We recommend: A bangers-only K-pop playlist
Editor’s Note: If you don’t know much about K-Pop beyond BTS and Blackpink, Aarthi has the perfect playlist for you. It includes everything from pure pop to soul, RnB and rock. Time to turn it up!
Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Assistant news editor
Modern K-pop is rich with styles and subgenres borrowed from trends in global music— such as hip-hop, rap, rock, RnB/Soul, trap, techno and more. What makes K-pop truly unique is the blend of western sounds with Korean lyrics packaged cleanly in a high value product.
Getting into a new genre of music may feel a little intimidating but here’s a curated playlist with songs spread across a mix of pop genres—starting with the popular groups, going into solo artists, and bands—all from my music library! I recommend listening to the songs in the set order for maximum enjoyment:)
The kings and queens of K-pop
‘Black Swan’ by BTS: The first recommendation has to be a BTS song. The seven-member boy group are known for their concepts, lyrics and production. While their discography is brilliant as is, I think this song is an absolute masterpiece. The lyrics encapsulate the feelings of a burnt out artist and encourage them to keep creating. The song is accompanied by an art film with a dance performance featuring the Slovenian MN Dance Company (which you can check out here).
The leader of the group, Kim Namjoon aka RM, is a fantastic musician in his own right. He recently dropped his second solo album ‘Indigo’ in December which features soulful tracks. One to watch out for is ‘Still Life’ feat Anderson .Paak—which is inspired by the eternity of art on the canvas long after the artist dies.
‘Sour Candy’ by Lady Gaga feat BLACKPINK: Here are two very popular names you thought would never meet, let alone create an unforgettable peppy number. This is hands down one of my favourite Western and Korean artist collabs. Hope you go gaga over these girls too!
‘Rosario’ (feat CL and ZICO) by Epik High: Here’s a quick K-pop history lesson. Epik High was formed in 2001 and still remains to be one of the most influential Hip-hop acts in the K-pop industry, inspiring a whole generation of artists including BTS, Seventeen and solo artist B.I. The featured artist CL is a solo artist now and was part of the girl group ‘2ne1’—who were BLACKPINK’s seniors and musical inspiration. ZICO is a famous rapper. The suggested song is a diss track to the haters, with addictive hip-hop beats. The music video for this track is also good. Check it out here.
‘CRY FOR ME’ by TWICE: This girl group is ultra popular in South Korea and Japan, with insane album sales, topping Billboard Charts for the third time. Their discography started off with bubble pop songs but now are gearing towards more mature concepts. This song is one of them.
Hidden gems from my faves
‘Odd Eye’ by SHINee: SHINee has been around since 2008 and was one of my first K-pop initiation groups. Their early discography reminds me of old school Backstreet Boys. All members are extremely talented singers and their songs employ a cappella harmonies. One of the beloved members Jonghyun committed suicide in 2017 which brought to light the brutal pressures of the industry. This song is from 2015 and has a chill RnB sound which I really like.
‘Freedom’ by AKMU: AKMU is a brother-sister duo act who make really fun and expressive songs. I swear by this track to fill me up with serotonin. The lyrics are silly and cute. They speak about the freedom to do what you want, like walking around naked, or living without money, or just freedom to breathe, sing, dance and love.
‘Boy’ by EXID: This five-member girl group is known for their mature concepts that explore their sensuality through lyrics and choreography. This song starts off with a jazzy sound but incorporates trap sounds in the chorus and is an unskippable track.
New age K-pop groups and collabs
‘Ditto’ by NewJeans: This five-member girl group is under the umbrella of HYBE Entertainment—home to BTS. Their sound is experimental, combining sweet melodies with electro pop and hip-hop. This one has a really interesting music video and choreography. Watch it here.
‘Blue Hour’ by TXT: Sure, being under the same management company as BTS is extremely high pressure but these five boys effortlessly shrug it off and deliver hit after hit. Here is a very fun upbeat track with disco inspired beats and music video.
‘Waves (feat Simon Dominic and Jamie)’ by Kang Daniel: Here is another fresh and fun number. Kang Daniel won the reality talent show ‘Produce 101’ and went on to make his own music label in 2019 at the age of 22. He has signed artists CL and Yuju. Featured artist Jamie aka Park Jimin won a reality music show at the age of 14 and debuted in a duo act called 15& with Yerin Baek in 2012. She is a powerhouse of vocals. As for Simon, he is a hip-hop singer-songwriter.
Korean pop rock bands
‘I Don’t Know You’ by The Rose: This is a K-pop band that I love and cannot recommend them enough. They debuted in 2018 and are inspired by pop rock bands like The Script and Coldplay. Their music is a blend of English and Korean and overall very pleasant sounding even though they have sad lyrics.
‘Ring on my Ears’ by ONEWE: Another K-pop band suggestion. This song shows off the group’s musicality the best. Their voices are unique and go together really well. You can check out their performance music video here.
Some mellow solo numbers
‘Eyes, Nose, Lips’ by Taeyang: This is one of those songs that every K-pop beginner gets introduced to. Taeyang is part of the massively popular group ‘Big Bang’ known for their viral song ‘Bang Bang Bang’ and has one of the most successful solo careers.
‘Instagram’ by DEAN: Dean is an indie artist who makes alternative RnB tracks and gets featured in many songs with popular K-pop groups and other indie artists. The song combines RnB and Soul and was a massive hit worldwide. Check out the music video here.
‘The One’ by Sam Kim: Sam Kim is Korean American and an indie artist with exceptional guitar playing skills. This song is about a cute little first crush. If you can’t get enough of the track, I suggest you also check out this acoustic version. I also recommended this lovely track ‘EVEREST’ he sang with the AKMU siblings.
‘Popo (How deep is your love?)’ by Yerin Baek: After leaving her duo with Park Jimin 15&, Yerin started her own label and started putting out alternative rock music with her band The Volunteers. The suggested track is from her solo albums which are more RnB/Soul.
Upbeat and fresh
‘Comes and Goes’ by Hyukoh: Hyukoh is an indie band which combines rock and alternative music which results in a unique discography. This one is their biggest hits. You can also check out their home video style music video here.
‘Text Me’ by DPR LIVE: DPR LIVE is made up of three artists and are very popular in Europe and America. Their sound is very mainstream and easy to listen to as they combine RnB and rap. This one is a cheeky number but very addictive. Here is the music video.
‘Any Song’ by ZICO: Keeping this upbeat song for the end. The song shows the versatility of the singer as he switches between rapping and singing.
PS: We've compiled our picks on Spotify into a handy playlist for your convenience. Check it out on the Splainer Spotify account here.
Don’t forget to check out our previous playlists—including drummer beats, rock songs through the ages, a capella music, best club remixes, a heavy metal playlist and awesome movie soundtracks.
