I always thought that coming up with this list wouldn’t be as challenging because first, I only listen to quality K-Pop jams, lol. Second, I didn’t think there would so much but damn, these things just creep to your system and end up staying for a few spins for days…weeks…months, ugh!

So here ya go, songs that plagued my K-Pop playlist last year. The ones that I immediately dismissed but I have saved offline. The ones that I scathingly tweeted about (perhaps) upon release but I regulary watch the MVs of.

Y’know, the good ol’ guilty pleasure.

Weki Meki | I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend – The thing with this song is, there have been tons of groups who went in with this kind of concept. You know, the girl crush x bizarre song (which is totally I Got A Boy, don’t deny it) combination. Pristin did it, WJSN did it, Twice did it, Gugudan did it so it is kind of getting repetitive if that isn’t obvious. But this doesn’t discount the fact that this Weki Meki track is a nod to IGAB and any girl group that does that is worth checking out,

AOA | Bing-Bing – While everyone kinda on board with Excuse Me (which is pretty okay), I was all eyes and ears on Bing-Bing. Despite sounding like a Brave song done by someone else, we do love that classic rehash deep down. Pair it up with the angels being circus vixens and a hilariously flirty choreography in the chorus, Bing-Bing delivered – kind of.

Seventeen | Clap – I still haven’t forgiven Seventeen for ditching their old stylings in favor of an abominable mess which is Don’t Wanna Cry but Clap is a pretty good clap back, so to speak. It’s pop rock plus 80s influences is reminiscent of their earlier work and that is the path that this group should be pursuing. Not that cheap Chainsmokers rip-off.

Sunmi |Gashina – Yup, I do play Gashina intentionally so that I can dance to it. I’m still salty about some netizens trashing Hyuna’s fantastic releases by comparing it to Gashina when the latter is far more basic and less inventive than the former’s but I also love body waves coupled with a hand gun down to the crotch hahaha. Sue me.

Monsta X | Beautiful – I thought 2016 was a great year for Monsta X as they are finally *this* close to finding their own sound but I thought they went back to the generic Hero vibes with Beautiful. Sometimes, it’s really the music videos that make you say “hmm, this is actually okay” because that’s the case with Beautiful. I mean, watch the Japanese version of Hero and you’ll see what I mean.

BTS | Not Today – This song is just Fire 2.0 and you know that deep down. But, a “hype” BTS song knows how to get the job done. So fck yeah, NOT TODAAAYYY SATAAANN!!!!

KARD | Hola Hola – Do KARD songs all sound the same? Even a five-year old can answer that. So if you can vibe and tell yourself that you’re feelin it – even to just one KARD song, the other ones become easier to digest. That’s the only logical explanation that I can think of as to why I dig Hola Hola (and KARD, basically).

Krystal x June One Kim | I Don’t Wanna Love You – I am a wannabe hipster by heart and this belief of mine is perfectly resonated by K-Pop’s resident art-dol, Krystal! I mean, have you ever had an idol that can match the iconic Krystal monologue in the Pink Tape art film? I’m quite the Krystal stan too, so it was pretty interesting to see her do some solo music work because you know I dig the aesthetic-aesthetic gig she has. And boy, did she deliver that in I Don’t Wanna Love You! Just like a full minute or two of her trying to get out of a hole in the MV is just pure #Krysthetic! Yeah, and the song’s okay too.

Red Velvet | Red Flavor – This has got to be the most basic Red Velvet song since their debut, fite me. I kinda get that it is meant to be a crowd-pleasing summer song a la Sistar butthey’re not on that level yet. The song isn’t bad, let’s be clear about that. It’s just the Red Velvet “quirk” is not there, knowwhatamsayin???. Well, this song has been so good to the group sales and public reception-wise so I guess a little  “ppalgan mat gunggeumhae Honey” wouldn’t hurt.

WannaOne | Burn It Up – This is like the Boombayah of male idol groups, I’ll tell you that much. And as much as we all try to deny Boombayah in our lives, a good ol’ fist bumpin’ dance track does you a lot of good – more than you expect it to. Nah, I just like the video with all the slowmos and names in fire.

Exo | Power – The perfection of Ko Ko Bop followed up by something as childish and outdated as Power may be an abomination to some but if you just pay close attention, it’s that feel good dance track that the likes of Black Eyed Peas used to peddle back then. Basic but fun. And don’t get me started on the music video, gahd so amazing…miles better than Ko Ko Bop.

BlackPink | As If It’s Your Last – This wouldn’t have topped this list if it didn’t save my life when I went to Korea last year but it did so here we go.

STORY TIME! First things first, Majimak Cheoreom was made for 2NE1 and it will forever be a 2NE1 track. And despite BlackPink being an exact clone of them, I still listen to their songs. When you think about it, the disbandment of 2NE1 makes perfect sense for BP’s existence because they’re the one who will fill the gap which is exactly the point why they do scrapped 2NE1 songs.

ANYWAY, my first night in Korea was pretty tense because the train that I was in stopped at a station before the one that I was supposed to alight to. The thing is, the only directions that I know to my hostel were based on that station. So there I was, at a station that I have no idea of in the middle of the midnight. If I hadn’t been listening to AIIYL weeks before the trip, I wouldn’t have known that majimak meant last and I didn’t catch a hint about that mess. See, BlackPink taught me vocabulary. BlackPink saves lives. Nah, I was still fucking lost in Korea hahahaha!

And kids, that’s how Majimak Cheoreom became a song that I secretly stan. Well, not until now.

So, what were your K-Pop guilty pleasures last year? Drop a comment and maybe we have the same songs in our list.

Also, if y’all want an ultimate guilty pleasure here’s JooEland.

 

Photo Credits:

Red Velvet PNG Pack Yeri {Red Flavor}
SEVENTEEN TEEN AGE Png pack
Fruit PNG (+The Red Summer – Red Velvet PNG)
+ MONSTA X Beautiful More Concept Photo Png Pack

Montage by me