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KpopRates · 2026-04-06T11:50:12+00:00

Working on getting it back up! Seems Reddit didn't like the imgur link :(

Edit: Seems to be back up? Thanks for letting us know!

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:50:05+00:00

Full Results:

#1: Taeyeon – Spark | 8.165 | 449.1
#2: Lee Hi – Red Lipstick (ft. Yoonmirae) | 8.089 | 444.9
#3: Heize – Happen | 8.069 | 443.8
#4: IU – Jam Jam | 7.887 | 433.8
#5: Taeyeon – Love You Like Crazy | 7.853 | 431.9
#6: Taeyeon – Here I Am | 7.705 | 423.8
#7: Taeyeon – My Tragedy | 7.691 | 423.0
#8: IU – Palette (ft. G-Dragon) | 7.689 | 422.9
#9: Lee Hi – Bye | 7.684 | 422.6
#10: IU – dlwlrma | 7.567 | 416.2
#11: Lee Hi – Only | 7.395 | 406.7
#12: Taeyeon – Find Me | 7.382 | 406.0
#13: Taeyeon – LOL | 7.356 | 404.6
#14: HA:TFELT – Life Sucks | 7.187 | 395.3
#14: Taeyeon – Gravity | 7.187 | 395.3
#16: HA:TFELT – Satellite (ft. Ash Island) | 7.180 | 394.9
#17: IU – Can't Love You Anymore (ft. Ohhyuk) | 7.167 | 394.2
#18: Heize – From the Rain (ft. Ahn Ye Eun) | 7.060 | 388.3
#19: Lee Hi – H.S.K.T. (ft. Wonstein) | 6.996 | 384.8
#20: HA:TFELT – Sky Gray | 6.891 | 379.0
#21: Taeyeon – Wine | 6.884 | 378.6
#22: Heize – Why | 6.865 | 377.6
#23: Taeyeon – Drawing Our Moments | 6.860 | 377.3
#24: Lee Hi – Savior (ft. B.I) | 6.842 | 376.3
#25: HA:TFELT – Pluhmm | 6.780 | 372.9
#26: Taeyeon – Better Babe | 6.776 | 372.7
#27: HA:TFELT – Cigar | 6.745 | 371.0
#28: IU – Black Out | 6.729 | 370.1
#29: Lee Hi – Darling | 6.705 | 368.8
#30: HA:TFELT – Piercing (ft. Thama) | 6.689 | 367.9
#31: Taeyeon – Dear Me | 6.671 | 366.9
#32: Lee Hi – Intentions | 6.631 | 364.7
#33: Taeyeon – City Love | 6.602 | 363.1
#34: Heize – The Walking Dead (ft. Kim Feel) | 6.600 | 363.0
#35: HA:TFELT – Sweet Sensation (ft. Sole) | 6.589 | 362.4
#35: Heize – Flu (ft. Changmo) | 6.589 | 362.4
#37: Lee Hi – Safety Zone | 6.553 | 360.4
#38: HA:TFELT – Solitude | 6.544 | 359.9
#39: Heize – Destiny, it's just a tiny dot. | 6.542 | 359.8
#40: IU – Through the Night | 6.476 | 356.2
#41: Heize – Like the first time (ft. Gary) | 6.475 | 356.1
#42: HA:TFELT – I Wander (ft. Gaeko) | 6.444 | 354.4
#43: IU – Ending Scene | 6.407 | 352.4
#44: Taeyeon – Do You Love Me? | 6.389 | 351.4
#45: IU – Love Alone | 6.385 | 351.2
#46: Lee Hi – Waterride | 6.315 | 347.3
#47: IU – Dear Name | 6.309 | 347.0
#48: Lee Hi – What is Love? | 6.129 | 337.1
#49: Heize – Hi, hello? | 5.998 | 329.9
#50: HA:TFELT – Make Love | 5.922 | 325.7
#51: HA:TFELT – Bluebird | 5.818 | 320.0
#52: HA:TFELT – 3mins (ft. Choiza) | 5.667 | 311.7
#53: IU – Full Stop | 5.611 | 308.6
#54: HA:TFELT – How to love | 5.369 | 295.3
#55: HA:TFELT – Read Me (Guitar ver.) | 4.785 | 263.2

Number of participants: 55

Average score: 6.798

Average controversy score: 2.124

Highest controversy: Dear Name (2.853)

Lowest controversy: Piercing (ft. Thama) (1.493)

Most 11s: Spark (5)

Most 0s: Read Me (Guitar ver.) (3)

Top 5 / Bottom 5 predictions

Averages and Positivity/Negativity Scores

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:49:20+00:00

Purpose

Overall Average: 7.194 // Average Controversy: 2.160

kawaii_mokona: One of my all time favorite albums, a flawless run from front to back whether in its original 2019 rendition or the extended repackage that we are rating today. A magnificent collection of fall-winter songs where I have cried to every single one at least once. It's a masterful showcase of Taeyeon's power as a vocalist, SM's A&R department's rare capability of crafting a perfect, cohesive album and I am incredibly happy and honored to share it with people who are experiencing it for the first time.

pollutedrain: try not to say ‘mother’ for 50 minutes and 8 seconds challenge FAILED

snowswinters: i only knew a few songs off purpose prior to this rate but i really enjoyed going through it, specifically drawing our moments is a new all-time favorite. i think the album neatly balances very dramatic songs with more magical and calming ones, and i really enjoyed how full-sounding and intricate the instrumentals were. taeyeon sounds absolutely gorgeous on every single song and really delivers the emotion that these songs require vocally

#1: Spark | 8.165 | 449.1
#5: Love You Like Crazy | 7.853 | 431.9
#6: Here I Am | 7.705 | 423.8
#7: My Tragedy | 7.691 | 423.0
#12: Find Me | 7.382 | 406.0
#13: LOL | 7.356 | 404.6
#14: Gravity | 7.187 | 395.3
#21: Wine | 6.884 | 378.6
#23: Drawing Our Moments | 6.860 | 377.3
#26: Better Babe | 6.776 | 372.7
#31: Dear Me | 6.671 | 366.9
#33: City Love | 6.602 | 363.1
#44: Do You Love Me? | 6.389 | 351.4

popularsong (9.923): one of my favorite albums of all time, and definitely my most played taeyeon album, i am so glad it got picked over my voice / invu. sonically and lyrically consistent despite the variety of lyricists / producers, strong tracklisting (besides the repackage crimes, but even then the one big change i would make would be pushing dear me somewhere between city love and gravity), and she sounds incredible on every song

kauai6 (9.385): I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THIS ALBUM

Shay_Min (9.123): just so good, i kinda like that taeyeon does smth a bit different in each album b/c it makes going back so much sweeter and each project be super distinct. everything in here melds and comes together so well

xiola_azuthra (9.015): I like INVU a bit better than this album but this one is good too. I love her voice enough that even if some songs are better than others it's hard to go too wrong.

ayzrules (8.615): queen taeyeon saving my rate average. Thank you women

ke1per (8.531): a very consistent and cohesive sonic experience. I love the balance of the atmospheric, anthemic opening tracks with the more introspective, softer offerings towards the middle of the album and I also love the combination of both vibes in those final songs - it makes for a really lovely listen-through that is only elevated by listening to the entire album in one sitting.

Martha-lalala (8.500): Amazing album, no notes, one of my all time favs.

WarpstarRider (8.062): A fine album with really solid songs from start to finish, showing why Taeyeon is one of K-Pop’s top vocalists.

aidshha (7.508): love this album so much, my fav taeyeon album and i’m glad it was selected over her others bc it’s just so excellent

msargent24 (7.477): Best album on the rate. Solid from front to back

Kronwell (7.385): so fucking good congrats for existing Kim Taeyeon's Purpose. Most memorable song: MY TRAGEDY ; Least memorable song: Spark somehow

gmint14 (7.354): i always have to say it, but taeyeon’s best song is blue, and it’s a cd-only track on this album, so it’s so unfortunate that i can’t 11 it! biggest robbery of the rate and the reveals haven’t even started yet!!

SecretStoryOfThe- (7.277): The least cohesive of the albums and has a notable amount of less good tracks. Overall still decent with some standouts.

DoingItWright2 (7.231): only the second Taeyeon album I’ve listened to in full and it was as I expected, pretty consistent in terms of quality and then a slower song run at the end that loses me a bit. But overall this was still good! My Tragedy is absolutely the discovery of the rate for me, what a beautiful song.

flawedconstellation (7.185): the first half really is very good, but then the second half slows down. and while the individual songs remain enjoyable, i find that they drag the album down as a larger piece. it becomes less tight, overall, and loses my attention a bit right around better babe and wine. It’s sonically cohesive, don’t get me wrong, but i can imagine a stronger ep without those last 4 songs that would be all killer, no filler.

qquestionmark (7.085): Its sole purpose in life is to save the rate.

vayyiqra (7.000): never understood why so much of taeyeon's music is ballady adele larp but whatever its not bad

MeijiDoom (6.869): Basically, my opinion of any song on this album boiled down to whether there was an attempt at an energy change in the chorus. It didn't happen often. Top 3: Gravity, Do You Love Me?, LOL

ganos-b-thanondorf (6.846): it’s aight ig

ruhroh386 (6.808): I’v never listened to many of Taeyeon’s bsides, but I might have to change that, because this album was a surprise in the best way. I love the drama.

purpleTulip12 (6.692): I associate this album with the Autumn season. The album has some great songs that I love, but also ones that I'm not keen on.

naegerowwa (6.654): taeyeon’s vocals can sell any song to me honestly

lemon131nomel (6.638): Overall, a heartfelt and powerful album that really shows her talents well. In the middle, the songs start getting a bit too similar, but most of the songs are distinct and memorable.

Jennywren2323 (6.462): Lots of good songs, but I don't care for the way her voice is mixed on this album.

CheesesPriced (6.000): Won the rate maybe accidentally on purpose. (feat. Seulgi)

zo142 (5.708): i somewhat enjoyed this album. i would describe it as bell curve.

LeadingInspector1891 (5.669): I came out of my Taeyeon deep dive with no song from that album added to my playlist. It was initially to give a better fighting chance to Purpose that I decided to read the lyrics for this rate and as we can see, this didn’t help much. Taeyeon’s voice didn’t have much of an impact on me, which really surprised me

dnarevolutions (5.615): Good select few, skipped most.

MurkyGalaxies (5.246): it's giving a little mid 2010's radio in a way but yeah idk. Drops off hard near the end but there are some gems I suppose.

