[Bonus] 2015 Kpop Awards: Part II

Best Song: INFINITE - Bad

I considered making this part excluding all the songs in the Best Of 2015, but then again this wouldn't be the "best" song, would it. So here's "Bad" again. Sparing any repetition from when I first talked about it, I'll keep it to a short and simple version: excellent vocals, standard Infinite choreography, and a killer instrumental are the trifecta able to carry this song to the top. It's a very impressive track with plenty of appeal. If Infinite can keep producing content like this, they are going to go very, very far.

Best Music Video: Psy - Daddy

Psy came back this year, and while nothing seems capable of capturing the magic that was "Gangnam Style," he is still able to drop hilarious music videos. "Daddy" is all sorts of weird and funny and leagues ahead of the competition. Superimposing Psy's face on a variety of characters was definitely too good to pass up, and the cameo game is still strong, with CL and Ha Jiwon making appearances (and maybe others that I missed). Won't comment on the song, but "you be my curry, I'll be your rice" is one of the simultaneously best and worst English line to ever be used in a Korean song. Oh, and the buildup in this was what Big Bang's "Bang Bang Bang" should have been.

Best Live Performance: Mamamoo - Mr. Ambiguous (Medley)

Mamamoo certainly know how to rock the stage(s), and this performance is more than enough to show why. The dresses are sparkly, though I question the silly "Mamamoo" text and GIANT LETTER emblazoned across each member's top. Wheein is at her best, and fangirl reactions to Hwasa are all you really need for the visual game. Of course the real treat starts at 1:37 where they string about a dozen songs together for a fun little medley. You've got rival girl group songs from Sistar and AOA, a few Big Bang songs, and even nods to "Gangnam Style" and..."Um Oh Ah Yeah?" They also incorporated brief moments of the respective dances, too, which was pretty awesome. All in all, this was a fantastic performance that reached as far as it could go, despite being just a regular stage.

Best Vocalist: Taeyeon / Best Rapper: Yezi / Best Visual: Nana

These are pretty self-explanatory. Taeyeon is as established as any girl group vocalist and did more work than Hyorin this year (though if Hyorin had a super strong showing in "Shake It" I may have reconsidered). Yezi is the iconic breakout idol of 2015, with Unpretty Rapstar being a good place for her this year and a few new tracks to go along with. Lastly, there's Nana. Need I say more? And you're right, I don't really care about boy groups that much. But for what it's worth, male vocal would probably be Kyuhyun, male rapper would probably be Rap Monster, and male visual would probably be Siwon.

That's it for the first ever edition of the Kpop Awards on my blog, as well as 2015. Here's to bigger, better, and brighter things in 2016. Happy New Year everyone!

[Bonus] 2015 Kpop Awards: Part I

Welcome to part 1 of the 2015 Kpop Awards. Another year, another new piece of writing that should be a refreshing and revitalizing take on my Kpop exploration. Part of me is rather devastated after the football game I watched earlier this afternoon but I will soldier on. In part 1 we'll look at overall groups and singers, while part 2 will be more about the music and music videos themselves. So these awards are more accomplishment oriented, but again, I don't really pay attention to (or care) about how well they sell. That's basically the only factor I "ignore," so to speak. Anyway here we go.

Best Girl Group: Girls' Generation

This was an important year for SNSD. Their status as the pinnacle girl group was under threat when Jessica was ousted from the group last fall. Girls' Generation was quiet early in 2015's first half, with "Catch Me If You Can" as the only release. But "Party" signaled the group's return with the 5th studio album "Lion Heart." The album was impressive in how it boasted versatility with varying types of songs. S.M had a very good year in terms of studio albums and SNSD was no exception. After that, Taeyeon finally had her solo debut which was also pretty excellent. "I" was a masterpiece and the other ballads on the mini were exquisite. They wrapped up the year with Christmas songs with the TTS subunit and while not my cup of tea, was still work put in.

Among the other girl groups at the very top, Girls' Generation was both the most active throughout the year and the most successful with their music. Girl's Day (reigning #1 on the Power Rankings) only promoted a mediocre song in "Ring My Bell," likewise with Sistar and "Shake It." AOA's "Heart Attack" album was good, but definitely outmatched by the styles of "Lion Heart." Plus Choa's "Flame" was only a rendition (though a beautiful one). Finally, A-Pink is kinda just A-Pink. They're still good and definitely showed that this year, just not as much as SNSD, who also needed to make a statement with Jessica gone.

Best Boy Group: BTS

Consistency is key. And as far as aspiring groups go, perhaps none have been as consistent as BTS in the title track scheme of things. Rarely did a BTS title track disappoint, and this trend would continue in 2015. "I Need U," "Dope," and "Run" are an excellent trio of songs for the group this year, even though I consider "Run" the weakest of the group by far (sounds too much like a 2nd version of "I Need U"), the aggressively powerful choreography of the former songs make up for that. Outside of groupwork, Rap Monster also dropped the "RM" mixtape and joined in with MFBTY for "Buckubucku," not just one of the year's strongest rap showings, but any rap songs period. Simply put, another busy yet productive year for the boys.

