10 K-pop tracks we danced and sang to this 2022
By now you've probably seen your Spotify Wrapped results. Which latest K-pop songs made it which ones didn't?
Speaking of new songs, this year brought many Korean idols and girl group rookies of different genres, bringing us beats that were hard not to replay again, and again, and again. (We're looking at you, Jessi!).
Need a refresher? Here's a short wrap-up of the top K-pop releases this year.
Hype Boy by New Jeans
New Jeans’ Hype Boy is one of the three title tracks for their debut EP New Jeans. The album garnered huge success setting a new record for the highest first-day sales, with over 262,815 sales on the first day of release, making them the first girl group to do so.
Its simple yet catchy tune is a bop. It's so catchy that Little Women and Goblin star Kim Go Eun danced with it during her fan meeting in South Korea.
Nxde by (G)-IDLE
(G)-IDLE keeps on breaking records, with Tomboy winning eight music awards, and Nxde, the title track of their album I Love, bagging 11 music show awards.
Other than these awards, what makes this song special is it gives off a sexy, classy vibe taking inspiration from Marilyn Monroe, they also aim to combat sexualization in K-pop industry. One of its members Soyeon said in a report by Koreaboo their aim with their song: "‘Do they just want to look sexy?’ That’s what most people would think. I want to beat that kind of bias as well. It’s not that we want it to be erotic. I just want to change their perspectives."
Pink Venom by BLACKPINK
After almost two years of hiatus, BLACKPINK returned with Pink Venom, a song with a mix of modern-day hip-hop and traditional Korean sounds. The music started with the sound of a traditional Korean instrument called geomungo, which can be seen being played by Jisoo in the music video. In their private online conference, Jennie said that the song represents their identity as BLACKPINK since ‘pink’ and ‘venom’ have two contradicting images. They believe that ‘contradiction’ is their group’s charm.
Love Dive by IVE
One of the thriving rookies of K-pop is IVE, with its tracks Love Dive and After Like garnering huge success around the world. In fact, Love Dive won the Song of the Year award in the 2022 Melon Music Awards. IVE is also one of the biggest winners in the recent Mnet Asia Music Awards (MAMA) 2022.
Talk that Talk by TWICE
Once, the group's fandom name, wanted another bop song, so TWICE gave them what they need! In time with the y2k trend, its playful upbeat will leave you in last-song syndrome for days (or even weeks). Who else here tried to reach Nayeon's high note?
POP! by Nayeon
POP! is a bop song under the debut EP Im Nayeon, Nayeon is the first soloist of TWICE and she won the Best Female Artist of the year in the 2022 Mnet Asia Music Awards (MAMA). This song was made even more famous with its dance challenge on TikTok.
Zoom by Jessi
K-pop fan or not, you've probably danced to this TikTok-famous song. Feeling good and really badass-like, its beat will surely keep you dancing, with it sounding different from most K-pop tracks. In fact, according to Soompi's report, Jessi's Zoom made her the first female K-pop soloist to exceed 100 million views on YouTube on its release.
Antifragile by Le Sserafim
Le Sserafim once again showcased their fearlessness with their new title track ANTIFRAGILE. Aside from the bop beat and choreography, the song is even more special in its meaning. According to the People's interview with the group, the song is about overcoming your past battles and being confident in who you are.
HOT by SEVENTEEN
This song was burning hot in its release with over 87 million (and counting) streams on Spotify as of this writing. Starting off with a country-like strum in the intro, this song will keep you bouncing with its electro-pop sound.
That that by PSY ft. SUGA
Making his comeback is PSY with his collaboration with BTS' Suga. Known for his upbeat songs like Gangnam Style and Gentleman, That That surely is another song for you to dance in parties.