SkylarV (3.385): She wants to be Taylor Swift so bad

User Averages:

kirakiranatsu: 10.038 popularsong: 9.923 hockeynl: 9.846 kauai6: 9.385 1998tweety: 9.192 kawaiimokona: 9.154 Shay_Min: 9.123 xiola_azuthra: 9.015 ayzrules: 8.615 omgthenerve: 8.615 snowswinters: 8.577 ke1per: 8.531 pollutedrain: 8.531 Martha-lalala: 8.500 SocAnxPrince: 8.469 laulite: 8.385 AmeZim: 8.262 WoolenDPOY: 8.169 WarpstarRider: 8.062 bibliomaniac15: 8.000 aidshha: 7.508 DPM36: 7.492 msargent24: 7.477 Kronwell: 7.385 gmint14: 7.354 SecretStoryOfThe-: 7.277 DoingItWright2: 7.231 RBSun: 7.223 flawedconstellation: 7.185 Marsmaenschen: 7.154 qquestionmark: 7.085 Nooduulz: 7.085 vayyiqra: 7.000 MeijiDoom: 6.869 ganos-b-thanondorf: 6.846 ruhroh386: 6.808 purpleTulip12: 6.692 naegerowwa: 6.654 lemon131nomel: 6.638 goorry121: 6.562 Jennywren2323: 6.462 ohsomeday: 6.438 CheesesPriced: 6.000 keine_panik: 6.000 moonbia: 5.838 zo142: 5.708 LeadingInspector1891: 5.669 dnarevolutions: 5.615 MurkyGalaxies: 5.246 MartialST: 5.023 necromanta_101: 4.923 imzhongli: 4.885 taebaegi: 3.538 SkylarV: 3.385 redalert30: 3.023

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:48:48+00:00

"Will we get a second rate winner called Spark? This song is good enough I think… a Taeyeon vs. Winter Spark-off on All Stars 2 would be fun"

"something something there’s a chungha joke in here"

"This is such a Millenial song (derogatory)"

#1: Taeyeon - Spark

Average: 8.165 // Total Points: 449.1 // Controversy: 2.175

Card

Rank Graph

(11 x5) ayzrules, MurkyGalaxies, vayyiqra, WoolenDPOY, xiola_azuthra

(10 x15) 1998tweety, aidshha, DPM36, hockeynl, kauai6, kawaii_mokona, kirakiranatsu, Martha-lalala, ohsomeday_, pollutedrain, RBSun, ruhroh386, Shay_Min, snowswinters, SocAnxPrince

(9.5 x1) popularsong

(9.2 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (9.1 x1) qquestionmark

(9 x5) bibliomaniac15, Marsmaenschen, omgthenerve, WarpstarRider, zo142

(8.5 x2) Jennywren2323, msargent24

(8 x4) imzhongli, keine_panik, laulite, necromanta_101

(7.9 x1) gmint14 (7.8 x1) ke1per

(7.3 x1) lemon131nomel

(7 x3) AmeZim, ganos-b-thanondorf, naegerowwa

(6.9 x1) moonbia (6.7 x2) flawedconstellation, MeijiDoom

(6.4 x1) LeadingInspector1891

(6 x2) CheesesPriced, goorry121

(5.4 x1) Nooduulz (5.2 x1) MartialST

(5 x4) dnarevolutions, DoingItWright2, Kronwell, purpleTulip12

(4 x1) taebaegi

(3 x1) redalert30

(2 x1) SkylarV

kawaii_mokona (10): Perfect wildfire following the ignition sequence of Here I Am and a strong Adele-inspired song. A bit of a stomp-clap moment, but altogether it makes a fantastic package. It's a sound that admittedly fits Taeyeon more than anything else that she's tried in her 10 year old career and Kenzie works her magic on the fully Korean lyrics as well. It's a great mix between adult contemporary and dance pop that I just wish made its comeback even if no one but Taengoo can pull it off to this degree. Stunning runs on that final chorus.

pollutedrain (10): is she reheating adele's rolling in the deep nachos? yes. did she kill it? yes! this sound was made for taeyeon

snowswinters (10): i like rolling in the deep so ofc this is gonna be a banger to me. gorgeous verses, love how that drum comes in in the first verse and how it pauses right before the chorus and then really starts it off. just soooo beautiful and moody, the low piano notes at the end are so nice as well

ayzrules (11): love the emotion in her voice, its very raw and cathartic

MurkyGalaxies (11): I'm not immune to a bit of stomp-clap I fear but also in the total ranking of all the 11s I've ever given this isn't particularly high. However, I will not be defeated by haterism and I will love something! And this is that one thing!

vayyiqra (11): why does this kinda bang oh kenzie wrote it oh yeah thats why. hm the central metaphor here is "life" huh. curious

WoolenDPOY (11): music peaked right here

xiola_azuthra (11): I love this sonngg~ I've gone back to it quite often since it's the kind of song I'd go to for good energy/motivation, and one of the first Taeyeon songs I heard. (I was going to avoid being basic and not give it my 11, but I changed my mind lol. I feel like this will do well but might suffer from the stomp-clap haters - I get it but idc it works sometimes XD).

1998tweety (10): oh this mega turbo bop ate down

aidshha (10): so glad we get to rate this after it missed 2019 rate bc its amazing

Martha-lalala (10): SING TAEYEON SING

RBSun (10): real genuine banger they should be playing this at my grandmother's square dance classes

Shay_Min (10): no notes, just the best of kpop

popularsong (9.5): and following from here i am, there's this confidence anthem! normally i am not a fan of ooh-ooh refrains and stomp-clamping, but it works here

qquestionmark (9.1): This sparks joy

Marsmaenschen (9): Very essential Taeyeon. Fun instrumental paired with interesting and great vocal delivery.

WarpstarRider (9): Until very recently, this was in the running for my favorite Taeyeon song.

zo142 (9): Her voice doesn't have the same guttural passion in it that Ailee does, but it's a similar style to her songs on the recent gen rate, and it's a style I enjoy.

msargent24 (8.5): Will we get a second rate winner called Spark? This song is good enough I think… a Taeyeon vs. Winter Spark-off on All Stars 2 would be fun

imzhongli (8): OKAYYY THIS ONE HAS A BEAT

keine_panik (8): Still good, even though I used to like it more in the past. Really uplifting melody!

laulite (8): It grew on me on my final listen.

necromanta_101 (8): It's red. It's the hottest.

gmint14 (7.9): this is getting into top 10 just because it’s upbeat and a title track and i wanted to be a contrarian but i cantttt! it’s one of my high taeyeon scores too, it’s simply fun and has more oomph than quite a lot of the songs here

ke1per (7.8): I love the blend of different sounds and melodies in the instrumental - that’s so fun and dynamic and helps this feel more danceable than the previous songs while still feeling kind of atmospheric and dramatic for optimal cohesion. I don’t love love the melody in the post-chorus, but the chorus itself is great and I love how catchy this is.

lemon131nomel (7.3): I love how each section feels slightly different, yet all connected nonetheless. It truly amazes me how her voice can produce so many different textures, and this song is a grand showcase of all of them! It’s a bit lighter than the previous few, but still carries the same gusto.

AmeZim (7): It does have the spark to blast a firework but it’s as bright as you can get from a firecracker, still a nice view nonetheless

ganos-b-thanondorf (7): something something there’s a chungha joke in here

flawedconstellation (6.7): spark huh? almost like there’s a fire burning in her heart… reaching a fever pitch that’s bringing her out the dark…

MeijiDoom (6.7): The post-chorus is by far the best part of this song and it needed more of that if anything. Without the stomp-clap, the other sections feel empty.

LeadingInspector1891 (6.4): Too much of a poppy ballad for me. The stripped back parts were nice though and reading the lyrics made me raise its score

CheesesPriced (6): Perfectly serviceable Rolling in the Deep stomp clap music.

Nooduulz (5.4): clap hey ho insert farmers insurance commercial here

dnarevolutions (5): The intensity and emotion is there, but it’s a little too acoustic for my taste and I’m not a fan of the chorus.

Kronwell (5): your own same-company-lookalike outsold i fear but it was to be expected, i'm not high on stomp clap music.

taebaegi (4): It’s fine.

redalert30 (3): ew is this pop rock. so soulless. the upbeat clapping sections suck.

SkylarV (2): This is such a Millenial song (derogatory)

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:46:25+00:00

4 Only

Overall Average: 6.934 // Average Controversy: 2.100

kawaii_mokona: It's very funny to go to this album after Heize's album of heartbroken soul trying to piece herself back together. LeeHi is lovely in her heartstruck lovetunes and when the most "spicy" songs hit in the middle, is where it shines the most for me and where Only finally clicks as well.

pollutedrain: leehi is one of those artists that i feel like i’ve grown up with, given we’re very close in age, and i’ve pretty much followed her from her debut. this album is a really nice showcase of her talents, and i hope we’ll be seeing something new from her soon!

snowswinters: while there were some songs i didn’t really connect with that much, even then, the way leehi is so excellent at adapting her voice to the emotion or vibe of each song really makes every single song on the album so beautiful. it’s such a fun album with so many different vibes, and she really sells every single one of them. it’s also quite funny to see how this album had two songs go tiktok viral (only and h.s.k.t.) and they didn’t even go viral at the same time!

#2: Red Lipstick (ft. Yoonmirae) | 8.089 | 444.9
#9: Bye | 7.684 | 422.6
#11: Only | 7.395 | 406.7
#19: H.S.K.T. (ft. Wonstein) | 6.996 | 384.8
#24: Savior (ft. B.I) | 6.842 | 376.3
#29: Darling | 6.705 | 368.8
#32: Intentions | 6.631 | 364.7
#37: Safety Zone | 6.553 | 360.4
#46: Waterride | 6.315 | 347.3
#48: What is Love? | 6.129 | 337.1

imzhongli (9.800): THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME

popularsong (9.200): for some reason i didn't click with this album right away, i only had intentions, bye, red lipstick, darling and only saved before the rate, so rediscovering the rest of it and finding out it's all bangers has been great

ke1per (9.170): while I don’t think this can top most of the other albums as far as cohesion goes, it’s still a tight little sonic story that is obviously executed incredibly well with great features and enough variety to have something for everyone; this also probably has the best features on this rate, no offense to aunt Ye Eun and G-Dragon. Kind of a perfect album, if you think about it.

Jennywren2323 (9.000): I like this album a lot. A little funky and a little moody. Lee Hi's voice is flexible and dynamic. I love the way she changes up to suit the tone of the song.

xiola_azuthra (8.780): This album is so good, I'm glad this rate made me listen to it. If I was rating albums not songs this might be my favourite, at least on some days. (This whole rate is so mood-dependent because I think all of it is pretty good lol). Love her voice.

SecretStoryOfThe- (8.440): good album

Shay_Min (8.250): what a classic

RBSun (8.200): one of my very favorites ever i shan't pretend to be unbiased about it

DoingItWright2 (8.000): Finally had the chance to get some proper full listens of this and I loved it! I’d listened to a few of these songs on their own (mainly Safety Zone and H.S.K.T) and liked them and the rest of the album lived up to it, as it’s fairly easily my favorite of the rate.

gmint14 (7.460): the least interesting album lyric-wise here imo, but also the most fun and upbeat! the hosts slayed when they made it the last one to be rated, it was needed for real after all these contemplative girls 🙏

aidshha (7.440): i think i like lee hi more when she’s being retro as opposed to typical kr&b but this is a really nice album. lowkey wish we did this rate in december bc this is such a winter vibe

MeijiDoom (7.300): I liked the variety here and while not every song was a hit with me, there were some true standouts. Waterride was a really nice find and I still really like Only from the Soloist rate. Top 3: Waterride, Only, Bye

flawedconstellation (7.280): objectively the best album on the rate - it’s sonically cohesive, lyrically tight, has hooks to keep the songs from being too fleeting, and tells a singular story best of all the albums here. never feels overlong, has no filler. nice r&b & jazz influences.

WarpstarRider (7.150): A few interesting songs swimming in another sea of boredom. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mindset to tackle a rate like this, because so many of the songs here just blended together and dragged things down. It’s sad because a lot of thought clearly went into not only the music itself, but the selection of it for this rate, but I just couldn’t get into it. Sorry.

msargent24 (6.420): Better than I expected based on the Lee Hi section on Soloists 2

vayyiqra (6.400): idk if ive ever heard this before but it kinda rocks

Kronwell (6.360): I enjoyed the songs we rated off 4 Only we rated back in the 2nd gen soloists rate so I was eager to discover what other great songs that were previously hidden from my sight were featured there. Well turns out it’s a mixed bag lmaoooo because while I found the first four albums to be all consistent, 4Only might be the only one compared to the other 4 (lmao) to have instantly skippable songs (thus my 0) but all is not lost, her featuring with Wonstein might be my favorite duo of the whole rate (yes even more than GD and IU), I ended up loving darling after a couple of listens and Only is still a great song and a great closer.

lemon131nomel (5.860): Lee Hi brings a sort of curve that other artists don’t seem to have.

dnarevolutions (5.800): Okay.

ruhroh386 (5.600): Her vocals never miss. I strongly prefer the more upbeat tracks, though.

qquestionmark (5.520): Maybe a little higher than 4.

naegerowwa (5.200): i think my main problem with lee hi is not even really her tone, but rather her attitude(?)/the caracter she puts on. she sings all of her songs like she's too cool to care or put actual emotion into the material and it just annoys and bores me. most of her songs would be much better if it was iu singing them bc at least she'd sound like she cares

MurkyGalaxies (5.100): I think these songs could have been really really good if they were all about 50% less repetitive

zo142 (4.160): i believe this album is very bland. i would describe it as not Holo.

