Top K-Pop Boy Groups (Part 1)
The Korean-pop explosion we know today was birthed of Seo Taiji & The Boys that led the way for the scene to bring its beloved boy bands, girl groups, solo stars and rappers to international audiences.
From the classic acts that are credited for kickstarting K-pop to today's international forces, here are the K-pop boy groups every casual fan needs to know, in no particular order.
BIGBANG
One of the biggest international phenomena to come out of the K-pop scene, BIGBANG blew by boy band tropes by producing and writing their own music, forgoing hardcore choreography and seeing all five members find solo success.
"Bang Bang Bang" is the best- selling single in South Korea of 2015. The song features bouncy, electro-pop production on the verses before it moves into a siren-like, trap-laden breakdown where G-Dragon sneers "bang bang bang!" Unsurprisingly, the song won "Song of the Year" at 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
"Fantastic Baby" is one of the most viewed K-pop music videos in 2012. This massive hit has reached an even bigger audience when it was featured as the main track in the Hollywood film "Pitch Perfect 2".
Within only two days, "Loser" peaked at number one on the digital chart, and sold 256,398 digital copies. The track sounds like it comes with a slower tempo, but a head-banging beat, as the guys lament about being "just a loser".
Can't get enough of BIGBANG's songs? Check out their playlist on JOOX!
Leave your comment at the bottom of the page and tap the "like" button if you love BIGBANG and their songs! Show your support for the boys!
EXO
Korean boy band EXO make melodic, dance-oriented pop music. The band consists of 12 members divided into two subgroups, EXO-K and EXO-M.
Although they record the same music, EXO-K focus on playing in South Korea and feature the members Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun. Meanwhile, EXO-M specialize in performing in China for a largely Mandarin-speaking audience and feature Xiumin, Lu Han, Lay, Chen, and Tao.
Produced by British duo LDN Noise who also produced EXO's most recent singles "Monster" and "Lucky One", "Lotto" is yet another dive into a slightly darker pop sound that the group has toyed with in their most recent releases.
With their newly released Ex'act album, the K-pop phenoms already have a new accolade to celebrate as their single "Monster" earns the group their No. 1 on multiple music charts all across the globe.
Since its release, "Call Me Baby" has sold nearly 826,000 digital copies in South Korea and 831,000 worldwide. The song sounds wholly inspired by the late '90s or early '00s sound.
The playlist above will remind fans why they fell in the love with the Korean-Chinese boy band. Leave your comment below & tap the "like" button if you are an EXO-L!
Beast
Beast (often stylized B2ST) is five-piece Korean boy band that has regularly topped the charts at home. The group was formed in 2009 with vocalists Lee Gi-Kwang, Son Dong-Woon, Yang Yo-Seob, Yong Jun-Hyung, and Yoon Doo-Joon. Jang Hyun-seung officially departed from the group on April 19th, 2016.
Highlight is the third Korean studio album by Beast that was released on July 4th, 2016 and is also the group's first Korean release since Hyunseung's departure from the group. The album contains 12 tracks including the lead single "Ribbon" and the pre-released track "Butterfly".
"Fiction" won Song of the Year award at the 2011 KBS Music Festival. The song is the lead song for their debut full-length, Fiction and Fact that arrived in the spring of 2011 and hit number one on South Korea's album chart.
Super Junior
A South Korean boy band made their debut in 2005 and were instantly popular in their home country and in a great deal of other Asian pop music markets.
Super Junior launched into international recognition following the release of their best-selling single "Sorry, Sorry" in 2009, the title song of their most critically successful album Sorry, Sorry.
In August 2014, Leeteuk and Heechul re-joined Super Junior for the group's seventh album, Mamacita. With only three days of sales, Super Junior's 'Mamacita' ranked No.1 on Billboard's World Albums chart.
On October 27, Super Junior released the special edition for Mamacita called This Is Love. This Is Love ranked number one on the real time charts of Hanteo Chart, Sinnara Records and more as soon as it was released.
SHINee
South Korean boy band Shinee were one of the country's biggest pop acts of the late 2000s and early 2010s.
With their high-energy, bass-heavy, electronic dance-pop and complex, tightly choreographed dance moves, they regularly topped the charts at home, did very well in Japan, and started a youth fashion craze dubbed the "Shinee Trend".
1 of 1 is the fifth Korean studio album and the eighth overall by the boys. Musically, the album is a modernized twist on the retro genre, and stretches back to the 1980–1990 period.
The title track "View" is an upbeat song of the deep house genre, produced by English team LDN Noise. SHINee member Jonghyun wrote the lyrics to the song.
Can't get enough of K-pop boy groups' songs? Don't worry! Stay tuned for Part 2 as we will cover more K-pop boy groups just for you! What do you think of BTS as the next headline? :)
Leave your comments below & tap the "like" button if you like any of the boy groups or songs above! Ciao~
