Every week, the Korean music scene delivers great songs across genres and styles, and last week was no exception, with a heavy selection of hits with global and crossover potential, satisfying nostalgic duets, and some of 2024's most promising new artists.
Recently, favorite groups like NewJeans, ONEUSMCND and JUST B released new songs to satisfy their die-hard fans while also showing impressive growth. Meanwhile, K-pop fans were also treated to special collaborations such as EXO's Suho enlisting Wendy of Red Velvet for his new single 'Cheese' and ASTRO's JinJin bringing in indie singer MRCH for his special music project .
Indicative of the global K-pop scene, there was also a huge crossover potential for the industry's latest batch of releases. AleXa dropped one of the best vocal performances and singles of her career with the very relatable “I'm okay” which could easily climb Top 40 and rock radio. BI linked up with hit producers including Malibu Babie for his latest hip-hop hit “Tasty.” GSoul has delivered a silky R&B single just as his North American tour kicks off on May 30th. In addition, JUST B dropped their surprisingly punk-rock English single “Daddy's Girl”, which could definitely win them new fans.
As the K-pop industry moves at a fast pace, it's important to stop and appreciate the innovation and diversity it brings to its various acts. Last week, Billboard readers chose ENHYPEN's “Fatal Love” as their top K-pop pick of the week, but fans of aespa, ZEROBASONE, MARK, and Lovelyz's Ryu Sujeong and Yein all showed love.
Take some time to explore these nine new gems that embody the spirit of the scene and deserve a permanent spot on your playlist. Then vote in our poll for the top of K-pop for the past week.
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Alexa, “I'm fine”
Image credit: Amy Sussman/GI for MRC
Led by AleXa and K-indie veteran Annie Ko, “I'm OK” is American Song Contest the best crossover single AleXa has brought with AleXa's penchant for edgy, emo rock to a playful pop palette. Along with some of the best vocals of her career, “I'm okay” feels like a true expression from AleXa with lyrics like “Frontal lobotomy, there's a part of missing/ It started when I found out the voice wasn't my friends” sure it will resonate (and go viral). her 1.5 million followers on TikTok.
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BI, “Tasty”
Produced alongside collaborators Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, Fred again.. and Anitta collaborators Malibu Babie, Tobias Wincorn, Kaine and Vaughn Oliver, “Tasty” sees BI once again make his international appeal with this fast-paced, two-minute hip-hop. crossover hit.
Longtime fans of BI will appreciate what appears to be a subtle reference to his old band iKON with lyrics like, “Here's another hit, right off the bat/ Look at this icon how we live here/ Call my name when ask, “What's the big idea?” when iKON's official lightstick merchandise was shaped like a baseball bat.
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GSoul, “Window Pane (Pretty Lil Thing)”
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JinJin, “For Me” (feat. MRCH)
JinJin, leader and main rapper for the boy band ASTRO, shares the range of his musicianship and talents with his “JIN LAB” project series. The second song for the project showcases indie singer MRCH's sensitive vocals juxtaposed beautifully with JinJin's passionate delivery.
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MCND, “X10”
MCND debuted in 2020 as one of the hottest new artists in a competitive year that included arrivals from ENHYPEN, aespa, TREASURE, P1Harmony, STAYC, CRAVITY and more. More than four years later, the group continues to prove their bright promise with new single “X10” that brings their playful hip-hop sound with an intense, superstar charisma.
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NEXZ, “Ride the Vibe”
Joining the label family that includes TWICE, Stray Kids, DAY6, ITZY, and more, JYP Entertainment's next generation kicked off with newly debuted boy group NEXZ. Despite being formed in the Japanese singing competition Nizi Project Season 2, NEXZ are being framed as a “global boy band” making their official debut with a hip-hop-inspired K-pop single, “Ride the Vibe” with something which looks like an almost equal split of Korean and English lyrics.
Meet Tomoya, Yu, Haru, So Geon, Hyui, Seita and Yuki above.
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NewJeans, “How Sweet”
Image Source: Krista Schlueter
A song that really gets sweeter the more you listen, NewJeans' latest single mixes Miami bass into their soundscape to continue the band's pristine track with delightful pop treats, and is likely to make a huge bow on the charts next week.
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ONEUS, “Now”
A treat for both longtime and new K-pop fans alike, boy band ONEUS cover the award-winning 2000 single “Now” by groundbreaking Korean girl group Fin.KL Done with a noticeably rougher edge than the original, the ONEUS follows the trend of pop music's obsession with all things Y2K.
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Suho, “Cheese” feat. Wendy
A label-mate SM Entertainment duet between EXO's leader and label powerhouse Red Velvet, Suho and Wendy's feel-good “Cheese” is the perfect cool anthem for spring. The track also features a guitar solo to ensure there is a satisfying rock music that represents Suho's long-time favorite genre.
“Cheese” previews Suho's upcoming solo album, 1 to 3with a drop on May 31.
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Soojin, “Mona Lisa”
Despite an unexpected departure from (G)I-DLE in 2021, Soojin returned to the K-pop industry in 2023 with her solo album Agassi selling an impressive more than 100,000 copies worldwide. New single 'Mona Lisa' marks the singer-dancer's first official return as a solo star with a welcome dramatic and cinematic feel throughout the rhythmic track.
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JUST B, “Daddy's Girl”
In what would be an easy alt or rock radio hit for any band, “Daddy's Girl” positions JUST B as surprise successors to pop-punk players like Fall Out Boy or 5 Seconds of Summer. If they take this streak seriously, we could see them occupy a space where groups like PrettyMuch and Why Don't We have experimented, but we'd also like to see what would happen if they linked up with other stars in the scene like State Champs or The Story So Far.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/top-kpop-of-the-week-newjeans-suho-alexa-gsoul-b-i-soojin-nexz-vote/