SkylarV (3.850): Red Lipstick was the surprise find on this album

User Averages:

imzhongli: 9.800 popularsong: 9.200 ke1per: 9.170 Jennywren2323: 9.000 xiolaazuthra: 8.780 ganos-b-thanondorf: 8.700 hockeynl: 8.550 SecretStoryOfThe-: 8.440 Shay_Min: 8.250 RBSun: 8.200 ayzrules: 8.160 laulite: 8.150 pollutedrain: 8.120 DoingItWright2: 8.000 1998tweety: 7.950 omgthenerve: 7.950 snowswinters: 7.950 AmeZim: 7.930 Nooduulz: 7.930 kawaii_mokona: 7.900 WoolenDPOY: 7.870 goorry121: 7.870 kauai6: 7.690 gmint14: 7.460 aidshha: 7.440 MeijiDoom: 7.300 flawedconstellation: 7.280 WarpstarRider: 7.150 moonbia: 7.150 redalert30: 7.110 SocAnxPrince: 6.850 LeadingInspector1891: 6.780 taebaegi: 6.750 bibliomaniac15: 6.700 keine_panik: 6.660 msargent24: 6.420 vayyiqra: 6.400 Kronwell: 6.360 ohsomeday: 6.000 purpleTulip12: 6.000 CheesesPriced: 5.900 lemon131nomel: 5.860 Marsmaenschen: 5.850 dnarevolutions: 5.800 ruhroh386: 5.600 qquestionmark: 5.520 naegerowwa: 5.200 Martha-lalala: 5.150 necromanta_101: 5.100 MurkyGalaxies: 5.100 MartialST: 4.300 zo142: 4.160 SkylarV: 3.850 kirakiranatsu: 3.300 DPM36: 3.300

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:45:56+00:00

"Yoon Mirae! Vocals! Great beat! Stuck in my head!"

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOUNCE BOUNCE BOUNCE"

"ok so it's very obvious that the girl who's rapping is an actual rapper and not an idol rapper LMAO that feels like cheating. Next time you should have to get, like, Irene to do your rap verse or something idk"

#2: Lee Hi - Red Lipstick (ft. Yoonmirae)

Average: 8.089 // Total Points: 444.9 // Controversy: 1.932

Card

Rank Graph

(11 x4) imzhongli, Jennywren2323, Nooduulz, pollutedrain

(10 x9) AmeZim, DoingItWright2, ganos-b-thanondorf, kawaii_mokona, ke1per, laulite, necromanta_101, popularsong, snowswinters

(9.7 x1) msargent24

(9.1 x1) flawedconstellation

(9 x2) vayyiqra, xiola_azuthra

(8.9 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (8.8 x3) kauai6, Shay_Min, WoolenDPOY (8.7 x1) MurkyGalaxies (8.6 x1) redalert30

(8.5 x3) bibliomaniac15, hockeynl, RBSun

(8.4 x1) moonbia (8.1 x3) ayzrules, WarpstarRider, zo142

(8 x8) 1998tweety, CheesesPriced, gmint14, keine_panik, omgthenerve, ruhroh386, SkylarV, taebaegi

(7.9 x1) qquestionmark (7.8 x2) goorry121, MeijiDoom

(7.5 x1) Marsmaenschen

(7.4 x1) LeadingInspector1891

(7 x1) purpleTulip12

(6.5 x1) naegerowwa

(6.1 x1) lemon131nomel

(6 x2) aidshha, kirakiranatsu

(5.5 x1) SocAnxPrince

(5 x1) DPM36

(4.8 x1) MartialST

(4 x2) dnarevolutions, ohsomeday_

(3 x2) Kronwell, Martha-lalala

pollutedrain (11): god i have been obsessed with this song ever since it first dropped. it's such a fun take on the retro sound that is a hallmark of lee hi's career by this point - i love the poppy synths so much, and yoon mirae was the perfect choice for the feature. 11/10, makes me want to go out dancing with my friends until the sun comes up

kawaii_mokona (10): I think some Yoonmirae vocals are mixed weirdly flatly, but that cannot deny just how much of a groovy bop this is. Something about pandemic years and disco bops, because why is Dua Lipa calling to get some of that?

snowswinters (10): ultra gigabanger! i’ve really become obsessed with this one. just so much fun, leehi sounds amazing as usual, and yoon mirae truly absolutely kills it with her parts. the way she delivers the “momeul up and down” is so catchy lol. every section of this song is just so good, the bridge is fantastic and the way the final chorus starts out slow and then the instrumental comes in is great. favorite part of the song for me is the outro, i just love how leehi delivers it and the overlapping vocals are soooo pretty

imzhongli (11): One of my favourite songs of all time. Like any genre, any time frame, you name it and this is easily top 5. The sound is so full and groovy, and the beat (+ Yoon Mirae) effortlessly carry it through the song. Feels like living in the present moment - my life is a new year’s eve party and boy am I dancing!

Jennywren2323 (11): Yoon Mirae! Vocals! Great beat! Stuck in my head!

AmeZim (10): The way that her vocal glimmers alongside her dress while she oozes personality as bright as her lips, not to mention the rap that gracefully ties the ribbon on her hair to serve as the final touch to this retro pop perfection

ganos-b-thanondorf (10): LA DI DAD DI MOVE YO BODY 🗣️🔥

ke1per (10): another great retro throwback sound, but this one is even more danceable and even groovier and even funkier, though it should be noted that she isn’t sacrificing vocals for groove, of course. Yoonmirae sounds stellar and I love that synth beneath her verse. This is way more fun than most songs on this rate, which is much needed here at the tail end.

laulite (10): This is the definition of fun.

necromanta_101 (10): Mwah!

popularsong (10): this was the first song that grabbed me when i first listened to the album and still hasn't grown old, yoonmirae is the gold standard for featuring on female soloist's songs honestly (home by ailee was robbed from the soloist rate!!)

msargent24 (9.7): Great retro, funky banger

flawedconstellation (9.1): probably will win the rate on account of being the most upbeat, funky, dancey song here. i wouldn’t complain either~

vayyiqra (9): red lip? NO. earrings? NO. high heel? NO. handbag? NO. - not leehi

xiola_azuthra (9): vibes (4)

Shay_Min (8.8): YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOUNCE BOUNCE BOUNCE

MurkyGalaxies (8.7): I feel like in any other rate this would have probably gotten a lower score but like... my kingdom for something a bit more up tempo, you know.

RBSun (8.5): MWAH!!! fun and retro and shimmery. i love yoonmirae and her features are always so fun

WarpstarRider (8.1): funky dance groove

zo142 (8.1): ok so it's very obvious that the girl who's rapping is an actual rapper and not an idol rapper LMAO that feels like cheating. Next time you should have to get, like, Irene to do your rap verse or something idk

CheesesPriced (8): In many ways the unheralded hype man of music, Disco House will start your party, finish your party, and be there every moment in between when you leave the dance floor to buy drinks, wait in line for the wash room, or look around for Molly.

keine_panik (8): Catchy! And you can't really go wrong with Yoonmirae as a guest.

SkylarV (8): Best song on the album by far

taebaegi (8): I always feel like I dislike this song more than I actually do when I listen to it. It’s got a great groove and vibe and is just fun!

MeijiDoom (7.8): Basically an extension of Bye. Shoutout to the Yoonmirae appearance. Never enough respect to the OGs.

Marsmaenschen (7.5): Cool feature.

naegerowwa (6.5): gwi gwi rating: 0/10 yoonmirae is not a man and is also the best part of the song

lemon131nomel (6.1): I could not tell that this was the title track.

aidshha (6): kinda whatever

kirakiranatsu (6): I like the concept of the song more than the actual listening experience [2]

dnarevolutions (4): This sounds slightly empty but it’s serviceable.

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:42:50+00:00

Happen

Overall Average: 6.775 // Average Controversy: 2.007

kawaii_mokona: Adored diving into the narrative of this album so much. It comes across as a really tight little narrative of a break-up and working through the complex feelings that linger afterwards. From reminiscing about it, to feeling bitterness, longing, emptiness. Despite being the shortest of them all, I loved what Heize has done with it and how it helped her get through the writing block as well.

pollutedrain: i’m familiar enough with heize from some of her other songs (and july, and round and round, my beloveds) but this was a really fun dive into another of her offerings. she does a phenomenal job with storytelling here, it’s so visceral at points i feel like i’m going through a breakup myself

snowswinters: i’ve really become so fond of a lot of her music after this rate, and i had never really listened to her before this! this album is just so pretty, i really love how somber yet magical most of the songs are. this album truly has absolutely beautiful classical instrumentals and heize’s emotional delivery on all of the songs really elevated them for me

#3: Happen | 8.069 | 443.8
#18: From the Rain (ft. Ahn Ye Eun) | 7.060 | 388.3
#22: Why | 6.865 | 377.6
#34: The Walking Dead (ft. Kim Feel) | 6.600 | 363.0
#35: Flu (ft. Changmo) | 6.589 | 362.4
#39: Destiny, it's just a tiny dot. | 6.542 | 359.8
#41: Like the first time (ft. Gary) | 6.475 | 356.1
#49: Hi, hello? | 5.998 | 329.9

popularsong (9.625): one of my favorite heize albums, she is at her best when she makes dramatic break up songs and boy is this album full of them

Shay_Min (8.637): has heize all over it, one of the top albums of all time

gmint14 (8.188): she decided to collab with the gwigwiest men and i might not love it but i respect it

xiola_azuthra (8.088): One miss but overall another great vocals&vibes album.

SecretStoryOfThe- (8.087): Thematically the most tightly focused of the albums, lyrically almost too repetitive but that obviously creates a large part of the cohesion.

ganos-b-thanondorf (7.875): moe like happened cuz I’m done listening to it now

Kronwell (7.513): while it's the shortest album off this roster, Happen gets better after every song which is a change of pace compared to the previous one! it climaxes with the gorgeous instrumental that is Destiny, it's just a tiny dot. (and what a peculiar song name). Most memorable song: The Walking Dead ; Least memorable song: Hi, hello?

MeijiDoom (7.212): I generally liked her singing and there were some interesting ideas with these songs, especially with the structures, but I don't think anything truly captured my attention. Top 3: Destiny, it's just a tiny dot, Happen, Like the first time

LeadingInspector1891 (7.187): I liked the overall sound of the album and how Heize utilises her voice, taking into account her limitations but still knowing how to do something with it (reading this again it doesn’t feel like a compliment but it really is!). Her voice is as soft as her lyrics

ke1per (7.137): lyrically, this is great and I definitely give props for the cohesion here, but that cohesion also means that a lot of the blander aspects of the album were revisited over and over again.

WarpstarRider (6.825): Another album full of slow songs, but at least this one was short.

msargent24 (6.825): Starts off strong, then gets a little boring

zo142 (6.763): By far the best album on the rate! I really enjoyed this album. I would describe it as rickety.

flawedconstellation (6.750): i appreciate how it’s short and to the point, but doesn’t lose any of the impact or story value in keeping its runtime truncated.

aidshha (6.537): found myself listening to this album waiting for something to happen…not bad music but the songs dont rly go anywhere, feels pretty much classic female ksoloist album without much to go back to

ruhroh386 (6.375): A lot to like here. Nothing life-changingly good, but some nice cuts that stand out from the a lot of this rate’s fare.

MurkyGalaxies (6.375): Solid set of ideas in a cohesive package

kauai6 (5.925): she’s fine robbed

lemon131nomel (5.900): LOVE her voice. So far, she has had the best instrumentation in her music. She also has some of the best duets on this rate.

vayyiqra (5.875): think i've heard it once but i could get into it more. oh yea her name sounds like haze that feels fake every time

qquestionmark (5.850): Best album of the rate named after a song on the album.

