2025 K-Pop Roundup: Soloists
I’m dividing my 2025 roundup into two posts: soloists and groups. Here are the soloists!
Women
L to R: Miyeon, Hwasa, Dahye, Chuu, Jisoo
Chuu, “Only Cry in the Rain”
Shortlist
Miyeon, “Say My Name”
Jisoo, “Earthquake”
Dahye, “Cherry Road”
Hwasa, “Good Goodbye”
My top choice this year actually snuck up on me. On first listen “Only Cry in the Rain” struck me as pleasant but not especially notable…and yet I kept coming back to it. The same happened with “Good Goodbye;” I guess it just takes me time to warm to a ballad, but once it hits I’m all in. Arguably “Say My Name” is also a ballad, but it’s got a killer second-verse kit entrance that’s kind of impossible to resist. My biggest surprise this year was “Cherry Road” — I was not familiar with Dahye before and this single alone made me a fan. As a Blackpink skeptic at best I wasn’t exactly primed to love “Earthquake” either, especially after I’d found Jisoo’s previous solo work so flat. Now I think she’s Blackpink’s strongest and most compelling soloist. People change!
L to R: Yuju, Sunmi, Minnie, Chungha
Yuju, “Orion”
Shortlist
Chungha, “Still a Rose”
Minnie, “It’s Okay”
Sunmi, “Happy AF”
Yves, “Aibo (feat. Bratty)”
I just love Yuju’s In Bloom EP so much — which probably says a lot about my specific musical taste — and the yacht-rock opener “Orion” hooked me instantly. Chungha’s “Still a Rose” also has a charming retro vibe, like a forgotten gem from Genie in a Bottle with slightly modernized synths. K-pop singer-songwriter Piano Girls Minnie and Sunmi both deliver bittersweet piano ballads that hit me right in the Vanessa Carlton feelings, and Yves continues to find fascinating collaborations as she moves further from her “idol” identity into something more like an indie pop darling ala Robyn or Tove Lo.
men
L to R: Yeonjun, Jay, Jeong Sewoon, Onew, Woodz
Onew, “Animals”
Shortlist
Yeonjun, “Talk to You”
Woodz, “I’ll Never Love Again”
Jay, “We Can’t Explain”
Jeong Sewoon, “Goodbye”
As will quickly become very clear, Onew absolutely dominated 2025 for me. He released a ton of music — an EP in January and a full album in August — and the quality of his voice, his aesthetic choices, and his musical instincts make every cut he put out last year required listening. Well, required if you like yacht rock. Woodz and Jeong Sewoon also make smooth California-style rock, so this category is kind of a feast. For those more interested in danceable pop, there’s Jay with his mesmerizing “We Can’t Explain”; and if you like a harder sound, Yeonjun’s “Talk to You” is a hit.
L to R: Key, Xiumin, Onew, Doyoung
Doyoung, “쏟아져오는 바람처럼 눈부시게 너란 빛이 비추더라 (Be My Light)”
Shortlist
Onew, “Boy”
Onew, “Epilogue”
Xiumin, “Switch Off”
Key, “Strange”
Frankly I could have populated this whole list with Onew b-sides — but then I would be leaving off my biggest surprise of the year, NCT vocalist Doyoung’s “쏟아져오는 바람처럼 눈부시게 너란 빛이 비추더라 (Be My Light).” This is the kind of thing I would never have heard if I hadn’t been committed to this project, because in general NCT the group makes music that is decidedly Not For Emma. But Doyoung sure does. (Former?) EXO vocalist Xiumin also comes from a group whose work is generally not to my taste, but I did enjoy his gentle pop EP Interview X. And while other tracks on Key’s Hunter were more immediately appealing to me, “Strange” is the one that lingers; it’s not a comfortable listen but it is powerful.
