Today I will be talking about several Kpop Girl Group releases from the first six months of 2023.
First I will share a list of songs that I was listening to more casually, but I still very much like. After that I will go more into detail about my favourite songs of the year so far.
Jisoo - Flower
Purple Kiss - Sweet Juice
NMIXX - Love me like this
Billlie - EUNOIA
blackswan - That Karma
STAYC - Teddy Bear
G-Idle - Queencard
Fromis_9 - menow
Fifty Fifty - Cupid
The breakout group of 2023. Cupid is everywhere, locals know it and use it on TikTok. IT IS A GOOD SONG! Fifty Fifty is on the Barbie soundtrack. Do I need to say more?
Ah yes, their company is trash and I hope the girls will get the support that they deserve.
Cherry Bullet - POW
Cherry Bullet really only releases good songs, they deserve so much lore attention. I love the instrumental changes in POW!
Aespa - Spicy
I didn't really listen to Aespa that much before, but Spicy really caught my attention. It is a very catchy song and I am actually suprised that it got quite some hate. Like I am not following this group, but they do release some fire songs.
New Jeans - Ditto, OMG
New Jeans is the future.
All of their songs are good and they got this chill vibe, I really understand why they are so popular. Ditto is one if my favourites songs of theirs.
Still, their producer is very problematic. It's not the girls' fault but that's why I wouldn't call myself a fan.
Lee Chaeyeon - Knock
Girl is doing so well! I am really proud of Chaeyeon, Knock is such a great song and I love how everyone did her dance challenge!
TWICE
Sooo let's talk about TWICE. Moonlight Sunrise is one of my favourite songs of the year and I listened to it like crazy in January and February. Set me free is a decent song. Wallflower makes me feel many feelings, one of the best kpop songs ever.
But then the Chaeyeong thing happened and it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. Even if unintentional, I do not condone ANY imagery of Antisemitism in general and she definitely fucked up. I do not hate her or the group, but it did make me take some distance from them for a while.
I feel quite neutral towards the group right now, but I still wanted to mention their release. It probably would have been the top of my list, but I didn't really listen to them any more since then.
DREAMCATCHER - Bon Voyage
DREAMCATCHER is back! I really love the change in sound, Bon Voyage is such a breath of fresh air, not only in today's kpop industry but also in their own discography. Their 2022 releases were great but didn't hook me as much, so this was a great change in pace!
LE SSERAFIM
I have to admit, Unforgiven was not my favourite song. It is very decent, but I prefer the b-sides from the album. Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard's wife is very catchy and I am so happy they get to promote it as well!
LE SSERAFIM is such a great group and I love seeing them perform.
IVE
I AM is so good, IVE have yet to release a bad title track and they somehow even get better and better. The whole album is so well made, it really showed what the girls are actually capable of. To me it's somehow ironic how people were hating on them, but then this album shut them up. Some of my favourite songs are Hypnosis, Blue Blood and Cherish.
WAVE is also a great song, and I am glad that they are releasing original Japanese songs now. I think I even like it more than I AM already.. IVE definitely released the best songs of 2023 so far!!
As a former Iz*one fan, it makes me so happy to see all of the former members doing great in their respective groups/ solo. I am definitely a big fan of LE SSERAFIM as a group, and Sakura is still my favourite member. IVE releases bop after bop, it's actually incredible if you think about it. They have my recent favourite song releases and I enjoy their vibe a lot. But the soloists are doing great as well! I love them all but I am waiting for Eunbi's next comeback (Underwater was soooo good omg).
I mean obviously Hitomi has my most support though and I am still a fan of AKB (despite their questionable management), but that's for another time.
I do want to add that all the Loona members have won their cases against their company BBC, so they are finally freee! This makes me so incredibly happy, they finally got some kind of justice.
They will be active in several different companies, but hopefully we will see a reunion at some point.
Together with the Fifty Fifty lawsuit, this really shows how awful Kpop companies really are, but it makes me hopeful that conditions will be better in the future!
Sending lots of Love!