Top 50 Singles of 2020: K-pop Edition (#50–26)

Someone I follow on Twitter was wondering the other day about whether or not the quarantine experience has freed people up to explore interests they might otherwise have been too embarrassed or too self-conscious to sink time into. Like, maybe there is something about the sudden deprivation of social contact or the vast stretches of undifferentiated time that gave all of us permission to just check out that thing we’d been hesitating to try . There’s probably also something to be said for the effect of an utterly oppressive environment — a pandemic, a ruthless parade of state sanctioned, racist violence, an interminable and degrading election cycle, and gestures vaguely everything else — on the need to burrow away into some all-consuming new interest.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that under those conditions, K-pop had its biggest year in the U.S. yet. I know it’s certainly not a coincidence that this was the year I took my first deep dive into the scene, and let me be honest wth you, I haven’t come back up for air.

And so, here I present, in my uninformed, definitely-not-generally-the-target-audience opinion, the fifty best K-pop* singles of 2020. If you have any affection at all for a catchy tune, I hope you’ll give all these tracks a listen.

• K-pop is an increasingly contested term that traditionally has referred to the music, artists, companies, and products of the vertically integrated pop idol industry of South Korea. I have largely stuck to this understanding of K-pop here, but have flexed it to include some artists who, while perhaps not checking all of the traditional K-pop boxes, still circulate in the same industries, tastes, and audiences.

50. LA DI DA — EVERGLOW

If Zach Snyder directed a K-pop music video it might look and sound like this mid-year release from EVERGLOW. Slick as rain-soaked streets, produced to within an inch of its life, and peppered with bratty vocal barbs throughout, LA DI DA is a synthy bit of pop magic that hits sweet as a pixie stick and leaves you feeling just as buzzed.

49. Open Mind — Wonho

A rolling bassline and submerged electronics lay the foundation for this thirsty number. Wonho’s vocal performance here sounds like he’s daring you to make eye contact, and while his voice is by no means the most impressive in this year’s crowded set of r&b-inflected dance tracks, the charisma floods out from the corners of this song just the same.

48. 90s Love — NCT U

Less an homage and more like straight up stealing the notes of early nineties hip hop production cues, 90s Love sees NCT U showcasing the simple power hanging with your pals. That’s all this track is. It’s carefree, silly, and the break beat that kicks the chorus off is a shot straight to the heart of anyone who remembers arguing with their buds about whether Mario was better than Sonic. Which, to be clear, NCT U is not old enough to remember at all.

47. When We Disco — JYP and Sunmi

The thing about this track is that it’s not really a disco track. It isn’t really funky, it doesn’t bring to mind bell bottoms, and it’s much too mournful. Instead, you get a nostalgic bit of new wave futurepop that King JYP and Sunmi trade croons over for about four and a half minutes. Calling this disco would be like watching Inglorious Basterds and saying you’d seen a WWII movie. It’s corny as hell, but the cheese on offer is delicious just the same, and even with its long, drifting outro, you’ll probably want to listen to it again right when it wraps up.

46. Dynamite — BTS

There will be no way to account for pop music in the year 2020 without this uncharacteristic single from BTS. While most ARMYs will surely rate this track below BTS’ other work, “Dynamite” is a lighthearted breath of canned, harmless air in a year when every breath felt risky. The vocal processing is definitely cranked too high, but the Bangtan Boys sound like they’re having a blast, and when that line hits — “shining through the city with a little funk and soul” — you get that same feeling as when your buddy makes the dumbest joke in the world and you smile despite yourself. And though the Grammy nom here makes a cynical read of the track more available, even now it still feels freaking adorable in its earnestness.

45. THE BADDEST — K/DA

I hate that I like this track as much as I do. K/DA is unquestionably nothing more than stupidly effective global marketing scheme from one of the biggest video game companies in the world. And yet, Soyeon absolutely blows this track up and when the sub bass comes through midway through her first verse, I defy you to turn this off for the sake of your principles.

44. Red Moon — KARD

The first minute or so of “Red Moon” is definitely a vibe, if not quite an amazing pop tune. It features some decent vocal tradeoffs between BM, J Seph, Somin, and Jiwoo, and a fun, fat synth see-sawing back and forth, but it’s when the horns kick in with that “run baby run oh run baby run” vocal line when the track catches fire. From there on out, KARD’s vocalists start to snarl and the straightforward melody takes on a little more dimension. The end result is a hard hitting, sweaty dance track that is worth your time.

43. OHIO — Crush

This sparsely arranged, piano-driven bit of power pop is a blast of pure theatrical joy. Its gorgeous and propulsive, filling the space with a flurry of tuneful improvisations while Crush unpacks a whole bunch of anxious, confessional shit. The percussion — almost entirely a constant rhythm of sticks on rims — feels immediate, like a busker you just walked past on the street. And there’s the hook: instantly catchy, packed with an easy kind of feeling. Familiar, warm, and inviting.

