[Bonus] 2019 Kpop Awards

The coveted 2019 Kpop Awards are here, and actually in December no less. Just in time I say! The previous two years' awards were posted in January which should have been illegal. But hey we're almost at a new year, so new-ish me. These are always fun to write looking back on the year as a whole, and the narratives from other years makes for a fun clash. Here are the nine magnificent awards and their glorious, resplendent recipients. This may or may not be split into two parts.

Best Girl Group: Red Velvet

This was a competitive year between the usual top three dogs: Twice, Red Velvet, and Mamamoo. Each of them have taken home this title once in the last three years, and now Red Velvet are the first to grab their second award of this name. Mamamoo have been the most active, and Twice likely have the best numbers, but Red Velvet were not far behind in many of these aspects throughout the year. We don't speak of their first showing in 2019 but "Umpah Umpah" was a good summer jam while "Psycho" made plenty of good impressions with such a late release. Ultimately I believe that Red Velvet is most deserving by remaining the most consistent girl group showing marked improvements with each subsequent song.

Best Boy Group: BTS

Death, taxes, and BTS winning the Best Boy Group award. They've fully monopolized this category since the series debut in 2015 and until their military service fractures their production it doesn't seem like they'll stop. Their achievements, statistics, and legacy are overwhelming at this point considering all of the impact they've had (both the good and bad). Compound this with the fact that other groups of this generation simply cannot match BTS' output at an individual or group level and it's easy to see why they've had a iron grip on this award. Also worth noting is that they were unparalleled in the meme department as well. From "Seoul Town Road" to "Chicken Noodle Soup," BTS were firing on all meme cylinders.

Best Soloist: Taeyeon

Another year, another long list of great efforts from those solo acts. From Heize to Crush, Chungha to Sunmi, Eric Nam to IU, etc. They all released fantastic music. But the highest-rated solo set of 2019 belongs to Taeyeon. "Four Seasons," "Blue," and "Spark" are a powerful trilogy that give her the slightest of edges over IU's dual release in November. Obviously I picked "Blueming" as the #1 song of the year but "Blue" did crack the list at #10, while "Four Seasons" and "Spark" could feasibly both be in the #11-#20 range. Each of these pieces were as beautiful as they were different from each other, and Taeyeon's versatility is always a treat. Oh and she sang "Into The Unknown" for Frozen 2. She literally has all her bases covered.

Best Rookie Group: TXT

BigHit literally hit jackpot with BTS, and now they've got another group that shows immediate promise and potential? This could be real spooky real fast. TXT's "Crown" is one of the most colorful debuts in a long time. That and other songs this year helped carve them a niche spot underneath BTS' shadow. They are the first boy group to win this title since I started dishing these esteemed awards in 2015. Previous winners have been predominantly girl groups with a year of KARD thrown in. However I will throw Everglow a mention because "Bon Bon Chocolat" and "Adios" were both exhilarating dance numbers that also have a lot of potential. But the history of TXT's label and seniors give them the most benefit of the doubt going forward.

Most Improved: CLC

Another three lettered group taking home an award. Hmm perhaps a conspiracy is in order. CLC gave us glimpses of what they could do with songs like "Hobgoblin" and "Black Dress" but 2019 was when they put everything together. "No," "Me," and "Devil" is a very respectable trilogy with "Me" obviously being the highlight coming in at #6 overall. The pillars of this group continue to operate at a high level, with Yeeun's flighty rap style and Seungyeon's everything wrecking shit up. Hopefully the rest of the gang keep stepping up as well, and they could be a real force in 2020.

Best Choreography: Chungha - Gotta Go

For some reason I keep deciding to have a choreography award when I'm the last damn person that should try and evaluate this kind of thing but whatever! Chungha has always been a talented dancer so this shouldn't be any surprise seeing her here but the dance from "Gotta Go" has many variables. The formations, usage of both male and female backup dancers, props, and moves all blend together beautifully for a polished product.

Best Rap (Break): Stray Kids - Miroh

Did you really think a girl group rap would take this? I mean no disrespect because LE and Moonbyul did great this year but they couldn't come close to what groups like BTS, Monsta X, and Stray Kids had to offer. The shared performance from the Stray Kids squad in "Miroh" is lightning fast, eloquent, and brilliant. We've known they're capable since the debut days of "Hellevator" (imagine JYP finally having some quality rappers) but this was their best showing to date. Given the more monotonous nature of the verses and chorus, it's the rapping (and dance) that make "Miroh" pop.

Best Move: Psy forms P Nation

In a year full of despair and depression, we look to the bright side of the future. Psy made waves in January, founding his own label P Nation. Immediately after the news, he brought in his starter squad pictured above. Jessi and the most powerful Kpop couple make for a damn compelling roster. Then over the summer Crush joined the team. The talents of these five alone could rival even the biggest companies, and have had a pleasant year one together. Hyuna and E'Dawn have recently put out new music while I believe Jessi has been churning out songs all year. If I were to buy stocks in Kpop, I'd be investing heavily in P Nation.

Best Meme: Jackson's Face

Something like this hardly needs any explanation, but as you can see at the very beginning of this clip, Hwasa and old man JYP performed together and Jackson Wang's incredible reaction says it all. God Bless the cameraman (or camerawoman) who caught this magical moment for all to see.