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14 Kpop songs in 2016 you should listen to (Jan-Jun)

Name : korea
Date : 2016-08-10 12:27:08

We take a look at our favorite Kpop songs in 2016 during the first half (Jan-Jun) of the year. Will you agree with our picks? Let’s find out.

How’s Korean music been treating you so far in 2016?

Hopefully, you found your jams already. But if not, no worries. We got you covered.

With 2016 already halfway through, it’s a good time as ever to talk about the songs that came out so far. After much debating, pondering, and texting through Kakao Talk, we broke down our favorite 14 Kpop songs in 2016 from January to June.

Mamamoo is a rising group that’s had a strong 2016 thus far.

Why did we pick 14 instead of 10? Because 14 just seemed like a cooler number to the popular, yet overused number 10.

Out of the 14 song picks, we split down 7 each between Joy and myself. Joy will be concentrating on mostly Korean hip-hop tracks, while I went down the Kpoppy path.

As with all lists, our picks are purely our favorite songs and thus, we gave no weight to how popular the song is, how many awards it won, or how much money it made.

The Dream Concert is the concert taking place in June, marking the halfway point of 2016.

Our criteria is simple: is the song awesome to us? Hopefully you’ll agree with us.

With that out of the way, here’s our 14 Kpop songs in 2016 picks below in no particular order.

Jason’s picks

1. Sistar – “Say I Love You”

There’s three things that are guaranteed every summer here in Korea.

It becomes incredibly hot, the ladies start wearing shorts, and a new Sistar album comes out.

I’m especially thankful for the last two.

While “I Like That” is Sistar’s new flagship song and was tempted to put two Sistar songs on this list, I decided to pick the song I enjoyed the most from them. And that song is “Say I Like You.”

There’s a lot to like about this song. For R&B fans, the song is a treat. This song really shows off Sistar’s slow, R&B vocals and reminds me a lot of “Ma Boy” in terms of vocal power.

2. Mamamoo – “Woo Hoo”

Mamamoo’s had a solid year thus far with “You’re the Best,” “Taller than You,” and “Woo Hoo.” Yet the song I chose from the four ladies is the latter.

“Woo Hoo” is their least known song among the three above, yet it’s vastly underrated. This song shows off their R&B, retro vocals in a fun, upbeat song.

The MV shows the ladies fun side running and playing inside a house. Much props for the camera team, as well as the ladies for doing this video in one continuous shot.

3. Seo Hyun-jin & Yoo Seung-woo – “What is love” OST part 3 from Another Oh Hae-young

If you’ve been watching Korean dramas lately, you’ve probably seen Descendants of the Sun andAnother Oh Hae-young.

The song “What is Love” is from Another Oh Hae-young and represents the only drama OST song on the list.

The catchy melody captures the flavor of the drama. It blends the best of the former Milk member Seo Hyun-jin and Superstar K4 top 6 singer Yoo Seung-woo.

4. Taeyeon – “Rain”

With the SNSD members branching out into solo activities, Taeyeon has came out with a string of good hits. While her July release “Why” does not qualify for this list (the list is the first half of 2016 from Jan to June), I would still go with her earlier release “Rain.”

This slow R&B and jazzy melody showcases her vocals to the fullest. With the backdrop of a “room of memories” trying to get past a former lover, the song suits her vocals well.

Often times, it’s hard to distinguish singers that have powerful voices in a pop group, so it’s great to see Taeyeon’s voice in her solos.

5. EXO – “Monster”

There’s no slowing down EXO, as every song SM Entertainment pens for the group turns into instant success.

“Monster” is no exception. The song is a catchy song with an addictive hook and easy-to-listen song. The excellent dancing also shows why there are many dance groups emulating EXO’s every move.

If SM’s plan was to turn the EXO into a Monster (pun intended), then they’ve more than succeeded. Ever since their debut in 2012, they parlayed their strong debut into the EXO craze of 2013 and never looked back.

The once 12 member group is still churning out hits as a 9 person group. Between their poppy vocals and solid choreography, EXO’s popularity is still at an all-time high.

6. San E & Raina – “Sugar and Me”

San E & Raina teamed up in “A Midsummer Night’s Sweetness” back in 2014 and they’re back again with a new song.

In “Sugar and Me”, they play their respective roles very well; Raina with the sugary vocals and San E with the raps in between. This song plays into the summer theme quite well with the upbeat feel. The MV is also akin to food porn, as jellybeans, donuts, and crap tons of snacks are shown.

Plus, who wouldn’t like a MV where San E is laying in a shopping cart full of food?