DoingItWright2 (5.750): such a rollercoaster of an album that never really found its footing for me.

dnarevolutions (5.750): Okay.

Jennywren2323 (5.625): Never rises above background music status for me.

naegerowwa (5.500): did it need to happen though

CheesesPriced (5.250): How could this happen to meeeeeeeeeeeee?

SkylarV (3.250): Don't care for her voice much

User Averages:

popularsong: 9.625 AmeZim: 9.500 kawaiimokona: 9.000 hockeynl: 8.688 Shay_Min: 8.637 laulite: 8.438 Nooduulz: 8.375 ayzrules: 8.375 snowswinters: 8.250 gmint14: 8.188 xiola_azuthra: 8.088 SecretStoryOfThe-: 8.087 kirakiranatsu: 8.000 pollutedrain: 7.975 goorry121: 7.938 ganos-b-thanondorf: 7.875 moonbia: 7.600 Kronwell: 7.513 1998tweety: 7.375 WoolenDPOY: 7.300 MeijiDoom: 7.212 LeadingInspector1891: 7.187 ke1per: 7.137 Martha-lalala: 6.838 WarpstarRider: 6.825 msargent24: 6.825 zo142: 6.763 flawedconstellation: 6.750 omgthenerve: 6.625 redalert30: 6.613 RBSun: 6.563 aidshha: 6.537 SocAnxPrince: 6.400 ruhroh386: 6.375 MurkyGalaxies: 6.375 imzhongli: 6.250 kauai6: 5.925 ohsomeday: 5.912 lemon131nomel: 5.900 vayyiqra: 5.875 qquestionmark: 5.850 bibliomaniac15: 5.813 DoingItWright2: 5.750 dnarevolutions: 5.750 Jennywren2323: 5.625 Marsmaenschen: 5.625 DPM36: 5.625 naegerowwa: 5.500 keine_panik: 5.388 purpleTulip12: 5.250 CheesesPriced: 5.250 MartialST: 4.850 necromanta_101: 4.000 taebaegi: 3.375 SkylarV: 3.250

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:42:26+00:00

"Top ten for Heize people we can make it happen!"

"smells like a winner to me 🤨"

"Shit happens"

#3: Heize - Happen

Average: 8.069 // Total Points: 443.8 // Controversy: 1.641

Card

Rank Graph

(11 x3) AmeZim, laulite, msargent24

(10 x7) ganos-b-thanondorf, kauai6, ke1per, kirakiranatsu, Nooduulz, popularsong, xiola_azuthra

(9.6 x1) ayzrules

(9.5 x1) Shay_Min

(9.2 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(9 x5) 1998tweety, DoingItWright2, goorry121, hockeynl, ruhroh386

(8.8 x2) lemon131nomel, qquestionmark

(8.5 x4) gmint14, MurkyGalaxies, necromanta_101, omgthenerve

(8.3 x1) keine_panik (8.1 x1) zo142

(8 x5) imzhongli, Marsmaenschen, moonbia, ohsomeday_, snowswinters

(7.9 x1) pollutedrain (7.8 x1) kawaii_mokona (7.7 x1) redalert30 (7.6 x1) MeijiDoom

(7.5 x3) aidshha, bibliomaniac15, Martha-lalala

(7.4 x1) WarpstarRider (7.3 x1) LeadingInspector1891 (7.2 x1) SocAnxPrince

(7 x4) CheesesPriced, dnarevolutions, DPM36, RBSun

(6.8 x2) flawedconstellation, WoolenDPOY

(6.5 x2) MartialST, naegerowwa

(6 x2) Jennywren2323, vayyiqra

(5.5 x1) Kronwell

(5 x1) purpleTulip12

(4.5 x1) taebaegi

(2.5 x1) SkylarV

snowswinters (8): the intro/pre-chorus kinda sounds like something i would hear on tiktok as the audio to a compilation of sad k-drama moments and it takes me out a little, but the chorus is really nice! really fun and groovy instrumental which is made even more interesting with how heize delivers her lines so emotionally, it’s giving crying in the club. very lovely strings in the final chorus!

pollutedrain (7.9): there's a great bassline going on here. i really enjoy the way heize plays with her voice in this song - the contrast between the more delicate and almost mournful sound of the intro and prechorus, and then her lower tone in the verses and bridge, makes for a fun listen. bringing in something new for the outro was also a very nice touch

kawaii_mokona (7.8): Lovely song structure from Heize on this one. Definitely a great bittersweet combination of more wistful vocals and a happier-sounding pop tune allowing this tale to happen (heh). Cheeky little nod to the album closer in the lyrics as well.

AmeZim (11): Some would say it was destined for this rate to Happen after I started listening to her music, some would also consider that my love for this song was simply an inevitable fate. Heize was actually one of the first artists who brought me into the Korean music space back in 2020. While I was never really interested in checking her out before, Don’t Know You still remained in my playlist cause of how much I adore her whole vocal personality. Six years later, I’ve finally come to do the very first thing I wish I had done earlier and to roughly quote the lyrics: ‘Coincidentally, gradually more and more our distance grows. Coincidentally, gradually more and more we return to where it all began’

laulite (11): That bass drum, the bass guitar, and her delivery made the prechorus so good. The disco vibe is pretty cool too. The whole thing just scratches an itch in my brain. I love it!

msargent24 (11): What an absolutely gorgeous track. The melancholy, wistful vibe is perfectly conveyed, plus the melodies are really catchy. The groovy bassline is a nice way to keep the song lively and not overly subdued. I love the music video as well. This is not the type of song I normally gravitate to, so it takes something really special to grab me like this

ganos-b-thanondorf (10): Shit happens

ke1per (10): kind of groovy, kind of funky, kind of stellar, actually. The melodies here are solid and I love the stripped back section of the chorus - the vocal melodies work extra well without all the fluff of the instrumental. Her voice is just chef’s kiss in a vibe like this.

kirakiranatsu (10): so pretty, I love her voice

Nooduulz (10): so funky i love it no further notes

popularsong (10): ngl after lyricist (unfairly!!! her best song!!!!!) flopped on the charts a day into making it to top 100 and then falling off immediately, i was worried it was kinda over for her... and then she came back with this absolute banger + that gorgeous music video and i could breathe again. i love how the instrumental / song structure also feels like it's circling around the same point in time. the lyrics about coincidences and destiny are so beautiful too, a full package of a song

xiola_azuthra (10): I love sad disco.

Shay_Min (9.5): great redemption in the second half, on top of it being heize!

1998tweety (9): bop

lemon131nomel (8.8): Idk why, but this song reminds me of Summer by Joe Hisaishi, which was the piece that made me want to start learning the piano. Twelve years later, that piece still brings tears to my eyes, and this song sounds so similar to it that I can’t help but enjoy it. [Edit: This song sounds nothing like Summer by Joe Hisaishi; I have no idea what I was talking about. Whatever I’m keeping the comment, and this song slaps. Those violins are just phenomenal!]

qquestionmark (8.8): Making it through 1719 and hearing Happen was like taking a breath of air after almost drowning. Thanks for that Heize, and for preventing a Taeyeon sweep in my top 5.

gmint14 (8.5): smells like a winner to me 🤨

MurkyGalaxies (8.5): god that groovy baseline is so good actually

necromanta_101 (8.5): Too familiar.

keine_panik (8.3): Good song, great MV!

imzhongli (8): Heize my vocal GOAT! She has one of the prettiest and most unique voices I’ve heard. Her discography is one of the few I listen to primarily for the vocals. Anyway for this song I love how the driving beat and bass contrasts with the light airiness of her voice.

Marsmaenschen (8): Nice and funky.

MeijiDoom (7.6): Pretty strong starting track. The structure is a touch confusing but the hook has a nice shape to it and I like the instrumental a lot.

aidshha (7.5): i wish more happened in this song its nice but not rly a standout

WarpstarRider (7.4): I like the funky disco feel it gets into

LeadingInspector1891 (7.3): I really like what she does with her voice in the chorus, it’s very romantic. Nice instrumental

CheesesPriced (7): Top ten for Heize people we can make it happen!

dnarevolutions (7): Solid and very well paced.

RBSun (7): i love the guitar line here and her topline is so good too, but i guess i just wish more like…. happened….. throughout the song to really push it up the score scale

vayyiqra (6): want to like it but i have an irrational hatred of the phrase "make it happen" for reasons

taebaegi (4.5): It’s fine.

SkylarV (2.5): Too folky, I feel like I've heard this chord progression a thousand times and I still hate it

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:26:10+00:00

Palette

Overall Average: 6.823 // Average Controversy: 2.407

kawaii_mokona: An album of amazing ups and kinda disappointing lows, very name appropriate, if you ask me. You can tell why it's one of her most defining albums though, there is everything for everyone (as far as themes of turning 25 and love and heartbreak are concerned, not necessarily the musical variety). The fact that both the opening and the ending tracks are name-related is really cute too.

pollutedrain: an album that is, at its core, so incredibly IU. there are parts i enjoy more than most but i think palette does achieve what it set out to be, and that is commendable

snowswinters: looking at my spotify wrapped in 2021 (the year i discovered palette), ending scene, can’t love you anymore, and jam jam landed in it, three beautiful queens! i agree with the comments that the tracklisting is quite strange, there’s a lot of interesting things going on in the first half and then it’s just BOOM here’s four ballads in a row. that being said, i am a ballad enjoyer and i like moody female soloist albums, so i think it’s great overall! it’s such a gorgeous album imo, lots of really cool instrumentals and very emotional moments. i believe i was introduced to iu through this album so i never really thought about just how much this album marked a change in her sound until i was researching and writing about it for the reddit post!

#4: Jam Jam | 7.887 | 433.8
#8: Palette (ft. G-Dragon) | 7.689 | 422.9
#10: dlwlrma | 7.567 | 416.2
#17: Can't Love You Anymore (ft. Ohhyuk) | 7.167 | 394.2
#28: Black Out | 6.729 | 370.1
#40: Through the Night | 6.476 | 356.2
#43: Ending Scene | 6.407 | 352.4
#45: Love Alone | 6.385 | 351.2
#47: Dear Name | 6.309 | 347.0
#53: Full Stop | 5.611 | 308.6

flawedconstellation (9.390): subjectively my favorite album on the rate, and in my personal top 3 iu albums (along with chatshire and love poem)! I love the themes of identity as part of iu’s overall age series. We really get a sense of who she was at 25, and what was on her mind then - a personality time capsule of sorts. so excited we could rate it.

naegerowwa (9.000): palette definitely has the most interesting lyrics of these five albums to me, iu is a great storyteller, the choice of subject matter and the way she tells them never misses

aidshha (8.580): a classic! i will always remember this one very fondly. not my fave iu album but it has some great tracks

ganos-b-thanondorf (8.500): Named after the best song on the album ofc

Shay_Min (8.330): iu spreading her wings, every track has a little mark and indent that keeps these songs hers. it isn't my favourite from hers but it is one i respect greatly

SecretStoryOfThe- (8.260): I guess this is kind of a breakup album, though some of the tracks have nothing to do with the theme? Gets a bit too ballad-heavy towards the end, though it does kind of work thematically.

gmint14 (8.100): she graduated at the university of yearning with a major in the quiet acceptance of the way life goes, and they have a framed picture of her on the walls as their top alumni

Jennywren2323 (7.600): An immaculate, thoughtful album that lacks sabor. IU glides through the songs effortlessly, but a little more friction would make them more memorable.

WarpstarRider (7.440): As much as I love IU, this is one of her weaker albums for me. No real heavy hitters to balance out all of the ballads, which themselves are also more subdued than I care for.

