Debuts || Comebacks || Releases || OST’s
- https://moreblminfo.carrd.co/
- https://getinformed.carrd.co/ This is an incredible carrd with information and resources about many of the issues the world is going through right now!
- I find Twitter an extremely useful tool in finding information about these injustices and ways to help.
These 8 days were busy for idols!
With these posts, I hope you can find some new favourites or just re-listen to some of your faves.
I am musically inept, both in practise and in terminology, so apologies for not being very eloquent. I just think sharing what I like is fun and it’s a great way to broaden my knowledge and hear artists that I wouldn’t have otherwise heard.
The sites I used to compile this list were Kprofiles, Kpopofficial + Soompi.
January 9th
Nam Seung Min – Roof (์ง๋ถ)
I thought this was a voice of someone a lot older than 18?! This boy is a baby, with the steady and strong voice of an adult. Seung Min appeared on the reality programme Tomorrow is Mr Trot in 2020.
While listening to Roof, I realised that I only listen to female trot singers (and Daesung… does he count? haha). Nam Seung Min’s style is more subtle in Roof and it’s such a lovely song. It’s calming and makes me feel content. The “nation’s grandson of trot” has many years ahead of him and I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes out with!
Bae Jin Ryeo (ft. Choi Hyo In) – Asking Myself
Bae Jin Ryeo (known as JR Groove) is a composer and also plays the piano for this track. I couldn’t find much about Choi Hyo In, other than that she appeared on the 2016 Duet Song Festival.
When a song opens with a piano, my expectations are immediately high – and this song delivered!
Asking Myself is beautifully sung, Choi Hyo In has an amazing voice and her high notes amid her lower tone is so nice to listen to. It’s a song that I can see myself listening to on repeat because Hyo In’s voice is so relaxing here. I’ll definitely be listening to her more โฅ
January 11th
LEX – SIP
LEX is a member if BIGFLO, currently a 3 membered boy group under HO Company. They debuted in 2014, and SIP is from LEX’s 1st Single Album – 10&going.
The beat to SIP is fun in a chill way, that perfectly matches the vibe of the vocals. LEX has a really good voice, his higher level is pretty and the transitions are great. I’m definitely interested to see what he does next, plus I feel like I need to check out BIGFLO~
(G)I-DLE – ํ(็ซ่ฑ) (HWAA)
HWAA is (G)I-DLE’s – a multinational 6 membered girl group who debuted in 2018 under Cube Entertainment – title track for their 4th mini album ‘I Burn’.
(G)I-DLE have quickly become one of my favourite girl groups. I really enjoy their music and vocals. Hwaa has not disappointed. This is closer to the Oh My God side of their style, with more ballad elements amid the upbeat, fast tempo. The ballad parts are very pretty, and the chorus is so catchy and integrated into the song. I really like all the vocals, and I think So Yeon does a good job highlighting each member’s strong quality โฅ
VICTON – What I Said
VICTON are a 7 membered boy group under Play M, which debuted in 2016. What I Said is the title track from their latest comeback. This first full album – The Future is Now – was meant to be released in November of last year, but was delayed due to the members being exposed to Covid.
What I Said starts off a bit weak for me, but I think it’s more a lyric issue than any vocal issues. Some of the English inclusion makes it a little awkward. However, it does pick up pretty quick and I had more to focus on than the lyrics. The beat is really strong, which goes with the vocals. This group is very talented! The chorus is impactful and memorable. Overall, a great comeback track.
2F – Sorry
This took me a while to find and I even had to go through Korean wiki… Originally 4Men, 2F is made up of the remaining members – Shin Young Jae and Kim Won Joo. They debuted in 1998, while 2F has been promoting since 2014.
Sorry is an OST for JTBC’s drama Run On. This song started with piano, so my expectations for this ballad were high from the get go. I love a good piano opening! And these two men did not disappoint! This ballad is absolutely beautiful. Both voices compliment each other so well. And from what I know about the drama itself, this song fits it perfectly! I highly recommend checking these men out – they have been on Immortal Songs 2 many times, as well as having a YouTube channel – 2F ์ ์ฉ์ฌ&๊น์์ฃผ โฅ
Jo Moon Geun – ์์ท ONE SHOT
Jo Moon Geun was the runner up of the first season of singing competition Superstar K in 2009. He officially debuted with Moon Band (or I’ve also seen it referred to as Jo Moon Geun Band) in 2017. I couldn’t find any info on the band, if you do let me know in the comments~
I also listened to some of his other work, which isn’t Trot and he has a beautiful voice that works well with a lot of styles. I will say I listened to him singing a ballad that has some Trot and rock elements and it was *chef’s kiss*. You can check that out here โฅ
There is something about Trot music that I just love. This is the very upbeat and fun style and the beat alone makes me instantly happy! Jo Moon Geun’s voice is also really good, and has a really nice lilt.
