2024 Yr-Finish Okay-Pop Recap (& Honorable Mentions)

The following few weeks on The Bias Checklist will probably be full of all method of end-of-year countdowns. From Okay-pop to J-pop to international pop to dramas, it’ll all be lined. This can be a enjoyable option to tie a bow on the 12 months and have fun all of the issues I beloved in 2024. These countdowns kick off tomorrow with my greatest one: The High 50 Okay-Pop Songs of 2024.

Actually, this has been an odd 12 months for Okay-pop. The business appeared extra scandal-plagued than ever and ended its 12 months with a flurry of disbandments and controversies. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see the place we head going ahead. So far as music is anxious, 2024 was break up neatly in half. An unlimited proportion of my favourite music got here from the primary half of the 12 months, leaving the second half fairly underwhelming. Regardless of this, I’d take into account 2024 stronger as a complete than 2023 (although for me that is because of the work of a comparatively small group of artists).

There will probably be loads of area to speak about musical developments later, however I’m positively within the temper for a change. I adopted the time period “beige pop” to explain a lot of this 12 months’s choices. Subdued sounds appear to be in. Even when artists borrowed from historically bombastic genres, they typically did so in a extra nuanced method. I’ve by no means been the most important fan of nuance in pop music, in order that’s a little bit of an issue relating to private style. Because of this, my listing this 12 months is particularly quick on woman teams. These developments appeared to have an effect on them greater than boy teams and I’m very looking forward to a return to a extra forceful sound (assume Kara, GFriend, T-ara, WJSN, Sistar, and many others).

After all, there have been loads of glorious songs launched this 12 months — from boy teams, woman teams and soloists. I’m excited to highlight them over the following few days. Personally, I’m a much bigger fan of my prime ten than I’ve been in years. Ultimately, 2024 was extra “high quality” than “amount,” with a handful of songs I adore chopping via the 12 months’s many, many skips. On stability, all of it works itself out. And for these taken with stats, there are additionally some new information inside this 12 months’s countdown that may turn out to be obvious as soon as all the things is revealed. It’s at all times attention-grabbing to see how issues shake out.

That is additionally a good time to preface the countdown by reiterating how it’s totally different from different year-end countdowns. This isn’t an inventory picked by consensus, neither is it one primarily based upon any metric of success past how a lot I personally loved a tune. There will probably be hits, industrial flops and plenty of under-the-radar picks. You in all probability received’t agree with all the things, however similar to The Bias Checklist as a complete, you will be assured that it’s 100% genuine to my style.

Talking of the weblog, 2024 is on monitor to proceed year-over-year progress in views and guests. That’s 9 straight years of enchancment. As I do yearly, I need to thank every reader — whether or not you’re in settlement with my critiques or not. Thanks for persevering with to go to! Suggestions and exercise are the issues that maintain me posting every day.

This year-end function is my 820th publish of the 12 months, which is up once more from this time final 12 months. That’s 260,000 phrases — or a pair novels’ price of content material, if you happen to’d prefer to depend it that method!

Eligibility standards for my High 50 Singles listing hasn’t modified since final 12 months, however for individuals who are new to the weblog, listed here are the foundations. This 12 months, there was one tune that didn’t fairly match the factors however I simply couldn’t justify counting it as a b-side.

Eligibility standards:

A tune should have been launched as a title, follow-up or promoted monitor between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024.
A tune have to be paired with a full music video or big-budget efficiency video (the strains get extra blurred every year).
English-language singles are eligible. Japanese singles by Okay-pop artists will probably be a part of the J-pop countdown.

Earlier than kicking off the countdowns tomorrow, listed here are the ten songs that didn’t fairly make the High 50.