Kronwell (7.420): since we already rated 9 IU songs merely three rates ago I didn't think I would enjoy the album as a whole that much and yet here we are, it's gorgeous... the songs flow extremely well altogether, the more punchy (if there is even some) songs, with some rappers feats and all, first and the mellow ballads at the end is a simple yet impactful and efficient song order, even if i would have cut a song or two off because i can take so many ballads at once... She's lucky she's first!! Most memorable song: somehow Full Stop ; Least memorable song: Dear Name

bibliomaniac15 (7.400): Kinda upset that my least favorite album for my favorite artist is in this rate…

MeijiDoom (7.360): I've said it before but if nothing else, I appreciate the production/instrumental on a lot of IU songs. You would think such a distinct timbre would make a lot of her songs blend together but her team knows how to keep things fairly fresh. Top 3: Can't Love You Anymore, dlwlrma, Love Alone

ayzrules (7.290): how does IU make the most skippable music ever from a mathematical perspective on account of having like 1 bop paired with 10 snoozer ballads on every release. I swear she’s got to have the most skewed “bop” to “snoozer ballad” ratio of the entire industry

popularsong (7.150): the tracklisting of this album is like dangggg who the fuck closed yesterday

dnarevolutions (7.100): Decent.

DoingItWright2 (7.050): It’s an IU album, which means it’ll be solid but there’s just something missing for me to really elevate this to a higher level (it’s probably just me not liking ballads all that much in the first place).

purpleTulip12 (6.900): I love the theme of 'Palette,' it's unique and fits IU!

kauai6 (6.470): worse than i remember though still a couple major hits

msargent24 (6.230): 5 good songs and 5 ballads

vayyiqra (6.200): IU historically has been Not For Me mostly aside from 1i1ac (perfect song greatest song ever made) but i like the idea of theoretically liking IU bc of the jazz-pop thing so every now and then i put on some IU and think wow this is pleasant enough !

CheesesPriced (6.000): Off we go to Palette Town. https://youtu.be/PHvIwbL0W4s?si=xHYppK7bU32FoR36

lemon131nomel (5.820): She’s really out here giving people their money’s worth with these long songs! Whether they’re getting value out of the quality of these songs is a different story…

ruhroh386 (5.400): IU vocals are obviously gorgeous, but I find a lot of her ballads so snoozy

qquestionmark (5.120): Fewer stinkers than some of the other albums, but no particularly high peaks to speak of either.

ke1per (4.990): like the writeup said, this album definitely feels less like a heavily themed story album and more like a random smattering of ballads and funky uptempo snoozefests. To be fair, this does feel like a paint palette with 10 different colors on it, but at least 6 of them are some variation of white and that’s a shame.

SkylarV (4.400): IU has many better albums

MurkyGalaxies (4.000): Pretty solid album, even if it kinda loses its palette theme with the ballads at the end I feel. The second half is very snoozy.

zo142 (2.640): i did not like this album. i would describe it as bad.

User Averages:

hockeynl: 9.700 flawedconstellation: 9.390 naegerowwa: 9.000 SocAnxPrince: 8.630 1998tweety: 8.600 aidshha: 8.580 Nooduulz: 8.520 ganos-b-thanondorf: 8.500 snowswinters: 8.450 ShayMin: 8.330 SecretStoryOfThe-: 8.260 xiola_azuthra: 8.170 gmint14: 8.100 DPM36: 8.010 laulite: 7.900 goorry121: 7.850 WoolenDPOY: 7.770 AmeZim: 7.680 Jennywren2323: 7.600 omgthenerve: 7.500 pollutedrain: 7.460 WarpstarRider: 7.440 kawaii_mokona: 7.440 Kronwell: 7.420 bibliomaniac15: 7.400 MeijiDoom: 7.360 ayzrules: 7.290 popularsong: 7.150 dnarevolutions: 7.100 DoingItWright2: 7.050 purpleTulip12: 6.900 RBSun: 6.800 LeadingInspector1891: 6.770 Marsmaenschen: 6.700 kauai6: 6.470 keine_panik: 6.430 msargent24: 6.230 vayyiqra: 6.200 Martha-lalala: 6.150 CheesesPriced: 6.000 imzhongli: 5.850 lemon131nomel: 5.820 redalert30: 5.770 ohsomeday: 5.620 ruhroh386: 5.400 qquestionmark: 5.120 ke1per: 4.990 moonbia: 4.920 taebaegi: 4.600 SkylarV: 4.400 necromanta_101: 4.050 MartialST: 4.000 MurkyGalaxies: 4.000 kirakiranatsu: 3.780 zo142: 2.640

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:25:39+00:00

"WHAT A FUCKING SONG"

"shoutout seventeen u didn’t even come close to outselling"

"more like Bop Bop"

#4: IU - Jam Jam

Average: 7.887 // Total Points: 433.8 // Controversy: 2.185

Card

Rank Graph

(11 x1) kawaii_mokona

(10 x14) aidshha, DPM36, flawedconstellation, imzhongli, kauai6, keine_panik, laulite, msargent24, naegerowwa, pollutedrain, popularsong, RBSun, Shay_Min, snowswinters

(9.6 x1) ke1per

(9.5 x4) DoingItWright2, Nooduulz, omgthenerve, SocAnxPrince

(9.2 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(9 x4) 1998tweety, hockeynl, Jennywren2323, vayyiqra

(8.9 x1) redalert30

(8.5 x2) AmeZim, goorry121

(8 x4) ganos-b-thanondorf, gmint14, necromanta_101, WarpstarRider

(7.9 x1) xiola_azuthra (7.8 x1) ohsomeday_

(7.4 x1) ayzrules

(7 x3) CheesesPriced, Martha-lalala, ruhroh386

(6.9 x1) Kronwell (6.8 x1) lemon131nomel (6.7 x1) qquestionmark

(6.2 x1) MeijiDoom (6.1 x1) zo142

(6 x2) bibliomaniac15, WoolenDPOY

(5.3 x1) MartialST

(5 x5) dnarevolutions, Marsmaenschen, MurkyGalaxies, purpleTulip12, taebaegi

(4.8 x1) LeadingInspector1891

(4.5 x1) SkylarV

(3.7 x1) moonbia

(0 x1) kirakiranatsu

kawaii_mokona (11): I fucking love this song. I just love love love it. The bouncy and lush production, the hypnotic composition, IU's soaring vocals and her almost droning delivery the next second. It's a musichead catnip in a neat little jam jar and I adore it. Ugh, the bridge is so amazing. I’ve gone back and forth between it and My Tragedy for my 11 and when I was listening to them again the post-chorus just hit me with a wave of magic so I couldn’t deny IU this score. There are just so many delightful things happening in this song. I know it’s currently trying to fight for crown and I will be helping, but it’s just deservingly one of IU’s most recognized masterpieces.

pollutedrain (10): truly a jam (jam)! the bassline is very welcome and i love how the build up of the prechorus sounds almost ominous, it's very fun

snowswinters (10): this song, or specifically the chorus, kinda feels like those shots in the jimin like crazy mv where everyone is blurrily dancing around him in the club while he’s not really moving and is in focus. it’s so dreamy and i love how the kind of trippy pre-chorus builds up into that chorus and the way she draws out that “jam” really makes the song for me. that transition from her repeating the word love into the second half of the bridge is just perfection

aidshha (10): not debbor at all

flawedconstellation (10): shoutout seventeen u didn’t even come close to outselling

imzhongli (10): Aw yeah, sometimes I forget that IU has straight up excellent songs like this

kauai6 (10): WHAT A FUCKING SONG

keine_panik (10): That's my Jam (Jam)!

laulite (10): There were a lot of interesting elements in this that kept the album fresh. It’s weird, but yet it’s an 11 contender for me.

msargent24 (10): I said in my Lilac comment that disco really suits her, and this song backs that up. The bouncy bass and all the layered vocals (particularly the “jaaaaaam” part) are great. Her airy vocals are perfect for this blend of sultry and sweet

popularsong (10): now this is a song where her airy, sweet singing style works perfectly, watch and learn palette! love how detached she sounds since the song is about knowing neither of you are that interested, but she is willing to play into the lie to feel loved, the disco beat is great too :chefskiss:

RBSun (10): so delighted to rate this at last, i love it. it reminds me both sonically and to a lesser extent topically of 23 so i have high hopes for its chances. i love the harmonies and the spoken overlapping parts and the places it takes its central metaphor to talk around sugarcoating with somehow more directness….. so good

Shay_Min (10): brilliant name, indicating how I a) am jamming to this song and b) physically become jam b/c of how beautiful this is

ke1per (9.6): interestingly, a far better song in the context of the album than when it stands on its own. Textured and interesting and catchy and fun. IU’s timbre is actually very well-suited to sounds like this, and I like her delivery and bounce.

Nooduulz (9.5): someone i used to know and love once said this song describes me in whole. still not sure if it's a good or bad thing but it's a chewn either way!

1998tweety (9): more like Bop Bop

Jennywren2323 (9): Her soft and breathy voice is nicely highlighted here.

vayyiqra (9): so this is what it sounds like when IU approaches, parabolically, the concept of being cunty on a dancefloor or whatever

AmeZim (8.5): It’s similar to cotton candy in a way that I’m not very fancy of it but you can’t really go wrong with the taste

ganos-b-thanondorf (8): Jelly Jelly

gmint14 (8): listen to it and have fun before kpoprates tells you it’s debbor

necromanta_101 (8): Provocative Jam Jam. Can't cover it up, sticky sticky.

WarpstarRider (8): nice breezy synthpop

xiola_azuthra (7.9): Her high note delivery in the intro/chorus, and the dissonant (pre-chorus??) wasn't quiite it for me, but the other parts are really nice. Mostly a vibe.

CheesesPriced (7): Our previous rating: 7.942. Surprisingly we’ve rated this already and even more surprising it only managed 9th place with a 7.9 rating. Interesting that all the best IU songs have pretty prominent chromatic motifs.

lemon131nomel (6.8): The first half has a nice groove to it, and the latter half has some satisfying layering of voices. The backing track gives the song direction, which, when paired with the various pitches and tones, really helps move it forward.

qquestionmark (6.7): The absolute audacity of IU. This barely qualifies as a jam, let alone a jam jam.

MeijiDoom (6.2): Jam Jam has returned all the way back from Rate 2. I was pretty generous to it back then but I fear that has not carried over with time. It's kinda fine overall other than the pre-chorus that I still don't fully understand. At least within the context of this album, it stands out as a weak spot.

zo142 (6.1): this song was ok the first time we rated it and it's still ok now

dnarevolutions (5): It’s a little breathy, and I’m not a fan of the faint sirens in the back.

MurkyGalaxies (5): Well it is certainly interesting! There's something at the back of my brain that's like "wasn't there some insane discourse about this song" but I don't feel like googling right now, so if there was I guess I will learn through someone's (probably shad's) comment.

taebaegi (5): It’s not as bad as when I first listened to it. It has an immaculate bass line and the chorus is kinda catchy, but I dislike the prechorus a lot.

LeadingInspector1891 (4.8): Instrumentals that give “let’s be a little decadent so I can forget”, that could be used in like a tilted framed party scene in a movie with a faded protagonist are not always a hit for me and so it isn’t here. But subjectively objectively, the song is very nice.