January 12th
DVWN – ์์ ๋นํ (Free Flight)
DVWN (previously DA๏ฟฆN, but still pronounced dawn I believe) is singer and songwriter underย KOZ Entertainment, who debuted in 2018. Free Flight is his latest single.
This is such a calming song that makes me feel safe. It almost feels like a gentle lullaby. This song tends to stay at the same rhythm and pace, but that, mixed with the gentle vocals makes for a really enjoyable listen. I’m not familiar with DVWN, but I’m definitely interested in checking out their other work. I also think that the song perfectly matches the video and who doesn’t love seeing Park Shin Hye on their screens?!
Hannah Jang – ์๊ปด์ ๋ญํด (playing no games)
Hannah Jang is a former YG Entertainment trainee. She made her independent solo debut in 2020 (but has had some releases and features from 2014/15). From what I can tell, playing no games is her 2nd single.
Hannah’s voice is so cool and matches the relaxed k’rnb tone of the song. The beat is great, and the mixer (? the guy in the back with the computer equipment and machines… wait he’s a DJ right?) adds an interesting sound with the instruments. This is definitely a song I’ll listen to a lot, as well as keeping an eye out on what Hannah comes out with next โฅ
E’LAST – Dangerous
E’LAST are an 8 membered boy group under E Entertainment. They debuted in 2020 and Dangerous is a track from their 2nd mini album ‘Awake’.
Dangerous is a great song! How do I not know about these talented men?! The song has that heavy produced beat and while I’m not always a fan, the pace and volume is great and matches with the vocals. And the vocals are great! There is a range of distinguishable voices and styles and a great rapper. I definitely need to check out their other work โฅ
January 13th
YUBIN – PERFUME (ํฅ์)
Yubin was introduced as a member of Wonder Girls (after Hyuna’s departure) in 2007. Since then she has released just a few songs. After her contract with JYP expired, Yubin chose to leave and formed her own agency rrr Entertainment in 2020. Perfume is a digital single.
Perfume took a little while for me to get fully invested in to. The style is a bit of an overload on first listen, at least it was for me! Yubin’s voice has both a deep and sweet quality to it, which makes it so interesting to listen to. Perfume is a very beat heavy, but her voice is never lost. The chorus is also incredibly catchy! I really look forward to what Yubin creates next as she moves forward in her solo career โฅ
January 14th
Jang Han Byul – USED TO THIS
Jang Han Byul debuted in 2011 with band LedApple, however, the group disbanded in 2014. He is currently a solo artist under BigOcean ENM and Used To This is Han Byul’s 2nd single.
Used To This is such a fun and cool song. The beat goes up and down, as does the pacing and Han Byul’s vocals match really well with the concept. He also has an interesting sound, it kind of reminds me of the singer Mika (please tell me someone knows who I mean, I think I may have aged myself haha). The video is also really cute and nicely shot!
January 15th
Solji – Remember My Love (๊ธฐ์ตํด์ค์ ์ด๋ฐ ๋ด ๋ง์์)
Solji is the leader and main vocal of girl group EXID who debuted in 2012. Last year she signed with C-JeS Entertainment to pursue her solo career (while still being part of EXID). Remember My Love is an OST to the Webtoon Bunny and Guys.
This song is so pretty and Solji has great power in her voice and a depth that comes with a lower tone. Her high notes are wonderful as well. Remember My Love is definitely a ballad I’ll listen to again โฅ
ย ํฌ๋ฆฐ (FORIN) – Room
FORIN is the stage name of Joo Jin Woo, a solo singer and actor under Finecut Entertainment. Before his debut in 2018, he took part in the competition variety Produce 101 Season 2. From what I can tell, Room is his 2nd single.
Room is so pretty. The instrument accompaniment sets such a lovely pace and Forin’s voice is great. It’s rather understated, but has such a warm quality. There is both a peaceful and safe feeling, as well as melancholy. Room is definitely a song fit for winter โฅ I look forward to hearing more from him and I hope he reaches his goals in acting as well~
January 16th
Lee Su Hyun – Love and Pain
Lee Su Hyun is a member of sibling duo Akdong Musician with her older brother Lee Chan Hyuk. After winning K-pop Star 2, the pair signed with YG Entertainment in 2013. Love and Pain comes from the web series Lovestruck in the City, which started airing in December of last year and finished in February.
Su Hyun has one of my favourite voices, ever. Her voice is stunning. And where she shines the brightest is ballads, so of course I loved this song! I highly recommend listening to AKMU if you haven’t already and giving her solo debut Alien some love. I also suggest checking out her performance’s on Henry’s Begin Again โฅ
Side note: I couldn’t find a live version, so if you don’t want spoilers there are fanmade lyric videos etc if you search for this on YouTube.
