This year I have been listening to more albums than I ever have before as a Kpop fan and explored a ton of old and new songs. The amount of great songs in Kpop is incredible, but even with the amount of amazing songs I’m still quite picky on what I listen to. I admire and credit every artist that releases great songs, but there is only a few that goes in my replay playlist. 2021 is soon over and here is my personal list of best Kpop songs and albums of 2021.
Top Title Songs of 2021
1. WJSN - UNNATURAL
Truly a disgustingly good song and I had no doubt this was going to be the best song of 2021 when it came out in March. The song was so good that I had goosebumps for a month and WJSN really evolved to the next level with this comeback. The start, the pre-chorus and the last chorus of the song is in my opinion a masterpiece and deserve a lot more love.
2. SEVENTEEN - Ready to love
This was totally not a typical Seventeen song. Some loved it and some hated it, but even though it does not have the normal Seventeen vibe I absolutely loved it. I love the pace of the song and the vibe. I got to praise Seventeen for taking it a new step in their career and coming back with a more mature concept.
3. GIRLKIND - Good Vibes Only
“The” summer song of 2021. I love the title Good Vibes Only. That’s literally what I live for, no time for negativity. The song might be basic for some, but I really enjoy it when summer songs are basic, fun & exciting. It makes it easy to listen to. The only bad thing about this song is that I can’t enjoy it to the full extent because I can’t travel and it makes me really want to travel.
4. KAI - Mmmh
What a solo debut! A sexy dance track that reeks of Kai’s charisma and sexieness. The song itself is f’ing good and you can’t help yourself feeling sexy asf. I have truly missed good raw sexieness in Kpop. The mv is not for the weak hearted. Mmmh Mmmh~~
5. STAYC - STEREOTYPE
ASAP did not fit my taste and found the flow of the song weird, but stereotype is a different beast and I was immediately hooked on the song when it came out. The vibe, the style, everything was on point and I love the lyrics, it has a fantastic meaning. STAYC is going to continue to release bops in the future.
6. 3YE - STALKER
Really underrated song that you definitely should check out if you are into electronic pop music. They might mesmerize you with their charisma and confidence. I feel like they made this song their song and it wouldn’t have the same impact if some else had released it.
7. JO YURI - GLASSY
This is not a Jo Yuri song and that is what makes it so great. Almost everyone expected Yuri to go the way of ballads and such and I believe that would have been a mistake, so I’m so happy that she decided to go for pop instead and she totally killed it. The song is so catchy and I’m excited to see more from Yuri.
8. LUNARSOLAR - DADADA
DADADA is quite fun and does not disappoint in bringing the mood up. LUNARSOLAR reminds of a modern Girl’s Day. Not totally the same, but close enough. I definitely hope more people will check out LUNARSOLAR and it’s rumoured that they will make a comeback very soon.
9. Weeekly - Holiday Party
My favorite Weeekly title track of 2021 without a doubt. Is it better than After School? Idk, couldn’t care less because I had more fun listening to Holiday Party. It was quite sad that Jiyoon was on a hiatus during the promotion, but I hope that she will come back stronger and we are waiting patiently for her return.
Honorable Mentions
- IU – Celebrity
- Verivery – Get Away
- Weeekly – Holiday Party
- GWSN – Like It Hot
- Pentagon – DO or NOT
Best B-sides of 2021
1. Weeekly - Yummy!
This is by far my favorite Weeekly song and it has been on repeat since it’s release. This song will always bring happiness and joy to my life no matter how difficult it may be sometimes. I just love everything about this song. This live performance on SBS The Show will forever be legendary.
2. ENHYPEN - FEVER
This might be the best boy group b-side I have ever heard. The pacing and the flow of the song is so delicately perfect. I didn’t know they made a MV for the song until recently, but they definitely made the right choice and now more people can listen to this masterpiece.
