20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2019

20. Red Velvet — “Psycho” (The ReVe Festival: Finale)

In recent years, Red Velvet’s discography has floundered compared to their prodigious origins. After a slew of weak outings (see: “Zimzalabim”, “Umpah Umpah”), 2019 made me wonder whether Red Velvet could ever reclaim their unparalleled artistic apogee of 2015–2017. Fortunately, just before we closed out the decade, Red Velvet dropped “Psycho”: a pop-R&B anthem that rejected all potential impediment. With fantastic falsetto and a synth refrain, “Psycho” is a promising return to form for Red Velvet.

19. Jessi — “Who Dat B” (Who Dat B)

Jessi is a bit of an anomaly in K-Pop. Brash, unapologetic, and utterly in charge of her sexuality, Jessi is often perceived as too aggressive, too provocative, too outspoken. In dropping “Who Dat B”, a menacing hip hop firing shot, Jessi unrepentantly addresses these haters — and reveals an irony in K-Pop. In part to its trap minimalism, “Who Dat B” received some flack abroad for regurgitating mainstream Western trends; but in K-Pop, where female stars are perpetually subject to sexist double standards and lack of personal agency, “Who Dat B” conquers as a sonic standout.

18. Taemin — “Want” (Want)

As K-Pop’s resident R&B prince, Taemin earned his crown by delivering an idiosyncratically steady string of lavishly-produced sex jams. “Want” happens to be his most recent iteration, and his most evolved. Expanding on the audile masterplan of his ’17 hit “Move”, “Want” takes the fundamentals of lascivious R&B (groovy baselines, traces of dance and funk) and graces them with an unusual embellishment: space disco. Galactic and electronic, “Want”’s dauntlessness in dabbling with the cosmic music genre pays off, elevating Taemin’s sound to a whole new hedonic level.

17. Heize — “We Don’t Talk Together” (We Don’t Talk Together)

Writing about the aftermath of a breakup is easy: the grief, the pain, the longing. Writing about the déjà vu of one, how a breakup creates present strangers of past lovers, is much harder. “We Don’t Talk Together” exhibits all the trappings of a Heize song (orgasmic vocals, polished production and ’90s R&B) but this time, Heize explores the ghost of a breakup: her yearning for an ex despite the spectral distance between them. Atmospheric and airy, “We Don’t Talk Together” richly probes this dichotomy: “Why don’t you?/ I can’t send you away/ Why don’t you?/ But I can’t keep you either.”

16. Hwasa — “Twit (멍청이)” (Twit)

When dissecting the theme of love, female K-Pop artists most often take one of two well-worn approaches: a puppy love ode or a breakup elegy. Surprisingly, and delightfully, Hwasa did neither with her serendipitous solo debut “Twit”. Along hard-hitting tropical house injected with a chirpy staccato pan flute, Hwasa harkens on a Korean folktale to point out how her lover is — well, basically a twit — for loving her. More, Hwasa questions why he would stay with her when she makes him miserable, proving that in a sea of lovesick love songs, “Twit” is a refreshingly ruthless respite.

15. Seventeen — “독: Fear” (An Ode)

In more ways than one, “Fear” is the darker cousin of Infinite’s “The Chaser” (2012), which make no mistake, is one of the highest compliments I can give. Turbulent and self-tortured, “Fear” is a hip-hop distress signal about Seventeen themselves; warning a lover to stay far away from them. Evoking “The Chaser”, “Fear” sonically never stops building, careening towards a moment of rest that never comes. The brilliance of “Fear” lies in its double meaning; how great a fear of falling in love must be when you fear how deeply you are capable of loving.

14. (G)I-DLE — “Uh-Oh” (Uh-Oh)

To successfully borrow from the past means to nimbly walk a knife-edge: both lifting an origin’s hallmarks whilst reconfiguring them as something new. With “Uh-Oh”, (G)I-DLE conducts a masterclass in this concept. Orbiting around bumpy ’90s hip hop, (G)I-DLE take signatures of the genre (turntable scratches, imposing piano) and infuse out-of-the-box touches (orchestral violins, an excellent rap from Soyeon) to wholly reimagine the sound of the ’90s. In this reconceptualization, “Uh-Oh” shirks devolving into an imitation, and instead, sets the standard for evolving what came before.

