r/kpop • u/alleybetwixt BTS | XIA | JX | SWJA • Jan 01 '21

[Discussion] Favorite Releases Discussion 2020 (4th Quarter and the Full Year!)

Welcome to the curated favorite releases post for the 4th quarter and full year of 2020!

These discussions happen on a quarterly basis every year to give the community a chance to gush over their favorite recent releases.

You are free to discuss your favorite songs, albums, music videos, and performances from the previous three months or since the start of the calendar year. Your choice! You can list, link, discuss, and generally celebrate the releases you've loved the most however you wish, just don't be mean about anyone else's taste!

We highly recommend listing your Top 10 for 2020 at least!

Many like to make special year-end playlists, blog posts, or other media that cover these things. Usually we wouldn’t allow straight-up links like these as self-promotion, but we will make an exception for this post. Feel free to link out to where you may have already written elaborate posts or made YouTube vlogs or podcasts, but please also add your general thoughts here rather than just dropping links on us!

Keep in mind that Reddit might automatically remove any comment with a link it doesn't like (like shortened urls), so that could mean your comment won't show until a mod manually approves it.

So, r/kpop, what have you loved?

For reference!

2020 in South Korean music on Wikipedia

The 4th Quarter section on that page - LINK

r/kpop's own releases wikis:

And once you've joined in the discussion here, head on over to the 10th Annual r/kpop Awards and submit your nominees and upvote your choices for the best of 2020!

Visit /r/annualkpopawards

Take a look at the discussion post for the Awards HERE.

You made it through 2020! Happy New Year!

89 Upvotes

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3

u/Donutseer Jan 09 '21 edited Jan 13 '21

(Might as well post late.) Returned to kpop a 2nd time proper in 2019, and continued with a deep dive this year. More standouts than before, liked several artists - girl groups in particular had a great year (an uptrend since 5 or so years ago). Probably been the best year musically yet, and with MVs setting standards in filming/editing, it's an exciting time to get into kpop.

In short, my favourites in rough order:Albums:Yukika - Soul Lady; Boa - Better

Minis:April - Da Capo; Loona - 12:00

Top tracks:

  • RV I&S - Naughty (best track, best choreo - instant kpop classic); Monster (even the dubstep is used well)

  • Loona - Voice/Star; Why Not (both songs are so different and yet the last minutes of each is audio ecstasy; voice/star in particular hits right from the start, creating mood like the best of prior loona tracks)

  • Boa - Better (smoothest track and album this year)

  • Yukika - Yesterday; Shade; pit-a-pet (includes great drop); Cherries Jubiles (switch from ballad to city bop); Soul Lady

  • WJSN - Pantomime (crazy composition, enchanting chorus, amazing key change)

  • Fromis9 - Feel Good (excellently produced can of juice - a soda bop)

  • OMG - Dolphin (sugary vocal delivery with an excellent chorus)

  • Gfriend - Apple (lovely change into the 2nd/darker half of the song); Mago (disco song of the year maybe)

  • April - Lalalilala (rare love song that is vocally strong and energetic with a chilling chorus); You.zip; Now or Never (fvrt summer song)

  • Stray Kids - Back Door (potpourri of ideas that work); Tortoise and the Hare (3racha at their best)

  • Taemin - Criminal (Taemin at his best); Strangers

  • Weki Meki - The Paradise (opening sold me)

  • GWSN - Tweaks; Aerialist; After the bloom

  • Bibi - Binu; Kazino

  • Lee Suhyun - Alien

  • Apink - Dumhdurum (smooth silky vocal lines, sexy Bomi drop)

  • Sori - Initial S (fvrt out-and-out synthwave pop track)

  • EXO-SC - 1 Billion Views (ft. Moon)

  • Baekhyun - Ghost

Choreo/performances:

  • GG: Itzy - Not Shy; Loona - So What; Weki Meki - Cool; Dreamcatcher - Endless Night

  • BG: Got7 - Not By The Moon; TXT - Blue Hour; Seventeen - Home Run; Stray Kids - God's Menu

  • Solo: Boa - Better; Taemin - Idea, Criminal; Yooa - Abracadabra, Bon Voyage

That's it. /🔘/

3

u/brpr425 Jan 08 '21

These were my favorite songs of the year. DPR IAN - So Beautiful was definitely my favorite K-Pop song of 2020 and probably my favorite song of 2020 in general. I'm really excited for his future releases!

