January 31st 2025 –> April 16th 2025
In “honor” of the blog being a year old, I’ve decided to do these little roundups every so often, starting in September of last year. Here are my Top 2 songs of every artist I covered from January 31st 2025 to April 16th 2025, along with my thoughts on who was most overrated, which review made me shed a couple tears, and what idol stood out from the rest. Featured artists in the thumbnail, L-R, Top: CRAVITY, Taeyon; Bottom: CLC, Lucy
Featured Artists: NiZiU, Ten Lee, T-ara, BG Solos 5*, Monsta X, LISA, CLC, Cherry Bullet, BG Solos 6*, Rolling Quartz, CRAVITY, Mark, Taeyeon, ICHILLIN’, and Lucy
*Soloists Featured In BG Solos 5: RM, Eunhyuk, GDragon, Eric Nam, Kangta
Soloists Featured In BG Solos 6: BM, T.O.P., Ryeowook, Jungkook, Baekhyun
Range: We actually didn’t have that large a range this time! The oldest, soloist Kangta, debuted in 2001; the newest, ICHILLIN, debuted in 2021. So, just 20 years. Amazing that a span that’s basically my lifetime makes such a difference, right?
Favorite Group: Lucy! Lucy all the way! Their music is just gorgeous, melding pop and classical while reminiscing on childhood, and not only are they a band but they write their own songs too! I did this review with my dad, who plays in an orchestra, which made it even more fun.
Favorite Soloist: As much as I love both Ten and Mark, this one’s got to be Taeyeon. She’s an icon for a reason—her voice is incredible, she has real range in the genres she tackles, and her lyrics are beautifully introspective.
Least Favorite Artist: I suppose this time it would be Lisa, though I really didn’t dislike any of these artists. Lisa’s absolutely one of k-pop’s most impressive performers, but as someone who focuses more on vocals and melody, her music’s not really for me.
Biggest Surprise: Monsta X! I was expecting just trap-heavy boy group music, and they really proved me wrong, with so much more range than I was expecting. My friend Faith, who I wrote this with, is crowing in the background, please believe me.
Underrated Group: Also Lucy (seriously, spend ten minutes checking them out), but I’ll go with Rolling Quartz. They may not technically be k-pop, but if you like rock, girl groups playing their own instruments, and some really incredible covers of pop songs around the world from Lady Gaga to BLACKPINK, give them a listen!
Overrated Group: Cherry Bullet. I know, I know, I’m sorry. They weren’t technically that big a group, but I decided to cover them because their fans are impressively vocal. I guess I was expecting something more.
Top 5 Songs:
- Flare by Lucy
- Child by Mark Lee
- Azalea by Rolling Quartz.
- Chopstick by NiZiU
- Whispers In The Dark by Monsta X
Stand-Out Idol: Ten. Not only does he have such a lovely voice to listen to, but he’s one of the most fluid and detail-oriented dancers in the industry, acing different styles and making them all his own. He’s something special.
Review That Made Me Cry: Mark, to no one’s surprise. I’ve been his fan for so many years, and the amount of pride I felt seeing him finally write the album he’s always wanted to with such personal stories made me so emotional.
Thanks for tuning in to our roundup! Tschüss and see you next time!
Let me know your thoughts!