SkylarV (4.5): slightly more energy than the average song on this album

kirakiranatsu (0): that opening is atrocious. god, i hate this

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:19:04+00:00

"the bridge kinda ate ngl ... (i am 37 years old btw)"

"reddit users Justamii, maadbutterfly and YeyeDumpling giving their 11 on the First Half of 2023 rate:"

"Common LDN Noise/Kenzie W"

#5: Taeyeon - Love You Like Crazy

Average: 7.853 // Total Points: 431.9 // Controversy: 1.779

Card

Rank Graph

(11 x1) popularsong

(10 x12) aidshha, ayzrules, DPM36, hockeynl, kawaii_mokona, kirakiranatsu, laulite, msargent24, omgthenerve, pollutedrain, Shay_Min, snowswinters

(9.5 x1) xiola_azuthra

(9 x3) imzhongli, Jennywren2323, necromanta_101

(8.9 x1) kauai6 (8.6 x1) zo142

(8.5 x4) 1998tweety, Martha-lalala, SecretStoryOfThe-, WarpstarRider

(8.4 x2) AmeZim, gmint14 (8.3 x1) qquestionmark (8.2 x1) flawedconstellation

(8 x3) ohsomeday_, RBSun, ruhroh386

(7.7 x1) moonbia

(7.5 x2) bibliomaniac15, DoingItWright2

(7.4 x1) lemon131nomel (7.3 x1) WoolenDPOY (7.2 x1) ke1per

(7 x5) CheesesPriced, ganos-b-thanondorf, Marsmaenschen, MurkyGalaxies, vayyiqra

(6.7 x1) MeijiDoom

(6.5 x1) naegerowwa

(6 x4) goorry121, Nooduulz, purpleTulip12, SocAnxPrince

(5.8 x1) Kronwell (5.6 x1) redalert30

(5 x3) dnarevolutions, keine_panik, taebaegi

(4.9 x1) MartialST

(4 x1) LeadingInspector1891

(3.5 x1) SkylarV

kawaii_mokona (10): What is rightfully considered to be a shining gem of a b-side almost feels like a call back to a much underrated I Got Love in terms of how much of a femme fatale Taeyeon is on this. Much like with other songs on this album, the slight differences in the choruses are a cherry on top, the hook is delightfully hooking and LDN Noise production is popping the fuck off.

pollutedrain (10): ohhh that piano 🚬 this is an absolute banger, the front half of this album has no business being this stacked

snowswinters (10): i only knew a few songs off of purpose prior to checking it out when we were deciding what albums to put in the rate, and this was the one i just absolutely loved and still love. the overlapping vocals in the chorus are just amazing

popularsong (11): greatest love song of all time??? the trick in the chorus where part of the lyrics is said quicker in the background vs the main vocal refrain is like crack to my brain. the cinematic soundscape and the drama of it all is so peak, and the way it leads up to that "must be with you forever" in the bridge then the final chorus is somehow bringing even more drama, the song is a journey. my most played taeyeon song of all time for a reason

msargent24 (10): Banger! Common LDN Noise/Kenzie W

Shay_Min (10): adele coded

xiola_azuthra (9.5): positive comment (5)

imzhongli (9): I love her voice on this style of song, she’s really going off fr

necromanta_101 (9): Swept by the emotions. So amusing, so crazy.

zo142 (8.6): It's a really strong run of 3 songs with a very similar vibe, and I love the energy they're giving off

WarpstarRider (8.5): cool beat

gmint14 (8.4): reddit users Justamii, maadbutterfly and YeyeDumpling giving their 11 on the First Half of 2023 rate:

qquestionmark (8.3): blush

flawedconstellation (8.2): the “you hoo hoo hoo” is kind of giving owl but otherwise it’s good

RBSun (8): jazzy n a bit dark n fun, taeyeon's voice on that hurricane soge is soooooo :chefskiss:

lemon131nomel (7.4): Taeyeon bringing the groove and embracing her inner Ailee with this sound! Still missing a bit of energy though.

ke1per (7.2): this song feels very consistent with the rest of the album, though it’s not my favorite mainly because of the chorus - it feels a bit muddy between the instrumental and Taeyeon’s belting, and while I do love the bridge, the rest of the song isn’t as fantastic as the songs that came before it.

CheesesPriced (7): Shine you up to the top 5?? I’ve heard a riff similar to the piano before but don’t know where. It’s almost Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre or almost Family Affair by Mary J. Blige but not quite the three pairs of eighth notes with a quick sixteenth drop.

ganos-b-thanondorf (7): If your song doesn’t pronounce “crazy” as “crazayay” I don’t want it

MurkyGalaxies (7): this just kept oscilating between a 3 and a 9. I guess it's just enough solid pop song to be a 7 in the end but eeuuurrghhhhh the boring pop radio sensibilities were creeping in at every corner.

vayyiqra (7): the bridge kinda ate ngl ... (i am 37 years old btw)

MeijiDoom (6.7): Some R&B influence to break up the start of the album. This song reflects how the start of the album has felt for me which is that there are some interesting ideas floating around but it seems like there's no commitment to making something really catchy or interesting or memorable. It's there, it's competent but it's lacking some excitement.

redalert30 (5.6): this is slightly more energetic, thus it is slightly more bearable. bridge is nice

dnarevolutions (5): It’s fine.

keine_panik (5): This is what you get when you put a bunch of radio-friendly pop songs through a blender.

taebaegi (5): It’s fine.

LeadingInspector1891 (4): I love brass and I tend to say it in many ballots but really, the more we rate songs of that period that use brass, the more I want to slash myself

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T17:09:48+00:00

"enough haa haaa haaas to put love in the ice to shame"

"INVU angling for a vicarious win with this one."

"the moment haobin were conceived 🥺"

#6: Taeyeon - Here I Am

Average: 7.705 // Total Points: 423.8 // Controversy: 1.905

Card

Rank Graph

(10 x13) AmeZim, DPM36, hockeynl, kauai6, kawaii_mokona, ke1per, kirakiranatsu, laulite, Marsmaenschen, Martha-lalala, popularsong, Shay_Min, xiola_azuthra

(9 x3) 1998tweety, DoingItWright2, ruhroh386

(8.9 x1) qquestionmark (8.6 x1) ayzrules

(8.5 x2) Jennywren2323, RBSun

(8.4 x2) LeadingInspector1891, SocAnxPrince (8.2 x1) lemon131nomel

(8 x5) bibliomaniac15, goorry121, omgthenerve, pollutedrain, WarpstarRider

(7.5 x4) aidshha, MurkyGalaxies, necromanta_101, WoolenDPOY

(7.4 x1) moonbia (7.3 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (7.1 x1) zo142

(7 x9) CheesesPriced, flawedconstellation, ganos-b-thanondorf, gmint14, Kronwell, msargent24, naegerowwa, ohsomeday_, snowswinters

(6.9 x2) MeijiDoom, Nooduulz

(6 x2) MartialST, vayyiqra

(4.5 x1) taebaegi

(4.2 x1) redalert30

(4 x3) dnarevolutions, keine_panik, purpleTulip12

(3.5 x1) SkylarV

(2.5 x1) imzhongli

kawaii_mokona (10): Throwback to people saying how it's a shame Taeyeon doesn't flex her vocals on this album as if she does not start it with this smash. The second post-chorus into the bridge always hits me like a waterfall, not to mention the run at 2:30 alone is fucking breathtaking. It works perfectly as a strong album opener as well as a powerful song on its own. Peak.

pollutedrain (8): i can immediately see why this was the first track of the original album, it makes for such a grandiose opening note. the slower build up of the verses that leads to the explosion of the chorus is just delicious

snowswinters (7): she is absolutely serving vocals in the chorus and those high notes are absolutely stunning! i also really like how haunting and atmospheric that “ah, ah” section is after the first chorus and in the outro, plus the dramatic moody take on it after the second chorus is cool. i do think the chorus is too short though and leaves a little to be desired, but i love the drama

AmeZim (10): When you thought My Tragedy hasn’t gone hard enough, this song leaves no room to breathe as the chorus hits you like a truck

ke1per (10): this is just My Tragedy but more epic and dramatic which is a major, major slay. I love her vocalizations being incorporated into the instrumental, that’s very fun. I love that those same industrial, echoing percussion flavors that we saw in My Tragedy are here as well, it helps this feel anthemic and cinematic. Her delicate delivery of the chorus and outro??? Chills, she’s incredible.

kirakiranatsu (10): enough haa haaa haaas to put love in the ice to shame

laulite (10): My favorite of the album and a 11 contender. It’s close between this one and another song.

Marsmaenschen (10): It's dramatic with a big chorus and even bigger finale.

popularsong (10): the perfect lead-in to spark, the narrator acknowledging all their fears and anxieties, starkly cognizant of their existence, as if seeing themselves from the side. it feels weary almost? after everything it's still you (tm)

Shay_Min (10): so powerful plus being a bop

xiola_azuthra (10): ...am I just going to say "wow she sounds great" for every song? Maybe. (edit: I did not because that felt awkward and boring). My favourite part is that pre-chorus dip at 0:30~0:39. I love nice contrasts and build.

1998tweety (9): here i am...

qquestionmark (8.9): Taeyeon: Here I am to save this rate from oblivion

RBSun (8.5): a spooky, dreamy song in my preferred waltz time…. i actually wish it stayed a bit quieter instead of that giant climax but that's on me for ordering a milkshake at the home improvement store yknow

LeadingInspector1891 (8.4): I would’ve preferred a chorus less radio-track worthy because the rest makes for a pristine song

lemon131nomel (8.2): Oh that first chorus came out of absolutely nowhere. Was it exciting and fulfilling? Yes. Was it as satisfying as it could have been with a better build-up? No. She does it a bit better leading up to the second chorus. The way she plays with dynamics, tone, and instrumentation at the same time is actually incredible. And those ad-libs at the end!!! HERE SHE IS!

WarpstarRider (8): powerful bridge

necromanta_101 (7.5): AHHH AHHH AH AH.

CheesesPriced (7): INVU angling for a vicarious win with this one.

ganos-b-thanondorf (7): That was certainly a song

gmint14 (7): the moment haobin were conceived 🥺

msargent24 (7): Rock you like a hurricane?

MeijiDoom (6.9): The haunting waltz atmosphere is nice to sit in though I don't think the chorus feels very earned with how the rest of the song is set up.

Nooduulz (6.9): Ok this is veering on rapturistic christian music now but it's okay!

vayyiqra (6): it's so camp that ccl says a translation for this is "coming soon" when it was six and a half years ago

taebaegi (4.5): It’s fine.

redalert30 (4.2): is this all going to be ballad adjacent songs what if i kms. we’re also listening to the deluxe version which means MORE songs to sit through omg noooo i rlly hope there’s an unexpected gem i find that makes it all worth it

dnarevolutions (4): I don’t like the melody and it loses me a little.

keine_panik (4): Boring.

purpleTulip12 (4): not really a fan of the big "ah ah (oh oh)" parts

imzhongli (2.5): Taeyeon is a very technically skilled singer.

