A Downward Spiral into the World of Kpop

This was actually the first kpop group that I got into, and I didn’t even know they were a k-pop group! They did the opening and ending themes for the anime Tower of God, based on the Webtoon of the same name. The opening song is called TOP and the ending is SLUMP. Both songs have three versions, sung in Korean, Japanese, and English. The group actually has  multiple songs in Japanese and are well liked in Japan. Just getting right into it, this is tied for my favorite group right now, the other we’ll meet later. They have a really good energy throughout their music and can be put in the electronica genre, but there are absolutely a good deal of songs that can’t really be under that. I think every member shines in their own right, most likely due to the surprising amount of creative control the group is allowed to have. They have sold over 10 million albums across South Korea and Japan, and I know sales shouldn’t be the end all be all for whether a group is good or not but it’s impressive nevertheless. They just recently released an album entirely in Japanese, which is really good, and are set to be the first k-pop group to perform at Lollapalooza in Paris.

This is definitely one of the worst groups I have ever listened to.

Ok that’s putting it a bit harsh because I do like this group, I’m just very mixed on my opinions. This is probably the most “pop” of any of the groups I cover and again, I don’t know if I enjoy that or not. It can mostly fall under the “bubblegum pop” or “dance pop” genre, which I don’t entirely dislike. And I’m absolutely not saying that they are bad at it or that their music fails to be that, they have some really good songs, I am actually embarrassed I like The Feels so much, that song slaps. They also belong to the same agency as Stray Kids, JYP Entertainment. I think all the members are really amazing artists. I get why they’re well-liked and popular and apparently the highest selling girl group in Korea, it's just that sometimes it doesn’t really do it for me.

So yeah, probably the most popular k-pop group in the world right now is BTS. They gained traction in the rest of the world towards the late 2010’s and going by things like sales and views I’d say their biggest time was 2019-2022, or at least in terms of popularity with the whole world. Their first all-English song Dynamite spent 3 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100, and stayed on the list for a whopping 32 weeks, breaking Gangnam Style’s record. Their next hit Butter stayed at No. 1 for 15 weeks! Those numbers are absolutely insane and deserve praise, especially since they came out during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns, where it seemed like music was just kind of boring at that time. While those songs I do like, I think their work from a couple years back is much better, at least to me. I really like tracks like DNA, Fake Love, and Not Today. Blood Sweat & Tears is in the running for my favorite k-pop song ever and was the first of their songs that I REALLY liked. Overall, this group is incredible, I think it is also the best entry point into k-pop especially given the popularity their English songs have gotten. Although the group is on a hiatus due to members having to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military service. I think that when they do come back from serving their country, the splash will be even bigger than before.

Speaking of popular k-pop groups that got popular in the U.S., BLACKPINK is definitely up there. They’ve broken numerous online world records and have sold millions. They’re no doubt, the biggest girl groups in the world. Each member has had success on their own and being together in the group, especially in the earlier works, works amazingly. Songs like Kill This Love, Ddu-Du Ddu-Du (yes that’s the actual name), and Kiss and Make Up are really good and I really enjoy them. They have a very loud and in-your-face style that I and so many others enjoy. However, I do not like their newest album. Their newest album Born Pink was released September last year and is their most recent album as of writing this. I think that the album didn’t do anything. As in, it didn’t evolve upon its past sounds, it didn’t really introduce anything new, it was just the same as always. I don’t know if it was an executive decision or if the agency just wanted to play it safe, but I think the only thing that is worse than an artist being bad, is being boring.

Remember how I said Stray Kids was tied with another group for my favorite, yeah this is that other group.

Dreamcatcher is most likely the least-known group I have on this article, or at least to the average listener. This group has been steadily growing over the years and I decided to check them out. They have a darker concept than any of the other groups and have a rock and metal inspired sound that I REALLY like. Songs like SAHARA, Tension, and In The Frozen are absolutely sick and I found myself listening to them the most. This group is incredible to me and I really hope that they reach the popularity of the last couple of the groups and keep that style that makes them unique. Now to be honest, a lot of their songs are like anime intro music and that is not an insult. If you're a fan of genres like j-rock you’ll love this group.