Two years ago, I was sick of listening to music. American music, which I largely listened to, became such a tasteless cycle for me. Nothing invigorating, striking or moving. I turned to my local music and the boredom wasn’t vanishing.
It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Kpop (God bless you BTS) that I felt alive and youthful again. There, I was bedazzled with a kind of purity, versatility, novelty, and richness I had never experienced before.
KPOP brims with charming lyrics (nothing like America’s polluting ones); consummate production and; feverish tunes.
No jokes, this genre of music sparked up my world. To mark my immense love for it, I bring to you guys, 13 Kpop tracks that I love to pieces.
Enjoyie!
Love Scenario (2018) – Ikon
Who knew a break up song would make me want to fall in love so bad?
Crazy!
But Love Scenario bids a youthful relationship goodbye in the most fluttering, appraising and healing way possible, you can’t resist wanting to fall in love too!
It’s funny how Love Scenario leaves you longing, but fulfilled – how it saddens you, yet pacifies you.
I never thought this could come out of my mouth, but the lyrics are so beautiful, they give Ed Sheeran a good run for his money. They paint an amazing picture of what being young and truly in love feels like. The words are uniquely reminiscent, incredibly tingly and marvellously placating.
Lyrics aside, the vocal performances are very solid and citrusy, thanks to the talented vocalists and song’s tuny melody. The rap renditions are utterly gripping as well! Bobby’s part especially. Bagged my heart asap! Urgh! It’s so goood it frustrates me that I can’t put into perfect words, how deliriously in love I am with it.
Ex group member, BI, the genius who composed this gem🥺, has my everlasting respect. What a historic song. Totally deserved all the chart domination and awards sweeping!
I Got A Boy (2013) – Girls’ Generation
Talk about a switch up! Jumbling a a hybrid of genres that sound hauntingly good to the ears, is evidently SM entertainment’s forte.
Tempos and genres were switched up at least 8 crazy times and my ears were left grappling with different splashes of honeyed melodies.
I Got A Boy is a prodigious rollercoaster. Cue in its accompanying music video and you have another mastermind on its own. The colourful set is entrancing. The fashion is appetizing and the choreography is swaggy. I Got a Boy is a whole damn package. Love it!
Cheer Up (2016) – Twice
Ugh! What a pleasurable tune! It is Twice’s breakout song for pretty obvious reasons. The lyrics hit hard and resonate too well.
You know how we girls boast about a guy being smitten with us? And how we revel in his fascination with us, his impatience and his nervousness about us saying “Yes”? This song epitomizes it so well!
It struck a plethora of chords with me and I’m certain, many guys who suffer in the hands of naughty girls they can’t take off their minds😅.
No wonder it snagged “Song of the Year” Award at Mamas. Such an endearing gem Cheer Up is. And who can forget Sana’s epic “Shy Shy Shy”? So cute, so lovable!
What is Love (2018) – Twice
Seriously, Twice have got some of the best love songwriters out there. At first, I wasn’t sold when I heard What is Love. The melody did not stick out to me and it didn’t help that I was clueless about its meaning. Searching up the lyrics, however, got stars twinkling in my eyes.
It’s always been hard for me to articulate how badly I want to experience the kind of love K-dramas and harlequin novels shove in my face. But this exciting track encapsulates everything in a mesmerizingly eloquent and precise fashion.
Never knew I needed this song! It’s elating and gratifying. I’m so in love!
DDu Du DDu Du (2018) – Blackpink
This song…
Is bombastic. I remember being blown away when I first heard Ddu du Ddu du. There was a lot of buzz surrounding its music video online and I was just like pufftttt! Let’s just check out this girls I’ve never heard of and have my peace of mind. And so I did.
Ohhhh boyyyy! I couldn’t keep my calm!
The extravagance of the set alone was spellbinding. Unlike anything I’d ever seen. Each makeup of the splendor – the fashion, girl crush attitude, sleek choreography, Lisa’s barbie face, Rose’s vocal colour – held. me. captive.
And Jennie’s slaughtering rap – Lord have mercy – was shuddering. A definite killer point, it is.
Ddu du Ddu du is a Flawlessly Produced and Iconically Audacious song. I revere it to death and play it whenever I want to get in my head and feel like the blazing diva that I am😅.
So far, the MV has racked over 1 BILLION views. Surprising? Yeah, hell no🤷♀️.
Interlude: Shadow (2020) – BTS (Suga)
If there’s one rapper whose rapping talents I would always marvel at, it’d be Suga. He already stood out to me amongst the individual tracks on the Love Yourself: Answer album. Seesaw was impressive. But Suga really blew me out of the ballpark with Shadow. He packed in a lot of mind-blowing stuff about the scary precipice of fame. From the climatic build on the intro, to the breakout verse, to the intensity of delivery, to the inflective accuracy (of fear and paranoia), down to the breathless bars – Suga was intriguing. He was commanding.
