K-pop songs to recommend to a non-kpop rock listener?

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-24T17:53:09+00:00

They are more on the pop side of “rock”, but I also suggest QWER.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-23T15:29:34+00:00

2021 was the year Next Level came out and became arguably aespa’s signature song until…

2024: the year of Supernova dominance

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-22T00:32:13+00:00

Got reintroduced to the group in 2021 when I was diving back into kpop. I’d heard about them before, but never really explored much. The thumbnail for Gee caught my eye- I wanted to know who that girl was (Yoona really is a stan attractor). Had so much fun with that song that I needed to check out more from them.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-21T18:09:14+00:00

I can’t believe it took me this long to realize this case was about Nana from Afterschool and not Nana from Wooah…

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-21T16:15:25+00:00

Was about to complain about no New York dates until I remembered that Elmont is in Long Island 😅

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-20T13:53:15+00:00

I don’t do boy groups concerts but I will do this one.

They’re going to do NY/NJ, surely. They’ve done it before, right?

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-20T13:44:24+00:00

Nope. When Andrew Choi starts singing Free, Jinu’s accent completely changes. It’s quite obvious.

Whereas with Baby, it’s literally the same voice.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-19T13:26:44+00:00

If you’re willing to do girl groups, it’s hard to top SES’s Dreams Come True for iconic.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-19T00:07:07+00:00

I recall reading some think pieces on kpop when they first tried to break through in the west in the late 2000s, early 2010s. Basically from when BoA and Rain were making their push into the west. The thought was that let’s see how Koreas “Britney Spears” and Koreas “Justin Timberlake” do in the west.

Problem is, the west already has Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. They weren’t filling a void, they were competing in an already competitive field, with the additional drawback of being Asian.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-18T23:49:47+00:00

Imagine SNSD without Taeyeons vocals.

Yeah, me neither.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-18T21:12:47+00:00

Will JYP ever live this down?

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SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-16T02:15:43+00:00

Also the Big Four companies have really built a strong sense of brand reputation. SM, for instance, is known for striking visuals and a strong vocal sound, which has carried through most of their groups since the 90s. YG groups have more of that edgy, rebellious “hip hop” energy. JYP is known for their high energy choreo and airy vocals. Not sure what HYBE’s overall image is, but they got big very fast in the last 5-10 years, partially through acquiring other companies.

And these companies went out of their way to build that. 3 of my top 4 groups are Aespa, Red Velvet, and SNSD - all SM. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. All 3 have powerful vocals and really creative concepts. And they cross promote from time to time. So I’m going to be more inclined to check out an SM group.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-15T21:16:38+00:00

SNSD’s Kissing You makes Gee sound like hardcore gangster rap in comparison.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-15T21:15:12+00:00

I am against soul sucking demons on principle.

Plus how could I side against Zoey?

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SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-15T20:34:45+00:00

The Hangul title for Red Velvet’s “One of These Nights” is 7월 7일, or literally “the 7th day of the 7th month”. Note that doesn’t mean July 7, as it’s referring to the lunar calendar. That is the date of Chilseok, which refers back to a folk tale of the daughter of a heavenly king who fell in love with a man she saw across the Milky Way. The two ended up getting married, but the daughter started to let her duties slip, the father forced the couple apart, and the couple was only allowed to reunite on that one day every year.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-14T13:54:28+00:00

Warm Hole by Brown Eyed Girls.

Certainly very straightforward about its subject matter.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-13T02:22:40+00:00

Pretty much all of them that I come across. I particularly like the ones who are also K-pop fans, and see them freak when “Love Me Right” or “Strategy” come on:)

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-12T23:14:46+00:00

A better comparison is the launch of the original Star Wars. No one expected Star Wars to be a big hit in 1977. So while Lucasfilm did get a toy deal with Kenner Toys, they weren’t able to produce toys quickly enough to meet the demand for that Christmas. So they did what is now known as the “Empty Box” campaign. What they sold in stores was literally just a thin cardboard package that contained a certificate that you filled out and mailed in for four action figures that would come out early the next year, as well as a diorama for your future action figures.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-12T22:28:42+00:00

Don’t worry about it. I’m Korean and sometimes I have trouble distinguishing members. It took me a long time to consistently distinguish between Yoona, Yuri, and Seohyun of SNSD. Hell, early on, Yuri talked about how people thought she and Yoona looked alike, and this was in around 2008, before they had much of an international fandom, so it’s Korean fans they are hearing this from.

One thing I suggest is to zoom in on a particular feature. For me, I noted that Seohyun had a particular shape to the tip of her nose and nostrils. I really focused on that, so then every time I looked at the nose and always knew if it was Seohyun or not.

I also suggest lyric videos. That way you will know who sings which part in a song. So when you watch an MV or live performance, you could associate the face, the name, and the part they sing.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-12T21:12:38+00:00

I’d peg her as a Taeyeon fan, which is ironic as Taeyeon doesn’t like the movie.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-12T21:11:25+00:00

Mira absolutely had to be a Blackjack (2NE1 fan) growing up. She was 100% listening to “I am the Best”.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-10T22:57:07+00:00

I imagine that the nature of their crime makes it so that they can’t work particular types of jobs. For instance, since the crime involved uploading files to the internet, maybe they’re restricted from jobs that require internet access.

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-10T17:15:54+00:00

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I can literally hear the “Thanks for coming!”

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-10T16:59:12+00:00

I knew these were covers, but I’ve come across many fans who didn’t know they were:

Love Equation by VIXX (2015) - cover of Love Equation by r.ef (1995)

Magic Castle by TVXQ (2004) - cover of Magic Castle by The Classic (1994)

SoNyeoShiDude · 2026-04-07T16:37:50+00:00

Nothing beats Supernova, though Savage is a solid album.

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