forestsofpine (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
forestsofpine) wrote2025-03-29 08:56 am
forestsofpine) wrote2025-03-29 08:56 am
Entry tags:
My Top 5 New K-pop Songs of 2025 Q1 (plus some bonus recs)
This quarter got off to a little bit of a slow start, I thought. January and February didn't have a lot that wowed me, and then March released a whole bunch of good songs all at once and I haven't had time to fully determine which ones will end up as long-term favorites yet. So it might be kind of funny to come back and reread this in a year, because it's totally possible I'll guess wrong.
Here's my best guess, though:
Python, by GOT7
This is my most-played K-pop song of 2025 so far and at this point, it's not close. Trap can be hit or miss for me as a genre, but this was very catchy, and it got a lot of play in January because there just wasn't much else released that month that was more than a pleasant listen, quickly forgotten.
The Stranger, by ONF
ONF is a group that's on my list to check out more because they've had several songs I really loved, including "Complete" and last year's "Bye My Monster", but I haven't gotten around to sitting down and really exploring their discography yet. (So many groups, so little time.) Regardless, I liked this song more and more as it went on, and have ended up playing it a lot.
Baby, Not Baby, by Seulgi
Fun and catchy, this one has been climbing my last.fm charts quickly since it came out.
Salty by Chungha and Sunmi
I enjoyed Chungha's "Stress" and she looks SO HOT in the MV, but the song from her new EP that's been getting the most play in my house as the weeks go on has ended up being her collab with Sunmi.
VVV, by The Boyz
This is the most recent release on this list, but it's pretty similar to "The Stranger" in that I liked it more and more as it went on and have been playing it consistently since.
Honorable mentions
Other fun stuff that happened this quarter in K-pop:
You can check out more of my thoughts on the year so far in K-pop on RateYourMusic.
Other stuff I've been listening to
First, some older K-pop songs I've had on repeat this quarter. I usually limit this section to one song per group, but I listened to f(x)'s Red Light album so much this quarter that it bumped most other contenders down to a level that hardly qualifies as "on repeat", so that's why the list is half f(x). It would be even more, except that I listed Butterfly from the same album last quarter and not listing the same song twice is my other rule for this section.
In non-K-pop, Lady Gaga and Marina BOTH released new music this quarter, so that was a feast! I've also had Chappell Roan's "Red Wine Supernova" and Madison Rose's "Panavision" on repeat a lot. Benjamin, another of the Finnish pop singers I discovered via TheBiasList's global pop roundups, released a single I liked in March as well.
And in non-pop, I rewatched "Sense and Sensibility" recently and have been listening to the soundtrack a lot ever since, especially "My Father's Favorite". I've always wished that Kate Winslet's version of "Weep You No More Sad Fountains" was on the OST recording, but the upside of it NOT being on the soundtrack is that the easiest way to listen to it is clips of the scene on Youtube, which means you get to watch Alan Rickman's face as Colonel Brandon falls in love. I am never, ever tired of doing that.
Happy listening!
Here's my best guess, though:
Python, by GOT7
This is my most-played K-pop song of 2025 so far and at this point, it's not close. Trap can be hit or miss for me as a genre, but this was very catchy, and it got a lot of play in January because there just wasn't much else released that month that was more than a pleasant listen, quickly forgotten.
The Stranger, by ONF
ONF is a group that's on my list to check out more because they've had several songs I really loved, including "Complete" and last year's "Bye My Monster", but I haven't gotten around to sitting down and really exploring their discography yet. (So many groups, so little time.) Regardless, I liked this song more and more as it went on, and have ended up playing it a lot.
Baby, Not Baby, by Seulgi
Fun and catchy, this one has been climbing my last.fm charts quickly since it came out.
Salty by Chungha and Sunmi
I enjoyed Chungha's "Stress" and she looks SO HOT in the MV, but the song from her new EP that's been getting the most play in my house as the weeks go on has ended up being her collab with Sunmi.
VVV, by The Boyz
This is the most recent release on this list, but it's pretty similar to "The Stranger" in that I liked it more and more as it went on and have been playing it consistently since.
Honorable mentions
- Dangerous, by Infinite
- CBZ (Prime time) by BSS
- Thunder by CIX
- Born Again, by Lisa
- The Starry Night and Alice, by ONEWE (these guys are doing a US tour this spring!)
- Only One, by The Wind
- Something Special, by 2z
- I also liked Ten's new EP "Stunner", but it only came out on March 24th and I haven't had time to shake out which songs are my faves yet
Other fun stuff that happened this quarter in K-pop:
- TVXQ covered Red Velvet's "Psycho" at SMTOWN
- J-Hope and Taemin did a dance challenge together 😍 (it's very cool to see the different dynamics they bring to the same choreo!)
- Orange Caramel's classic "Shanghai Romance" went viral as a dance challenge (my favorites included BSS and Billlie)
- And so did my beloved "Lucifer": Key, Onew, Key and Hanbin (these two also did a great "Like Jennie" challenge together)
You can check out more of my thoughts on the year so far in K-pop on RateYourMusic.
Other stuff I've been listening to
First, some older K-pop songs I've had on repeat this quarter. I usually limit this section to one song per group, but I listened to f(x)'s Red Light album so much this quarter that it bumped most other contenders down to a level that hardly qualifies as "on repeat", so that's why the list is half f(x). It would be even more, except that I listed Butterfly from the same album last quarter and not listing the same song twice is my other rule for this section.
- Summer Lover, by f(x)
- Dracula, by f(x)
- Paper Heart, by f(x)
- Rainbow, by f(x)
- Red Light, by f(x)
- Obsession, by EXO
- Gravity, by Jongho
- Ready to Love, by Seventeen
- 28 Reasons, by Seulgi
- Dalla Dalla, by Itzy
In non-K-pop, Lady Gaga and Marina BOTH released new music this quarter, so that was a feast! I've also had Chappell Roan's "Red Wine Supernova" and Madison Rose's "Panavision" on repeat a lot. Benjamin, another of the Finnish pop singers I discovered via TheBiasList's global pop roundups, released a single I liked in March as well.
And in non-pop, I rewatched "Sense and Sensibility" recently and have been listening to the soundtrack a lot ever since, especially "My Father's Favorite". I've always wished that Kate Winslet's version of "Weep You No More Sad Fountains" was on the OST recording, but the upside of it NOT being on the soundtrack is that the easiest way to listen to it is clips of the scene on Youtube, which means you get to watch Alan Rickman's face as Colonel Brandon falls in love. I am never, ever tired of doing that.
Happy listening!