[Bonus] 2015 Kpop Awards: Leftovers

Here are just some short extra material that I had drafted up or outlined but never got to flushing out for the regular writeup. Most of these are pretty damn random so you have been warned in advance!

Most Engrish Song: Sonamoo - Cushion

I almost put this as the most disappointing song of the year but this award makes much more sense. "Cushion" had potential. The instrumental is pretty addicting and both the vocals and choreography are explosive and dynamic. But most if not all of this is rendered irrelevant by the excessively bad English (both ways: too much English and too terrible English) layered throughout the song. At least Psy's lines were punny, I can't say the same for Sonamoo here. "Cushion" could've been the best rookie group track in 2015 but the Engrish cancelled those plans.

Best Collaboration: Hyorin, Bumkey, Jooyoung - Love Line

This is why you don't sleep on December. Collaborations were plenty in 2015 and many were extremely amazing, but when you combine the best girl group vocalist, and established male solos known for their voice, you know you have something special. At first you'd think it a bit awkward to have 2 male voices, but truth be told Jooyoung takes more of the spotlight and Bumkey is sort of a support role, as weird as that sounds. "Love Line" starts strong and finishes strong, and that's all that matters.

Best Mini Album: EXID - Ah Yeah

BoA's "Kiss My Lips" album was an easy pick for the best album of the year (if I included said category), but the mini section had some more competition. I think EXID takes this because of the dual threat between "Ah Yeah" capitalizing off the momentum they had and the excellent lineup of B-sides. Between "1m" and "With Out U," the remaining 4 B-sides are just as good of material. Throw in another version of "Every Night" and you have a capable EP.

Most Improved Group: SHINee

From "Replay" to "Lucifer," "Sherlock" to "Dream Girl," SHINee's title tracks were diverse but shared an underlying trait: they never hit it out of the park. Every song was mostly competitive but failed to produce that smash hit their labelmates prized. 2015 dropped "Married To The Music" and "View," both electric dance songs with equally exciting vocals. Definitely a high form for SHINee, and "View" would later inspire the incredible sounds of f(x)'s "4 Walls." B2ST also had a good year but "YeY" can't hold up to the SHINee standards.