance and that meant that the label was reduced back to its focus on their stadium-filling girl group. Then, finally, came Treasure - featuring 12 (!) members, far more than the five-man Big Bang - and opting for a very different, more traditionally K-pop EDM sound. It's good, not great, but solid, catchy, infinitely memorable... not sure how such a teen-orientated concept will grow to Big Bang levels of superstardom but then I never thought Black Pink had it in them to eclipse 2NE1 (and musically they haven't, but that's another argument for another day). And yes, that is 'I love you' they are chanting over the thudding chorus...
17) Oh My Girl - 'Nonstop'
Pure bubblegum, but in the best sense of the word. I have come and gone with Oh My Girl, initially falling for the sound of their dream-trance classic Closer only to find out that they were never going to make anything nearly as good again (even the mini-album that it appears on defaults into more traditional uptempo chart-pop). This unashamedly thrilling bop doesn't change things but the band, still one member down since the dark and controversial departure of JinE, more than indicates that it can achieve a furiously accomplished pop landscape with the sort of tried and tested lananananana hook that promises to get lodged in your head and never leave. One of the year's most infuriatingly memorable hits.
16) SuperM - '100'
This is the best SuperM song yet, also managing to sound the closest to a new EXO single in the process - and, whilst the whole 'K-pop Avengers' concept has not really reset the genre (as some expected), there is no doubting that SM has treated this particular pet project with a shed-load of tender loving care. The visuals are as colourful and exemplary as anyone might anticipate, whilst the song feels like an anthem, something that could (and will, when better times arrive) fill a stadium. Not to diminish what has come before, but with '100' SuperM felt - to this listener at least - a far more interesting prospect than before: decidedly more aggressive and a little rockier than before, although if the slightly more sublime Tiger Inside is anything to judge by, this is a group still finding their sound. We clearly have a lot to look forward to.
15) Dreamcatcher - 'Scream'
It is strange to think that Dreamcatcher were initially written-off as little more than a South Korean spin on Japan's Babymetal when, all these years later, their sound has evolved into something that could be described as an even more epic Evanescence. This 2020 single, with the usual slicker-than-slick production, shows the vocal prowess of all members and the whole gob-smacking rock-opera is complimented by a video rich in horror and fantasy imagery. This ambitious concept is a widescreen vision of anger and torment accompanied by brief moments of quiet reflection and it sounds absolutely fabulous. Attesting to their changeability, the accompanying effort from this year, Boca, is quite different.
14) Gfriend - 'Mago'
I have been slow to catch onto GFriend, even, perhaps wrongly, dismissing them as purveyors of cutsie-pop, but 'Mago' is a toe-tapping classic and a single to fall in love with. K-pop has always enjoyed retro-sounding experimentation and this year brought us at least three high profile hits that adapted the synth-sonics of 1980s chart-pop, albeit bringing them crashing into the present day: 'Lovesick Girls' (see number 11) from Blackpink, 'I Can't Stop Me' (see number eight) from Twice and this welcome injection of disco nostalgia, which pulses with pastness from the opening beat. One listen and there is every chance you will find yourself repeating the 'tik tok' hook in your head, possibly in even your deepest sleep. A short-play to be proud of from a group that reached a peak in 2020. I will be listening in 2021.
13) Hwasa - 'Maria'
For 'Maria', read Hwasa - this is a mature, and even slightly macabre, exploration of life as a K-pop idol from one of the most respected figures of recent years. Hwasa would have every right to rest on her laurels as a member of Mamamoo, one of the greatest and most successful bands to emerge from the Korean pop scene (full stop), but as with last year's fabulous Twit, we instead get a bombastic solo spin-off that lets us a little deeper into one of the genre's most accomplished voices. Whilst there's no doubting the talent of all four members of her band, it seems doubtless that Hwasa might be the personality that heads to sonically bigger things when the veteran quartet inevitably, albeit sadly, call it quits.