The rise of BTS is not only credit to the group for releasing strong song after song, but also the faltering of rival groups. EXO was really the only group in their debut class that was active enough to challenge them, and while I do think "Call Me Baby" and "Love Me Right" trump the BTS trio in 2015, they cannot make that claim for previous years. Plus you can always make fun of them for losing members. Veteran groups like 2PM and Super Junior did below average and average, respectively, keeping releases scarce. Big Bang is still the king of boy groups, don't get me wrong. "Made" only pushed that sentiment higher and higher, but this isn't a best of all time, just best of this year. And BTS have the work ethic to take that title.

Best Soloist: BoA

Admittedly, I didn't discover too much on the soloist front this year, but it's difficult to imagine that any of them would have as impressive and balanced an album as BoA did. Seriosuly, the tracklist for "Kiss My Lips" is basically perfection. Not a single song is out of place, and the features in Gaeko and Eddy Kim were used very well. Like Girls' Generation's album, the roster on "Kiss My Lips" is equally diverse. "Who Are You" and "Kiss My Lips" made for a good 1-2 promotional punch, but she has the excellent "Blah" and "Green Light" to fall back on, as well as my favourite track on the album "Shattered." I wish Younha could have contested, but with just 3 tracks to her name this year, she couldn't put much of a fight. 15 years into her career, and BoA is going as strong as ever.

Best Rookie Group: GFriend

Alright. A-Pink isn't really my favourite group. Cute music can only go so far with me, so at first glance GFriend taking this award is a little odd. Most seem to point to GFriend's professionalism and all that, but honestly everyone is expected to be professional. Otherwise they'd be called out. GFriend is the best new debut because they are more "complete" than other new groups. "Glass Bead" and "Me Gustas Tu" have a distinct vocal and dance advantage. We've seen very few groups try and show off their vocals (like high notes) and Yuju makes the highlight reel for both songs. It's easy to sound bad while doing cute concepts and GFriend doesn't, so props. The choreography is energetic and definitely on the more difficult and taxing side of the spectrum.

Most of the other girl group debuts just can't match GFriend's level of product. All the other cute concepts made me cringe too much. I know full well I am neglecting plenty of boy groups, but to be honest none of their debut tracks ever gave me a thought to coming back to them. Monsta X's "Trespass" was decent but that's about it. Seveteen and iKON also fell flat with their debuts. GFriend had good title tracks, a strong effort, and Yerin is a variety master. It's a bright future for this group.

[Bonus] Best Of 2015 (#5-#1)

Merry Christmas! As you can see, I didn't manage to get the final set out before today but that's alright. Let's wrap up the Best Of 2015 with a list that may leave you surprised, because I sure was. Also, ignore the inconsistent image-to-ranking relation, t'was a mistake but all is well. Without further ado, here are my picks for the very best songs in 2015.

5. 4minute - Crazy

Praise everything holy because 4minute finally ended their slump of mediocre and terrible title tracks when they released "Crazy." Keeping with the namesake, the pace and energy of the song are indeed pretty crazy. The dancing is fierce and has character, while Hyuna and Jiyoon command control with their explosive rapping verses. The other members do struggle a little whether due to lackluster ability (Sohyun), awkward sections (Gayoon), or both (Jihyun), but when all is said and done, 4minute have a track that can compete with "I My Me Mine," Considering that was 5 years ago, and everything they've released since then was disappointing, it's awesome seeing them with such a powerful and addicting dance number.

4. f(x) - 4 Walls

In a similar vein, f(x) had been on a downfall. With Sulli leaving, many fans wondered if this group would spiral into obscurity. The group then proceeded to drop the "4 Walls" album which is one of the better studio album of the year. With "4 Walls" leading the pack, f(x) showed that they certainly didn't need Sulli around to drop a very smooth dance track. "4 Walls" has an instrumental that worms into your head, a simple and effective rap, and a breakout vocal performance from Krystal. You don't really need much else. The bridge did cause the song to take a little stumble, but it's nothing major, and this does appear to be an unfortunate trend among some of this year's best songs (Chanhyuk's rap in "Thinking About You," Jihyun's bridge in "Crazy," the bridge in "Twenty Three" to name a few). Still, "4 Walls" has the pleasure of being in the final 4.