42. Maria — Hwa Sa

For the title track to her debut solo effort, Hwa Sa pulled no punches. Combining latin-pop chord progressions over a smooth, early 00s R&B beat, Hwa Sa shows off her expressive vocal chops. It’s a feature song, meant to showcase Hwa Sa’s capacity as a storyteller, a writer, a performer, and a personality — and it succeeds in virtually every way. The melody itself might not be a world changer, and the abrupt dance break is, well, abrupt, but “Maria” is built to last, just like the star who gave it to us.

41. Automatic — Chancellor (feat. MOON, BIBI, Babylon, twlv, and JISELLE)

If this was entirely in English and released on American pop radio, would people be calling it a shameless Weeknd rip off? Probably. Would they have a case? Yeah, they would. But it doesn’t matter because Chancellor’s vocal swagger is intoxicating over this trap groove, and the contributions from BIBI, MOON, and Jiselle stand out against the slightly cookie cutter feel of twlv and Babylon. In a year where I couldn’t go anywhere, no other track out of Seoul made me want to drive at night with the windows down as much as this one. And in a scene as squeaky clean as K-pop, it’s nice to get a little bit of something grimier once in a while.

40. Better — BoA

BoA’s title track comeback is an infectious number that rides a throbbing two step all the way to the bank, and in this case, the bank is a sick-as-fuck gang vocal chorus that hits with all the nostalgic power of your favorite late 90s r&b pop princesses. BoA’s restrained vocal performance works perfectly from the monotone verses through the pleading refrain. The production is sharp, sharp sharp, right down to the funky guitar licks sprinkled throughout the background on that last verse. And when she closes out with “you’re better than this” you might find yourself thinking, “yeah I am,” and start getting your shit together in general.

39. Tiger Inside — SuperM

SuperM is by definition overblown. The so-called Avengers of K-pop have, to my ears, struggled to produce a song that could stand up to their contemporaries, especially once you take away the sheer bombast of their work. “Tiger Inside” fixed that. The dynamics of the song are dramatic, leveraging white space in the pre-choruses to deliver a shimmering, bouncing chorus that builds to a sideshow synth line and ascending vocal harmony that makes you go, “ooooooo that’s nice.” Also that high note at two and a half minutes, goddamn.

38. Oh my god — (G)I-DLE

Half lilting waltz, half DeMille-sized epic production, half early ’10s bro-step, this track is a trip. Soyeon’s verses here are strong as ever, but it’s the gradual vocal build from Miyeon and Yuqi in the prechorus that hands off to Soojin’s massive “Oh my god” that knocks this thing out of the park. It’s almost silly in its ambition, but no other girl group sounded quite this big or sang with quite this much bravado in 2020.

37. WANNABE — ITZY

For how early they are in their discography, ITZY has already made a massive impact on the K-pop scene, and while their critics might point to samey themes in their music from single to single or to the frequency with which they go to the girl power well for their signature sounds, there’s no doubt that ITZY is one charismatic set of idols. With “WANNABE”, ITZY pushes out a bright, bubbly, sarcastic sound along with some fundamentally solid pop-rock songwriting that practically orders you to sing along. It might sound like kids music, but it’s extremely catchy kids music, so lighten up and listen to it.

36. LMM — Hwa Sa

Hwa Sa’s second single from her solo debut is one of the few ballads on my list. Beautiful, breathy verses give way to huge powerhouse belting against a backdrop of tinkling piano and bittersweet strings. It’s emotionally raw, surprisingly vulnerable, and supremely confident. Nothing here innovates on the tried and true pop ballad formula — right down to the softshell drums that come in with finger snaps on the second verse — but Hwa Sa makes that formula absolutely sing.

35. Eclipse — Moon Byul

In some ways it’s a pretty standard dark-ish boy group concept, but Byulie’s take on it feels fresh and theatrical. The production is immaculate. Lots of white space in between rips of quick-hit percussion. It’s a massive track with a massive sound but it all comes together in a gorgeous chorus that pits Moon Byul’s own impressive range against a choral background and a demonic electronic field of distortion. Maybe it’s not the most innovative thing ever, but very few female soloists in K-pop could do what Moon does here with this set of sounds. In a busy year for the entire MAMAMOO lineup full of huge singles from Hwa Sa, Solar, and MAMAMOO itself, Moon’s work shines brightest.

