2025 in K-Pop, Part 1

This is a weird year for me. Well, it’s a weird year for everybody, especially those of us in the US. You know why. But I’m also about to finish my PhD in the very promising and lucrative field of…feminist musicology. Yeah.

However, one thing keeping me sane is a little project. Late last year I decided that I was going to commit to listening to every major K-Pop release in 2025. Major has a pretty loose definition — basically I’m trying to hit every group that performs on Korean music shows to promote their releases. I even try to give the whole EP/album a full listen, though so far I haven’t been totally consistent with that.

I’m not 100% sure where this project is going. I don’t think I want to make K-Pop Review Blogger my identity, here or elsewhere. I guess I’m more interested in just yapping about the stuff I find most notable for whatever reason. At the end of the year I will at the very least have a wrap-up to offer, if not some ideas for article pitches (scholarly or not, who knows). And it’s good for me — good for all musicians, honestly — to engage regularly with music that may not necessarily fit my specific tastes or interests. I am a K-Pop fan, for sure, but there’s plenty of it that doesn’t work for me (no offense to Stray Kids and Ateez).

Anyway. Here is part 1 of a projected 4 quarterly K-Pop roundups. I’ve picked two songs for each month, plus a couple of EPs deserving of honorable mentions.

JANUARY

BSS (Seventeen) - “CBZ (Prime Time)”

Everything about this song is fun, and the performances BSS gave during the promotional period were overflowing with some of the best of what K-Pop has to offer: live vocals, iconic dance moves, and camp, camp, CAMP. Seventeen as a full group does some of the most musical theater-y stages in the industry, and the concentrated energy of this subunit is no less theatrical. Plus, it’s a song about butts in jeans. What’s not to love?

Onew - “Boy”

Onew and I are the same age, just about, and I think a lot about how huge his burden has been over the past two decades. Debuting at just nineteen as the leader of one of the biggest boy groups of K-Pop’s third generation, losing a group member and dear friend to suicide just before mandatory enlistment, major health issues after completing his service, and leaving the label he’d been with since he was a teen to strike out on his own…he has been through the wringer. So it’s especially lovely to see him lend his extraordinary voice to music that feels both so him and so warm. His entire Connection EP could easily make it into my top songs of the past year, but I wanted to highlight “Boy” here because of the sheer joy on display in Onew’s performance of this song, despite all his trials. His sweet voice floats and skips over the groovy Toto-esque instrumental like a leaf in a spring breeze. Though the lyrics are sometimes opaquely specific, poignant images stick, and the whole text is tinged with both hope and grief. The prechorus line “folding a paper airplane, making it stronger and sturdier” particularly stands out to me — because a paper airplane can only be so sturdy, and is at the mercy of the wind.

FEBRUARY

Chungha - “Still a Rose”

To be totally honest, I used to find interpolations of “classical” music in pop cheesy as fuck. But then I turned 30 and realized that cringe is not a crime, and sometimes a thing can be artistically satisfying and effective while also making me laugh. The interpolated Vivaldi “Spring” in “Still a Rose” is a perfect example. It’s not just inserted at the beginning or as an instrumental break; instead it’s threaded throughout the song. Lightly witty lyrics are delivered with Chungha’s signature panache, and the production always complements and never overwhelms. This whole EP is a delight — title track “Stress” is absolutely the vogueing anthem we need right now in the world — but “Still a Rose” is the stickiest cut for me.

ONF - “The Stranger”

Last year’s “Bye My Monster” was a huge surprise to me — I wasn’t aware of ONF before that, which seemed crazy once I saw them perform the orchestral rock track on Korean music shows. It’s a big song; big feelings, big vocal moments, and complex dance formations. But these guys pulled it off like old hats. I soon found out that this group’s professionalism and tight ensemble might be explained by their unique choice to enlist in their 18-month mandatory military service simultaneously after only four years of group activities. Most Korean boy groups delay their service until their late twenties, and tend to go in order of age, sometimes staggering their enlistments over half a decade or more. The conventional wisdom is that staggering enlistments means that a group is more likely to remain relevant in the fast-paced world of K-Pop, since unenlisted members can still be active in the industry while their group mates serve. But that doesn’t take into account the effect on the groups themselves, in both their personal and work relationships. ONF’s post-enlistment career is a strong argument for their approach to service, and I’m hopeful that other groups will give it a try. All that to say — “The Stranger” is just as impressive as “Bye My Monster,” but also just about as different as it can be. Move over J-Rock drama, it’s time for James Brown meets 80s stadium rock. Seriously. Just listen!

MARCH

Le Sserafim - “Come Over”

You can never make me hate these girlies. Yes, I feel weird that they debuted Eunchae at age 15. Yes, Sakura’s singing is still not strong. They started with buckets of stage presence and varying degrees of skill to back it up, but now they’ve really hit their stride. Best when they’re doing something that no one else can pull off, “Come Over” showcases their charisma and chops at the highest level yet. Plus, the song is fun as hell — a modish, gentle bop with self-consciously silly choreography executed with charm galore.

NMIXX - “Papillon”

“Papillon” and “CBZ” are my top songs of 2025 so far, which is funny because they could not be more different. Where BSS embodies K-Pop camp, NMIXX is the crown jewel of the genre’s experimental, hyperpop-influenced side. Their heavily electronic musical style and complex choreographies might make you think that they don’t prioritize vocals, but the fact is that NMIXX is one of k-pop’s most vocally and musically skilled active groups. Only 3rd-gen vocal queens Mamamoo are more consistent, and they’ve got ten years of professional experience on these girls. So yes, listen to “Papillon” — it’s a fascinating, dense groove of a track — but more importantly, watch NMIXX jam on Tiny Desk Korea here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Zerobaseone - Blue Paradise EP

I said to a friend recently that ZB1 is always an enjoyable listen because they feel safe — their label gives them reliably solid tracks by some of the industry’s most experienced songwriters/producers, and the nine survival show-tested members are all extremely good at what they do. Main vocals Zhang Hao and Taerae both have distinctive vocal color, lots of power, and masterful control. And the other seven hold their own quite well too. This EP’s title track, “Blue,” has the feel of a 2010s pop anthem; the pre-release single, “Doctor Doctor” is smooth and sweet midtempo R&B. Three trio subunit tracks round out the EP, each one serving up a specific flavor of pop pleasure: aughties pop-rock angst, “Rock With You”-era Michael Jackson, and goofy glam punk.

Jisoo - Amortage EP

There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the most successful of the recent Blackpink solos. Not successful as in sales numbers but in artistry: much like Chungha, Jisoo manages to situate her 4-track EP right at the intersection of K-Pop and Western pop trends. Title track “Earthquake” suits her perfectly — her vocal quality and ability shine, and the choreography rightly highlights her precise, elegant dancing.