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 4th quarter of 2016

The last three months of 2016 was quite awesome in kpop, this list list could have been a best of all 2016 and I wouldn't have been disappointed.

20. Girl's Day - Perfect Stage. Yes, this is an ad. 1 minute. But those four girls own it.

19. Hyukoh - Matsitnonsoul. It is in those riffs. This is freaking rock and it is amazing even though it kind of stands still in one place.

18. Sunwoo Junga - Springgirls. Songwriter, now singer, made this cool video that has superb beat and rhythm.

17. Hyolyn ft Jay Park - One Step. Still I am like "Like-Don't like-Like-Don't" like with this song, but it has to be on the list for its refreain and general shimmering of quality.

16. 100% - Better Day. The song may read like a combination of all the cliches of a dramatic boy kpop song, but it is such an unresistable production that I don't care.

15. Risso. Really, really nice electronic indie songs from this girl, and with a higher degree of variation she will really make us swoon. But don't miss any of her songs, the tarck are pure ear-candy with all them sounds and samples.

14. I.O.I - Very Very Very. This song could be very-very-very irritating but because of the perfect timing and production it isn't. It becomes a kind of "Red Velvet on high speed".

13. Uhm Jung Hwa. To make a comeback at 47 in a business that grades 30+ women as being too mature takes curage and style, but oh does this gal got it! Gothic and good melodies.

12. Yoo Jae Yuk & EXO - Dancing King. Oh, that beat!

11. Stellarjet - I don't like you. Borderline not kpop, but at the same time it is. And it IS quality music.

10. We Are The Night - You Are In. They used to be more punkrock but this synth and slow intensive singing is actually much better.

9. VIXX - Closer. There seems to be hard to skip over VIXX in any best-of-list in kpop and it is true this year too. They can really do dramatic pop videos well.

8. Jay Park - Aquaman. Jay Park finally hit the lyrical and musical orgasm button with this song, finally showing off totally the kind of American explicit R&B he must love.

7. CSP ft Kayla - Busan Girls. The cool an uptempo kind of fruity beat together with a great refrain made this memorable.

6. Song Ji Eun - Bobby Doll. She has something in her voice and deliverance, she doesn't seem to have a special voice but she still gives us hit after hit.

5. Joosuc ft Sanchez - I Kno. He's said to have an attitude problem, but nothing of that can be seen or heard here, his delivery is like honey for the ears.

4. Blackpink - Playing with fire. Without doubt they were this years no 1 new-comers. Attitude, singing and styling like a 2016' 2NE1.

3. EXO-CBX - Hey Mama! Oh, the swing of this song, oh the beat. That and dem boys, just delicious.

2. Twice - TT. OK, I will be honest with you guys. Just like the eye-contact videos of AoA added so much to their videos in 2015, Lia Kim's dance choregraphy and dance video for TT has meant the same this year for Twice's TT. Their song was great already but her choregraphy made it even better.

1. SHINee - 1 on 1. Retro that feels fresh by the oppas of SHINee. Pure gold.