I may or may not end up flooding you guys with a ton of K-Pop info between now and the concert, and probably afterwards. Please don’t stop reading if you aren’t into that kind of music or culture. This is my way to show you what’s in my current favorite playlist as well as showing you some new stuff that I think you should check out so hang in there with me…
After my last couple of K-Pop posts, I am going to include some new artists/ music that I haven’t mentioned yet. Most of these are actually Spotify discoveries… Like, after listening to one artist, I go to the “Because you listened to…” section and there they are. So I made a list of about 8 K-Pop artists/ groups that I currently have in rotation on a pretty regular basis. I chose 8 because it’s my favorite number (but trust me, this is hardly scratching the surface)…
#Gun – Park
A little quick background on how I discovered #Gun. So, I decided to watch a show called No Mercy (from 2015) which was a talent/ audition “survival” show to form Starship’s next big boy group. It started with a large group of trainees that would be dropped down to 7, and become who is now Monsta X. #Gun was one of those trainees, a rapper, who was also doing underground rap prior to that, and was also in a group called the NuBoyz with Monsta X’s Wonho, Shownu, and Joohoney.
He made it to the final 9 but was cut, unfortunately. But, the other night I was on Youtube and he popped up. He has a couple of new songs and videos, released through Starship. He isn’t just rapping and he sounds amazing! He looks so different, but still very cute, and I am so happy to see him as a solo artist. I hope he and the boys are still cool, and may even collaborate one day.
Follow Him!
Instagram @sharp_gun94
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCYDmx2Sfpnaxg488yBpZIGg
Jackson Wang (& Got 7)
I actually started listening to Jackson before really checking out the group he’s in, Got 7. He had just released his single “Oxygen”, I heard it, and was hooked. He raps and sings, and has this unique raspy voice that I love. What’s cool about him too is that he is the only Chinese member in Got 7. Also, he has his own small record label, Team Wang, building and managing other artists.
Follow Him!
Instagram @jacksonwang852g7
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCJS0K01yC8BmQtSuRdqqo3w
Now, I am still getting into Got 7 but am getting pretty familiar with them because a lot of the other K-Pop fans that I follow and watch on Youtube are fans of them and are going to their concerts. The boys are also doing a lot of promo and appearances here in the states. So, they are pretty much everywhere right now. I am still catching up on music, but so far, I do really like them.
Follow Them!
Instagram @got7.with.igot7
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8HEl74jL3bLLwfDP1OALxw
DEAN – “Howlin’ 404”
This particular artist discovery was pretty great. DEAN is like the “R&B King” in Korea (from what I was reading about him). I first listened to his album 130 Mood: TRBL and it instantly made me a fan. That is a SOLID R&B album! It’s just SO GOOD and his voice as so laid back and smooth. I definitely listen to this particular album a lot.
What also caught my attention is that he has a song with an R&B great here in the states, Eric Bellinger. But, DEAN released a new single recently called “Howlin’ 404”. It has a different vibe from the album that I mentioned previously, but it’s still a great song. It’s a more guitar-driven, with some auto-tune and a super mellow vibe. It’s just different from much of the music I’m mentioning in this posts; even more reason to check it out.
Follow Him!
Instagram @deantrbl
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCnCEKlzi52Yzj2JdBFhKVEA
ATEEZ New Album Treasure Ep.3: One to All
Now, what first got me into these guys, was their song and video for “HALA HALA” from their second album Treasure Ep.2: Zero to One. It’s a powerful dance track and the video shows it. So of course, after checking out that album, it led me to the first album Treasure Ep.1: All to Zero. Then they would soon be releasing this third one, Treasure Ep.3: One to All. I love them all and every single one is on the playlist.
Follow Them!
Instagram @ateez_official
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCQdq-lqPEq_yZ_wP_kuVB9Q
Stray Kids New Album Cle 1: MIROH
Ever since first getting into K-Pop, I’ve been watching a lot of Youtube videos by other K-Pop fans. I noticed that a lot of them mentioned the Stray Kids so I decided to check them out for myself. Lucky for me, they had just come out with a new album, Cle 1: MIROH, as well as Cle 2: Yellow Wood. My favorite out of those two is definitely MIROH, though.
Both albums are pretty different and MIROH just sticks out to me more.
Follow Them!
Instagram @realstraykids
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCaO6TYtlC8U5ttz62hTrZgg
Pentagon New Album Genie:us
This group is another random discovery while listening to other K-Pop groups. The first album that I listened to is their most recent one, Genie:us. The first song “SHA LA LA” hooked me then I fell in love with the next two songs, one from their Hip Hop Unit and the other from their Ballad unit; a concept that I love with K-Pop groups. Every member plays a key role even though many of them can do more than one skill.
They also have another project that they dropped this year, called Cosmo. It’s only 3 songs, and pretty different from the last album that I mentioned, but I like it. Very pretty songs on this one for sure, especially “& You”. Check them both out if you can, though.
Follow Them!
Instagram @cube_ptg
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw4NcAAtRsjL-cGlBrUnMTQ
WooseokxKuanlin – 9801
And we have another random discovery, but I think I found them because I was listening to Jackson Wang and he has a feature on one of their songs, “Hypey”. From the first, very catchy Pop/ Hip-Hop song “I’m A Star” to the last slower tempo one, it’s a really great album. The guys have one song together then Lai Kuanlin has the two more Hip Hop tracks while Wooseok has the more Pop, slower tempo tracks. I honestly didn’t expect any of it off of first impressions, but I always love to be surprised.
Follow them!
Instagram @wooseoxkuanlin
Bonus! New Monsta X Japanese Track “X-Phenomenon” & Video!
What’s a K-Pop playlist without Monsta X, though?! But the boys have been so busy and recently announced that they will be dropping their 2nd Japanese album in August. They have been dropping video teasers and released the single “X-Phenomenon” and the video for it. After hearing it once, I was already in love.
As for the video, the boys look amazing! I honestly love the looks in this video; their style always something I look forward to. Other than their style, the dancing, and the overall aesthetic of the video is a big yes for me! So I guess they’ll be promoting this single and album, their English single and video for “Who Do U Love?”, and the world tour for We Are Here.
Follow Them!
Instagram @OfficialMonstaX
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