Top 20 Korean Band/Soloist B-sides of 2022 (Part 4)

Rules

• 1 song per artist per list

• No set rankings (order is generally good to best) 

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"Simulation" - KWON EUN BI

           

    Eunbi made her solo debut in 2021, and while I thought her previous albums were solid, I didn't really connect with them. Third time's the charm though, because I really enjoyed several songs on the Lethality mini album! "Simulation" wasn't originally this high on my list, but because of its high replay value, I decided to bump this up into the top part of the list.

    "Simulation" has a sophisticated funky, retro vibe, and it really stands out from the rest of the songs on my list. What I really love about this song is the mid-song change up; it fits the concept of being in a simulation while also adding an interesting feature. I think the change up was implemented well, as it doesn't disrupt the flow/vibe of the song entirely. I love Eunbi's vocals from 1:57-2:21, though her vocals are strong throughout. The lyrics are well written also!

    The choreo is also quite entertaining. I admit a lot of it is thanks to the dancers though. Eunbi doesn't do much choreo with extensive footwork, because her damn stylists keep putting her in clunky 4-5 inch platform heels that she's clearly uncomfortable in 😒 She's not even that short, so I don't understand why they keep putting her in them. But enough ranting, as valid as it is, "Simulation" is a great song and I'm definitely interested to see what Eunbi does next!

"Simulation" English Translation


"Montage_" - ONEWE

           

Full performance on radio show

           

Shortened live performance (sans first verse and first pre-chorus)

    Ever since I got into ONEWE in 2020, they've appeared on my top 20 lists every single year, and this year is no exception! This track is a pop rock/pop punk/old school hard rock fusion of sorts, and I love the high energy throughout. The intro, first post-chorus instrumental break, and the big solo after the bridge are awesome! Dongmyeong's vocals are lovely, but Yonghoon's vocals are mind blowing on this track! CyA (bassist, main rapper) co-composed this track and co-wrote the lyrics with Yonghoon. The lyrics are good and are surprisingly rather melancholy.

    The studio version of the song is great, but I decided to link 2 live videos instead, hoping to show just how energetic the song is. The radio show performance has the cleanest audio of their instruments, but since they're sitting down, you don't get a sense of how they would usually perform it . The other live performance is cut, unfortunately, but showcases the energy they typically perform "Montage_" with.

"Montage_) English Translation

Other nominee(s): "Trigger_", "Envision_", "From_"


"Lxxk 2 U" - Yena

           

    I was not expecting Yena to debut with a pop rock/pop punk sound but she did, and of course I absolutely love it! Yena embodies the edgier, full of attitude concept of "Lxxk 2 U" just as well as her more bubbly, upbeat songs. I loved the way Yena was styled for this song; I got a lot of Japanese street fashion vibes.

    The performance is so fun as well, and her charisma is undeniable. Yena also co-wrote the lyrics for this b-side. "Lxxk 2 U" released in January 2022, and I'm still obsessed with this song! While many k-pop groups took on the rock trend in 2022, I feel like it was the soloists that really pushed the trend forward and executed it better overall. Hope you enjoy the live performance I linked, her stable live vocals are front and center!

"Lxxk 2 U" English Translation

Other nominee(s): "WithOrWithOut"


"Parade" - KANG DANIEL

           

"Parade" Music Video (English subs available)

           

"Parade" performance (English subs available)

   
    Daniel made his solo debut years ago, but I never really vibed with his general sound. "Parade" is the first song of his that caught my attention from the first few seconds. The mysterious, haunting vibe in the verses' instrumental is so cool and I really like Daniel's vocals there as well. At the 0:45 mark, there's a change up for the chorus. The transition is a bit sudden, but it doesn't bother me in this case. The chorus has more energy to it and is really catchy.

    The lyrics, which Daniel co-wrote, are really good and the chorus change up makes sense when you take them into account. Songs about rebelling against societal expectations and being true to yourself are always great to see, especially from artists from relatively conservative countries such as South Korea. 

    Once again, I linked 2 videos. The MV turned out really cool and really drives the song's concept home. The performance video is so you can see the full choreography, which is great as well! Also the performance video clearly had quite the budget, so it's fun to see the spectacle lol.


"c/2022YH" - Younha

           

"c/2022YH" live performance (English subs available)

           

"c/2022YH" official video

   
    Younha is another regular on my annual top 20 lists, and I just HAD to put Younha at the top of this year's list. She had an incredible year in 2022, and she truly deserves it. Many people assume Younha is just a ballad singer, but her voice suits so many different genres. She actually first debuted in Japan in 2004, where one of her first big hits was a pop rock song, "Houki Boshi", which was used as one of the ending theme songs for the hit anime, Bleach. Note, Houki Boshi roughly translates to comet in English. "c/2022YH" is even more proof that Younha's voice fits rock just as well as delicate ballads.

    The multiple layers and symbolism in this song are insane. First of all, the title may seem strange to those of us that aren't familiar with astronomy (thank god for the internet lol), but it turns out the names of non-periodic comets (comets that orbit the sun in an unpredictable pattern) begin with "c/".  Younha then added the year she released the song and the initials of her first name to complete the title.

    When Younha was actively promoting in Japan, her nickname was "Oricon Comet" (Oricon is the main music popularity chart in Japan, similar to USA's Billboard). Younha actually had a difficult time in her career in the mid 2010's (source), and I think a number of people thought the "Oricon Comet" had burnt out, just like real comets eventually do. Just wanted to note that she did release a lot of good music from 2018, when I first found out about her, to 2021. Referring to herself as a comet in the year 2022 seemed to be Younha's way of announcing a rebirth or resurgence or sorts, and this ended up being extremely prophetic.

    In September 2022, Younha had a massive resurgence in popularity on the Korean music charts thanks to the Korean university festivals she had been performing at. The students fell in love with "Event Horizon", her then 6 month old single ("c/2022YH" is on the same album as "Event Horizon"), and it quickly went viral on streaming services. The single did so well, Younha even bagged a few music show wins for the first time in 15 years.

    Getting back to "c/2022YH", the lyrics are so uplifting and hopeful, and the upbeat instrumental fits perfectly with them. Younha co-composed this song and wrote all the lyrics. Younha's vocals are so powerful for most of this b-side, but gentle and soft during the bridge. I absolutely love the way she effortlessly transitions from her ballad vocal tone to her rock vocal tone in the bridge.

    The first video I linked is a live performance of the song, so you can bask in her amazing vocals and see the English translation. The second video is more of a music video of sorts, and you can see Younha playing the piano! And sorry for the long-winded commentary for this last song, I just really love her (and this song) and am so happy for her resurgence amongst the general public!

Other nominee(s): "Black Hole"

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    Whew, 1 list down, 3 to go! I was hoping to release posts every day, but I'm going to take a couple days off before starting the next list. Almost all of my free time has been going to blogging lately, and I don't want this to end up feeling like a chore. I'm sure it's been a little overwhelming trying to keep up with my posts as well. That means this series will stretch into February, which isn't what I wanted, but I think it's for the best. See you on the next list, which will be my top 20 band/soloist singles!