K-pop hasn’t been this fun in a hot minute, and we owe much of it to the girl groups and soloists that have, frankly, been dominating the game for the past year. When it comes to the ladies, you never truly know what you’re going to get – it could be a jersey club banger, a viral city pop bop, an early-noughties earworm – and that’s what makes it so exciting.
That’s not to say the men of K-pop haven’t been picking up the slack, but here, it’s largely your usual suspects. At this point, who doesn’t expect the likes of SEVENTEEN or EXO’s Kai to appear on lists like these? They’ve been leading the pack for as long as we can remember, and this year is no different.
From the unbelievable, but much-deserved, success of FIFTY FIFTY’s ‘Cupid’, to the downright dirty stylings of KARD’s ‘ICKY’, to the delicious irreverence of (G)I-DLE’s ‘Queencard’, join us as we celebrate the 15 best K-pop songs the first six months of 2023 had to offer.
Puah Ziwei, Commissioning Editor (K-pop)
(G)I-DLE
‘Queencard’
‘Queencard’ is the culmination of the specific brand (G)I-DLE have toiled tirelessly to build and refine over the past couple of years: they are cleverly satirical with a social conscience, yet always allow themselves the space to – and here’s the most important part – have fun. They are unafraid to question, challenge and forge new precedents, and that philosophy is what makes them so enthralling to follow.
Everything about ‘Queencard’ screams self-empowerment and preaches of the power you’re able to give yourself when you’re simply unbothered. The chant-like chorus was destined for social media virality, but it’s really its energetic, lyrically inclusive bridge that hits the home-run: “A girl wearing whatever”, “A girl who’s thin or thick”, “A girl full of confidence”. We’re all Queencards, no matter what anyone else has to say.
Carmen Chin
aespa
‘welcome to MY world’
aespa have never struggled to channel their cool girl energy into noisemaking hits, but on their 2023 mini-album ‘MY WORLD’, they are truly in a universe of their own. Setting the tone with a perfected alchemy of hard and soft (or, in their parlance, salty and sweet), aespa gently coax listeners into the album’s lush, textured landscape on opener ‘welcome to MY world’.
The strings are played forte and the electric guitars bite, but the girls hardly crack a whisper relative to the stinging, chant-like deliveries elsewhere in aespa’s catalogue. ‘welcome to MY world’ goes down smooth with only a hint of that familiar metallic crunch – a welcome oasis in their digital terrain.
Abby Webster
FIFTY FIFTY
‘Cupid’
We’re calling it now: don’t be surprised if you end up seeing ‘Cupid’ on your 2023 year-end lists. If the synth-laden disco-pop doesn’t spark nostalgia, the song’s subject and treatment are enough to transport you to those first few years of youthful yearning and heartbreak. In retrospect, that love may not have been as complex, but to the younger versions of ourselves, the ending of a supposed great love felt like the end of the world.
What makes ‘Cupid’ relatable and endearing at the same time is how the song lays out these emotions without laying them on too thick. It respects the gravity of sadness that follows heartbreak, even when we process it by being annoyed with couples or calling love itself ‘dumb’. Of course, we know better as adults now. We may laugh about that failed love, but ‘Cupid’ takes our young heartbreak seriously, and that’s what we love about it.
Tanu I. Raj
fromis_9
‘Attitude’
‘Attitude’ is a song for the night. For the stealthy looks and heavy atmospheres of a nightclub. It pulses with silvery blood, dragging you into darkness with a sleek “hey, come with me”. You don’t know where you are going, but “baby, you know”, they sing – this was never about the final destination. It’s about fromis_9 taking you to a dystopian underworld, where each turn of melody propels a new mystery eager to be solved.
A re-introduction to the talents of the now-eight member group, and a grand opening to their delightful first studio album, ‘Unlock My World’, ‘Attitude’ isn’t just a statement: it glows on its own cool, unfathomable beat.
Tássia Assis
IVE
‘I Am’
It could be argued that IVE’s entrance into the world of K-pop (and the subsequent conquest of it) inaugurated the magnificent women’s renaissance that is currently taking place. There’s no wonder why the sextet are already regarded as majestic, but their latest single ‘I Am’, with all its poise and larger-than-life production, propels them – literally and figuratively – to new heights.
‘I Am’ is pop greatness helmed by an ascending vocal prowess that gets more splendid as it goes. And quite frankly, it feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air for an industry that is often criticised for being “noise” music. So if we were to take the lyrics of ‘I Am’ as a declaration of the group’s sonic realm, then yes, their genre is, indeed, fantasy.
Ivana E. Morales
Kai
‘Rover’
Exceeding expectations when you’ve put out two popular releases back-to-back can be hard – but that’s exactly what EXO’s Kai did with ‘Rover’, the title track of his third mini-album of the same name.
- READ MORE: Kai talks NME through his ‘Firsts’
The song, which interpolates 2022’s ‘Mr. Rover’ by Bulgarian singer Dara, takes dancehall as its standpoint. It intermixes reverberating bass and lightly sprinkled marimbas with the more reggaeton-esque uptempo tresillo beat that kicks in on the first chorus and continues to anchor the song for its entire duration. The result? An immediately enthralling earworm that still resonates through social media months after its release.
Sara Delgado
KARD
‘ICKY’
For some reason, K-pop hasn’t been very sexy as of late. Thankfully, we have KARD to fill that void – this time with the unabashedly provocative ’ICKY’. Dripping with not-so-subtle innuendo, the co-ed group’s latest single explores the intoxicating tension of hedonism and attraction.