34. To Be or Not To Be — ONEUS

There are more transitions than hooks to this track, an impressive feat given how jam packed it is with infectious vocal passages. From a slow-build lead-in to the whiplash tempo shift in the prechorus to the chugging, distorted riffs in the chorus proper, “To Be or Not to Be” is all theatrical drama, fitting to its namesake. The instrumentals are an equally eclectic blend of marching band percussion, bouncing house beats, R&B harmonies, and nu-metal rhythm guitars, and somehow the production hangs together just fine. It’s a propulsive, throbbing song that works well as a cinematic bit of club escapism.

33. 0415 — Yerin Baek

The shuffling syncopation that kicks this single off is a huge departure from Yerin’s previous full length collection of songs, Every letter I sent you. Right off the bat there are shades of western dance artists and producers like The XX, MADE IN HEIGHTS, and Disclosure, and Yerin’s soft-edged vocal performance, entirely in English, makes the case that her work would slide quite easily alongside those contemporaries. This track makes it clear why Yerin belongs on the global stage. Moody, claustrophobic, airy, and strangely comforting, “0415” is the kind of low-key buzz track I want on repeat under a deep pile of blankets keeping me and my insecurities warm.

32. Chocolate — MAX

There is probably an argument to be made for dismissing K-pop legend Max Changmin’s lead solo single as a flashy bit of perfume commercial music, but you’d be an idiot to stand by that argument. MAX’s charisma is off the charts all over this song, switching easily between huge belting high notes and quiet-toned spoken word. The chorus is a fun release of ascending and descending vocalizations in between MAX’s shout whisper of the track’s title. Imagine Suit & Tie era Justin Timberlake built on those wins instead of veering off into weird pseudo country music, and you’d be close to the pure pop fun of “Chocolate”.

31. PAPARAZZI — oceanfromtheblue

Korean R&B artist oceanfromtheblue is making Soundcloud ballads for all of your quarantine vibes, and PAPARAZZI is the best example of what he has on offer in 2020. His voice is expressive over the minimalist soundscape — the way he drags out the chorus into a single paranoid note is a stroke of genius that pulls you down with him. Like the kids say — or like the olds trying to sound like the kids say, this one’s a vibe. A lush, synesthetic vibe.

30. Stay Tonight — Chung Ha

Chung Ha has had an absolutely bananas year, releasing three singles that occupy different spaces on the dance floor but burn it up just the same. “Stay Tonight” is her surprising tribute to the sounds and tones of vogue ballroom. A flexible, whipping beat bends back and forth around Chung Ha’s powerhouse vocals, building until a sudden, sharp contraction like the breath you take when the bathroom sink’s cold water hits you out of a hangover. It’s sexy, catchy af, and the final instrumental bridge is an absolute space cadet passage that will have you building your own rocket ship to Mars before Elon gets there and makes it uncool.

29. YOU CAN’T HOLD MY HEART — MONSTA X

Unlike the glitzy, shining optimism of their countrymen BTS’ all English language debut, Monsta X elected to give us a moody and minimal pop ballad complete with a trap beat and smooth, prettily harmonized vocals. The chorus is simple and catchy in exactly the ways you want sad boy anthems to be, and truth be told, the whole thing is surprisingly heartfelt right up to the final fadeout.

28. Love Me Harder — WOODZ

This is the kind of song you can pick up and put in your pocket, walk a while with it on a nice day, and when it’s done, play it again. It bounces down the sidewalk like a rubber ball, despite its relatively heavy lyrical themes. The chorus splits into two mirrored halves, the first a nice few bars of chanting millennial pop and the second, with just the addition of a freshly syncopated beat, a bright little breakdown that hooks you back into the song’s otherwise straightlaced structure.

27. Gunshot — KARD

KARD has always been a unique proposition in the K-pop landscape — especially among their idol counterparts. In a field where sounds are sharply gendered, a co-ed group can have a hard time attracting the right mix of producers, writers, and executives to sustain a successful career, but that’s just what they've been doing for years, and with “Gunshot” they push into darker territory than ever before. There’s a return here to some of the tropical influences from their earliest releases and a deep dive into some bassy passages that resemble something approaching witch house. The handoffs between all four vocalists are seamless, though Jiwoo and BM stand out particularly. It’s a tough little heater.

26. Scream — Dreamcatcher

One of the hardest hitting offerings from the K-pop machine in 2020, Scream is a syncretic marvel, mixing light black metal sensibilities with psytrance, metalcore blastbeats, symphonic pop, and all the angst of a teenage theater kid who’s a little too into Tolkien. Scream is majestic and artful — too well put together to be a guilty pleasure. The girls from Dreamcatcher are always looking for a new way to overwhelm, and they delivered a tidal wave here.

And that’s the bottom half. I’ll have the next half up for ya’ll tomorrow. The link will be here.

Happy listening!