2025 in K-Pop, Part IV

It’s finally happened, as I knew it would eventually – I’m breaking format. December is already a pretty barren month in K-Pop, since it’s all about year-end shows, but it’s also the month that produces the most Not For Me music. In many ways the goopy, open sentimentality and complete immunity to cringe is what I love about K-Pop, but I’m also kind of a grinch, which means the glut of Christmas-themed releases bounce right off of me (don’t even get me started on the “holiday remix”). So for this final 2025 roundup I’m giving one of December’s slots to November. A truly wild amount of absolute bangers popped up in November, including both honorable mentions, so it seems only fair.

As for what will happen with my listening to K-Pop blog journey going forward, I think I will keep doing it, but the format might change a little. I’m still bouncing ideas around. It could go monthly, or it could become more infrequent. I really don’t know yet! But I’m still diligently queuing up new releases.

october

Hwasa - “Good Goodbye”

This one grew on me. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Hwasa, but in general I’ve enjoyed her pop side more than her ballads in the past. There’s something so honest here, though, and her unique vocal tone elevates it even more. And the performances! She is raw, goofy, emotional, and an absolute professional. Obviously most idols love performing – why else would they go through the hell that is idol training – but Hwasa clearly loves the expressive possibilities of singing, and it comes through stronger than ever in “Good Goodbye.”

NMIXX - “Game Face”

Speaking of idols who love to sing. No other group has had a year like NMIXX; literally every single track they put out in 2025 (all 19 of them!) is excellent. Starting off strong with their EP Fe304: Forward in March, they followed it up with a collaboration single with Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar in August, then their first full album Blue Valentine in October. Many outlets have sung Blue Valentine’s praises, but I can’t help myself: it’s that good. Both promoted singles show off exactly what NMIXX brings to mainstream pop; dense musical detail, vocal virtuosity, and the ability to make complex musical material legible to even casual listeners. But the b-sides, as always, are where the true gems live. I could have chosen any of them, really, but “Game Face” is another one of those Big Emma Energy tracks that I am helpless to deny. Bright, edgy, and mercilessly catchy, with a big swing in the bridge and flawless vocal performances. If you happen to be reading this and haven’t tried out much K-Pop…please give NMIXX a chance if you like pop or electronic music. You really won’t be disappointed.

NOVEMBER

Baby DONT Cry - “I Don’t Care”

In their first single not produced by i-dle leader Soyeon, Baby DONT Cry (I know, I know, the names are getting out of hand) have done an excellent job of establishing their own identity outside of Soyeon’s valuable but oversized influence on their debut. “I Don’t Care” is girl power pop-rock in the best way – it’s catchy, it emphasizes the members’ unique voices, and it feels both like a step forward for the band but not too “mature” too quickly, given that these are all teenagers.

Miyeon - “Say My Name”

This is just a damn good song, and it’s performed by one of my favorite (and often underrated) K-Pop vocalists. Miyeon, the main vocal of powerhouse girl group i-dle, has a powerful, clear voice undergirded by a fascinating hint of raspiness that I find so compelling, and it’s beautifully showcased on this gentle pop-rock single. The band arrangement and subtle electronic flourishes are so skillfully deployed that you almost don’t notice the instrumental on the first listen; and yet the musicians make satisfying choices that reward repeat plays. There are a lot of good session musicians in Korea, and the best K-Pop takes advantage of that. I’m glad to see Miyeon, as she steps into her new role as her own executive producer, join the ranks of artists tapping that resource.

KiiiKiii - “To Me From Me”

A lovely little ballad produced by Korean hip-hop legend Tablo, who can always be relied on for a lovely little ballad. That is not to say that it’s slight or insubstantial – while the music is smooth and soothing, the lyrics grapple with anxieties that must be familiar to a group of newly-minted young idols. The second verse hits especially close to home in a way that feels kind of shocking delivered by a rookie girl group:

I feel dizzy trying to keep up
With time rushing forward, step by step
Maybe I wanted to fall after all
Just to pausе and catch my breath
But it feels like my breath stoppеd instead
What comes so easily to others
Why does it feel so hard and heavy for me?