Vocalists Somin and Jiwoo dial up the sultriness with their alluring, sirenic delivery, directly juxtaposing the more bold, animalistic and downright dirty raps by BM and J.Seph. Audacious, sexy and irresistibly danceable, ‘ICKY’ perfectly encapsulates everything we love about KARD.
Gladys Yeo
LE SSERAFIM
‘Eve, Psyche and the Bluebeard’s Wife’
It’s not the fiery bombast of their title tracks ‘Unforgiven’ or ‘Antifragile’, but that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. LE SSERAFIM nod to the stylish nonchalance of their debut single ‘Fearless’ on their sublime B-side ‘Eve, Psyche and the Bluebeard’s Wife’, a sleek Jersey club number that grows infinitely more addictive with every listen.
“I’m a mess, mess, mess, mess, mess, mess, mess,” the quintet chant over a driving, hypnotising beat, their cool confidence a quiet, but lethal weapon. The track’s structure is chaotic and catchy, an intriguing glimpse into what the future of K-pop might sound like – and we can’t stop coming back for more.
Gladys Yeo
Lee Chaeyeon
‘Knock’
First comebacks are so crucial in determining what defines an artist’s essence, especially so for Lee Chaeyeon after her less-than-stellar solo debut with the tepid ‘Hush Rush’. But the ex-IZ*ONE member has rebounded with a vengeance, skilfully striking a beautiful balance between her distinctive vocal tone and renowned dancing prowess on ‘Knock’.
She leans into her strengths with unmistakable confidence, amplifying them with a beat so infectious it’s hard to resist replaying (over and over and over again). It’s an alarmingly catchy and self-assured statement from Chaeyeon that she’s here to stay for a long time to come.
Carmen Chin
Limelight
‘Honestly’
So far, 2023 has been dominated by big name acts, but less high-profile groups have also had great musical moments. Exuberant, airy EDM synths and mellow pop rock strings drive Limelight’s ‘Honestly’, with quirky electro elements offering surprises throughout. But it’s the trio’s distinct vocals that turn this into a must-listen, with each member’s rich delivery of her verses and their collective choral harmonies elevating the already engaging dance tune.
It’s not so surprising that this group is offering a buffet of sonic delights, given that they confidently accompany every song they release with an a capella version. Although still new, hopefully the light keeps shining on this act.
Tamar Herman
NCT DOJAEJUNG
‘Perfume’
Only a few seconds are needed to get immersed inside the dreamscape that NCT DOJAEJUNG – Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo – masterfully unleash with ‘Perfume’. It’s a luxurious, aural throwback to the ’90s, swimming in gorgeous vocals and enthralling transitions, making it an elegant detour from the experimental sound so often found on other NCT releases.
A few more whiffs and you’ll be overwhelmed by the trio’s undeniable charisma and sensuality, as they croon: “Leaving ’em on your wrist / On your collar / Gonna let ’em hover / So you can’t forget me / Mixed in with the smallest sigh”. DOJAEJUNG are an NCT unit we didn’t know we needed, yet they’ve become one of the greatest K-pop gifts this year so far.
Ivana E. Morales
NewJeans
‘OMG’
After dominating 2022 with just four songs, NewJeans kicked off 2023 with a release that proved they had far more up their sleeve than just a handful of hits. Combining UK garage and trap elements, ‘OMG’ took a bouncy step forward in the five-piece’s journey and served up a song just as immediately lovable as anything on their debut mini-album.
An ode to young love, the skittering instrumental of ‘OMG’ matches the heart-palpitating feelings in the lyrics. NewJeans’ friends might “keep on asking me ‘Who is he?’”, but ‘OMG’ provided yet another song to provoke the world into asking: “Who are they?”
Rhian Daly
SEVENTEEN
‘Super’
“Faced everything, like I’m so proud, I always win,” Wonwoo sings early on in SEVENTEEN’s high-energy ‘Super’. It’s hard to argue with that line when it appears in a song so huge – one that feels like it is built up of tens of ideas but somehow arranges them into a cohesive and infectious whole.
Inspired by Chinese mythological character Sun Wukong, the 13-member group channel the Monkey King’s strength and power into a constantly transforming song that shifts through vows to keep moving forward, gratitude-filled moments of reflection and Woozi’s show-stopping “ener-energy” giving finale.
Rhian Daly
tripleS
‘Rising’
On all counts, tripleS’ full (for now) 10-member debut is a worthy successor to sub-unit Acid Angel from Asia’s replayable 2022 single ‘Generation’. ‘Rising’, just as fleeting as its predecessor, harnesses the rookies’ appetite for success into a defiant and unwavering, if much too short, anthem.
“The world’s one and only, baby / Nothing like a dream, it’s déjà vu,” the girls manifest on this pint-size banger, firm in the belief that their ascent is a foregone conclusion. And considering just how catchy the song’s self-possessed la-la-la’s are (taking all the right cues from ‘Generation’), we’re inclined to agree.
Abby Webster
Tomorrow X Together
‘Tinnitus (돌멩이가 되고 싶어)’
TXT’s title tracks get all the hype, but it’s in their less-played B-sides where the Big Hit Music quintet really get to shine and be more experimental. Case in point: ‘Tinnitus (돌멩이가 되고 싶어)’, which takes the Afrobeats route, an avenue not many Korean artists have dared take before.
Mixing marimbas and claves with dizzyingly heavy drum ‘n’ bass and an assortment of helter-skelter adlibs, ‘Tinnitus’ is one of TXT’s most rollicking songs to date. (But, granted, we just had to look at the translation of the track’s Korean title – “I want to be a rock” – to infer that.)
Sara Delgado
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