i'm disappointed in the majority of kpop right now mostly because two of my least favourite trends from the last few years have now become very mainstream: girl groups using a lot of talk-singing, sudden screeching or otherwise odd voices and THE DAMN JAW SHAVING/CHIN IMPLANTS. LEAVE THEM ALONE. i'm struggling to find a group with releases i consistently like and where i also like the members. i want to wail on about various groups now so i'll spoiler them by label first until i get to smaller groups/labels because this is HUGE despite most of my descriptions being tiny
sm boy groups
tvxq: kings. gods. my fathers. yunho birthed me himself. but really i sided against them for a long time but they're undeniably talented and hard working and really made it work having totally different voices and having to sing songs from when they were part of a 5 piece harmony. makes me sad that a lot of newer kpop fans dont know them but their songs as a duo are admittedly often a bit outdated sounding and i cant wait until their post-army comback to see how they do. as 5 they were easily my fave group ever and their japanese lives >> anything
suju: i was always too much of a cassie to get into them much aside from a few songs so i dont have much to say. they have some bops and definitely deliver on that front, and heechuls cute sometimes. rip heechul+gunhee
shinee: i loved them a LOT from replay->sherlock and then just kind of... lost interest. there's always just something a bit missing for me and cocky shawols definitely put me off more. shinee's hello baby has a special place in my variety heart and taemin and key will always slay
exo: until ex'act i really liked their music even if i wasnt a stan of THEM but i only liked the title tracks + artificial love (BOP) on that album! i was a fan of chanyeol for a while mostly because he's just large and awkward and i liked that
nct: (there are so many sm groups rn omg) i'm still confused about how this system works but i am here for 127. they've put out some of my favourite b-sides (paradise, baby dont like it) and i love their styling (ooh controversial). taeyong is gorgeous and looks like current jaejoong got shrunk rather than looking like 21 year old jaejoong, which is a shame because he had cute baby cheeks even then.
suju: i was always too much of a cassie to get into them much aside from a few songs so i dont have much to say. they have some bops and definitely deliver on that front, and heechuls cute sometimes. rip heechul+gunhee
shinee: i loved them a LOT from replay->sherlock and then just kind of... lost interest. there's always just something a bit missing for me and cocky shawols definitely put me off more. shinee's hello baby has a special place in my variety heart and taemin and key will always slay
exo: until ex'act i really liked their music even if i wasnt a stan of THEM but i only liked the title tracks + artificial love (BOP) on that album! i was a fan of chanyeol for a while mostly because he's just large and awkward and i liked that
nct: (there are so many sm groups rn omg) i'm still confused about how this system works but i am here for 127. they've put out some of my favourite b-sides (paradise, baby dont like it) and i love their styling (ooh controversial). taeyong is gorgeous and looks like current jaejoong got shrunk rather than looking like 21 year old jaejoong, which is a shame because he had cute baby cheeks even then.
snsd: i really did not like snsd aside from some genie and igab stages until i recently went back to watch some debut stages and holy shit they were incredible. being one of very few female idol groups at the time,
being up against the rising wonder girls and being sm's first potentially popular girl group since ses (and female act as a whole since boa) following succesful boy groups put a lot of pressure on them to be amazing and they did. into the new world is a cringey song but has serious nostalgia to it and so few groups have ever lived up to these stages. even snsd a couple years later were a MESS compared to this. "kpop has ALWAYS been about lipsyncing" shhhh
fx: one of the main popular groups i have just NEVER gotten into. a projector and some american apparel clothes =/= avant garde or interesting. sulli can also miss me with her rotta supporting, lolita excusing ass
red velvet: one of THE most hit or miss groups for me rn. i adored ice cream cake, automatic and russian roulette but HATED happiness, dumb dumb and rookie. the last two have grown on me a little but i still find them sooo disappointing compared to their other songs. they also have this tendency in videos to stare really blankly at the camera, and i know its a deliberate choice by the director since they dont do it all the time but i still find it off putting. especially since i've seen some v live clips and the girls are so much more chill and stuff. and yeris speaking voice is soooo different! even if she isnt a great singer, her voice sounds nice enough that she shouldnt be made to talk-sing in that weird way she sometimes does
boa she's still a queen but she's had 2 good songs since about 2003
being up against the rising wonder girls and being sm's first potentially popular girl group since ses (and female act as a whole since boa) following succesful boy groups put a lot of pressure on them to be amazing and they did. into the new world is a cringey song but has serious nostalgia to it and so few groups have ever lived up to these stages. even snsd a couple years later were a MESS compared to this. "kpop has ALWAYS been about lipsyncing" shhhh
fx: one of the main popular groups i have just NEVER gotten into. a projector and some american apparel clothes =/= avant garde or interesting. sulli can also miss me with her rotta supporting, lolita excusing ass
red velvet: one of THE most hit or miss groups for me rn. i adored ice cream cake, automatic and russian roulette but HATED happiness, dumb dumb and rookie. the last two have grown on me a little but i still find them sooo disappointing compared to their other songs. they also have this tendency in videos to stare really blankly at the camera, and i know its a deliberate choice by the director since they dont do it all the time but i still find it off putting. especially since i've seen some v live clips and the girls are so much more chill and stuff. and yeris speaking voice is soooo different! even if she isnt a great singer, her voice sounds nice enough that she shouldnt be made to talk-sing in that weird way she sometimes does
boa she's still a queen but she's had 2 good songs since about 2003
bigbang: one of my original faves, i always forget how short their discography is! it can also be really clearly split into 3 sections which makes it odd to listen to all at once(2006-2008, 2011-2012, 2015-2016). gd is truly an ICONIC writer and composer but i will say that for a lot of the songs he's credited for didnt have a lot of input and are mostly the work of choice37 or teddy or whoever else made it. seungri is also an overshadowed (not underrated) soloist who invented the concept of sex with his classic song 'strong baby'.