This kind of explicit discussion of mental health challenges is certainly not completely absent from K-Pop, partially due to Tablo’s two decades of influence on the industry, but it does tend to come up more in the work of soloists (most famously Sunmi, discussed below) and boy groups (in some ways BTS’s signature). Junior girl groups, especially recently, are more likely to lean into confidence and “girl power” concepts, so it’s refreshing to see that trend reversed here.

DECEMBER

Say My Name - “Bad Idea”

Yes, there is a band called Say My Name, which is different from “Say My Name” (the best Destiny’s Child song) and “Say My Name” (the aforementioned Miyeon single). Fortunately a bad group name has never stopped a good K-Pop act – remember, BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeodan, aka Bulletproof Boy Scouts, and the most successful fifth-generation boy group’s name is an accidental (?) reference to Chinese slang for topping/bottoming – and this octet is definitely rising about their unfortunate moniker. “Bad Idea” itself is nothing revolutionary. It’s just a really really solid K-Pop girl group song, delivered by rookies clearly hungry to show off their skills, and it works. I’m looking forward to whatever is next from these girls.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Sunmi - Heart Maid

Sunmi has one of the most interesting trajectories in K-Pop. Having debuted in JYP’s second-generation girl group Wonder Girls at age 15, Sunmi exited the group just three years after debut to pursue higher education. During her hiatus from the industry she also learned to play the bass and developed her skills as a songwriter and producer. In 2013 she returned as a solo artist; after another stint in Wonder Girls (2015-2017) she has continued a steady output of idiosyncratic “Sunmi Pop” in the form of EPs and singles. Heart Maid is her first full solo album, and fittingly it is All Sunmi: she is the executive producer and main songwriter behind every song, collaborating only with co-composer Lee Dohee. It’s not surprising, then, that the album’s sound world is diverse but surprisingly consistent. We have here all of the elements that make up Sunmi Pop: bass-driven indie rock, edgy synths, and meticulously constructed pop forms with both hooks and a generous dose of pathos. Like the eerie visual language of the packaging, the whole thing has an unsettling core to it that always inflects Sunmi’s work and makes it feel simultaneously personal and universal. This contradiction is summed up well in the prechorus of “happy af,” where Sunmi sings “I don't want to open it, it might ruin the world/Like the soda I just dropped/Bang, it bursts (Pung, pung, pung)/I just wanted to be happy.”

XLOV - UXLXVE

I’m putting XLOV in honorable mentions again because for me so far the appeal and significance of this group is more about their project as a complete work rather than any single song. I wrote about their first “maxi single” back in Roundup 2, and in November they released their first full EP, UXLXVE. Musically it’s not strikingly different from their earlier tracks; they ably straddle the rather thin line between K-Pop trends and queer club music. I feel comfortable identifying their music as queer because the year since they debuted has made it very clear that XLOV is not just a group with a “genderless” concept – they’re members of the queer community themselves. Once they began interacting with fans, most of whom were drawn to the group for their gender nonconforming presentation, all four members quickly clarified that they use all pronouns both personally and professionally. Their stage costumes have also evolved to reflect their individual preferences. Leader Wumuti and dancer Rui more often than not appear in long colorful wigs, crop tops, and skirts; vocalist Hyun and dancer Haru gravitate toward more traditional boy-group outfits, though usually with dramatic makeup and elaborate press-ons. Early tracks also eschewed clear references to queer relationships, but UXLXVE’s lead single (which was summarily banned by Korean broadcasters for its content) explicitly addresses the object of affection as “boy.” Later, on the intensely hooky “biii:-P,” which they were allowed to perform on Korean television shows, they proudly proclaim “hello, my name’s freak,” signaling their identification with the queer Other just about as loudly as they can and remain within their industry. I am so excited to see where they go next.