12) Taeyeon - 'Happy'
Look, Taeyeon's voice is a weapon. It kills me. To prove this, she was even sent to Amsterdam and Berlin to 'busk' for South Korean TV last year as they recorded people breaking into tears (basically). Having been to Taeyeon concerts, and experienced her voice live, it is difficult to describe quite how it feels (I've seen people break and, yes, I was one). Certainly the best vocals I have ever heard (endured? At times, it feels painful to even listen without tearing up), this is one of her less brutalising singles - for that, see I or Fine or Signal - but it is still curiously downbeat and depressing. It's not her strongest tune, nor one of her greatest numbers, but it was kind of what 2020 deserved - a fantasy of happiness that is simply is not there. Still the most iconic figure in K-pop and the one that makes me most ashamed for thinking Morrissey was a legitimate representation of angst in my youth.
11) Blackpink - 'Lovesick Girls'
What can you say? YG's premiere group are now second only to BTS in terms of international prestige and their year included a collaboration with Lady Gaga, a (surprisingly insightful, if still-approved-by-the-record-label) Netflix documentary to accompany their long, long awaited debut full-length album. Hard to believe it took four years to get the first LP out on the market but it certainly did nothing but raise the profile of the entire Blackpink brand. 'Lovesick Girls' does not reinvent their sound but it does show how effortless they make this sort of thing seem: 'Hey ladies, can you seamlessly recreate the sort of anthem for loss that you might have heard on Top of the Pops circa about 1987?' And there it is. Brilliant.
10) Girlkind - 'Future'
If your initial reaction to this video is 'what the fresh hell is this?' consider yourself not alone. Indeed, the first response to this, and indeed their brilliant Psycho4U, might also be wondering if this is some kind of project akin to the KLF, including with not entirely dissimilar vibes - this is the comedown. 'Future' itself is late 80s/ early 90s chill-out and somewhere between farce and genius in its video presentation ('have these kids even heard of the Hacienda?'). The band has yet to pick up much steam, amazingly, and yet this has to be one of the most experimental concepts and tunes of the year... it's just perfect. And just when you think you it cannot get anymore brilliant there is a rap at 1.57 that bridges no less than three subsequent changes in rhythm and then a dreamy outro that is swoon-some. One of the year's underrated gems.
9) Aespa - 'Black Mamba'
SM Entertainment badly needed a new girl band after the Girl's Generation split of 2017, the break-up of F(x) a year previous and Red Velvet on a (sort of) hiatus in 2020. So it was that, after a few weeks of tease (not without criticism) we got this outstanding debut, a (yikes) far better, and decidedly more experimental, debut that the aforementioned groups received before they went on to conquer K-pop (and continents). If there is a problem here it is not the song but rather SM's 'back to the drawing board' reliance on young pin-ups for their first ever female quartet - which is a break from F(x) and - arguably - Red Velvet. There's nothing especially interesting about the Aespa look (the video hints at the concept, at least, of a group that will embrace the virtual, whatever that is going to look like and inform) but maybe that will come later (indeed, who could have predicted Taeyeon from watching the video to 'Into the New World?'). As it stands, this is still a job well done.
8) Twice - 'Can't Stop Me'
The best Twice song yet, and the best of the year's eighties throwbacks, this builds up to its breathless, exhausting, heart-racing chorus with the sort of aplomb and confidence one would expect from such a seasoned band. Try listening to this and not being awestruck by that 'awoowoowoo' that is like a time machine back to a pivotal scene in a high school movie from John Hughes (and so good, they use it again for the outro). The accompanying album was a further highlight of 2020 and shows that Twice, finally, are beginning to mature in sound and concept. And damn, some of these high notes are just thrilling.