2ne1: another of my old faves, rip. but really they were dead for ages. their songs from 2012-2014 under-performed aside from missing you and come back home, and not doing great on a tour they called 'all or nothing' kind of settled it. really, cl has more hope as a soloist, in or out of korea, if she just has decent songs. dara is very sweet but... yeah, that's it. minzy's solo kind of proved why she never HAD a solo, she's a bit bland on her own, and bom just shouldn't be in the industry.
denying she has a body image problem is concerning, especially given her recent work, and her voice is exhausted. people say yg should've covered for her more, but really he shouldn't have blocked the drug news in the first place - it came out like 3 years after it happened, so now not only has bom done that but she's a representative of how fame lets people get away with things. let it out and say it was a misunderstanding over antidepressants (which is a) bullshit b) still illegal) and the public know about it as it's happening and can see 'evidence' come out and be more open to acceptance, like with gd's weed case. homegirl's also now saying she's under a label that denies signing her, so...
winner: sentimental and really really were cool and i like that they have their own mature-ish sound that isnt too try-hard or anything. it suits them a lot. i just can't really get into their more ballad-based songs, which is a shame since they do A LOT. taehyun was cool and i hope he's happy in whatever he's doing.
ikon: i really haven't cared about their previous songs but also @ yg bring them back from japan its been like 5 years where are they
blackpink: S L A Y. okay no their voices aren't great but i like that they all have unique voices rather than forcing themselves to fit certain songs. i hope they have a comeback in the next couple of months because they have FOUR SONGS. they have better choreo than 2ne1 without the dead weight of bom and dara but i hope they have different vocal trainers, because if rose becomes bom 2.0 i'll cry.
2ne1: another of my old faves, rip. but really they were dead for ages. their songs from 2012-2014 under-performed aside from missing you and come back home, and not doing great on a tour they called 'all or nothing' kind of settled it. really, cl has more hope as a soloist, in or out of korea, if she just has decent songs. dara is very sweet but... yeah, that's it. minzy's solo kind of proved why she never HAD a solo, she's a bit bland on her own, and bom just shouldn't be in the industry.
denying she has a body image problem is concerning, especially given her recent work, and her voice is exhausted. people say yg should've covered for her more, but really he shouldn't have blocked the drug news in the first place - it came out like 3 years after it happened, so now not only has bom done that but she's a representative of how fame lets people get away with things. let it out and say it was a misunderstanding over antidepressants (which is a) bullshit b) still illegal) and the public know about it as it's happening and can see 'evidence' come out and be more open to acceptance, like with gd's weed case. homegirl's also now saying she's under a label that denies signing her, so...
winner: sentimental and really really were cool and i like that they have their own mature-ish sound that isnt too try-hard or anything. it suits them a lot. i just can't really get into their more ballad-based songs, which is a shame since they do A LOT. taehyun was cool and i hope he's happy in whatever he's doing.
ikon: i really haven't cared about their previous songs but also @ yg bring them back from japan its been like 5 years where are they
blackpink: S L A Y. okay no their voices aren't great but i like that they all have unique voices rather than forcing themselves to fit certain songs. i hope they have a comeback in the next couple of months because they have FOUR SONGS. they have better choreo than 2ne1 without the dead weight of bom and dara but i hope they have different vocal trainers, because if rose becomes bom 2.0 i'll cry.
wonder girls: they had some undeniable bops but were definitely a lucky group in that they debuted under jyp at a time where girl groups were scarce. their songs were fun but there's a clear reason why snsd quickly slayed them when they came on the scene. talent. their recent comebacks made use of their voices well, and why so lonely is one of my fave kpop songs of the last few years but i'm not surprised they disbanded
miss a: aside from touch i always loved their title tracks but as a group they were a mess. min was promoted HARD but never properly took off, and suzy was too big to manage as a solo entertainer as well as the filler, visual member of a dance-heavy group. min is a mess, jia is a mess, they are a messy group but only you is such a good song.