Now bring in his blistering lyrics and their introspective brilliance all encaved in brash, aggressive self chides, and we have something truly GENIUS. Whenever I want to feel like a dance prodigy, stunning the world on a Korean Awards performance stage, THIS IS MY SONG. I cannot rave enough about Suga’s gushing talent on this one. I cannot.
Wannabe (2020) – Itzy
Ask me of one song I can listen to, non-stop, till the world ends and my answer would be Wannabe. Before, I could never choose one – just like any other normal music lover.
Now, I’ve never been more convinced of anything in my whole life.
How disconcerting. I mean, no matter how I look at it, the song doesn’t have exceptional vocals neither does it feature lyrics that are inventive.
I actually love its bossy, sassy lyrics. They are about unapologetically being one’s self. The point is, they are not a thematic deviation from their previous releases – Dalla Dalla and Icy.
So what makes Wannabe wickedly addictive?
I outrightly fear playing it at times because it means for hours and hours, I wouldn’t be able to switch to another song. I’d literally be left incapacitated.
Surely, a mass of the trick lies in Ryujin’s arresting showmanship right off the intro of the song and MV…
…the clever production and…
titillating chorus!😜
Bad Boy (2018) – Red Velvet
You know, there are some songs that just won’t get old. Bad Boy is one of those rare songs. It’s timeless in every sense and satiates wholesomely. You won’t even have a need to know what the song means. It’s unhurried honey-dripping vocals, delicious harmonisation and sultry coos are rather what you’d be sinking in. It’s a rare R&B treasure that keeps on giving. I’m irrevocably in love with it.
Missing You (2017) – BTOB
Awww! I love this lingering ballad. It nourishes my soul and absorbs me into its soulful well. Just on the first listen, I was enamored.
Whether you are journeying alone or breezing through a long ride with a significant other, you are guaranteed to luxuriate in its stimulating treat.
Spring Day (2017) – BTS
I don’t think words can ever do justice to the monumental beauty of Spring Day.
Even without having any idea about its message, it’s sheer gorgeousness and warmth will whisk you away.
Quiet Suga caught my eye for the first time in this song. His verse’s structure is amazing and his delivery is stunning. No doubt one of the biggest reasons Spring Day is special to me. My heart literally pumps in thrill whenever his part nears. And once he comes on, those little minutes, I savour them with every fibre of my being.
Suga asides, if you want to fall irredeemably in love with BTS just in the first seconds of beholding them, Spring Day is the magic.
Its beautiful construction, stirring ambience, emotive vocals and poetic comfort are ONE OF A KIND.
Twice (2019) – Feel Special
At a time things were dark and nightmarish in Kpop; Feel special was the much needed shimmer of light, hope, safety and reassurance. It’s as vulnerable as it’s balming.
It represents something special and unforgettable. No questions there. I’ll always love everything about it, most especially its relatable lyrics, uniquely amazing melody (I’ve literally heard NOTHING like this melody in my entire life), glittery EDM and pulling resonance.
Definitely one of my BEST songs from TWICE! And the fashion and music video?? STUNNING!!!
Whatta Man (2016) – IOI
Okay, when I first heard Whatta man, I was SHOOK. The whooping chorus alone that it makes an entrance with, is riveting.
Now, beckon the Rap.
The rap. The rap. The rap. How do I describe it? The rap makes me feel like I can CONQUER THE WORLD. In the last verse particularly, Yoo jung WRECKS everything in her way. I aspire to meet this tongue-twisting queen and become best friends with her. She was THAT BISHHH!!!
Whatta Man is a heart-racing song. It reminds me of I Got A Boy in a way. It wasn’t as chaotic but the production and harmonization are similarly charged. What a badass song!
Magic Island (2019) – TXT
I swear, never have I in my entire life, heard anything as ethereal as this song. Its beauty is unreal. It’s heavy with gentle emotions. Insanely calming and transcending. It literally gives you this feeling of being transported to a planet far from earth. I get goosebumps just listening to Magic Island. It’s inestimable! Kudos to TXT really. Their vocals are so sparkly and angelic in it. And seriously, their albums are BOMB. I enjoy them soooo much!
There you go!
Choosing just 13 songs to rave about when you are obsessed with a lotta Kpop tracks, is no easy feat. So to quell greedy need in me, I decided to add some WORTHY MENTIONS!!!
1. Forever Young (2018) – Blackpink
2. Heart Shaker (2017) – Twice
3. BbiBbi (2018) – IU
4. Euphoria (2018) – BTS (Jungkook)
5. Beautiful (2017) – Wanna One
6. Butterfly (2015)– BTS
7. Save Me (2016) – BTS
8. Monster (2016) – Exo
9. Palette (2017) – IU ft G-dragon
10. Dance the Night Away (2018) – Twice
11. Serendipity (2018) – BTS (Jimin)
Whoops! Finished!
I think?🤔
Oh, whatever. I’m exhausted 😴😴😴. Which Kpop songs will you always have big love for? Spread your wings in the comments section below 😅.
See you soon😘
Wow. This is awesome, I will listen to them all😁
So, have you listened to them all?😍