The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2022 (30 – 21)

Now, before we get into it, we gotta set some ground rules:

To be eligible for this list, the song must have been released between the 1st of January 2022 and 15th December 2022.
Song must be paired with a full music video and be promoted to some extent.
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.

Previous Entires

50-41 (+ honourable mentions) // 40 – 31

30. Key – Gasoline

Revelling in a sense of unrivalled conceptual flamboyance, Key matched the eye catching nature of Gasoline‘s outstanding music video with an equally thrilling musical experience. From the Industry Baby esque brass to Key’s magnetic performance, Gasoline goes above and beyond to deliver a real audiovisual spectacle. And by the time that jaw dropping climax rolls around, there’s no escaping the tracks sheer immensity.

29. ASTRO – Candy Sugar Pop (review)

A delirious return to the bright upbeat sound of their debut years, Candy Sugar Pop stood as Astro’s strongest and most assured effort in years, bursting forward on a tangible sense of joy and that irresistible chorus. It may not be the most original or groundbreaking of singles but sometimes all you need is a sense of perfect simplicity. Something that Candy Sugar Pop convey’s so damn well. An absolute treat.

28. TXT – Good Boy Gone Bad (review)

Fuelled by a healthy dose of angst and one of the years loudest, most aggressive hooks, Good Boy Gone Bad was further proof that TXT have got an inescapable grip on me. And while I could have done without the post-chorus, it’s easy to give it a pass when everything surrounding it is so flawless. It’s definitely not for everyone but I can safely say that it’s 100% for me.

27. TREASURE – HELLO

The Treasure track that finally delivered everything that I had been wanting from the group, Hello takes heavy influence from the maximalist EDM trend of the early 10’s to deliver one of the years most undiluted singles. It’s a full on rave, forgoing the momentum killing moments of past efforts to deliver an all killer no filler arrangement that opens big and stays there throughout. It’s just so god damn fun and the perfect fit for the groups youthful energy.

26. Cravity – Party Rock

A comeback that felt like the spiritual successor to EXO’s legendary 2015 hit Love Me Right, Cravity continued the upbeat, funk laced nature of previous single Adrenaline and upped the ante for the delirious Party Rock. This is a perfect example of pure undiluted pop fluff, powering forward on a bed of rhythm guitar, bright synths and a buoyant vocal performance that perfectly matches the relentlessly optimistic melody.

25. DRIPPIN – ZERO (review)

One of the best examples of how to do noise music right, DRIPPIN roared back onto the scene with a song that only got better and better the more listens you invested. The thundering percussion, searing guitar and militaristic hook all come together to create a standout performance piece that knows how to leave an impact without forgetting the importance of a great arrangement. And by the time the dynamic double time (almost hard style esque) climax rolls around, I’m sold.

24. NINE.i – Young Boy

Bolstered by an arrangement that’s almost certain to catch my attention, Young Boy uses its low budget, rough around the edges production to its advantage, imbuing a potentially flat performance with the necessary grit to really make this synthy pop rock track stand out. It takes a sound popularised by HYBE in recent years and delivers a track that not only manages to stand on par with those much more high budget efforts, but in many ways outperforms them. Definitely check this one out for those transcendent synths in the opening alone.

23. Rie (OnlyOneOf) – because (review)

The strongest entry into OnlyOneOf’s excellent Underground Idol series came courtesy of the atmospheric, guitar driven, Call Me By Your Name referencing because. Performed expertly by member Rie, because rides along comfortably on a consistent bed of percussion and wonderfully utilised guitar riffs. They imbue the track with an immense level of sentimentality that reaches a peak during the tracks shout along chorus. It’s utterly enthralling, perfectly conveying its nostalgic themes through a few perfectly placed adlibs and emotive performance.

22. Key – Another Life

A sonic sequel to last years immense Bad Love, Another Life saw Key fall head first into the world of synthwave to deliver yet another slick, utterly magnetic single. From the undulating beat to the constantly evolving production, there’s not really much I can say about Another Life than recommend it to the masses. You just have to leave all the madness, let go and give into the groove!

21. Fifty Fifty – Lovin’ Me

In my personal opinion, vocoder remains a criminally under-utilised element in modern pop music. Sure, an overuse can result in some pretty terrible results but a well utilised vocoder can help revolutionise a song. Such is the case with Fifty Fifty’s Lovin’ Me, a song which for most of its run time is a very strong, albeit rather standard emotive synth-edm trifle. That is however until Lovin’ Me unveils one of the years most show stopping musical moments in the form of an utterly transcendent pre-chorus. It’s a moment of pure majesty, one that beautifully clears the air before the almost equally potent chorus slams in to give rookie group Fifty Fifty an outstanding kick off to their career.