K-pop Girl Group Wrap-Up 2018

This year I have been listening to more Korean songs again. Some reasons for that were me kind of being a TWICE fan now and of course most importantly following Produce48. It made me listen to so many other new songs and I started to like a lot of them (also newer groups).
I cannot believe I did not write about Kpop in such a long time (last was in 2014)... o.o
I mean, of course I am a bigger fan of Japanese music, but I still listen to Kpop from time to time! Adding to that, I feel like this year was especially interesting in the Kpop. I guess they even experimented a bit more?

So let's take a look at my favourite korean songs of 2018:


fromis_9 - Love Bomb

Startingwith fromis_9 because they have been getting popular quite lately. Love Bomb is their newest song and it is seriously so so so catchy! Of this group I only know Gyuri because of pd48, but I am really enjoying it a lot. I did not expect such an amazing song.

EXID - I love you

So weird yet sooo good.

Cosmic Girls (WJSN) Save me, Save you

Another group that I know basically nowthing about but I am so happy that I discovered this song. I recognize Yeonjung, since she was in IOI and there are three Chinese members (not in this MV though). The song is so dramatic and actually really nice to dance to!

GWSN - Puzzle Moon

A new group that I am not familiar with yet. This is their debut song, and it is actually a really cool song. I like the electronic sound of it a lot, the dance is amazing too!


Loona - Hi High

Loona had their debut this year and Hi High is a very catchy song!

Loona yyxy - love4eva

Even before Loona's debut, they had a lot of sub-gtoup songs. This song in particular is soooo good. It is really cute and so catchy. The members are adorable, especially Chuu.

MAMAMOO - Starry Night

Mamamoo is amazing, as always.

Momoland - Bboom bboom

It is sooooo much fun to listen to this song and the dance is so simple yet iconic!

G-Idle - LATATA

Another new group and in my opinion one of the best debuts ever. They slayed so much with this concept and are all very talented.

 G-Idle - HANN

Their comeback HANN was even more powerful and already established them as a very strong group.


IU - Bbibbi

IU is back with this up-beat song telling all the haters to f off.


BLACKPINK - DDUDUDDUDU

Another amazing BLACKPINK song. It is a shame that the breaks between their releases are so long but this year was quite good. I also really like Kiss and Make Up, a collaboration with Dua Lipa.

Jennie - Solo

The first BP member to have a solo debut is of course Jennie. I like her a lot and this sog is so freaking catchy.


Sunmi - Heroine

Sunmi - Siren

After Gashina (which was an amazing song) these two songs made me love Sunmi even more. I always had a soft spot for her since Wonder Girls, but now she is definitely my favourite female korean singer! I especially love her performances and her dances are so cool. Siren's dance is quite simple, but I love doing it xD


PRODUCE48 - Nekkoya

This performance is iconic and so is Sakura center.

Nation's Hot Issue - Rumor

Rumor was definitely my favourite song out of all of Produce48. Such a good song, a perfect line up and amazing performance!! Justice for Chowon..

IZ*ONE - La Vie en Rose

Iz*one's debut could have hardly been more perfect. La Vie en Rose is a beautiful song and the girls are just perfect. I cannot wait to see what they will show us next and I am excited for theis debut in Japan!

TWICE - What is Love

My favourite Twice song in a long time. Really catchy song with a cute video. I love how they copy scenes fromdifferent movies.And everyone looks so good!

Apink - I'm so sick

But my favourite song of this year has definitely been I'm so sick from Apink. This group actually had their debut when I was quite a big Kpop fan so I still remember their first song. They are all so grown up now and I love them even more.

So yeah, these have been my favourite k-pop songs of 2018. Of course I also listened to some male singers, but I was mostly enjoying female groups and singers. Maybe I will talk about more songs next time!

Sashihara Rino's graduation announcement

After being part of the 48group for more than ten years Sashihara Rino announced her graduation from being an Idol on today's HKT48 concert. Her graduation concert will be on April 28, 2019.

Let's just say that I did not expect this NOW but I am not surprised to hear about her wanting to graduate. Sashihara Rino has been one of the most popular Idols ever and accomplished a lot. She is still the only 48group member to win the election three times in a row and gathered the most votes in total as well. Even though she was 'demoted' to HKT48 after her scandal, she came back stronger than ever, not only gaining even more popularity for herself but also helping HKT in establishing as a group. As the oldest member she is like a mother figure for the HKT48 members and even acts as a producer of stages and concerts. 

She even started to produce her own Idol Group =LOVE. Sasshi is really good at that and she is working hard to promote her beloved Idols.. For her graduation I am actually not sad at all. Of course, it is always weird to see a favourite Idol leave, but there are soooo many possibilities for Sasshi. She is the member I am most excited to see outside of being an Idol as a talento. She said she wants to continue as an producer, which is perfect for her. 

Coming back to HKT, the only downside on this graduation is, that the group is in a very weird stage right now.. With Haruppi still absent and Sakura and Nako being busy with IZ*ONE it is kind of a lot to handle for the group right now. They have been pushing Miku and other young members already, but even more responsibility lays on their shoulders now. Of course, HKT does not only depend on the four members and there are many many amazingly talented and strong Idols already shining in the group. I think this will be a nice possibility for them to step up and lead HKT from now on, especially since they have until April to prepare. It does feel like a lot right now though and I feel really sad for the members, especially Nako and Sakura.

Although she is a more unconventional Idol, Sashihara has shaped the whole Idol industry and had a big impact on celebrities in general. I especially like how she decided to graduate at the end of the Heisei era. This makes it even more symbolic and this way she will always be remembered as an important Heisei-Idol! I see it as another marketing strategy of Sasshi herself and it makes me even more excited to see her in the future.

These are my thoughts for now. I hope to see some amazing fun months left with her as an Idol and I wish her the best of luck after that.

PS: Isn't it kind of amazing though, that she announced this one day before Iikubo Haruna's graduation concert? I mean, we all know she is the biggest Momusu fan..