Kpop: Top 20 of 2015

If my yearly top 20 of jpop is about variation and oddness, the kpop top lists is more about perfection and honing that hit recipe a bit more, adding that extra spice or trying a little new. This may sound boring but it is what has made kpop tha shing beacon of musical success outside the local asian community, instead nowadays almost everyone knows someting about kpop.

The five outside top 20, which deserves some mention of course, were:

25. Jimin & J.Don - God. She may not be a 'real' rapper but that attitude just gets to me every time.
24. Girl's Generation - Catch Me If You Can. A masterpiece choregraphy-vise hides a rather average EDM song. But that dance oh it is perfect.
23. Red Velvet - Dumb. Visually a top 10 video, a must see, but the song was just a tad too much.
22. Primary ft Lena Park - Hello. Stylish and intelligent kpop again from Primary.
21. Crayon Pop - FM. My favorite nerds with their celebration of otaku culture.

Moving on to my absolute favorites:

20. Kara - Cupid. Yet another trademark Kara song, polished and shining kpop that I never tire of hearing.

19. Hong Jin Young - Love Wifi. My number one trot track this year.

18. 9Muses - Drama. A bit of a step down for the girls compared to last year song-wise, but Drama was quite good.

17. Rainbow - Black Swan. A dark theme and a well crafted song (though a bit repetitive) from the experienced girls brought them into my favorite list.

16. Twice - Like OOH-AAH. Even for kpop, twice seemed like a very artificially constructed group, but in the end I found it hard to defend myself from the song's inherently catchy sound and refrain.

15. Jun Hyo Seong - Into you. She really got something going for her in her solo career with already several nice videos under her belt, this being the best.

14. Tahiti - Skip. The strength and weakness of this song is its accessibility bordering on tediousness depending on persective.

13. PSY - Daddy & Napal Baji. The lightning never strikes twice and all that...this placing is honestly somewhat unfair to PSY, but I still after 3 years find myself comparing him to his historical hit Gangnam Style. This is his best try so far, but it still stands in the shadow of that landmark.

12. AoA - Heart Attack. This song really grew on me after a while, and the eye-contact version really did it for me.

11. Girl's Day - Ring My Bell. A burlesque and at times but ugly video that is (because of this also) very fascinating and addictive. And as usual their charm is unresistable.

10. Jonghyun ft Zion T - Deja Boo. Super smoth and soulful but still with passion.

9. Jay Park ft Genius Nochang & B-Free - Want It . So. Cool. The Man in kpop 2015.

8. Melody Day - Speed Up. A surprisingly everyday kpop melody for a top 10 song, but it delivers on the points that matters in the long run, not just in impressive visuals or gimmicks.

7. Fiestar - You're pitiful. A melancholic uptempo track that didn't have any weak spots really.

6. Stellar - Vibrato. Stellar managed to make the theme so openly sexual that it almost took the step into sex ed instead, in a video that actually had again a really nice song too.

5. Got7 - If You Do. The popular boy band got to me with this well tuned ballad where both refrain and all the other parts works so well.

4. Stephanie - Black Out. The almost embarrasingly explicit video aside, I just dig this track so badly, its a killer.

3. Tey - Dangerous. Even though I'm more into girls, I must say Tey is sexy in this video, with a dramatic song to match.

2. IU - Twenty-three. Gloriously well written and intelligent lyrics sung with a new-found mature charm that really makes the Alice-in-Wonderland-styled video shine.

1. miss A - Only You. So what makes this the number one kpop song this year? Well, the girls really pull off a superbly choreographed feat with a music score that has such an enjoyable combination of instrumental and singing fun that it is hard not to love this track every time I hear it.

Kpop: Top 20 of the last quarter of 2015

Lots of nice songs and videos this autumn/early winter, with a nice mixture of debutantes and celebrities.

20. Click-B - Reborn. This they earned for their posing. Seriously.

19. LPG - Slow. This may not be the best song they've made, but I have a weak spot for trot music (old fashioned korean pop) so this wa snot to be missed.

18. Exid - Hot Pink. Basically a high quality production in a song that is in its roots average, resulting in an enjoyable video that may or may not last much beyond when you play it.

17. Oh My Girl - Closer.  The video may be etheric bordering on bland in trying to be otherwordly, but it is still a very nicely creation from the new girls in their second single.

16. Teen top - Ah-Ah. This is honestly a summer track, but I added later so no matter. A very positive and life-affirming video.

15. Hotties - Bambambam. A catchy refrain for this new rookie group.

14. ATT - Temptation. As I wrote, it is interesting for being slightly 'off' somehow in its singing/sound. A bit of assymetry can do all the difference.

13. Ailee - Mind Your Own Business. The first single from her first album, her strong voice and presense is familiar by now.

12. Laboum - Aalow Aalow. I agree with the fans - why doesn't this have more plays?! Even though not everyone likes 80s retro, this is so sharply implemented that I'm still perplexed over why not more enjoy it.

11. DinDin - Pour. I like this for the unabashed drinking and partying. ;-)

10. f(x) - 4 Walls. Like, don't like, like, don't like. Sometimes I feel the mood of this video is one of the best this year, other times it feels like that song you just skip over in your play list because you just don't have the patience for it.

9. Jay Park ft Okasian - You Know. Jay Park is The Man of kpop this year, all hands down (and with just a little irony). With Okasian doing his slow stupid rap, this song is like rap syrup down my ears.

8. Brown Eyed Girls - Brave New World. While 'Hole' was just too much idea and to little real musical quality, this song and video had that edge that suits BEG just where they are now, with soundbites from classical disco and some odd space vibes in the video.

7. Stephanie ft. Eljo - Higher. Another one of her italo pop - inspired songs that feels just so fun as usual.

6. Jay Park ft Genius Nochang & B-Free - Want It. Jay goes to Shanghai and delivers another impressive performance with his guys.

5. Tahiti - Skip. This is the song this year with the most singular sound, the most well defined song structure. You just get it all from the start. SOmetimes it is too repetitive, but mostly it is dance, dance, dance.

4. Melody Day - Speed Up. It is hard to define why I like this song so much, it is just so likeable and very much what one want from kpop.

3. PSY - Daddy & Napal Baji. These two powerful releases, had they preceded Gangham Style, would for sure been among the absolute top 5 songs of 2015. Now the fact is that he still has to be compared with his historical hit and this of course makes it hard to top that kpop landmark. Unfair? Yes, maybe, but it is still the way it is. As a side notice, I like Napal Baji more but I accept the fact that Daddy has a greater hit potential.

2. Twice - Like Ooh - Aah. I actually tried to be a bit sceptic as this felt like the new kpop group that everyone should like, but then the song just grows on you and it is soo effective. A very promising debut.

1. IU - Twenty three. Everyone's sweetheart but for me she has been doing mostly borderline pretentious music the last year(s). SO imagine my happiness when '23' shows up, with a more mature IU singing with lyrics that is to die for, and a video that is picture perfect. Every line and facial expression perfectely timed.

Kpop: IU - Twenty-three (스물셋)

When I saw this video I could almost cry from relief - gone is the experimental, cutesy and/or pretentious shit and finally we get to know the rhytmic and now more mature IU. The number one Korean sweetheart and her company has realised they have to deliver something that is actually good pop music and damn does this video work well delivering just that. Sexy lyrics, visuals (oh that Alice in Wonderland theme) and -yes- IU herself finally got some sex appeal going that isn't sub-20s-flirty.

• IU - Twenty-three (스물셋)