2022 was an interesting year, to say the least. For me it was a year of discovery: For the majority of the time I’ve been into K-pop, I’ve been trying to find a group to hold onto but they always seemed to leave before I realised how much they meant to me. 2022 flipped that on its head. It technically started in 2021 with me stanning Golden Child, Onf, Lovelyz and Oh My Girl, but this year has been one to make me question and affirm a lot of things in K-pop music. Through the diverse users on here, joining the forums made me open my eyes to different sounds and groups, and I had to re-evaluate a lot of groups. Mirae, Aespa, Gfriend/Viviz, Snsd, Orange Caramel, Treasure and especially acts such as Cravity and Exo. These artists made me rethink what I found attractive in a K-pop group, what I like in a typical K-pop song. So though I’m not going to do a ‘favourite groups of the year’ list, I do want to shout out the idols mentioned above.
If last year was the rise of the nugu boy group (both in terms of quality and commercial success), then 2022 in K-pop was the year of the popular girl group. No matter the month, it seemed like all of us knew one girl group song that was a hit among the charts. What makes this better is that much of the music released by female idols were diverse yet still musically great, either by being a banger from the first stream or steadily growing overtime. Though male idols outnumber the women on this list, there are still a great deal of honourable mentions which are deservedly for the tracks promoted by girl groups. In terms of companies, Woollim entertainment had an amazing run. I was not disappointed by any of their acts’ releases.
The amount of honourable mentions I have is kind of concerning. My initial list started off modest enough but then kept growing from me revisiting multiple songs. So it’s very much a mess of nugus and veterans; Actually my entire top 15 plus the mentions are conceptually and musically varied, though the top 15 itself leads towards electronic influences. That’s understandable though since I usually gravitate towards electronic/dance music. I think my top will surprise you guys, either by saying “who’s that?” Or “who the fuck are they?” Anyways, I hope you enjoy this list, would love to hear if you agree or disagree as well.
Special thanks to the users who have read my reviews through the year. It really means a lot to me that these blogs are getting love, even if it’s a tiny bit. Enjoy reading!
Note: Top 15 is limited to one single per act.
Honourable Mentions:
15. Hello - Treasure
The throwback to early 10’s EDM is stellar in Hello, as Treasure’s performance supports the beat throughout the track. Honestly I get so hyper to this song, I always jump around and that’s what I love about it, it’s a dance banger.
14. Talk That Talk - Twice
Talk That Talk should be longer, because it is a rush of ecstasy from start to finish. The synth influences mixed with explosive lyricism is something to die for. I feel so pretty while listening to this for some reason, yeah I just feel very fucking beautiful.
13. Marvelous - Mirae
What a rollercoaster! The mashup of dance-pop and dubstep and the grand hook is keeps us guessing throughout the track. I wrote too much in my original review of Marvelous so I’ll just say it’s a banger and move on. Review here.
12. Girls - Aespa
This power-pop track is full of confidence. The brass and static beat just lifts up the girlboss. Aespa’s performance is also amazing, they just deliver this with so much boldness. Banger
11. Sparkling - Chungha
The synth-pop holds so much energy as the lyricism is catchy as hell. The production is so robus and strong, I love the guitar in the final chorus.
10. Candy Sugar Pop - Astro
Another song that suffers from Talk That Talk syndrome, Candy Sugar Pop mixes dreaminess into dance-pop, creating a song that I fucking love. The energy is constan as well, there’s no loss of energy, just containment, and I love that.
9. Adrenaline - Cravity
Switching things up from their ̶c̶r̶i̶n̶g̶e̶ ambitious 2021 singles, Adrenaline’s synth-funk does wonders at reinventing their image. Cravity sound the most natural in their performance than in their previous, and it does a lot for me since I’ve always wanted to like them. I could write an essay on how this song really shifted my perception of Cravity, I’m not going to though. This song does mean a lot to me. Banger.
8. Forever 1 - Girls’ Generation
Though I don’t have a huge history with Snsd like many other users, this track feels so nostalgic. Forever 1 is a triumph in its synth pop arrangement and powerful lyricism. If I can use a simile, Forever 1 feels like the last day on Earth, everybody is celebrating but it still feels emotional. I love how versatile it is and how it can make me dance while having tears in my eyes.
The male version of Girls. I find Gasoline to be more explosive and powerful in a god-sense, while Girls is more in a bad bitch sense. I never really saw Key releasing a single like this, so colour me surprised when the arrangement full of brass, trap beats and electronic bass works wonders in creating this banger. Key also really sells his raps. Love the structure as well.
This mashup of DnB and rock-pop creates an adrenaline-inducing track as the song writing just likes ascends. Stop sleeping on Drippin juseyo!!!!!!
5. Glitch - Kwon Eunbi
The way this track is like a rollercoaster omfg. The electronic house arrangement makes it unique in the K-pop landscape, but Glitch always keeps us on our toes with Kwon Eunbi’s head voice and the future bass outro. It’s so ambitious, yet still effortless. Fucking banger.
I had to put an Exo member on here. I am heavily impressed with the rock/nu disco influences, and the lyricism is very clean and structured, it’s very simple yet effective. Nice ass MV as well. Review here.
The energetic single is explosive from start to finish, from electronic chorus to the metal dance break. The song writing, though doesn’t sound particularly eye-catching at first, becomes one hell of an earworm. There isn’t much to say, I love this song and I love the album. Review here.
You don’t know how much of a bad bitch I feel when listening to Chiquita. Though the production is minimal, the first verse is absolutely energy-filled. And when the beat kicks in for the chorus, you know you’re in for a treat. The girls here do such a great performance as well, their voices really suit this type of song.
1. Nonstop - Road-B
Some of you guys may be surprised that this is my favourite song of 2022. Most of you may be asking who the fuck Road-B are. That’s okay, I’m here to enlighten you!
What I love about Nonstop is how contained the energy can be during the verses. There’s no energy loss, they don’t drag, they don’t make me bored, they make me anticipate the next segments and eventually the chorus. The chorus is so ecstasy-filled, the lyricism is so simple yet works in their favour as it supports the banger of the electronic production. The members also sound great, like I was shocked. This is the perfect K-pop song. Perfect K-pop song. I hope you guys look into their singles, Icarus is also a great song from them.
