Best Vocalist: Sandeul
Enough with the inequality. Boy group members deserve some love, too. Otherwise I'd have dropped Taeyeon here and called it a day. Anyway, I don't think there's a boy group vocalist that's as incredible as Sandeul. He and B1A4 are sort of mired in mediocrity as far as I know but he has deservedly gained attention for his talents over the years. Appearances on singing shows increased his popularity and his OST offers grew. And in 2016 we finally saw him get a solo debut with "Stay As You Are," which further illustrated his vocal abilities.
Best Rapper: Zico
Speaking of gender equality on my blog... I don't think I'll ever write Rapper Power Rankings for boy group members, but if I did, there's one name that would be the undisputed champion: Zico. His style and charisma flow deep in Block B's music, not to mention the individual contributions he makes to the composition and lyrics of songs. He's also one of the most prolific group soloists, too. This year was another excellent harvest for the young man, with songs like "I Am You, You Are Me" and "Bermuda Triangle" giving him solace whenever Block B ends, he will be extremely comfortable pursuing the solo path.
Best Visual: Seolhyun
When did I wrote Visual Power Rankings in April, I put Nana just ahead of Seolhyun. Back then it wasn't as much of a popularity contest in my mind. But 2016 is closing, and let's be real. Nana and After School are practically disbanded at this point (unless next year is a miracle for them) and Seolhyun's position as one of the "it" girls has not wavered since AOA's rise to fame in 2014. She's gorgeous and the envy and rage of other girls everywhere are your source for that. Seolhyun will look to maintain this position early next month with AOA's impending comeback.
Best Variety Star: Jisoo
Recency and general bias aside, Jisoo is the most striking member in terms of how much I enjoy watching them in variety shows. Jisoo's so spectacular not because she's hilarious and a goofball (which she totally is), or already has had memorable moments that have become memes ("chicken chicken!"), but because she's just a rookie. Most girl group members that just debut are often super shy or whatnot, but Jisoo does not give a fuck and it's wonderful. Thank goodness we aren't going to be deprived of Black Pink variety unlike their sunbaes.
Best Song: BTS - Save Me
Oh boy this is only like the 5th time I've had to write about this song. Dizzying choreography (that's a good thing in this context), suave vocals from Jungkook, Jimin, and V, and the solid rapping attack from the usual suspects doesn't leave much to be desired. "Save Me" is one of the closest examples to a perfect song because every facet of it was really fucking good. Let's leave it at that and move on.
Best Music Video: Twice - TT
Music videos are so boring nowadays, and pop music videos are even more boring. It's usually the same selection of dance shots, individual shots, and lack of plot (rhyme unintended). At least when Twice go boring, they do it in style. This was released in October, which means Halloween is in session. Even the awkward opening sequence was in season. Following the steps of "Cheer Up," each member has a different outfit / costume which is again more in line with the Halloween season and could only have been made better if they were out and about. Honorable mention is either of JYP's videos because both of those were downright hilarious.
Best Choreography: GOT7 - Hard Carry
Now I'm not a dancer, so to some degree, all Kpop dances are the same generalization of moves and formation changes. However, there a select few groups (more specifically: songs) that blow me away. "Hard Carry" is incredible because of how extreme it is. This choreography is dope but also tiring as fuck. BTS and GFriend have some draining dances but at least from a spectator's point of view this one takes the cake. Plenty of really neat formations and moves (especially during the chorus) make this dance memorable. Even though the move by JB at 0:45 looks goofy, it's a minor misstep compared to how polished the rest of the dance looks and is.
Most Obnoxious Song: I.O.I - Very Very Very
You could also call this award "Most Effective Hook" because goodness gracious what a fucking hook. Consider it a job well done by the writers I guess. The amount of ties they say "neomu" is unbelievable. You'll catch yourself singing the chorus for no reason and you'll hate yourself for it, at least I do. If you thought Red Velvet was ambitious with the number of "dumb" repetitions, prepare to meet your new overlord. I appreciate this song for the memes it has helped provide (more on that later), but gods it's so frustrating.
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