March’s K-Music Favourites
Time flies so fast and we’re already on the third month of 2022! A lot of things have probably happened to you guys right now, and whether it’s good or bad – there is nothing better to accompany our day-to-day activities than music.
Here are our recommended tracks for March.
Billie – GingaMingaYo
This girl group from Mystic Story entertainment (a subsidiary of SM Entertainment) just debuted last November 2021, but they are already making a noise in the music industry.
Aside from the fact the Billie has no leader, their songs offer a fresh take on the usual K-Pop concepts. For instance, “GingaMingaYo” has a sad, dramatic sound in the beginning, which will make one assume that it’s a sad song.
However, it is actually a fun, upbeat track! The rhythm is quite experimental so it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it perfectly fits the title of their song – The strange world.
BIGBANG – Let’s Not Fall In love
You know it’s not an exaggeration when I say BIGBANG does not have any bad songs. However, this track from their MADE series album is probably at the top of my list.
TOP’s deep voice at the start already builds up the rest of the song, followed by Taeyang and Daesung’s honey vocals – it’s the perfect combination!
The lyrics are also very meaningful. It tells the perspective of someone who really likes another person, but is not yet ready to commit into a deeper relationship thus the title, “Let’s not fall in love.”
KINDA – when I see ur phone
Kinda is a former member of the now disbanded boy group ToppDogg. When their team parted, he ventured out as a solo artist, releasing his works on Soundcloud and other music platforms.
“When I see ur phone” is one of his first songs to come out and I was instantly hooked. It gives me the western “R&B” vibe, and it does not sound like a K-Pop song at all!
What’s awesome about this track is that Kinda was the one who wrote the lyrics, arranged, composed and mixed it. In short, he’s a one-man-team. Plus, the music video is aesthetic AF.
Dowoon, Song Hee Jin – Out of the Blue
Dowoon is DAY6’s drummer. Even though he has sung from time to time, fans do not really get the chance to hear his singing voice a lot, so when he announced his solo – MYDAYs were thrilled!
His debut song “Out of the Blue” includes Song Heejin, and her sweet vocals perfectly compliment the drummer’s deep voice.
The track is something I enjoy listening to when I need some reassurance in life and feeling a bit down. It reminds me that all of my decisions in the past, whether they turned out good or bad - all contributed to who am I today.
YUBIN – Me Time
When Wonder Girls disbanded, Yubin released two singles under JYP Entertainment. Later on, she established her own company (#GirlBoss) and “ME TIME” is the first song she released!
As the group’s rapper, it was really refreshing to hear the idol sing. In my opinion, this track still has the “retro” feel to it – which made me happy because it’s the vibe Wonder Girls was always known of.
In the song Yubin playfully sings, “Thanks JYP, I’m free now”, a hilarious take in her leaving her former label. But not to worry, she is actually in good terms with Park Jin Young ;)
Min Kyun Hoong, Kim Hee Chul ft. BIBI – Hanryang
I only accidentally discovered this song because of Youtube’s “autoplay” feature and I have no regrets! It’s a hip-hop track with a nod to Korea’s traditional culture (you’ll see it in the music video too!).
Heechul and BIBI’s powerful raps made “Hanryang” very impactful while Kyunghoon’s vocals added an iconic twist to the song.
What made it even better is the Super Junior’s Shindong was the one who directed the video, rapper DinDin produced it, and the back up dancers are non other than ATEEZ!
EPIK HIGH ft. Beenzino, Verbal Jint, MINO, B.I, Bobby – BORN HATER
This song was released almost 8 years ago but it still remains one of the best K-hip-hop songs out there. Just look at the line up! It combines Korea’s most talented rappers in one track.
BORN HATER has a smart concept because each verse has a different “theme” inspired by the 7 deadly sins. If you watch the music video – which is uniquely in a portrait layout, you can see the concept change as a different rapper performs.
Fun fact: BOBBY and BI were not yet debuting in iKON when EPIK HIGH came out with this song, so kudos to the group for giving the boys an opportunity to show their skills!
Stay tuned again for our K-Music recommendations next month!
