The Top 100 K-Pop Songs of 2020 (50 – 41)

It’s time to countdown my top 100 songs of 2020! 10 songs, everyday, for the next 10 days. The rules for the countdown are as follows:

To be eligible for this list, the song must have been released between the 1st of January 2020 and 15th December 2020.
Song must be paired with a full music video and be promoted to some extent.
Performance video’s (Gfriend’s Labyrinth and ONF’s New World) will unfortunately not be considered for the singles list and will make their appearance in the Top 100 B-sides of the year list.
Songs must be by a Korean artist and be in either Korean or English (Japanese / Chinese singles will get their own seperate countdown)
And finally, this is all just my opinion. There is much bias to be found and if you’re unhappy with any of the placements, just remember that this is not meant to be a purely objective list.

50. Enhypen – Given-Taken

Though my expectations were low, Enhypen landed with a bang. Given-Taken propels forward on a dark, brooding instrumental before bursting into an excellent hook that complements the compressed vocal processing perfectly. I look forward to seeing where the boys go from here.

49. Park Jihoon – Wing (review)

Propelled by a supremely catchy vocal riff, Park Jihoon cemented his place as a soloist to watch with the dynamic Wing. It’s one of those tracks that rarely lets up, powering towards its mammoth hook from the first minute, backed by Jihoon’s undeniable charisma.

48. Ghost9 – W.ALL

The most recent release on this list, W.ALL roars its way into the top 50 thanks to an absolutely incredible chorus. There are many diversions that threaten to derail the track like the lumbering first half of the chorus but once we’re hit with the soaring, anthemic hook, I’m sold. If Ghost9 choose to lean more into the aspects that make up W.ALL‘s final minute, then we could have some really great material in 2021.

47. ATEEZ – THANXX (review)

A rousing battle cry from one of Kpop’s most reliable suppliers of bombastic pop music, ATEEZ’ Thanxx is the kind of militaristic anthem that the group excel at. And just like any great ATEEZ single, it ramps up big time for a larger than life finale that just explodes with power. This is pure ATEEZ through and through and I honestly couldn’t be happier.

46. Bang Yedam – Wayo (review)

A gorgeous ballad from one of the most promising vocalists of the next generation, Wayo‘s pensive melody and sensational vocal performance endured the test of time and remained on heavy rotation throughout the course of the year. It’s perfectly arranged, building from a laidback acoustic bounce to a rousing vocal climax.

45. SuperM – 100 (review)

For a group dubbed “The Avengers of Kpop”, SuperM needed to have music that lived up to the kind of over the top bombast that title promised. And love it or hate it, 100 was the perfect vessel to channel their return to the scene. Glass shattering notes and all. Yes it’s silly but sometimes you just gotta turn off your more critical lens and just head bang to your hearts content.

44. Blackpink – Lovesick Girls (review)

HAH. You see, I don’t hate Blackpink.

After a number of sub-par to just flat out terrible singles, Blackpink finally struck gold with the glorious Lovesick Girls. It’s the standard melodramatic YG anthem elevated by some brilliant shots of melody and a timeless pop sheen that only got more invigorating with time. This is what a group of their calibre should be releasing on the regular.

43. Craxy– Aria (review)

One of the years most daring and under the radar debut’s Craxy certainly made an impression with the boisterous Aria. Whether or not it was a good one remains subjective but its exhilarating instrumental and throw it in the sink energy is one that I definitely appreciate.

42. Weki Meki – Cool (review)

A sleek, stylish and sexy comeback from Weki Meki, Cool was one of those tracks that actually lived upto its potentially faux title. Both conceptually and musically. Its combination of thumbing bass and percolating synth line are enough to create an enticing atmosphere which comes together to act as the perfect segue towards a brilliant two part chorus that just pulses with confidence.

41. Treasure – I Love You (review)

Talk about a grower. From a shoulder shrug initial response to one of my most played tracks of the past six months, I Love You and I have gone through a real journey. And after almost 3 months, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is Treasure’s Bang Bang Bang moment (atleast musically). It’s sure to polarise but once you’ve heard that soaring pre-chorus and rousing finale, it’s hard not to get lost in its party starting charms eventually.