Welcome, K-Newbies to the magical world of K-Pop. I don’t know if it was the catchy beat of one of the songs, the glint in your favorite idol’s eye or maybe it was just those tight pants, but welcome to our “little” club. We have Kimchi and Ddeokbokki. So, I don’t know what group or who brought you here, but I figured I would take a moment to go over some great music from artists that I have heard to get your listening started (besides BTS, as I’m going to assume you’ve already heard them).
ATEEZ
I wanted to start this post off with a rookie group that I have grown to be quite fond of in the past few months. ATEEZ (에이티즈) has just hit their 1-year anniversary when this is being written, and in the past year, they have released some seriously amazing music. It’s innovative and different from a lot of things that I have heard in the K-Pop industry. Hong-Joong, the leader of the group, writes most of the songs for the group, and they really mix interesting sounds together in their tracks. On top of that, their dancing is absolutely amazing. If you watch videos of them, pay special attention to Choi San (최산). His facial expressions are absolutely excessive and wonderful.
MAMAMOO
Debuting in 2014, MAMAMOO (마마무) is probably one of my favorite girl groups in the K-Pop world. They are all incredibly talented, they never lip-sync, and ever their rapper, Moonbyul (문별), knows how to sing. Every track they write is beautifully harmonized, and the girls have such powerful, strong voices. On top of all of that, all of their songs are extremely catchy and well written. More than anything, these girls are incredibly relatable and are actually friends outside of work as Wheein (휘인) and Hwasa (화사) who actually grew up in the same town and have been friends since they were kids. It’s nice to see friendships that start before fame.
Super Junior
As they are the kings of making fools of themselves on television, Super Junior is an excellent group for a newbie to acquaint themselves with. One of the few K-Pop groups that has lasted this long, Super Junior has been in existence since 2005. The group dominates the variety scene and members such as Heechul and Shindong can frequently be seen in shows like 아는 형님 (Knowing Bros.). You will also see members like Siwon in the drama scene in shows like She was Pretty. Most importantly, Super Junior writes really great music and has taken on a variety of genres with their own flair including Latin, Big band, and R&B.
Seventeen
If you want a group that is consistently high energy with phenomenal dancing, I highly recommend that you listen to Seventeen. Debuting in 2015, the group has 3 units: Vocal, Hip-Hop, and Performance. The most impressive thing about Seventeen, besides a large number of members (13 to be exact), is the fact that all of their songs and choreography are done by the members themselves. Hoshi choreographs most of their routines, and Woozi composes a lot of their songs. All 13 members of this group are oozing talent and are constantly writing innovative, catchy music.
DAY6
When it comes to Idol bands, DAY6 is one of my favorites. Something about their music always has had a way of making me feel so many emotions. They always have a track that suits whatever mood you can be in at any moment of the day. Sad, happy, heartbroken, you name it! They group also composes many of their songs themselves, as most are written by Young K. More importantly, the members all have such goofy, quirky personalities, especially Jae.
Heize
If you are a fan of music with a bit more of a Jazz and R&B flair, HEIZE is the way to go. She frequently composes absolutely beautifully smooth songs. Her kind of music is the stuff you listen to when you want to just chill out and relax. Additionally, she is wonderful to listen to live, and you can tell just how much she loves what she is doing. I saw her live at KCON in 2018, and she was a musical artist through and through.Additionally, I think that her style is the kind that we need more of in the modern music world.
TWICE
Okay, I know most of you probably already know this group, and if you don’t you should. TWICE is one of the groups that I have a habit of listening to on a really bad day. With songs like “Cheer Up” and “Feel Special”, these girls have taken over the K-Pop cute concept and kill it every time. What I find even more interesting about TWICE though is how they can be so cute, but also look so cool at the same time. Momo, Jihyo and Jeongyeon are some of my favorite girl crushes in the K-Pop world. These girls can do absolutely no wrong.
EXO
Okay, this is the last group I’m putting in this list, even though I know that there are so many other groups that are amazing out there. The reason that I’m adding EXO to this list is 100% biased. EXO is the first K-Pop group that I ever fell in love with, and that love has never ended. EXO is full of amazing singers who constantly impress me, More importantly, they are all really strange and quirky, and that is what keeps me coming back for more.
Are there any other groups that you think should be included in this list? Let me know down in the comments section below.
사랑합니다!
-Rachel
