This year is tough for everyone since we need to deals with the pandemic. Everything seems to stop because of the quarantine, and life feels so bored since we can go outside. But life must go on, and we start to explore something new. Like the K-pop industry throughout 2020, they try to explore new things to share and entertain their audience. It is like they know how important their songs sounded in an age when anhedonia was imminent.
Therefore, please find the wrapped 11 songs that received so much love in 2020 that take us further away from world issues best on Time Magazine. Try to think of this as an introduction to many K-pop idols who have made us shine, impressed, and moved over the past 12 months. Maybe they mean something to you.
- "Answer" - Ateez
Ateez - Answer cover album / Pinterest
"Answer" is a victory and festivity poem, ATEEZ's first word is geonbae – a Korean expression for "cheers" – obviously shows. "Answer" arrests fans with an extraordinary vitality shared by the two-year-old party of best tracks from the very moment that the vocalist San opens with "let's make a toast like a thunder" to the final minute with pounding instrumentals. Just days before January, the anthem caught the spirit of a new decade full of promise. In 2020, the mutual energy of joy in "Answer" was quickly spiraling downwards, both becoming a recollection of "previous times" and, most specifically, a glimpse of the moment when we would lift our gaze again. - "Nonstop" - OH my GIRL
Nonstop - OH my GIRL cover album / Pinterest
Within a year, when other K-pop girl groups gravitated toward darker, smarter themes, OH my GIRL, brought a vivid, cheerful vision into the tropical banger 'Nonstop.' The track channels summer holidays on an island: lively melodies powered by optimistic synth notes. The track has a mature feel considering its freshness. Husky-voiced rapper Mimi's lyrics contrast to specific chirping chants, bringing to the repetitive expression a particular form of charm: "I was a bit bogged down." - "Home;run" - SEVENTEEN
Home;run album cover/spotify.com
The bulk of the year 2020 shuttered off-Broadway. SEVENTEEN has brought us their new music with "Home;run." The ultimate chorus of high intensity is on its fragile bridge, which is the compilation of jazzy piano riffs, not unlike the song's interludes. "There is a long trip for you," it presents the theme of Semicolon EP, runs the listeners, but only in our heads, to reveal the music and join the parties on the wall. - "Maria" - Hwasa
Hwasa - Maria album cover / wikipedia.org
The "Maria" from Hwasa left the most severe impression of the solo releases this year. This track is sleek and sultry, oozing with the distinctive charisma of the Mamamoo vocalist, singing over syncopated drum beats with its bottomless and rounded voice. The words "Maria," co-written on the Latin infused track by Hwasa, read like a diary with a letter of love to herself. "I am saying this to you, OH Maria, and why are you trying so hard?" The artist wrests with media critique and online hate she gets. You're stunning already." - "Daisy" - PENTAGON
Pentagon- Daisy cover album / allkpop.com
This sort of music is PENTAGON's "Daisy." The members' voices are saturated with desperation and pain, on an alternate path, on which group leader Hui and rapper Wooseok contributed, as they lament "being burned by a fake love." - “Lovesick Girls” - BLACKPINK
Lovesick Girl cover / Hellokpop.com
The arrival of BLACKPINK’s first full-length album—so highly anticipated the project was titled The Album—was one of K-pop’s biggest news events in 2020. “Lovesick Girls” is the true gem on the album. The heavy electronic production characteristic of BLACKPINK’s crowd-riling bops remains intact, but it’s stripped back to accentuate sung melodies from the four members. Their voices are layered over an acoustic guitar to create a breezy and mellow ambiance. - “La Di Da” - EVERGLOW
La Di Da album cover/devianart.com
Think of “La Di Da” as the exhilarating theme song to a superhero movie. EVERGLOW takes the listener on an electrifying ride in this track that stands out among the year’s retro-inspired songs for its spunky synth backbone and dynamic melodies. The chorus is the standout, with soaring lines and high notes from vocalists Sihyeon and Mia contrasting with rapper E: U’s lower-pitched. This song mainly proclaims that they “got no time for haters.” - “Not Shy” - ITZY
Not Shy cover / allkpop.com
“Not Shy,” dropped in August, is the group’s 2020 release with greater replay value. “Not Shy” is all about giving authority to one’s own voice. In the context of admitting a crush—a confession often marked by hesitancy, ITZY snaps, “Why can’t I just say what’s on my mind?” and repeats, “I want you, who cares, ’cause I’m not shy.” - “Dumhdurum” - Apink
Dumhdurum- Apink single cover / hellok-pop.com
Retro- and disco-infused tracks from Korean artists were a major trend in 2020. The most visible example is the BTS’ song “Dynamite.” Apink’s “Dumhdurum.” The synth motif in the chorus, formed by a sequence of notes across five keys, is one of the most memorable riffs of the year. But “Dumhdurum” didn’t just leave a mark for its electronic production. The track puts the singing of its members front and center, highlighting these six seasoned performers. - “Kick It” - NCT 127
Kick it - NCT127 single cover / Spotify.com
In the first few seconds of "Kick It," the bombastic electrical sounds became loud. The first lines of the track are often presented as singing, not as song nor rap. "Kick It" is a literal punch from NCT 127's martial arts theme. The humpback rap verses and thudding bass are in danger of knocking you down, and the melodies of the vocalists, so cute and tender, make the blow quick.
Did you find your favorite single on that list? This list will always change in line with the growth of the K-pop industry and their audience demands.
Source: time.com