This year has just begun but the K-Pop industry has been flooded with good songs. It's so hard to choose my favorite releases actually. But yeah, here we go!


1. "1 Trillion" - Lee Chanhyuk

No specific reason. I love Lee Chanhyuk's lyricism so much. His imagination is on another level. I admit that I ever imagined a paper money worth 1 million. But a coin worth 1 trillion? There's no one but Lee Chanhyuk. And this was my first song of 2024 anyway.


2. "Love 119" - RIIZE

Have you ever had a peaceful day and your head suddenly shouting "ppaetgin my heart that girl's a k*ller"? Yes, that's what happened to me. RIIZE is a rookie with a hit-after-hit discography. I wonder what kind of concept they will pull if they release an EP (or album) someday. But in terms of quality, I trust them because they are a group of good performers.


3. BORN TO BE - ITZY

I became ITZY's casual listener since "Mafia In The Morning". Even though this BORN TO BE comeback was a lil bit incomplete because of Lia's absence, I trust these girls would come with other bangers.

And yes, I guessed it right. In a total of 10 tracks, BORN TO BE brings the burning flame energy with "Untouchable" as the title track. I love it more because each member finally has a solo song and is credited as the producer. At first my favorite was Ryujin's "Run Away". As I listen to the full version, I instantly love them all.


4. "Bibora" - SF9

Honestly this is my first time to pay attention to SF9's discography. I fell in love with the dancey "Bibora" because it reminds me to old K-pop songs. Aggressive beats since the beginning, a solid & no sing-talk chorus, also perfect ad-libs in outro. What a perfect introduction!


5. With All My Heart - Ha Hyunsang

Since I love pop-rock music, Ha Hyunsang became one of my favorite Korean male soloists. His recent EP titled With All My Heart immediately added to my playlist. All tracks are good but the shoegazing "Snowflakes" is my top pick!


6. Restart - Kyuhyun

Kyuhyun completely has a Restart on January 9th: the new label as soloist, the EP title, even the first track title. Aside from the ballad genre that became his benchmark, this Super Junior's maknae tried to infuse rock sound in this release. He also got warm support from his group mates, Yesung and Ryeowook, for a song called "Thanks To You". (Finally a new Super Junior KRY song after a longggg time) 


7. Fe3O4: Break - NMIXX

NMIXX slowly gains attention while staying true with their mixxpop sound. Their 2nd EP, Fe3O4: Break, consists of 7 tracks with "DASH" as the main song. They're not lying when they say it's their best title track so far. I previously wrote a review for the pre-release song "Run For Roses" and nominated it as my best song of the year. So, the conclusion is: this is a no skip album!


8. "Think About You" - H1-KEY

Even though they came from small a agency, I'm glad H1-KEY always gets a bunch of good songs from their company. On January 19th, these girls released their first full English song, "Think About You". They flex their amazing vocal abilities by dropping a live vocal clip instead of an official MV. No wonder Korean Music Awards 2024–the Korean Grammys–nominated them as rookie of the year. ("Rose Blossom" nominated as Song of The Year and Best K-Pop Song, too!)


9. "Dear" - 10CM

You can trust 10CM if you need a good song. His latest single "Dear" amazed me on the first listen. Kwon Jungyeol's captivating voice blends so prettily with the bittersweet lyrics. And he will come to Jakarta later in August omg finally!


10. 2 - (G)-IDLE

You can trust (G)-IDLE when it comes to women empowerment. After the catchy yet controversial "Wife", these girls surprised me with the strong title track "Super Lady". I also have to mention the b-side songs that were written by Yuqi ("Doll") also by Miyeon & Minnie ("7Days"). They became this popular for a reason.


Do you share the same choice as mine? Please drop yours~