3. FIESTAR - You're Pitiful

To be honest, not many girl groups went down the sexy route this year. Basically all the new debuts were channeled down the cute aisle, and even veterans like Sistar and the rising AOA kept it pretty simple. FIESTAR therefore handily take the sexiest girl group title this year with "You're Pitiful." You want fanservice? That's the whole video. The choreography was sensual and used both male backup dancers and chairs (interesting combo). This song jumpstarted Yezi's rise to prominence(?), with a heartful rap that eventually led to more Yezi rapping goodness (still waiting for that new album!). "You're Pitiful" also had one of the more decorated videos, with food thrown everywhere, a man putting on lipstick, and plenty of Jei eye candy.

2. EXO - Call Me Baby

We've said this before, and we'll say this again. EXO may lose a member every year, but their music seems to take everything in stride. In fact, "Call Me Baby" is enough to surpass the sensational "Growl" in my eyes (ears). The track is 100% dance power personified. The choreography is slick and super impressive when you see how synchronized they are, yet still has all the crotch-grabbing hype for fangirls to...well, fangirl over. A couple of questionable moves here and there but that goes for pretty much every dance nowadays. EXO's vocal line is still alive and very strong, and it's practically unfair to have Chen on your team. Still, Baekhyun and D.O more than hold their own, and everyone else isn't dead weight. After having previously mentioned that many songs in 2015 have bad bridges, "Call Me Baby" is a fundamentally perfect song.

1. INFINITE - Bad

For years girls and girl groups had monopolized the very best songs. Big Bang grabbed top 3 status in 2012, and Epik High (though they aren't exactly "idols") in 2014. Elsewhere there wasn't much male representation (and c'mon, one year there was Psy on the list). But in 2015 we have a top 2 that's exclusively boy groups. Tides of change? Perhaps, but the straightforward answer is that "Bad" is really really really good. Everything I just said EXO in "Call Me Baby" goes for Infinite, too, and maybe even double. They've been running this signature theme for many years, and they've still got it. While arguably not as sound as "Call Me Baby," "Bad" has some other strengths that go underappreciated. Obviously the first would be the 360 version of the MV which would be neat to see used further for mainstream groups. The strings of the track are so disgustingly good I'd blindly call "Bad's" instrumental the best of the year. There may be no Chen equivalent in the group, but Woohyun and Sunggyu are a better combo than Chen and anyone else in EXO. All in all, this is a superstar track that did not go unnoticed.

[Bonus] Best Of 2015 (#10-#6)

Here's some awkward placeholder text because I felt too claustrophobic putting the spread images and Youtube videos so close together. Here's the next set of 2015's best releases. Depending on how productive (or not) today ends up being, I may finish the whole series before Christmas Day so I can then work on the awards piece.

10. Big Bang - Loser

Let's kick off the top 10 with a slow yet enjoyable song. The title and lyrics of "Loser" sounds depressing but that's part of the song's beauty. You can feel the defeated emotion in each member's parts, most notably in the rapping from G-Dragon and T.O.P. Taeyang's bridge is also just as moving, even Seungri's faded choruses, too. The video expanded on the sad nature of "Loser" with various scenes of every member in the sad_zone. Pinpointing where this song could've done better is tough, but the simple reality of being a slower song puts "Loser" at a disadvantage with some of the other upbeat tunes. A well-rounded song no doubt but not the best on the album. But don't worry, we'll soon get to that.

9. Taeyeon - I

Did someone say Taeyeon solo? Of course this would find a spot here. Slightly unorthodox (at least compared to what is normally expected of Taeyeon) but unquestionably serene, the pop track has familiarity to her past OST work, while incorporating rock elements to make "I" something special. The repetition in the chorus isn't too bothersome when you take in Taeyeon's vocals. From Taeyeon's hair porn, Verbal Jint's surprise appearance, and the wonderful New Zealand visuals, the music video is also a treat. "You Think" was very close to making the list but was just barely edged out in the end. Taeyeon will gladly put the SNSD name on board either way. "My life is a beauty," indeed. The world could use more Taeyeon solo goodness. Let's hope this comes sooner than later.

8. EXID - Ah Yeah

Capitalizing on the "Up & Down" momentum, EXID moved onto "Ah Yeah" early in the year. With perhaps the smartest decision to follow in the footsteps "Up & Down" as opposed to straight up making another version, "Ah Yeah" is damn good from start to finish. Armed with the best verses in 2015, Hani and LE set each other up for success and delightful contrasts between the sultry vocals and aggressive rapping. Junghwa's awkward transitions still leave much to be desired, but her parts here are better than anything else in EXID's title tracks. Solji continues to provide extremely powerful vocals that make me want a Dasoni comeback more and more each passing day. This song seemed untouchable for a good 6 months, and surprisingly this placement seems low despite all the praise.

