TOP 100 KPOP songs of 2021
by motorp77
taglist (ask in the comments) :
Those 5 songs were already the top of the top, ranked higher than 125 on all updates. They are definitely some of the best songs of 2021 
other episodes :
Honorable Mentions
Bad Love is the title track of Key’s 2nd Mini Album, released on September 27th, 2021. The song uses very heavy synth and is a mix of futuristic and retro style of music (one could say retrofuturistic). It uses Key's impressive vocal capabilities and his unique color to present one of the most unique piece of art of 2021.
What I liked :
The small pre-chorus when his tone goes down is so pretty imo. It contrast so well with the powerful chorus and shows Key’s ability to reproduce different beats in the same songs.
The chorus is simply amazing, clearly a top tier chorus of 2021. Key’s voice is perfectly fitted for it, his vocal power is clearly felt, and as the song goes on it becomes more and more intense, leading to an absolutely mind boggling last chorus. The 2 part structure is really clever imo, if the song only had a one part chorus, it would lose a lot more than 50% intensity, it’s also one make the song really addicting.
The odd choices of sound also make the song very easy to listen to on repeat as you often discover new parts or elements. Each listen is a new experience and the song has incredible longevity because of it.
What I would change :
The verses compared to the other parts of the song are quite boring, it’s like we are waiting for the chorus. It kind of feels like it’s only a pre-chorus, and not a very important part of the song. Also the multiple verses do not feel very different from each other, kind of like another chorus repeating throughout the music. I would have loved it if there was a feature to contrast even more with Key’s image in the song. Someone like Taemin or someone who could put another imagery in the verses to lead to a bigger finale or a completely different part.
The song is also a bit repetitive, but a lot of it was already explained. The overall structure of the song is also maybe a little too standart for the kind of music it was. Maybe more explorations would have made the music even better.
AKMU - Nakka :
Nakka is the 2nd track of the AKMU’s 2nd Mini album titled “NEXT EPISODE”, a collaboration album where each song has a different artist featured. Nakka has the superstar feature of IU, creating an overwhelming amount of amazing vocals in one song. I really don’t know the genre of the music, probably a kind of vocal heavy electronic music, probably surfing in the synthwave wagon that has taken over the pop world in the last few years. Even though there are a lot of vocals, they all fit very well into the song, with each voice having its role.
What I liked :
The song is simple, it has a message and just shows it and doesn’t overcomplicate things like some other songs do. The bold choice to include IU was beautifully made, as her voice fitted perfectly as a backup to Suhyun’s voice. Ji Eun still had a very important part of the music, the chorus, which was simply magnificent. But imo, the best parts were the verses from all 3 artists which were all unique and all gave different dimensions to the music. I would say that Chan Hyuk’s part was probably my favorite, his vocal color is so different from the other 2 women. It had a way different mood from the other pieces of music. It always felt like he was the one who was “struggling” the most and I found it very funny. I also like the color of his voice much more probably.
What I would change :
Maybe the song is a bit repetitive but most importantly too monotone. I know this kind of music is a whole genre in itself but imo considering Chan Hyuk last “high” note in the song I think that a bit more range would have benefitted the song. The instrumentation was cool, but not overly amazing like some other AKMU songs so I felt a bit let down in that department. I also love bass and there are no bass I feel like so no bass no top 100. Also goddam there is Suhyun and IU in the same song I think we can all agree we could have gotten more from their vocals.
Seventeen - Anyone :
Anyone is the 3rd track of Seventeen’s 10th Mini Album “Your Choice”. I described the song as a Seventeen’s take on electro-rock with an edgy side like many boygroup of today. Of course because it’s Seventeen, they succeed more than almost anyone and we have one of the finest modern kpop dark song in recent memory. For the rest of the song, it’s very Seventeen (lol). I won’t say it’s one of their best song, considering they have one of the all time discography in the history of music.
What I liked :
Seventeen is too good, just like Nakka, the song is quite simple. I really like how they didn’t complicate things with it, sometimes they tend to go berserk with their songs with so many elements when with this music they stayed with the same beat and with quite a small amount of parts (for their standart). Everything about the music is just really good, verses are really good, chorus is really good. Also the song is quite intense but not overly dramatic, it really knows when to stop.
What I would change :
Tbh, I don’t know how to really improve Seventeen’s music, it’s already quite complex and because they are 13, they need to string so many things together making a single change could be disastrous. I would say that the song could have gone more intense at the end, considering some of their title tracks they can do it perfectly. It also kinda felt too standart for a Seventeen song, I almost felt like they were kind of limited by their number of members when in most of their songs it’s a strength. I don’t have anything to say about the beat, I think it was amazing, it kind of carried the music tbh.
B.I - Illa Illa
Illa Illa is the title track of B.I first solo album “WATERFALL”, released on June 1st 2021. The song is a great bridge between rap and pop, magnificently illustrated by B.I artistry. It’s a cool and slow hip-hop song in the same style that made Hanbin and iKon gp favorites. The minimalist trap beat led to Bin being able to try a lot of different styles of singing, going from a slow and steady vocals to a more impactful autotuned rap.
What I liked :
Since SMTM, I’ve always been a big fan of B.I rapping abilities so that was a hit for me. Not too ambitious, but it fits the song nicely and is a great parallel to the singing chorus. His voice color was always something I liked a lot and him being able to play with it on this simple beat was very emotional and refreshing. His “flow” is clearly one of the best in the KPOP industry as he strings beat together perfectly and the overall structure of the song is just so satisfying. It’s like everything goes fluently and everything makes sense.
What I would change :
Not much to be honest, the beat could have been more complex but it would change the song entirely imo. With this kind of minimalist song, it’s hard to find something to upgrade, though I would say that the singing chorus could have been a little more original.
My Name is the title track of D-Crunch’s 4th Mini Album called “DAYDREAM”, released on April 6th 2021. The song is omega dramatic, like it wants to go so hard at times (especially in the MV) it kind of becomes comical (the fire thing). The song has great vocals all around, and a decent rap, carried by fantastic vocals during the chorus. The production is strange to say the list, imo in the first part were very good but kind of went really bad in the chorus (way too loud and messy). Still quite good overall, at the end and the beginning it fitted nicely with the voices.
What I liked :
Even though the song was quite overly dramatic, it kind of has its own charm as a tribute to all those overly dramatic songs of early 3rd gen by Vixx and others. The song felt really like early 3rd gen music with some new elements especially instrumental wise. The synths were decent, and the chords were cool I guess. The RM style rap was very cool imo, considering BTS music focuses a lot on emotions it fitted nicely in my head. And of course tha absolutely wonderful vocals that carried the song, especially in the chorus.
What I would change :
Even if the song goes hard, the background music doesn't need to do the same. The beat during the chorus was too loud, or even at the end of the music. It’s clear that the song focuses heavily on the vocals so it should give more freedom to them. Also 2 rap parts were not necessary, or at least not with the same goal. This is something a group like BTS mastered, with raps being all different, all having different meanings and goals. More bass would have been better imo, but I’m also not listening with good bass right now.
Conclusion :
All those songs nearly missed the cut for the top 100, with D-Crunch being left out on the very last update. Still I’m sure these songs are some of the best of 2021 and I’d say being better than 90+% of the songs is really good. About streaming, I listened to Nakka and Illa Illa the most, they are songs that can be listened to easily due to their simplistic nature. Bad Love and My Name were also listened to quite a bit, but due to their more dramatic nature they have less space. Anyone wasn’t listened a lot though, I think there are songs that capture this feeling better.
Pls feel free to ask any question and pls enjoy.