The song titles (or parts in blue) will take you to the YouTube video~
Memorable Mentions:
- 11th January: T1419 – ASURABALBALTA Korean + Japanese. Last year, around Halloween, T1419 released a pre-debut song – Dracula – and for the most part I really like it. It showed that they had solid potential. With Asurabalbalta – from their first single album + official debut – I can still see potential. There are elements of this song that I really like. However, I feel that this is a group that I’m going to keep an eye on, and hopefully as they progress and grow, I’ll get more invested into their music โฅ || CRUMP X OTWO – No, yes or no (prod. DJ Tiz) – I don’t tend to listen to just straight up rap, so this is out of my comfort zone. I really like the beat, the layering and the actual voices. However, it was the pacing that wasn’t to my liking. I’m sure that if I listened to other songs by these rappers, I would inevitably find something I would like.
- 13th: January: YOUHA – ์ค๋ ์กฐ๊ธ ์ทจํด์ ๊ทธ๋ (Abittipsy). I really like the style and the sweet vocals, however, the music is just too loud and rapid for me. I would have to be in a very specific mood to really enjoy the song as a whole.
- 15th January: Inverness ft. Kang Daniel + Anthony Russo – State of Wonder. I didn’t quite know where to put this, so I thought I’d just put it here. This song is by American EDM Producer Inverness. The EDM isn’t distracting and Anthony Russo’s main vocal role is really good. Kang Daniel’s part is great and the Korean doesn’t sound awkward within the song. || KANGTA – Cough Syrup. This could have been such a better song if the beat wasn’t so loud. Kangta has a great voice, so it’s a shame it’s not the focus point. I definitely prefer it live!
- 16th January: Jeong Hyo Bean – Starlight (OST Run On). Hyo Bin has a really good voice, and I would have really enjoyed this song had the beat not been so loud and obnoxious. It detracts from the vocals and ruins it for me.
Other:
- 9th: SWAY – Let’s Go To The Beach || Wooks ft. Crucial Star – ๊ทธ๋ฅ (JUST)
- 10th: 2NB, by me – I’m Fine (์๋ก๊ฐ ํ์ํ ๋์๊ฒ) (OST Bike Boys)
- 11th: TREASURE – My Treasure || Hayeon – Walk Away || Muzie ft. Su Min – ์๊ฐ ์๊ฐ ์๊ฐ (Thinking about you) || Kim Yo Han – Recently (์์ฆ ์๊พธ๋ง) (OST A Love So Beautiful) || Lovelybut (vocal by Ye Chan) – Paper Plane || Lanalogue – Call Me By Your Name || Mudskipper – Firework A + Firework B + Seashore
- 12th: Haeri (ft. Hanhae) – POP SONG || kimfeelsun – Mama (๋ง๋ง) || Jung In – ์ด๋ป๊ฒ ํด์ผ ํ ๊น์ Unspeakable || Kim Young Geun – ์ถ์ต๋ (Memories in the snow) || Jang Won Jun – ๋ก์ Raw-er || ํฌ์ฝ์ํฌ์ฝ (poco a poco) – ์ฌ๋์ด๋ผ๋ฉด
- 13th: N.O.M – I can’t Wait || Jin Jun Woo – ์ทจํด์ || ๋ชจํธ (Motte) – ์ ์ ๋ ๊ฐ๊น์์ ธ์ (Close To You) || NAMJAE – ์ด์ ๋ ๋ ์ฌ๋ํ์ง ์์ I don’t love you anymore || Cha Ga Euk – Longing through the light (๊ทธ๋ฆฌ์์ด ๋น์ ํ๊ณ ) || bobae – ๋ถ์ก์ (onoff) || Park Tae Wook ft. Soo Yeony – Galaxie Inferieure
- 14th: AleXa – ์ค๋๋ง์ด์ผ (Never Let You Go) || Kim Jeong Uk – write a letter || FEELY – HIGHTEEN STAR (ํ์ดํด์คํ) || Kim Soo Chan x Joo Hyun Mi – Only Love (์ฌ๋๋ง ํด๋ ๋ชจ์๋ผ) || ์ฐฌํฌ (Chani (SF9)) – ๊ทธ๋ฆฌ์ (Starlight) (OST True Beauty) || nov – TRAUMA
- 15th: I.N. ft. Bang Chan + Changbin – “๋ง๋ด์จํ” || Park Se Eun – ๊ทธ๋๊ฐ ์์ (Soon)
- 16th: Hong Yu Bin – Dive Into Night (debut) || Lee O Neul – ์๋ฒฝ๋ฌ Dawn Moon
What were some of your favourites from these days in January? Did you discover some great new music? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe โฅ
DramaRambles ๐ธ 