3. PIXY - Greedy
Even though PIXY’s debut and the title track for this album is not my taste I still decided to check out their first album which I do not regret at all. Both Greedy and Insomnia are amazing songs, but I fancy Greedy a little more and that is why Greedy made it to the list and not Insomnia.
4. HOT ISSUE - Purple
While listening to HOT ISSUE’s first album I couldn’t believe I was listening to songs by rookies. My expectation of HOT ISSUE has certainly been raised and I am quite excited to see what they bring in the future. Purple is such a vibe and it’s mysterius.
5. EPEX - No Questions
I really don’t know why I checked out their album, but I am glad I did and I found this bop. There is this fine line between energetic and cute elements.
6. NU'EST - DON'T WANNA GO
7. woo!ah! - SCAREDY CAT
8. SF9 - |Believer|
9. DALsooobin - Sign
10. Cherry Bullet - Keep Your Head Up
Honorable Mentions
- Weeekly – Check It Out
- HOT ISSUE – Hide in the dark
- Purple – So WhY
- LOONA – WOW
- LUNARSOLAR – BOM BI DI BOM
- EVERGLOW – DON’T ASK DON’T TELL
Best Album of 2021
1. UNNATURAL - WJSN
This is the only album from my non-ults where I truly enjoy all the songs. Unnatural was by far my favorite title track released this year and the rest of the album is equally amazing. My favorite track is Rewind. It’s the perfect slow song to end off the album and their vocals are just superb.
2. Play Game: Holiday - Weeekly
No matter how outrageous it may sound, I enjoyed Holiday Party a lot more than After School and Play Game: Holiday is a little better than the We play album. I really liked Weekend at the start, but Check It Out has surpassed Weekend and it’s definitely one of my favorite Weeekly songs.
3. BORDER: CARNIVAL - ENHYPEN
Drunk-Dazed is my least favorite title track by ENHYPEN, but the rest of the album is filled with nothing but bops and I’m definitely excited to see what ENHYPEN is going to produce in the future. FEVER and Not For Sale are god tier songs and Mixed Up is a S tier song.
4. Dear Diary Moment - cignature
I might be in the honeymoon phase, but I really like this album. The audacity and courage to make Boyfriend the Title track is shocking and it truly works. I like the new side of cignature and I hope this is the new steppingstone for them to become something great.
Song order: My Diary, Boyfriend, Climax, VILLAIN & Sirius.
5. Cherry Rush - Cherry Bullet
Who needs sugar, when you can listen to this album. This album is nothing but a sugar rush and fits perfectly to Sugar Rush in the movie Wreck It Ralph. The title track Love So Sweet, Whatever and Ting-a-ring-a-ring are great songs, but Follow Me and Keep Your Head Up is truly weird and are filled with nothing but sugar.
6. KAI - KAI
An R&B heaven…. For someone who grew up mainly on american R&B this album is perfect for me. My favorite songs from the album are Mmmh, Hello Stranger and Reason, but the rest of the songs should definitely be checked out.
– Starship Entertainment (Wjsn)
– Pledis Entertainment (Seventeen)
– Next Level Entertainment (Girlkind)
– SM Entertainment (Kai)
– High Up Entertainment (Stayc)
– GH Entertainment (3ye)
– WAKEONE Entertainment (Jo Yuri)
– JPlanet Entertainment (Lunarsolar)
– 1ST Entertainment (Weeekly)
– HYBE Corporation (Enhypen)
– ALLART Entertainment (Pixy)
– S2 Entertainment (Hot issue)
– C9 Entertainment (Epex)
– Pledis Entertainment (Nu’est)
– NV Entertainment (Woo!ah!)
– FNC Entertainment (SF9)
– DALSOOOBIN COMPANY (Dalsooobin)
– FNC Entertainment (Cherry Bullet)
– J9 Entertainment (Cignature)
What is your top 10 or top 5 releases of 2021?
Instagram: Soojin @ssozi_soojin, Yura @yura_936, Minah @bbang_93 & Hyeri @hyeri_0609