7) (G)I-DLE - 'Oh my God'
A band that has yet to offer a duff single, 'Oh my God', which features songwriting from the group's Hyuna figure (to reference much-missed, old label-mate 4 Minute) Soyeon, is another blinder. The song begins with religious iconography and sounds - perhaps indicating the end-of-world horrors of 2020 - before breaking into a sweet-sounding ballad that then shatters into a pure pop-rock bridge and into a chorus that slows things down all over again. It is exhilarating to experience and proves that K-pop remains a format for mind-melting musical structures. As for the video - well, it's both delirious and disturbing whilst also downright curious, potentially offering symbolism of a group suffering for their art (or a video director just in love with horror cinema). Cherish this ensemble whilst we still have them, given Cube Entertainment's history with finding a way to mess up a good thing.
6) Ha:tfelt - 'Satellite (Feat. Ash Island)'
It feels like forever since we last heard from Ha:tfelt (aka Yeeun from The Wonder Girls) but her return this year with an astounding album, and a number of superb spin-off singles, really made up for her (much-missed) absence. This was one of the finest surprises of lockdown, her soaring, sumptuous vocals and tortured dreams evoked in this truly terrific number; a standout. It still feels, all these months later, like the small steps towards the beginning of summer. Perhaps that is what was intended. Beautiful.
5) Everglow - 'La Di Da'
My hunch is that if you asked someone 25 years ago what pop music would sound like in 2020 they would not have been able to predict this. From the first thumping beats, this is the sound of motorcycle-at-full-speed down a futuristic cityscape in a steampunk nightmare movie. The video itself uses Sin City as a reference, but they could have played this over a blank screen and, turned up loud, it would still be difficult to sit still. It's the smash-shit-up-song of the year.
4) Irene and Seugli - 'Monster'
Two erstwhile Red Velvet members also do the 'horror movie' thing (call it the influence of 2020) with this slow-fast composition that creeps (and that could be interpreted literally) into your head-space with some careful pacing and an evocative, instantly effective chorus-crawl. This is indeed a monster of a hit - and proof again that SM Entertainment are still at the very top of their game. Suffice to say, the next Red Velvet album cannot come soon enough, but for a year without the fabulous five this more than made up for their absence.
3) NCT Dream - Ridin
SM again, but I will qualify by saying this that I have found the entire NCT system of groups one of their more inconsistent brain-farts. This absolute banger, however, is a work of genius, and an NCT moment that stands among the best. Turn that chorus up loud and discover for yourself that rare blessing in an otherwise terrible, tragic year - existing on a planet where new music this damn good is still being produced. To use an exhausted term, that is nonetheless especially fitting for this rollicking achievement, it just rocks.
2) Sunmi - Pporappippam
The formula to the perfect pop song is something that few have managed to locate, but if ever there was a modern example to be taught in music classes around the planet, it might just be this enormous-sounding burst of energy from Sunmi. The artist, a former member of The Wonder Girls, rarely disappoints but even by her standards this is an insanely lofty setting-the-bar-so-high-few-will-even-get-beyond-the-first-few-steps level of achievement. It does what great pop all-too-rarely manages - combining a character study of newfound love and heightened pleasure with a comedown into self-doubt and personal tragedy. You don't need the lyrics to even know this, such as Sunmi's talent with composition and her mesmerising vocal evocations, but damn - as I said - this is the sort of blitz on your senses that would probably make me quit if I was a rival songwriter. How do you top this?
Taemin - Two Kids
So what could be better than Sunmi's beloved summer single in 2020? How about a return from Taemin, a superb solo album and this shot-in-Paris music video that feels very much of the year (see these deserted streets?) and is a breathy journey through a spot of heartfelt personal trauma that is all too easy to believe, given he is just three years removed from the suicide from one of his best friends. Do we sense a little of these feelings coming to the surface here? It seems so. And it makes for a difficult listen, with the potential to push tears or muster goosebumps. But Taemin has long been a unique genius, shading his character and entire persona in performances that marry dance and voice to ever more ambitious aural landscapes. There's tragedy in this majestic presentation - trying to dance and sing out what has possibly been left unexpressed since Jonghyun's death. Or perhaps it is just about a long lost love. Whatever, it's also the finest achievements of the year... and, it goes without saying, one hell of a song.