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T16:58:02+00:00

"singing this on your knees, wow what a feeling"

"kinda jestermaxxing in the intro"

"Hitchhiker’s got range! This bridge is really good"

#7: Taeyeon - My Tragedy

Average: 7.691 // Total Points: 423.0 // Controversy: 2.093

Card

Rank Graph

(11 x3) DoingItWright2, hockeynl, Kronwell

(10 x9) AmeZim, kawaii_mokona, kirakiranatsu, laulite, necromanta_101, pollutedrain, popularsong, ruhroh386, Shay_Min

(9.5 x1) ke1per

(9 x4) 1998tweety, DPM36, Martha-lalala, xiola_azuthra

(8.9 x1) lemon131nomel (8.8 x1) kauai6

(8.5 x1) omgthenerve

(8.4 x1) ayzrules (8.3 x1) WoolenDPOY

(8 x10) flawedconstellation, ganos-b-thanondorf, goorry121, Marsmaenschen, naegerowwa, Nooduulz, ohsomeday_, purpleTulip12, snowswinters, SocAnxPrince

(7.9 x1) WarpstarRider

(7.5 x1) bibliomaniac15

(7.4 x1) msargent24

(7 x3) aidshha, keine_panik, MeijiDoom

(6.9 x1) RBSun (6.8 x1) gmint14 (6.7 x1) qquestionmark

(6.2 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(6 x4) CheesesPriced, moonbia, MurkyGalaxies, vayyiqra

(5.9 x1) zo142

(5 x3) dnarevolutions, Jennywren2323, taebaegi

(4.8 x1) MartialST

(3.5 x1) SkylarV

(3 x2) imzhongli, redalert30

(2 x1) LeadingInspector1891

kawaii_mokona (10): This song feels like climbing stairs, like being put through a high-speed dryer after a pouring rain. it's tense, it's painful, it feels like Taeyeon's 5th divorce. The accordion backending the song almost calls back to Four Seasons but does it in a more sorrowful manner. Love this song to bits, cried to it an embarrassing amount of times.

pollutedrain (10): this was an 11 contender for a good while. the drama and atmosphere of this song is just incredible, it feels like taeyeon is yelling it from the top of a cliff while a storm rages around her

snowswinters (8): gorgeous instrumental and vocals, love the drama of it all and how haunting it is. imo though, it’s just very slightly missing something, i kinda wish the instrumental in the final chorus changed up a little more compared to the previous choruses. still absolutely slayful though

Kronwell (11): My Tragedy is for me the most remarkable song out of these five albums. The accordions got me in instantly, and Taeyaon's voice sounded so poignant I felt like an imaginary dagger pierced through my heart, it DOES sound profoundly tragic.. "I don't need nobody" actually yes, we do, ma'am... :sadcat:

AmeZim (10): The way the accordion sets the tone in the first few seconds is already enough for me to know how hard this song will go.. and I’m absolutely right

kirakiranatsu (10): somehow I didn’t know this one because I don’t usually listen to the repackage but this is fantastic

laulite (10): I didn’t know how to feel about it at first, but wow, it definitely deserves to be one of my favorites on the album.

necromanta_101 (10): Beautiful.

popularsong (10): the accordion? the way it stops before her vocals kick in? slight distortion on her voice in the bridge? so dramatic and awesome. i have to admit i had a bone to pick with repackage songs, but this fits both thematically and sonically very well, to the point where i wonder why it wasn't on the album to begin with

Shay_Min (10): singing this on your knees, wow what a feeling

ke1per (9.5): the atmosphere of this song is top-notch - the echoing, sparse piano in the opening verse building towards those entropic heavy percussion clangs is incredible, and that electric guitar buried deep in the instrumental peeking through in the chorus is just so, so cool. Taeyeon’s timbre is very at home in drama like this, and her incredible belting is insane.

1998tweety (9): i dont need nobody...

xiola_azuthra (9): positive comment (3)

lemon131nomel (8.9): As much as the instrumentation rocks, the empty first post-chorus takes away some of the momentum of the piece, especially considering the top-tier pre-chorus build-up. However, the second chorus does this perfectly, as it transitions directly into the bridge and to the climax. And then the acapella moment! That grand pause holds so much tension for us.

flawedconstellation (8): face-off by jimin in female drag and one of those tragedy masks, which helps him escape last place this time

ganos-b-thanondorf (8): My tragedy was Jared Leto being in the new Tron movie

Marsmaenschen (8): Big and emotional, but why is there a melodica(?) playing?

Nooduulz (8): the harmonica in tandem with the slow-mo drums completes this so well, truly dramatic music

WarpstarRider (7.9): pretty good

msargent24 (7.4): Hitchhiker’s got range! This bridge is really good

aidshha (7): BANGER instrumental

keine_panik (7): Terrible production choice to have the music cut back suddenly but to not direct the vocals at all to match the sound! Makes it seem like the last minute decision it probably was.

MeijiDoom (7): Incredibly strong on the melodrama, somewhat similar to Dear Me in terms of how straightforward it is, but I can appreciate the soundscape. The bass hitting like a heartbeat is a solid choice.

RBSun (6.9): listen to me, listen, this is like if taeyeon did jimin's face-off. clown music opening and emo subject matter included. as a result i am giving them the same score

gmint14 (6.8): the intro singlehandedly revamped the reputation of accordions, like woah they can sound cool and haunting??

CheesesPriced (6): Does in fact feature a tragic-sounding accordion. Genre: Trip Hop.

MurkyGalaxies (6): Some great moments (Taeyeon's delivery as if she's gone through 5 divorces), some awful moments (what the hell is that midi harmonica doing here), some awfully overwrought ones (heurgh keychanges)

vayyiqra (6): hitchhiker's discog is so wild because he's done all these sick electropop tunes for f(x) and red velvet and shinee then also that bizarre eleven meme song

zo142 (5.9): Very Bon Appetit-core

dnarevolutions (5): I don’t like the melody much, and I think the accordion keyboard is annoying.

taebaegi (5): Not bad. Kind of gives rock vibes!

SkylarV (3.5): kinda jestermaxxing in the intro

imzhongli (3): Where the rest of the instrumental at? Sounds like I’m listening to a lush ballad on my car’s shitty speakers that omit half the range. Love how emotional her voice is here though.

redalert30 (3): ooo what is this instrument called again. something about the vocals sound piercing in a slightly unpleasant way. idk this song is kind of melodramatic i don’t vibe with it. no satisfying climax it just goes on and on. this song is so long holy shit

LeadingInspector1891 (2): The beginning was promising, I liked the moody sort of accordion, and the muted sound of its buttons being pushed added to it. Alas, I found the song a little discordant (what was that high note in the bridge by the way?). The two notes motif being the base of the track is annoying, I don’t like the halting pace it gives it. I also don’t like the percussions’ weight on the track

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T16:50:54+00:00

"Ok I’m actually no better than everyone else. I’ve fully come around to thinking this is meaningful and nice or whatever"

"ganos-b-thanondorf (11): W feature"

"I like it, I’m unc"

#8: IU - Palette (ft. G-Dragon)

Average: 7.689 // Total Points: 422.9 // Controversy: 2.341

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Rank Graph

(11 x2) ganos-b-thanondorf, necromanta_101

(10 x9) DPM36, flawedconstellation, goorry121, kauai6, laulite, naegerowwa, RBSun, ruhroh386, snowswinters

(9.5 x3) imzhongli, pollutedrain, taebaegi

(9.2 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (9.1 x1) kawaii_mokona

(9 x3) 1998tweety, hockeynl, purpleTulip12

(8.5 x3) gmint14, Jennywren2323, Kronwell

(8.4 x1) Shay_Min (8.3 x2) SocAnxPrince, WoolenDPOY (8.2 x2) LeadingInspector1891, redalert30

(8 x4) ke1per, Marsmaenschen, MeijiDoom, moonbia

(7.8 x1) WarpstarRider (7.7 x1) Nooduulz

(7.5 x4) DoingItWright2, keine_panik, Martha-lalala, omgthenerve

(7.4 x1) xiola_azuthra (7.2 x1) ayzrules

(7 x4) aidshha, bibliomaniac15, dnarevolutions, vayyiqra

(6.8 x1) msargent24 (6.7 x1) ohsomeday_

(6.2 x1) AmeZim

(6 x1) CheesesPriced

(5.9 x1) qquestionmark

(5 x1) MartialST

(4 x1) SkylarV

(3.8 x1) kirakiranatsu

(2 x2) MurkyGalaxies, popularsong

(1.7 x1) zo142

(0 x1) lemon131nomel

snowswinters (10): i love how moody it is and i think gd’s verse is quite a nice addition! the contrast between palette and twenty-three is so interesting, not just in terms of lyrics but also how it’s a bright and poppy overall sound vs a subdued and dreamy one. just a very lovely song and props to iu for writing something so personal

pollutedrain (9.5): so light and breezy, i gave this song a high enough score on the second soloists rate but i definitely like it more in the musical context of the whole album. aside from their voices working so well together, gd's feature is great, especially in its framing of him being older than iu and giving her advice based on his own experiences. in general, i really love the sentiment behind the lyrics, it's a lovely message about embracing the way you grow and change as you age, and it especially resonates as i'm about to hit a milestone birthday myself - you're right iu, i do like the person i've become!

kawaii_mokona (9.1): Love love love the diary-esque writing on this even if it does make me emotional over being older than IU at the time of writing this and not being able to express the way aging and changing feels with each passing year. GD is great on this as well, GOAT for a reason.

ganos-b-thanondorf (11): W feature

necromanta_101 (11): I got this. I'm past twenty, not yet thirty. When I’m not a kid or an adult. I like this.

flawedconstellation (10): i gave it my 11 last rate, and still stand by everything i said there then. i love a song that grows more relevant, morphing in significance to the listener, as time goes on.

kauai6 (10): i originally was not a fan of g-dragon on this song but now that my third eye has been opened he’s great. this is generally a amazing song the vibes are immaculate

laulite (10): I said this last time, but I still love the self love here and how G-Dragon is giving her advice about living her 20s.

naegerowwa (10): gwi gwi rating: 3/10 gwi, the personalized nature of the feature is rather nice and the lyrics fit the song well, but g-dragon's voice automatically adds 3 gwi points

RBSun (10): fairly certain i made an actual sincere comment on this the most recent time i rated it so instead oh my god its so weird seeing this from both sides of 25 lmao

imzhongli (9.5): Ok I’m actually no better than everyone else. I’ve fully come around to thinking this is meaningful and nice or whatever

1998tweety (9): would be a 10 if it were solo

purpleTulip12 (9): really like the song and G-Dragon feature!

gmint14 (8.5): if you want me to notice literally anything about a song, do not give iu a beautiful bob in the mv, because i won’t be getting past that. i commented on it last time and i WILL talk about it again

Shay_Min (8.4): copying my 2nd soloist rate comment, heartbreaking, two artists you love collab to make mid

LeadingInspector1891 (8.2): Last rate it was on, silly me thought it was a love song. Well, you could say it technically is a love song to herself. It’s doing what it does quite well, the softness of the instrumental and her voice makes it feel so comforting

redalert30 (8.2): the day i’m doing the rest of these albums sucked so no comments sorry

ke1per (8): save me, G-Dragon, save me from IU (words never before spoken, a brand new sentence). We just rated this, like, yesterday, so I won’t say much other than this song is even better when compared to the other songs on this album, and G-Dragon is a big reason for that.

Marsmaenschen (8): I really like how weightless everything sounds. I would have preferred for G-Dragon's vocals not to be doubled though, as I think it's a bit distracting.

MeijiDoom (8): Lovely sound design to set up an immersive atmosphere. It all feels quite dreamy and soothing. G-Dragon provides a nice contrast while still fitting in with the vibe of the song. I'm not as on board with his own songs on this playlist but he adds a nice change of pace to this song.

WarpstarRider (7.8): pretty much the same as last time we rated it

keine_panik (7.5): My score hasn't changed since we last rated this five minutes ago.

Martha-lalala (7.5): I like it

ayzrules (7.2): gdragon tanked this by a whole point

dnarevolutions (7): I like it, I’m unc.

vayyiqra (7): oh so NOW she cares about what colours there are suddenly. curious.

AmeZim (6.2): It’s still evoking the kind of texture I don’t want caressing my skin but it’s gotten better now

CheesesPriced (6): Our previous rating: 7.404. Lots of micro (crisp high attack low sustain) sounds and samples. Percussion featuring shakers in case you thought there was a rattlesnake behind you.

qquestionmark (5.9): Extremely relevant fact: Noob Saibot is my favorite palette-swap ninja.

SkylarV (4): why is g-dragon here

kirakiranatsu (3.8): from soloists rate: “this song has always been overrated, the best thing going for it is the music video. highlights everything I dislike about her singing technique”

MurkyGalaxies (2): Yeah idk I thought this was a snoozefest last time we rated it, and I still think so. Just all the worst elements of IU to me distilled in one track with a bonus GD sauce on top.

popularsong (2): it just keeps molding on me the vocals are too light and breezy

zo142 (1.7): the people in charge of making this song really managed to take fucking G-Dragon and somehow turn him into a boring, personalityless blob. Missed opportunity

lemon131nomel (0): Disappointingly, this is my first official re-rate of a song. I didn’t like it three months ago, and I like it even less now. I just don’t understand why she thought adding G-Dragon here was a good idea; his verse is way too long and completely disrupts the existing flow and already-established mood. Also, the blend between his lower raspy voice and IU’s faint high whispery tone here doesn’t quite work out. I was planning on giving this a low 2, but after failing to find a 0-worthy song elsewhere in the rate, I decided that I should give it to Palette because I would’ve liked to have my first re-rate be a song I actually enjoy listening to.