13. EXO — “Obsession” (Obsession)

As a boy group in which its members are no longer boys, EXO confront a turning point in their career; one in which they must aptly transition their artistry from boyhood to manhood. To do this, EXO turned to their ‘dark side’ sound and despite having previously dabbled in it (see: “Monster”), “Obsession” prospers as their most mature advancement. Amplifying the lo-fi glitchy industrial hop of their prior outing, “Obsession” prevails in its sinister bass and marvelous, vocally-distorted sample hook — signifying that the puerile yoke of EXO’s youth has finally been cracked.

12. AKMU — “How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You’re The One I Love” (Sailing)

Ballads can be a dime a dozen in K-Pop, but in 2019, none were more haunting than sibling duo AKMU’s. A morose, wintry duet, AKMU expertly wield nautical imagery to mourn the end of a relationship before it has ended; bemoaning the unique agony of knowing the one you love no longer loves you. Enriched with resonant piano and swells of warm strings, AKMU — unable to let go — resign themselves to a chasm of grief, with the song’s stirring final lines, “How could I, to you/ Our love so deep as the ocean/ Waiting until it runs dry will be our farewell.”

11. Weki Meki — “Picky Picky” (Lock End Lol)

K-Pop is a boundless amalgamation of every music genre under the sun, but I’ll be damned if its spirit isn’t fed by electro-pop. In that regard, “Picky Picky” is a K-Pop emblem. Bouncing along frisky 8-bit chiptune, “Picky Picky” cavorts with pinched autotune and hyper-punctuated claps to forge an electro-pop roar. As the hook builds, the chiptune dwindles and the arrangement kicks into a complex flurry that gives way to an electro-anthemic chorus. The triumph of “Picky Picky” is its justification of electro-pop as much more than a playful dalliance; it’s a candy-coated call to arms.

10. BLACKPINK — “Kill This Love” (Kill This Love)

Will we ever hear another song from BLACKPINK again? As their label disintegrates beneath a criminal investigation spanning charges of sexual assault, police corruption and more, BLACKPINK, whom have been historically mismanaged, are disposed for career limbo. To that end, “Kill This Love” was a judicious release. A malefic war cry, “Kill This Love” bleats battle-ready brass and imperious, military percussion as BLACKPINK ferociously refuse to suffer in a toxic love. It’s a banger, but whether they will succeed in actually doing that with their own label remains to be seen.

9. Sulli — “Goblin (고블린)” (Goblin)

In her short life, Sulli was highly underestimated and misunderstood. As her first & last solo release, “Goblin” is an astounding reminder of not only the talent that we lost, but also of the causes that culminated in Sulli’s passing. Reminiscent of f(x)”s “Shadow”, “Goblin” (which Sulli wrote and arranged) weaves eerie childlike harmonies with aloof, nonsensical lyrics to probe the public’s irrational villainy of her, and her consequent alienation. Most poignantly, “Goblin” eulogizes Sulli with a looking glass into the genesis of her depression; nestled by wind chimes, Sulli softly, repeatedly asks, “Do you feel like something is not right?/ Even though I’m right here.”

8. Sunmi — “Noir (누아르)” (Noir)

While perhaps not the most obvious choice, Sunmi is K-Pop’s strongest female solo artist — and this lies chiefly in her dedicated ownership of a signature sound: retrofitted, melancholic ’80s pop. Evolving the woeful-meets-joyous tone of her ’18 hit “Siren”, “Noir” is an elegiac, dance-pop farewell to a failed relationship. Amidst pensive lo-fi synths and a touch of disco, Sunmi wearily laments the empty void that her relationship has become, and through a killer, accompanying music video, reigns supreme in what she does best: saccharine cynicism.