got7: WHO DECIDES ON THE SONGS FOR THESE BOYS. they have sooo much potential but they're years into their debut and the best song they have to show for it is just right. backflips can only save so much!!!
twice: oh. they kind of... have everything i hate in one group. bad songs that are 'so catchy!!!', trash lyrics, a lot of boring dancing, acting like children, 'but the visuals!!', 39 album versions to inflate sales, those vocals, sana... yeah. jyp's "personality is more important than talent" thing really stood out here. if they kept on the path of their debut song maybe there'd be something now but, nope. just more inflated cheeks and folded arms. how sweet.
miss a: aside from touch i always loved their title tracks but as a group they were a mess. min was promoted HARD but never properly took off, and suzy was too big to manage as a solo entertainer as well as the filler, visual member of a dance-heavy group. min is a mess, jia is a mess, they are a messy group but only you is such a good song.
got7: WHO DECIDES ON THE SONGS FOR THESE BOYS. they have sooo much potential but they're years into their debut and the best song they have to show for it is just right. backflips can only save so much!!!
twice: oh. they kind of... have everything i hate in one group. bad songs that are 'so catchy!!!', trash lyrics, a lot of boring dancing, acting like children, 'but the visuals!!', 39 album versions to inflate sales, those vocals, sana... yeah. jyp's "personality is more important than talent" thing really stood out here. if they kept on the path of their debut song maybe there'd be something now but, nope. just more inflated cheeks and folded arms. how sweet.
t-ara: some true bops but they got messy. even with the bullying scandal being made up, their whole promotions following that got messy, and another hit or miss group for me tbh
kara: queens of japan. hara is upsetting as a person but nicole was a babe and step is iconic.
sistar: hyorin gets a lot of love for being proud of her darker skin but fyi she deliberately tans darker than her natural tone to fit problematic views that darker women = erotic and sexy. she stays paler for ~innocent~ songs
girls day: they had a good run but i don't think they'll get back up there. shame, because i did like their songs.
aoa: who?
exid: hani's obsession with leering at underage girls dancing on shows is creepy
apink: again... had a good run.
mamamoo: so extra, no
gfriend: probably my favourite new gg aside from blackpink? i love their performances and their last concept was soo fun. i also always love their songs and i like the members a lot. they seem really versatile as a group so i think they could have longevity if they keep getting good songs, even if fingertip didn't so as well as previous songs! then again, it'd always be hard to top rough
oh my girl: another hit or miss, but one i really want to like! windy day and liar liar are two of my favourite tracks, but just about everything has been either a let down or just a liiiittle off
kara: queens of japan. hara is upsetting as a person but nicole was a babe and step is iconic.
sistar: hyorin gets a lot of love for being proud of her darker skin but fyi she deliberately tans darker than her natural tone to fit problematic views that darker women = erotic and sexy. she stays paler for ~innocent~ songs
girls day: they had a good run but i don't think they'll get back up there. shame, because i did like their songs.
aoa: who?
exid: hani's obsession with leering at underage girls dancing on shows is creepy
apink: again... had a good run.
mamamoo: so extra, no
gfriend: probably my favourite new gg aside from blackpink? i love their performances and their last concept was soo fun. i also always love their songs and i like the members a lot. they seem really versatile as a group so i think they could have longevity if they keep getting good songs, even if fingertip didn't so as well as previous songs! then again, it'd always be hard to top rough
oh my girl: another hit or miss, but one i really want to like! windy day and liar liar are two of my favourite tracks, but just about everything has been either a let down or just a liiiittle off
bts: i've been following them since before they really hit it off and the improvement is AMAZING! however, wings was a let down for me because i didn't really like any of the solo tracks much, but i loved the group songs. i can't imagine their next comeback is anytime soon, but if it's a regular album then i'm really excited because spring day was a masterpiece
block b: enjoyed them a lot for a couple years but they totally fell off my radar. still check up on zico from time to time because he has his genius moments
aaaand i just realised i don't think i listen to any other non big 3 boy groups? i never got into the era of beast/highlight, vixx, infinite, btob, b1a4, b.a.p and the newer groups haven't really caught my eye? kpop generally goes through cycles of boy group debuts > girls > oys > girls, so maybe in the next year or so i'll find a new one.
block b: enjoyed them a lot for a couple years but they totally fell off my radar. still check up on zico from time to time because he has his genius moments
aaaand i just realised i don't think i listen to any other non big 3 boy groups? i never got into the era of beast/highlight, vixx, infinite, btob, b1a4, b.a.p and the newer groups haven't really caught my eye? kpop generally goes through cycles of boy group debuts > girls > oys > girls, so maybe in the next year or so i'll find a new one.
at like 19 ahhhh