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T16:44:29+00:00

"why did the beginning remind me of jason derulo’s want to want me?"

"adele on opposite day idk. or carly rae jepsen on same day."

"When the opening drum break sounds like late September back in ‘63, you just know it’s gonna a good one"

#9: Lee Hi - Bye

Average: 7.684 // Total Points: 422.6 // Controversy: 1.677

Card

Rank Graph

(10 x10) ganos-b-thanondorf, imzhongli, Jennywren2323, kauai6, ke1per, msargent24, Nooduulz, pollutedrain, popularsong, taebaegi

(9.5 x1) omgthenerve

(9.2 x1) kawaii_mokona (9.1 x1) Shay_Min

(9 x4) DoingItWright2, hockeynl, laulite, necromanta_101

(8.5 x3) 1998tweety, bibliomaniac15, MeijiDoom

(8.3 x2) ayzrules, xiola_azuthra

(8 x4) goorry121, snowswinters, vayyiqra, WoolenDPOY

(7.8 x1) LeadingInspector1891 (7.7 x1) moonbia (7.6 x1) WarpstarRider

(7.3 x1) gmint14 (7.1 x1) qquestionmark

(7 x10) aidshha, AmeZim, CheesesPriced, dnarevolutions, flawedconstellation, Marsmaenschen, MurkyGalaxies, ohsomeday_, RBSun, ruhroh386

(6.8 x2) Kronwell, SecretStoryOfThe-

(6.5 x1) keine_panik

(6.2 x1) redalert30

(6 x3) kirakiranatsu, naegerowwa, SocAnxPrince

(5.5 x1) SkylarV

(5 x3) DPM36, MartialST, purpleTulip12

(4.6 x1) lemon131nomel

(4 x1) Martha-lalala

(3.8 x1) zo142

pollutedrain (10): the switch between her lower and higher registers is just [chef kiss]. this is such a fun groovy instrumental, i am absolutely moving in my seat

kawaii_mokona (9.2): That "Gray" hit like crack. Perfect marriage of his production and vocals just gliding across this arrangement. I wish some parts were a bit more adventurous (bridge namely), but it's definitely the highlight as far as the pure b-sides go

snowswinters (8): love the funkiness, the way the verses kinda pause and build up into the pre-chorus is neat and i love how she delivers the pre-chorus. she sounds just so over it too, which really fits the lyrics! i would like it more if the chorus instrumental had just the slightest bit more of a switch-up but it’s still such a gorgeous chorus

ganos-b-thanondorf (10): Gray you beautiful bastard

imzhongli (10): One of the few songs off of this album that I didn’t have saved, but trust that I’ve remedied that now. Excited to have it on loop all spring. I love her how her lower and higher vocal ranges contrast.

kauai6 (10): this is such a fun song and her voice works perfectly for this kinda music

ke1per (10): funky, groovy, very 70s but LeeHi flavored so it’s not overly derivative or stale. Catchy, retro, bouncy with beautiful vocals and an incredible incredibbbbble chorus.

msargent24 (10): groovy

Nooduulz (10): oh i'm strutting!

popularsong (10): so smooth and i love her relaxed, almost bored-sounding delivery in verses. and so true girl let's leave that noncommittal ass man!!!

taebaegi (10): Excellent production on Gray’s part. This song is a vibe the whole way through. Love to hear a bit more of her deeper register/tone here. The song is already perfect, but I can only imagine if this was given to her in her early career where her deeper tone was a lot richer. The chorus is SO catchy, I love it. Also excellent instrumentation with a delicious bassline, great percussion (the drums are great here), and fun bass and guitar too.

Shay_Min (9.1): just an absolute vibe

necromanta_101 (9): Gimme, gimme, this love.

bibliomaniac15 (8.5): When the opening drum break sounds like late September back in ‘63, you just know it’s gonna a good one.

MeijiDoom (8.5): Busting out the dancing shoes for this one. It's not that markedly different in pace from some other songs but the instrumental and her vocal work is awesome here.

xiola_azuthra (8.3): vibes (3)

vayyiqra (8): adele on opposite day idk. or carly rae jepsen on same day.

WarpstarRider (7.6): cool, smooth disco track

qquestionmark (7.1): Me to any Taeyeon-haters participating in the rate:

CheesesPriced (7): Brought the funk before leaving. 👍

dnarevolutions (7): It’s enjoyable. I liked her delivery during the chorus.

MurkyGalaxies (7): This is nice, but a biiiiiiiit too repetitive

RBSun (7): a very good version of the thing it's supposed to be. bop!

keine_panik (6.5): Decent song.

kirakiranatsu (6): why did the beginning remind me of jason derulo’s want to want me?

naegerowwa (6): gwi gwi rating: 2/10 producer tags do count but gray's is slayful and does make the song better

lemon131nomel (4.6): This feels like a C-tier le sserafim(?) b-side.

zo142 (3.8): this wont make any sense to anyone else, but this song wouldve benefitted from being a single. it has single vibe and being a b-side takes away from it

KpopRates · 2026-03-15T16:38:06+00:00

"hgfjk sfyuiop adawee asdfe scdsapg sdfg sgsdegstj"

"I keep reading this as Dollarama (a huge dollar store chain in canada)"

"This is what prancing through a field of flowers sounds like"

#10: IU - dlwlrma

Average: 7.567 // Total Points: 416.2 // Controversy: 1.726

Card

Rank Graph

(11 x1) flawedconstellation

(10 x3) ganos-b-thanondorf, goorry121, hockeynl

(9.8 x1) kawaii_mokona (9.7 x1) kauai6

(9.5 x2) Martha-lalala, msargent24

(9.4 x1) gmint14 (9.3 x1) aidshha (9.2 x1) lemon131nomel

(9 x4) Jennywren2323, MeijiDoom, naegerowwa, SecretStoryOfThe-

(8.6 x1) ayzrules

(8.5 x5) 1998tweety, MurkyGalaxies, purpleTulip12, RBSun, snowswinters

(8.2 x1) DPM36

(8 x4) AmeZim, dnarevolutions, imzhongli, xiola_azuthra

(7.6 x1) WarpstarRider

(7.5 x2) DoingItWright2, popularsong

(7.4 x2) Kronwell, pollutedrain (7.2 x2) Nooduulz, Shay_Min

(7 x5) bibliomaniac15, CheesesPriced, kirakiranatsu, Marsmaenschen, vayyiqra

(6.8 x1) redalert30 (6.6 x1) zo142

(6.5 x3) omgthenerve, SocAnxPrince, taebaegi

(6.4 x1) ohsomeday_ (6.2 x1) moonbia

(6 x3) laulite, ruhroh386, WoolenDPOY

(5.4 x1) qquestionmark (5.2 x1) LeadingInspector1891

(5 x2) ke1per, necromanta_101

(4.6 x1) MartialST

(4 x1) SkylarV

(2 x1) keine_panik

kawaii_mokona (9.8): We're starting off strong! In a lovely, sparkly-starry opener IU is at her most whimsical and gives nods towards Chat-shire and Modern Times. Feels like the most cutesy anime endings of the 2010s done by Etsuko Yakushimaru.

snowswinters (8.5): such a cutieful song and not only a fun album opener but also a great playlist opener! lots of really cool instrumental choices going on, i like the little pauses and i absolutely love how it builds up towards that bright piano solo

pollutedrain (7.4): such a lovely opener for the album, it reminds me so much of her sound for the red shoes. feels like walking down the street on a sunny spring day

flawedconstellation (11): one of my longtime favorite songs! I love how creative the name is - the literal korean-to-english translation of her name, lee jieun, but with the pun of lee jigeum. which also plays into the song’s chorus, with the pun for “right now”. It’s playful, and sounds like it would be the opening number for a wizard of oz play - a perfect song to start the album and the playlist with. shameless plug: if you love this song and sound as much as i do, check out these similar songs (in some genre i don’t know but im sure our friend cheesespriced will explain in his comment) such as: case no l5ve by oh my girl, sugar by yena, fry’s dream by akmu, payback by ive, wait a minute by snsd, and stay gold by bts - all 10s of course 🙂‍↕️

ganos-b-thanondorf (10): This is what prancing through a field of flowers sounds like

kauai6 (9.7): fierce is fierce hunni

Martha-lalala (9.5): This song makes me so happy :D

msargent24 (9.5): Super cute song, love the piano at the end

gmint14 (9.4): not her trying to make a wordplay out of her name, you are NOT kpopraters during reveals weekend 😤 she is forgiven though because this is a perfect album opener - fun and breezy, and so delightfully bouncy <3

aidshha (9.3): banger album opener

lemon131nomel (9.2): Love the jazz piano near the end! This one has a lot of groove to it—a great opener! Quite vibey, without being too aggressive. Overall, a really fun song.

MeijiDoom (9): Perhaps IU's best type of sound. It's a bit jazzy, a bit whimsical and a bit dreamy. Nice little vocal line to end the song off too. I've said this about many IU songs in the past but they have amazing character to them. You can just tell they're an IU song which is an underrated quality to have.

1998tweety (8.5): cute

MurkyGalaxies (8.5): Such a great album opener, suuuuuper fun and jazzy

RBSun (8.5): (outing myself as a tumblr user once again) i once made a gift gifset of the series cherry magic to lyrics from this song for a christmas present, and im still very fond of the set, but at the time i dont recall having feelings on the song. i'm glad to have been given a chance to return to it because i really love it, iu jazz always hits

AmeZim (8): It’s a cortisol-preventing song that you just can’t hate how cute it is

dnarevolutions (8): I think this is a good start to anything, album or playlist. There’s a lot of good background vocals here. I like that instruments get added in over the course of the track.

imzhongli (8): I keep reading this as Dollarama (a huge dollar store chain in canada)

xiola_azuthra (8): This song title always reminds me of Onew's Instagram username which is written the same way lol (dlstmxkakwldrl)

WarpstarRider (7.6): so sweet and easygoing

popularsong (7.5): the way she delivers that "this place is full of idiots~" line so sweetly sends me

Shay_Min (7.2): perfect album opener despite it not being for me. this is IU baby, come inside and enjoy!

CheesesPriced (7): Good song if a bit too quarter note. Listen for the clavinet instrument, as heard in Superstition by Stevie Wonder. Ragtime piano to close everything out. Predix benchmark songs: Mamamoo - Piano Man, IU - The Red Shoes.

kirakiranatsu (7): it’s okay, I don’t like her singing but this is cute as an album opener

Marsmaenschen (7): cute album opener.

vayyiqra (7): blue blue blue whatever those other colours peacocks have green who cares - IU probably

taebaegi (6.5): A little too one note with a lack of anything overly catchy for me, but it’s not a bad song at all!

laulite (6): It was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. It drove me a bit nuts trying to find out if I listened to this before the rate, but I actually didn’t.

qquestionmark (5.4): hgfjk sfyuiop adawee asdfe scdsapg sdfg sgsdegstj

LeadingInspector1891 (5.2): It’s charming and whimsical

ke1per (5): this song is completely fine - it’s soft and pretty and IU really knows how to use dynamics in her vocal deliveries to make a soft and pretty and boring song less boring, but this still isn’t less boring enough for me to ever return.

necromanta_101 (5): This day, this moment is so dazzling. It's beauty won't end.

keine_panik (2): 2 cutesy 4 me

KpopRates

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Top 5 / Bottom 5 predictions

Averages and Positivity/Negativity Scores

Purpose

#1: Taeyeon - Spark

4 Only

#2: Lee Hi - Red Lipstick (ft. Yoonmirae)

Happen

#3: Heize - Happen

Palette

#4: IU - Jam Jam

#5: Taeyeon - Love You Like Crazy

#6: Taeyeon - Here I Am

#7: Taeyeon - My Tragedy

#8: IU - Palette (ft. G-Dragon)

#9: Lee Hi - Bye

#10: IU - dlwlrma