7. Mighty Mouth feat. Chancellor – “Sugar Sugar”

Mighty Mouth is back with another head-bopping song in “Sugar Sugar.” This summer song features Chancellor, as Chancellor’s R&B vocals is a great fit for the bridge.

The bicycles, skateboards, basketball playing hits the summer feel in spades. The MV is also shot in one continuous recording, which is impressive in its own right.

Just by watching the MV, makes you want to go outside… that is, if you’re not out already searching for Pokemon in Pokemon Go.

Joy’s picks

8. Nucksal (넉살) – “Earn your Keep (밥값)” feat. Koonta

Music is known to bring people together, and the collaboration of rapper Nucksal, reggae artist Koonta, and producer Code Kunst on this track is one great example. The official English title of this song is Earn Ya Keep, and from the very beginning you hear Nucksal talking about money, repeating "돈"(don), and Koonta following up with "money money money."
The MV shows how hard earned money is really just used to keep a roof over the head and get food in the stomach. Everyone faces the same struggles, trying to survive every day, with no time to think even about who they will eat with.The artistic video coupled with Koonta's featuring make this song a must listen.

9. Lee Hi – “Breathe (한숨)”

3 years after her debut album, Lee Hi made a much awaited come back in March of this year. The song starts with a sweet piano melody penned by SHINee's Kim Jonghyun and Wefreaky, and arranged by Philtre. Lee Hi's singing is always mesmerizing, but at the 1:27 mark, she pulls you in as she switches to a higher note, belting out how she'll be your support through the song.
Don't forget to breathe as you listen to the song.

10. Jerry.k(제리케이) – “Call Center(콜센터)” feat. OOHYO(우효)

Relatively unknown, perhaps hugely underrated rapper Jerry.K dropped Call Center, a song about the fate of marry new graduates int he day and time. The first thing you hear is the sound of a telephone and them Ohhyo's haunting vocals to open for the rap. The MV follows the lyrics, as Jerry.K raps about youngsters graduating and having to work at a call center due to lack of work experience. Despite it seeming to be better than working at a factory, it's no walk in the park either.
The MV ends with a PSA for people to call helplines for work opportunities, showing off the thought behind the production of this song. The song ends with some great vocals from Oohyo, to be sure to listen the whole way through.

11. Amber (엠버) – “On My Own” Feat. Gen Neo

Being the rapper of f(x), it might be unusual to hear Amber singing, but it's definitely a welcome surprise. The MV starts off very minimalistic, with the camera just following Amber and giving us snippets of her life. She starts of singing, but is quickly joined by Gen Neo for a great duet. The beat, along with Amber's vocals, is reminiscent of old school pop rock, giving me Avril Lavigne feels.
Amber's been releasing great music as a solo artist and this is a gem you don't wan to miss.

12. Crucial Star – “Energy (힘)”

Feeling down? This song will give you strength to keep going, after all 3 guys are telling you to cheer up. Hanhae and Brother Su feature on this Crucial Star track to let you know that everything will be okay in the end. Everyone faces difficulties in life, but as long as we keep moving forward, we'll be doing fine.
This song is an anthem for anytime you need some music to make you feel better.

13. Huckleberry P – “Dalmatian (달마시안)”

Naming a song after a type of dog might be questionable, but if Huckleberry P does it, you know there must be a good reason. So this song starts off with aclean piano and MV shows Huck P playing the air piano, but then the beat just drops without a warning and it becomes a complex hip hop melody.

Huck P lives up to his lyrical reputation, alluding our experiences in life to a dalmatian's spots. They are not all the same and not all beautiful, but they make us who we are, setting us apart from each other.
The MV brings the music to life with some interesting visuals and Hi-Lite Records has kindly included subtitles, so feel free to replay it - we won't judge you.

14. Zion T (자이언티) – “Knock (쿵)”

With Show Me The Money Season 5 churning out hit after hit, it was hard to choose just one, but Zion T's 쿵 resonated the most with me lyrically. In true Zion. T fashion, this song starts off with simple piano sounds and finger snaps right before he drops his beginning verse.
Most hip hop artists like to talk about money and name brands or start diss battles throughout their music, but once again, Zion.T shows his uniqueness by being humble throughout the song and in fact calling out his friends saying he misses them.
This song is easy on the ears, so be sure to give it a listen if you like some Zion. T.

Popsori.com's Jason Yu & Joy and Korea.com's Emily You contributed to this report from Seoul. [E-mail: maintyoung@korea.com]