East Asian pop update Sep 2018 - Sep 2019

These are the (roughly) 40 songs and videos from east asia that I have been the most interested in the past year:

Blackpink - Kill This Love (music video).
Blackpink - Kill This Love (concert). To say that they made a great impression on the american audience is an understatement. I would hazard to guess that together with the boys of BTS, they helped make 2019 the year that kpop finally made it big in the US.
BTS - Boy with luv. This was actually played more than Kill This Love in Sweden, but I blame all the fanboys here being so much less vocal than the fangirls...still, it IS a great song.
K/DA - Pop/Stars. I will add this video in this regard, as it is another interesting crossover that is actually a Leauge of Legends promo.

Itzy - Dalla. They defined their unique, "young" sound from the start.
Itzy - Icy. ANd the second single actually even built on it even better.

Weki Meki - Picky Picky. In some sense, this is one of my number one hits of the year. Sooo catchy.
Weki Meki - Picky Picky. Great remix from Areia.
Weki Meki - Picky Picky. Super fun dance relay version.

Taemin - Want. He's such a star, and his japanese singles are just perfection.
Taemin - Famous.
TVXQ - Truth. The boys are charismatic to the max and the song matches this.

WJSN - Boogie up. And when talking about relay mixes - I just simply can't get enough of this one. I actually only got hooked on the song after seing it.

Apink - Eung eung. The veterans of Apink delivered yet again (after the superb I'm so sick).
Apink - Eung eung. Live. Watch and learn all kpop rookies.

April - Oh! My mistake. A old school kpop song and video. Loved it of course!
Cherry Bullet - Q&A.
Neon Punch - Tic Toc. A perfectly produced debut song that want by mostly unnoticed.

CLC - Devil. The first single I actually liked (very much too) with them, it actually being more melody than attitude for once.

Sunmi - Noir. She has such charm and charisma, combined with such well honed videos, that it is hard to not love it.
Sunmi - Lalalay.

Twice - Fancy.
Twice - Breakthrough.

IZ*ONE - La Vie Et Rose. This group has really established a distinct sound with their three first singles, let's see if their japanese "Vampire" signifies a (if smaller) change of that.
IZ*ONE - Violetta.
IZ*ONE - Buenos Aires.
IZ*ONE - Vampire.

Ailee - Room Shaker. Lot's of people didn't like this single due to her not using her vocal capabilities fully, but I just enjoyed the generall badness of Ailee.
Fromis - Love Bomb. A classic catchy hit that may not make it to the absolute top but is a given in my playlist.

Eyedi - & New. This indie video is ultra sweet in a fresh way.

Shaun - She is. Also a very soulful song.

IU - Bbibbi. The queen of being just right musically and all.

Sandy - Swag. Just...swag.

Stella Jang - It's beautiful. Retro beauty.

Hwa Sa - Twit. A solo departure from Mamamoo, but so worth it.

Chung Ha - Snapping. The Areia remix is actually better than the original.
Dia - WoWaa.

Everglow - Adios.

Dreamcatcher - Breaking through.
Yubin - Thank U Soooo Much.

Olltii - Press Start. Nice enough song, but it is the video I watch it for. 80s games forever...

BoA - Woman. The Madonna of eastern pop, she has a seemingly everlasting skill to stay cool.
Jolin Tsai - Womxnly. She is a pillar of LGBT rights defender in chinese language pop.
Sakanaction - Wasurerarenaino. They have a sound that always makes my love their singles.
Cosmospeople - Play One. They deliver another nice funky track.

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: Ailee - Mind Your Own Business (너나 잘해)

From solo kpop singer Ailee with the strong voice comes the first single "Mind Your Own Business" from her first full length album Vivid. It is a really bad/string girl image that is shown in the video with her and her friends wreaking havoc on the boyfriend presumptive, with a sound fully in line with what she had done before. Old fans will be happy, new haters will still hate. ;-)

• Ailee - Mind Your Own Business (너나 잘해)

Kpop: Ailee - Don't touch me (손대지마)

Ailee and her strong voice and style is returning with the new "Don't Touch Me". She deserves so much respect for what she has been thorugh, but even more for her strong voice, so even though her personal song library really isn't quite my style, I will blog about her.

• Ailee - Don't touch me (손대지마)

Kpop: Ailee - U&I

Ailee brings a glamorous show-style number with her new "U&I". Its glitter, glam and self assured singing/dancing. With the nice song it works quite well and her star qualities is again evident.

• Ailee - U&I