#10. Taeyeon - Blue
Starting off with a B-side? You goddamn right I am. Taeyeon has made more progress to her career this year, but none better than this somber and soothing ballad. Don't get me wrong, "Four Seasons" and "Spark" are both excellent additions and showed yet more of her brilliant versatility. Combined with her Japanese release "Voice," they make for a fine 2019 trilogy. However, the simple beauty of "Blue" rises above the rest. It definitely feels weird to have a B-side on the Best Of 20XX series but hey it's been done before. Hell, I'd argue that it's kinda surprising that none of her title tracks were better, though that may be because of her high standards.
#9. Mamamoo - Gleam
Mamamoo have had a year of ups and downs. Activity and popularity-wise they have been rolling, but between "gogobebe" and "Hip" nothing has really knocked my socks off. Then I remembered that they released "Gleam" which was more a promotional CF of sorts kinda like "Woo Hoo" was for some Samsung phone. The fact that it's an ad for (sun)glasses makes it better. It's the most polished Mamamoo track despite "Hip" being solid thanks to its simplistic nature. Shoutouts to the bowling alley dance floor. First a B-side and then a promotional song, what a weird start to this year's best.
#8. Zico - Human
Many laud G-Dragon for his prolific discography and versatile talents, but Zico should be considered in the same tier as him.In short: "Human" is art where Zico continues to refine and redefine his abilities. The lyrics can speak to anyone and hit deep, making this a bad choice to listen to if you're feeling burdened by life. It's a beautiful piece that joins other sad_zone greats like Big Bang's "Loser" and even iKON's "I'm OK" from earlier this year. I leave you with my favorite line in the song, "everyone knows it's difficult, this is our first life."
#7. (G)I-DLE - Lion
I know they only debuted last year, but Cube's newest girl group had just a string of okay releases before hitting platinum with K/DA. We knew Soyeon was otherworldly and the rest had potential, but were waiting for a signature song to let us know they were here. Then they went on Queendom and subsequently released "Lion," and suddenly it seemed like they figured it out. This song is a masterclass in team balance. Gone were the days of Soyeon doing all the heavy-lifting while Shuhua struggled to sing more than one syllable words. Gone were the average vocals from Miyeon and the gang. Say hello to contributions from every single member: the breathy voices of Soojin and Yuqi combined with Miyeon's most natural-sounding since "Pop/Stars" make "Lion" an auditory treat. "Lion" made a key statement: that (G)I-DLE don't need to be carried by Soyeon to have a successful title track.
#6. CLC - Me
Let me say that "Me" is beautifully crafted. The brassy instrumentals are reminiscent of 4minute's "Hate" and I'd say in general this song expands on what made "Hate" so good. The choreography is strong and sexy, befitting the title. Seunghee leads the vocals department with one of her better performances while Yeeun and Seungyeon deliver like usual. If we ranked these songs only by how good their bridge was, CLC would have to be #1. It's an absolutely gorgeous bridge that is the icing on the cake for "Me."
#5. Bolbbalgan4 - Workaholic
Apparently Bol4 is considered "underrated?" I'm confused by this since I thought they were also in the digital monsters category of Korean artists. Whatever the general consensus may be, all I know is that "Workaholic" is fantastic. Like Zico's "Human," it's a song that resonates within many of us in the adult working world (and even to those still in school). Given that 2019 has been a very yikes year for Kpop overall, the songs that are laced with reality will earn a lot more weight. Jiyoung has a beautiful voice, one which I consider actually underrated. She has a delightful crisp tone with a hint of huskiness to it. By no means unique in the industry but nonetheless pleasant to listen to all the same.
#4. NCT 127 - Superhuman
The first thing I think of when I hear this song is "timeless." In the same way that their seniors Super Junior, SHINee, and EXO all have dance tracks that have survived the test of time ("Sorry Sorry," "Growl," etc.), so too will "Superhuman." I believe this because it has the precise combination of qualities that will preserve it: killer instrumental, excellent choreography, and solid contributions in the voice and rap aspects. There was a lot of competition this year from the boy group dance track department so it was truly a "Superhuman" effort for these guys to stand out above the rest. Considering I despised some of 127's earlier work, this is a huge turnaround for them.
#3. BTS - Dionysus
BTS have made history all throughout 2019, and now they've added another notch to their belt. With "Dionysus" entering at #3, they have the highest-ranking B-side in the Best Of 20XX series. Previously the record was Younha's "Would We Have Changed" at #4 back in 2012. Not only that, this list now has two B-sides which I'm pretty sure has never been done. The song itself is a throwback to debut-era BTS with the heavy rock and hip-hop theme, but the live performances is what ties the song, dance, and rapping all together. And conveniently enough they performed this live earlier today in Korea so I have an updated stage to link (not that the old one was bad). This performance alone is worthy of a top 3 placing. I understand the unreal impact that "Boy With Luv" brought, but "Dionysus" simply brings the current popularity of present BTS with the hip-hop style of past BTS.
#2. LOONA - Butterfly
In the same way that "Superhuman" was the boy group dance anthem of the year, "Butterfly" is the girl group equivalent. This song gives me goosebumps between the near-scary high-pitched voices and the unbelievable choreography. I've never really had an interest in learning any girl group choreography...until this song. The precision, the execution, the swagger...it's all there. Many girl groups have had great dance routines before, but this is something special. Then you have the many voices of LOONA gliding through the verses which supplement the visual treat that is the choreo. This is the song that showed everyone LOONA is going to be a force, and I absolutely cannot wait for their next comeback.
#1. IU - Blueming
Before this year, IU was the only artist to have claimed separate #1 songs of the year. Now she's the only three-peat! This decade started with IU at the top and it ends with her at the top. She could honestly be the artist of the 2010's. Anyway, she opts to go for more of a light rock / pop rock-esque sound here with "Blueming." It's very much like something late 2000's Younha would do which only earns her more points in my book. Apparently she's even got her own cinematic universe (MV universe?) setup with this, "You & I," and "Above The Time." So excuse me while I go watch that breakdown video by DKDKTV. IU and "Blueming" deserve to be the standout female Korean act of 2019, and caps off this decade on a wonderful note. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, cheers towards 2020.
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