March 2026 K-Pop Roundup
March was the busiest month in k-pop so far this year and things promise to kick into an even higher gear starting in May. But first thing’s first:
I spent FAR too much time creating this image.
I have many thoughts and feelings on this subject, but I’ve decided to not cover BTS in these roundups. That is not to say that they are not k-pop, but they are both a k-pop band AND global stars, and the purpose of this project is to cover the former and less so the latter. BTS (specifically Jimin, because apparently I’m a gay man) was my reintroduction to k-pop after many years away from East Asian pop generally — it will probably surprise no one that I was big into anime as a teen and consequently big into BoA as well as other big j-pop acts — and I will always follow their career with interest. But for this specific project I’m much more interested in the k-pop that is still functionally a niche fandom space with its own peculiarities and jargon and trends. When my 78-year-old aunt knows enough about BTS to text me that she saw their tour on the local news, that’s gone beyond k-pop on a socio-cultural level.
All of this said, what I will say about Arirang is that it absolutely is k-pop. If folks were expecting it to sound like BTS’s albums from their 2017-2020 global explosion, they are right to be surprised. But if you listen to a lot of current k-pop, particularly boy group music, Arirang is exactly that: a hook-driven blend of current and nostalgic hip-hop with a light pop gloss. What makes BTS stand out (again, as always) is that they execute this formula with impressive sonic detail as well as genuine curiosity and creativity. Also, “Aliens” might be one of their most interesting tracks to date.
Okay, I said I wasn’t reviewing Arirang, so let’s pivot.
Soloist
Jeong Sewoon, “Orange Blue”
Group
P1Harmony, “L.O.Y.L.”
Release
Baby DONT Cry, After Cry
Until literally the last minute I thought my soloist spot unquestionably belonged to idol-turned-singer-songwriter WOODZ, whose first full studio album dropped early in the month. But another sweet-faced and sweet-voiced idol singer-songwriter showed up on March 30th with a prime cut of Emma Bait, and I am helpless against him. Jeong Sewoon showed up in last year’s second quarter roundup as the feature on Yuju’s “Sequence,” and much like that song, “Orange Blue” has everything I want, which is apparently a clean mix, some major 7th chords, and a nice tune.
P1Harmony is a group I have been not-quite into for about a year now. I did like their English-language album last year, though, so I was prepared to be at least charmed by their new EP Unique. But the title track didn’t grab me, and on first listen the b-sides were enjoyable but not stunning. Still, I added “Wednesday Girl” and “L.O.Y.L.” to my k-pop playlist, and grew to like both even more as they came up in my rotation. Then they released a performance video for “L.O.Y.L.” and I became obsessed. I don’t even really know how to describe this rather strange song, but boy does the performance make it click.
Finally, I must acknowledge once again that rookie girl groups are absolutely killing it. And as I’ve mentioned before, I love a group that can confidently find and define their sound across an EP, especially one early in their career. Close Your Eyes did it last year with Eternalt, Kiiikiii did it in January with Delulu Pack, and Baby DONT Cry (again, I know, the names) has done the same here with After Cry. Both the title track and the pre-release single are absolutely delightful pop-rock songs, and the b-sides show flexibility without losing their group identity. If you were an Avril Lavigne girlie but also couldn’t stop popping The Writing’s on the Wall into your discman, this one’s for you.
Because the month was so busy and full of good stuff, I’d like to note the following other things that happened in March:
As noted above, WOODZ proves he’s k-pop’s preeminent rockstar with his first full album; H1-KEY continue their streak of pop-rock bangers (and also being very tall); Moonbyul drops another WLW anthem; Onew proves that ol’ uncle Jinki still has moves; Yena “Catch Catches” all the boy group babygirls; AtHeart is still promising; Odd Youth is odd (positive); and Irene’s Biggest Fan EP is supremely My Shit.