A-Sides

Girl Groups:

  1. NATURE - Girls (I'd give it best MV too, especially the uncensored version)

  2. GFRIEND - Apple

  3. April - LALALILALA

  4. TWICE - I CAN'T STOP ME

  5. Weeekly - Tag Me (@Me)

  6. cignature - ASSA

  7. EVERGLOW - LA DI DA

  8. ITZY - WANNABE

  9. Dreamcatcher - BOCA

  10. CLC - HELICOPTER

Boy Groups:

  1. A.C.E - Goblin (Favorite Boys)

  2. ATEEZ - Answer

  3. GOT7 - NOT BY THE MOON

  4. ONEUS - TO BE OR NOT TO BE

  5. BTS - Dynamite

  6. VERIVERY - Lay Back

  7. NCT 127 - Kick It

  8. DONGKIZ - LUPIN

  9. ONF - Sukhumvit Swimming

  10. PENTAGON - Dr. BeBe

Soloists:

  1. DPR IAN - So Beautiful

  2. Taemin - Criminal

  3. Lee Suhyun - Alien

  4. Chungha - Stay Tonight

  5. Sunmi - pporappippam

  6. Sujeong - Tiger Eyes

  7. Siyeon - Paradise

  8. Taeyeon - Happy

  9. Yubin - ME TIME

  10. Solar - SPIT IT OUT

Other:

  1. IRENE & SEULGI - Monster

  2. DPR IAN (feat. DPR Live, CL) - No Blueberries

  3. Chungha (with R3HAB) - Dream of You

B-Sides/Album Tracks:

  1. ITZY - NOBODY LIKE YOU

  2. GFRIEND - Labyrinth

  3. IZ*ONE - AYAYAYA

  4. TWICE - SHADOW

  5. TWICE - HELL IN HEAVEN

  6. BLACKPINK - Pretty Savage

  7. ELRIS - This is me

  8. Rocket Punch - THE THE

  9. Taemin - IDEA

  10. GWSN - Tweaks ~ Heavy cloud but no rain

2

u/Flippantry Jan 04 '21

This year has really amazed me in Kpop, I have heard some fantastic songs that really clicked with me from groups that I've never really been into before. I also heard some seriously great songs from newbies too! Here's some of my highlights

✨ Weki Meki ✨

I've never really meshed with Weki Meki before but this year they brought me 2 songs that are among my favourite songs ever: COOL and OOPSY. Both songs have pretty different vibes and I'll definitely be paying more attention to Weki Meki in future. Lucy's recipe moment in Cool is so addictive.

✨ Crush ✨

Crush started off the year with such a solemn beautiful song in DIGITAL LOVER. The music video is also one of the most amazing things i've seen in the year, it's a movie of its own, if you're going to watch one MV of 2020, make sure it's this one! I never would have thought that the loneliness he conveyed in this song and MV would be so suiting of the year that was. On the flipside, he completely shows his versatility and personality alongside Red Velvet's Joy in MAYDAY, which is also an amazing MV but for the total opposite reasons. Where Digital Lover looks like a gorgeous film, Mayday is an absolute goofy bag of fun. It's truly a COVID-19 anthem - "I did absolutely nothing today but I'm exhausted"

✨ Kyla Massie ✨

Our girl Kyla from Pristin released her own music. Whilst it's not specifically Kpop, given her connection to the industry, I thought it would be okay to include. The title track 'Watch me Glow' was not for me at all, but on a whim I had a listen to the whole EP and her b-sides are absolutely AMAZING. OOHLALA is an amazing dark synthy pop and has been on heavy repeat for me since its release. AWAY and LOST are both beautifully melancholy songs that are definitely worth a listen.

✨ STAYC ✨

I don't have much to say about STAYC apart from SO BAD is such an damn bop and if you haven't listened to it now, you really should. I'm eagerly anticipating their next release.