7. Big Bang - Sober

With the desire to avoid repetition, let's just say what has to be said about "Sober." It's an incredible track to rock out to all day every day. It's perhaps the most complete track on the "Made" album and definitely has the fewest faults compared to the others. The drums and other noise drive the instrumental and that only furthers an already confident Big Bang song. Consistent performances out of G-Dragon and friends plus a vivid (and trippy!) MV culminate in a pleasant product. "Sober" certainly lives up to the Big Bang standard and the hype of being the album's #1. Given that this veteran group may all be enlisting soon, the statement from "Made" was profound and impressive.

6. Mamamoo & eSNa - Ahh Oop!

Rising stars Mamamoo teased their album by releasing the "Ahh Oop!" single in April. This song quickly rose through the ranks back then and quickly rose through the ranks now. "Ahh Oop!" is 3 and a half minutes of addicting ear candy. Mamamoo and eSNa is a pleasant combination and strangers to the group might have mistaken eSNa as the 5th member on the team. By now everyone knows the singing titans they are, with a capable lineup of Solar, Wheein, and Hwasa. These ladies deliver with talent, sass, and energy (especially evident in the final chorus). As we trend into the very best, a shared attribute is that these songs are all accompanied by superb raps, and Moonbyul is no exception. The rap in "Ahh Oop!" provides buildup into the final stretch and honestly is my favourite overall rap inclusion of the year. You can't go wrong with "Ahh Oop!"

[Bonus] Best Of 2015 (#15-#11)

Best Of 2015 is officially underway, and I've selected my top 15 picks for this year of Kpop. While we'll get a headstart on this set, I'll also be working on a "2015 Kpop Awards" excerpt that will cover a broad variety of topics. Any extra content recapping the year will be good, considering I've slowed down the last month and a half. But so has Kpop, and it's honestly a nice reprieve until 2016 starts up. Without wasting more time, let's get into the bottom section of the Best Of 2015.

15. SHINee - Married To The Music

This was SHINee's breakout year. The group's 4th studio album was perhaps their best yet, with tracks like "View" and "Love Sick" on the spotlight. But when the typical S.M repackaged version came along, "Married To The Music" became a premier dance anthem of 2015. With a Halloween-inspired MV, excellent choreography native to SHINee's name, and addicting vocals from everyone (except poor Minho), the title track of the repackage finally gave SHINee a spot among the greats. "Good but not great" was always what I had previously described this group with, but that was before this year. Catchy lyrics and powerful dancing appear to have achieved a final form with SHINee and "Married To The Music."

14. Sistar - Don't Be Such A Baby

Maybe it's because I consider "Alone" to be their best title track and the group's best era, that I find a song in a similar vein just as good. "Don't Be Such A Baby" is the standout B-side of "Shake It," as previously mentioned during the summer reviews. Breathy vocals from Hyorin and Soyu were joined surprisingly by Dasom who did not sound out of place in any way. The rap combo between Bora and Giriboy provided lighthearted and charismatic rapping that put both rappers in a positive light. Live performances didn't demonstrate too much choreography. The girls mostly stood around looking fantastic but what little dancing was smooth and sensual, just like the song. "Don't Be Such A Baby" recovered the "Shake It" mini along with Sistar's top 3 placement as a girl group contender.

13. Younha - Thinking About You

A beautiful ballad that was the essence of autumn, Younha graces the top songs of the year for the 4th straight time. While she wasn't too active in 2015, the appropriateness and serenity that "Thinking About You" had more than makes up for lost time. Soft and pretty vocals control the flow of the song, and had potential to be a quietly perfect song. It's a shame this chance was ruined by Chanhyuk's rapping segment. Maybe said rap could've done better in a different song, but here the rap sounds awkward and very out of place. I wasn't even aware he rapped in any of Akdong Musician's music. Oh well.

12. 9MUSES - Hurt Locker

"Hurt Locker" was what 9MUSES needed to get back on the radar after the ineffectiveness of "Drama." Instead of a subpar beat with uncomfortable transitions, "Hurt Locker" delivers active singing and dancing from start to finish. The instrumental is pretty killer and Erin's rap doesn't have any unnecessary guest Sungah appearances. Everything about the song is in place and while it's certainly no "Wild," (or even "Glue" for that matter) "Hurt Locker" became a premier summer jam and was in general one of the best songs over the summer. Considering how inactive they were the year before, getting (back) into the top 12 is worth applauding. Here's hoping they gain some more momentum and recognition for next year.

11. IU - Twenty Three

Another artist that wasn't too active in 2014, IU's much-anticipated return with "Chat-Shire" exceeded all expectations (which is already a tall order). Silly shenanigans that can't even be called "controversies" aside, every track on the mini was delightful and "Twenty Three" was the spearhead for such a successful EP. With one of the most artistic (flamboyant?) music videos of the year, IU displayed character, charisma, and most importantly, consistency in the short 3 minute span. Admittedly the bridge could've been better but with such high marks everywhere you can hardly complain. "Twenty Three" provides stiff competition to "Good Day" as one of IU's absolute bests.