7. ITZY — “Dalla Dalla (달라달라)” (It’z Different)

It’s been far too long since a K-Pop group’s debut was as incendiary as “Dalla Dalla”; it’s been even longer since one so magnificently evolved the aural blueprint of K-Pop’s past. Introducing newest girl group ITZY, “Dalla Dalla” is a most audacious arrival; aggressively and abruptly darting between energetic electro-techno, old school EDM, and groovy acid house. Although it was initially balked at, “Dalla Dalla” soon became widely beloved for its long-needed nerve: bravely harnessing the otic unpredictability that first made K-Pop such a zeitgeist.

6. Baekhyun — “UN Village” (City Lights)

A principle member of veteran boy band EXO, Baekhyun debuted as a solo artist this year with the gorgeous “UN Village”. A swing-infused, jazz-R&B nocturne, Baekhyun croons about a moonlit date in UN Village: Seoul’s highly exclusive, celebrity-studded neighborhood. Although this may not be the most relatable theme, “UN Village’s” potency lies in Baekhyun providing us with an accessibly aspirational portal; one in which we fleetingly revel in material and emotional richness. Luxurious and sensual, “UN Village” is, more than anything, elite escapism sweetened by starlight.

5. TWICE — “Fancy” (Fancy You)

Many girl groups cultivate a “cute” brand in K-Pop, but it can more accurately be described as a male-catering strategy. When these girl groups become women, however, this brand doesn’t fit them so well and they’re suddenly tasked with deftly transitioning to womanhood. As Twice — K-Pop’s most popular girl group — faced this impasse, they dropped “Fancy”: a retro-futurist transilience. Glossy and electronic, “Fancy” shines with bittersweet synths and post-disco refrains to signify that Twice are no longer passive ingenues; they’ve come-of-age to a resplendent, self-assured future.

4. BTS — “Boy With Luv (작은 것들을 위한 시)” (Map of the Soul: Persona)

As BTS shatter new spheres of fame, it would be easy for their music quality to fall to the wayside. Instead, they released the loveliest song of their career; sweet, lush and alight, “Boy With Luv” is a euphoric exultation. Paralleling their 2014 hit “Boy in Luv”, BTS link a curious symmetry between two very different songs; underscoring their stratospheric evolution in just five years. The genius of “Boy With Luv” is its requiem of nostalgia; as BTS celebrate the present, they murmur a wistfulness — a touching, longing marvel — for the gentle vestiges of their past.

3. EVERGLOW — “Bon Bon Chocolat (봉봉쇼콜라)” (Arrival of Everglow)

Everglow knew they couldn’t play it safe. In the increasingly crowded, supersaturated girl group market, Everglow had to create such a visceral impact upon debut that it would ascend them above all competition. In order to solve this daunting ask, they emerged with “Bon Bon Chocolat”: an electro-hip hop tour de force. Endowed with clangorous autotune and choral horns, “Bon Bon Chocolat” is unlike any other girl group debut in recent memory; abrasive and bloodthirsty, above all, it’s an arrival of utmost fearlessness.

2. TXT — “Crown (어느날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다)” (The Dream Chapter: Star)

As the first group to debut after BTS under the same label (and marketed as a more teen-friendly incarnation), TXT’s debut was engulfed by a whirlwind of extraordinarily high expectations and skeptic doubt. It’s a testament that their glorious debut, “Crown”, defied everyone. Aglow with French electro synths and dance riffs, “Crown” forges TXT’s own identity; one that is not only separate from BTS, but quite possibly, something more enchanting. Conjured by the rose-colored hope that only youth can bring, “Crown” is a spellbinding halcyon dreamscape.

1. Apink — “%% (Eung Eung(응응))” (Percent)

While their earlier career was characterized by doe-eyed pop and questionable Lolita male gaze, Apink entered their mid-20s by fiercely embracing their womanhood and shedding their old skin like a snake. Taking the crown as K-Pop’s best song of the year, “%%” is a soft and hazy techno dream adorn with sparkling, marimba synths and a fascinating, distorted vocal hook. To age gracefully into a new sound is one thing, but with “%%” and all its sophisticated self-certainty, Apink reinvent themselves with such glowing maturation that it renders their entire past obsolete.