✨ TWICE ✨

Twice really saw me through a lot of the year. I know some of their songs were a bit divisive but I really liked their title tracks but moreso some of their B-Sides were on heavy repeat for me. Some of my favourite tracks this year were UP NO MORE, OXYGEN, FIREWORK (the bridge gives me shivers!), SAY SOMETHING (one for the city pop lovers) and they topped of the year with the amazing CRY FOR ME.

1

u/ashven288 Jan 04 '21

Top 10 2020 Songs

  1. Itzy - Wannabe

  2. Everglow - Dun Dun

  3. Twice - I Can't Stop Me

  4. TXT - Blue Hour

  5. Treasure - I Love You

  6. Stray Kids - Back Door

  7. Iz*One - Panorama

  8. Oh My Girl - Nonstop

  9. Stray Kids - God's Menu

  10. Twice - More and More

2

u/JohrDinh Jan 04 '21

Anything from DPR or BiBi i've probably spammed the hardest this year. As far as more pop sounding stuff...probably Twice - Better, K/DA's stuff, and some of the Itzy/Loona releases. If i'm being honest this year hit a lot less hard for me personally, a few of my favorite groups releases didn't land as well for me and sounded a bit too far outside their normal sound. Hoping for a more nostalgic 2021 drop or at least a better progressive iteration on their older stuff.

But regardless 2020 was a hard year and Kpop helped keep my head up thru it, I appreciate that:)

0

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '21

2

u/Flippantry Jan 04 '21

Up No More is one of my favourite songs of the year, Twice really smashed the B-sides this year in my opinion!

3

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '21

definitely my favorite album this year was yukika’s soul lady, and soul lady was my favorite kpop song.

other favorites this year - monster and naughty by red velvet- irene and seulgi, star by loona, i can’t stop me by twice, 5 star by cl, and la di da by everglow. honestly this year wasn’t the best in terms of new releases but these songs really hit it out of the park for me!

4

u/RiviereDeMemoires Jan 03 '21 edited Jan 03 '21

My most streamed Kpop songs in 2020:

  1. Itzy - Wannabe

  2. Everglow - Dun Dun

  3. Stray Kids - Easy

  4. Stray Kids - Phobia

  5. Loona - Butterfly

  6. Stray Kids - TOP

  7. Woodz - Accident (per)

  8. Stray Kids - God's Menu

  9. Stray Kids - Pacemaker

  10. Stray Kids - Airplane

  11. TXT - Can't You See Me

  12. eaJ - Pacman

  13. Twice - Feel Special

  14. Twice - Fancy

  15. Stray Kids - Blueprint

  16. Stray Kids - Slump (per)

  17. Red Velvet - Psycho

  18. EXO - Obsession

  19. Day6 - Not Mine

  20. Woodz - Love Me Harder

  21. Twice - I Can't Stop Me

  22. (G)I-DLE - Oh My God

  23. Stray Kids - Levanter

  24. Stray Kids - Booster

  25. Stray Kids - Miroh

  26. Han (SKZ) - Close

  27. NiziU - Make You Happy

  28. Day6 - Tick Tock

  29. IZ*ONE - Fiesta

  30. Twice - Hell in Heaven

  31. Stray Kids - Sunshine

  32. Twice - Queen

  33. NCT 127 - Limitless

  34. Got7 - You Calling My Name

  35. Jackson Wang - 100 Ways

  36. Sunmi - Pporappippam

  37. Stray Kids - I am You

  38. Blackpink - How You Like That (cover)

  39. Oh My Girl - Nonstop

  40. Red Velvet - Monster

  41. Hwa Sa - Maria

  42. Twice - Up No More (cover)

Other mentions so I don't seem so SKZ obsessed: ATEEZ - Inception, Baekhyn - Candy, Jessi - Nunu Nana, CLC - Helicopter, Blackpink - Pretty Savage, LOONA - Star, StayC - So Bad, Everglow - La Di Da, Taemin - Criminal, and Twice - Cry For Me.

2

u/Flippantry Jan 04 '21

Woah thank you for sharing that cover for Up No More, that is just such a stunning cover!