My Top 5 Favorite K-Pop Songs of 2019

So many things have happened this year, like Beyoncé releasing her documentary, Colleen Ballanger debuting on Broadway,a new Hunger Games book coming out, and the release of Avengers: Endgame along with many other things, it’s hard to kinda keep up with everything. It has also been a big year for the world of K-pop, many new groups have debuted many bops have been released, dating news (like Twice’s Jihyo and Kang Daniel yay!) So, in honor of 2019 coming to an end (it’s already September 20 where has the time gone?) I’ve decided to list my top 5 favorite K-pop songs that have come out this year!

#1 Noir - Sunmi

Noir is such a good song, and it’s no wonder that it was ranked one of the highest songs when it was first released. In the music video it starts with her eating a heart shaped candy(or drug I’m not totally sure) and sitting alone at a birthday party. The cake at said party erupts into flames and she turns and starts an Instagram Live (reminds me of the “this is okay” meme with the dog) that only gets one viewer.

Throughout the music video she does more bizarre things, and gains more viewers. She takes pictures in what seems like the mountains, in front of fire and seems to be doing “dangerous” things for clout there are the hashtags followme and nofilter and as she gains more followers she gets happier. Whenever the camera is off, she has a blank face which immediately changes when she goes to record or take pictures.

The music video then shows that everything she is doing is fake, like dressing up in heavy clothing and standing in front of a picture of mountains in order to look cool, or putting her feet in a sandbox to make it seem as if she’s at the beach.

Anyways, this song is my favorite because it shows how toxic content creators and influencers can be to themselves because all everyone wants is to get more views and be famous. The video is beautiful and her voice is amazing. The fact that she uses her platform to call things to people’s attention is amazing to me, whether it be toxicity to themselves or others or something else.

#2 Boy With Luv - BTS ft. Halsey

Ok so this song is 100% a bop! Specifically this version with Halsey because there is a version without. Even though she gets very little screen time in the music video she still KILLS its when she’s dancing with the boys.

I’m proud of her for 1.Keeping up with their dancing because honestly it’s difficult to learn AND pull off, and 2. Actually singing in korean. Many artists that do collabs with K-pop artists don’t try and sing in the Korean language (which I get its hard) and the K-pop members sing in English even if it’s their own song, so Halsey was a nice change of that (though I love hearing my favs speak/sing in English). It showed she actually wanted to collab and not just for clout.

#3 Fancy - Twice

As usual Twice has given us Once’s another bop! Fancy is catchy like all of their other songs, and the music video is stunning. There are some things worth pointing out than others like Jeongyeon’s abundance of lines (which I’m grateful for she’s come a long way since debut), and her longer hair! There are so many closeups of the girls which showcase their spectacular visuals, and the dance and song are easy to listen/dance to. Speaking from experience, this dance is very fun to attempt!

The songs gives me more of a “teen girls driving down the highway in a drop top in summer” vibe, which is great! Jihyo’s highnote blew me away like usual and the rap that comes after the chorus gives the song a totally different vibe, which is amazing. The only thing I dislike is the lack of lines from some members (*cough* Momo *cough*) but then again, I know the recording process isn’t easy so I can’t be upset over things I have no say in.

#4 Gotta Go - Chungha

YES! Our queen Chungha has given us another great song! After all her success, it’s not surprising that this song is at the top of the charts!

The music video has such beautiful sets, and unlike most of the other music videos on this list, her music video almost entirely focuses on the dancing. There ARE scenes of her sitting and singing in it but, the main focus is on the dance routine, and her dancers are in a majority of the video, which is very cool. The choreography looks simple to learn but very difficult to pull of

This whole song gave me Cinderella vibes, since it contains the phrases “gotta go, 12’o clock” and “too bad, it’s already 12” which if you recall in Cinderella, she has to leave before midnight. The music video didn’t give any Cinderella scenes, but that doesn’t take away from the wow factor of the whole thing.

#5 Boom - NCT Dream

The youngest members of the group NCT have honestly broken away from the bubble gum cuteness that was “Chewing Gum” with this song. It honestly made me see the boys in a more mature way, though I’m the same age as most of them.

Boom never fails to get me dancing, the music and the lyrics are good and the Dreamies pull it off exceptionally. Honestly Boom sounds like it would be an NCT 127 song and the fact that it’s the Dreamies pulling it off makes me proud to see them grow.

Renjun finally gets the recognition he deserves as a vocal and his highnote goes on for so long I’m convinced that he’s superhuman(hehe) and Jisung’s voice is so deep, it overshadows the fact that he’s an ‘02 liner(I feel old). The whole music video gave me “rich boy” vibes and the dancing is A1. It looks difficult to learn and pull off without seeming awkward, which makes me even prouder as a Czennie! The last chorus’ dance is so aggressive it’s almost impossible for someone like me to pull off without hurting myself or looking dumb, but it’s fun to attempt.

Honorable Mentions:

Bomb Bomb by KARD, Thrilla Killa by VAV, Dalla Dalla by ITZY, Fear by Seventeen, Violeta by I*ZONE, Bon Bon Chocolat by Everglow, Zimzalabim by Red Velvet, Gogobebe by Mamamoo, Birthday by Jeon Somi, and Twit by Hwasa

Thank you for reading through all of this and I hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully you agree with my list, or if you didn’t know these songs, I hope you like them!