Tim Howe's Korean Pop Playlist (팀의 케이팝 재생 목록)
안녕하세요! This page lists some of the K-Pop that I have been listening to over the past year or so. In most cases I would say that these songs are not to be listened to as 'background music' - they are better off being pumped out loud in the car or listened to on headphones. The latter is particularly true of the heavily studio-produced stuff as there is actually a *lot* to listen to (many layers and nuances).
I have included Spotify and Youtube links for songs here rather than actual files. It is important to support artists (of any nationality) by buying CDs or MP3 downloads, as the payout for each stream on services like Spotify, iTunes and Google Play is pitiful. If you are interested in details such as composers, arrangers, musicians and choreographers then the site www.genius.com is good - just search for the song and beside the lyrics pane there will be a 'Track Info' pane.
Hangul Subtitles
Hangul subtitles are a great way to help you follow the lyrics of a song in real-time and improve your reading speed. Unfortunately there are many youtube videos where Hangul subs are not available, perhaps not surprising given that native Korean speakers would not need them. I have coded subs for a number of songs where I have found them to be missing and these may be downloaded here (.srt format)
Red Velvet (레드벨벳)
Red Velvet was formed by SM Entertainment and debuted on August 1 2014. Having cranked out quality material year after year, they are now one of the top 5 KPop Girl Groups.
Cosmic Girls / WJSN (우주소녀)
Cosmic Girls is a group formed by Starship Entertainment and debuted on February 25 2016. Their vocal style is somewhat more 'girly' than the others listed here but the tunes are very well delivered. As a dance troop, WJSN really excel and are considered leaders in their genre.
IZ*ONE (아이즈원)
IZ*ONE was a 12 member girl group formed in Sep 2018 from the Korean/Japanese Produce 48 project.
Having cranked out hit after hit (with great videos) they were disbanded in May 2021, I suspect due to the fact that the members were afiliated with separate media companies who could not agree a way forward (I suspect that greed would have played a part too.) IZ*ONE were massive and I expect the respective companies may catch a cold as a result of the disbandment. Good luck to the girls anyway - they are all talented, fully trained and at the beginning of their careers.
Weki Meki (위키미키)
Weki Meki is an 8 member girl group formed in 2017.
Mamamoo (마마무)
Mamamoo was formed by Rainbow Bridge World (RBW, formerly WA Entertainment) in 2014. The group officially debuted on June 18 2014. They have very strong vocals and are recognized for their retro, jazz, R&B styles. They are now one of the top 10 KPop Girl Groups.
Apink (에이핑크)
Apink is a 6 member group (originally 7) formed in 2011 under IST Entertainment. They have just passed their 10th anniversary as an active group - this is something very rare in the industry but is much appreciated, adding a little bit of stability to such a 'dynamic' industry.
Cherry Bullet (체리블렛)
Cherry Bullet is a 7 member girl group (originally 10) formed in 2019 under FNC.
ITZY (있지)
ITZY is a 5 member girl group from JYP, formed in 2019.
Bolbalgan4 (볼빨간 사춘기)
Bol4 is a South Korean girl duo, formed by Shofar Music in 2016. This is good, simple Korean pop music with a slight folky-feel and is not over-produced. Ahn Ji-young (안지영) has a very distinctive voice and singing style.
Crystal Clear / CLC (씨엘씨)
CLC was a 7 member girl group with a number of good hits. Formed in 2015 but sadly ceased operations in November 2021. RIP CLC.
Ace Of Angels / AOA (에이오에이)
AOA is a 7 member girl group formed in 2012. A sub group of AOA have performed tracks (like Get Out) on stage with real instruments, something that is quite unusual for 'manufactured' KPop groups.
Fiestar (피에스타)
Fiestar was a 5 member girl group formed in 2012 but disbanded in 2018.
Various Artists
This page contains songs from various other groups and artists.