Ah, 2020- A year like no other. A year when pants became an option for staff meetings (at least the virtual ones). Where a trip to the mailbox became the most exciting outing of the day. A year where time became meaningless, because who even remembers what happened in the month of Aprimajuaugseptber? And just like that, we’ve reached the end.
But, as a wise septet once said, Life Goes On. And we somehow got through. And though the K-pop industry wasn’t able to completely avoid being affected by global events, the consistent pace of releases and content was a welcome distraction and/or comfort for many of us. Despite the inevitable disruptions and disappointments brought on by the pandemic (like those tickets for that one concert you never got to go to), this was a pretty big year for K-pop. Albums had record sales, all-kill music show wins dominated the charts, and some went shinin’ through the city with a little funk and soul all the way to the Grammys.
And yet, with all the great content released this year, we all have our favorites that helped us get through it. So we’re shouting out our personal favorites with the first ever DaytoDae-sangs Day to Daebak awards! Keep in mind, that we use ‘favorite’ instead of ‘best’ because at the end of the day if it makes you happy to listen to, no release is more valid than another (unless we’re talking about my bias, in which case they are completely more valid than yours. Joking. Mostly). And as much as we are diehard BTS and EXO fans, we’ve tried to add more variety to our choices to give some attention to other artists we obsessively stan spend a healthy amount of time watching. Let’s get started!
Favorite Rookie Girl Group
- Winner: STAYC
- Runner-up: aespa
- Honorable mentions: Secret Number; Weeekly; Bling Bling
My pick goes to Highup Entertainment’s STAYC (short for ‘Star To A Young Culture’. Aren’t we all glad they went with the acronym?). With only two tracks to fill their discography, STAYC came prepared to to compete with the best. The first girl group from the legendary producing duo Black Eyed Pilseung (the genius behind girl group hits from SISTAR, TWICE, Apink, and many others), expectations were relatively high. But from the first low-range notes from leader Sumin and husky rap verses from maknae J in their debut “So Bad”, I knew we wouldn’t be disappointed. SM’s aespa came a close second; although I wasn’t originally blown away by their debut track I came to really enjoy it. I did feel that the overly-hyped avatar concept (not to mention my reservations with the avatars’ design) took away some of my enjoyment. The pre-debut member teasers were actually more interesting than the actual debut MV and showcased the member’s talents a bit better. Still, both groups have some serious vocalists, and probably would have been able to show us even more under different circumstances and if they had debuted earlier in the year. Underrated newbies Bling Bling from a small company released the catchy “GBB” with enough girl power and low-range vocals that made me an immediate fan. Additional shout-outs to Secret Number‘s sassy “Who Dis?” and Weeekly‘s “Tag Me“, both of which were strong debuts followed by slightly less impressive sophomore singles.
Favorite Rookie Boy Group
- Winner: ENHYPEN
- Runner-up: CRAVITY
- Honorable mentions: BAE173; TREASURE; LUCY
It seems like every company debuted a boy group this year. Out of such a saturated market, some had more hype (pun totally intended) than others, partly due to idol trainee competition shows. YG’s TREASURE from the show TREASURE BOX finally had its long-awaited debut and several members from X1 and the Produce series made their debut in different groups. One of the most anticipated debuts was the newest group connected to the Big Hit umbrella, ENHYPEN. Watchers of the observation/competition show I-LAND were curious to see what kind of concept they would go with, and simply having the Big Hit name tied to the group set high expectations- which were totally met for me. Although I’m still not thrilled with the whole vampire concept, the performance of their debut track “Given Taken” blew me away (and that synchronized leg lift in the choreo lives in my mind rent-free). What really pushed them to the top of my list was their mini album. I rarely have a rookie group where I listen to the entire album more than once, and even more rarely without any skips. Every song is well produced and they vary in style, which I think is especially important for newer groups. The same idea puts MONSTA X’s little brothers CRAVITY in second-place for me. Although I wasn’t exactly captivated with their debut track “Break All The Rules“, their second album b-sides won me over and made me stop making fun of their name. Well, it at least I don’t make fun of it as much. As for TREASURE, they are definitely talented and deserve all their popularity- but I’ve only heard one kind of sound from them and its just not my personal favorite. And BAE173 is on here for this adorable debut music video that managed to melt my previously cold, dead heart.
And a special shout out to 4-member rookie band LUCY, who first caught my attention with this Korean Sign Language version of their debut song “Flowering”. Technically they’re a band and not exactly K-pop, so I didn’t rank them as 1st. But if you’re looking for more bands to get into, I recommend checking them out.
Favorite Female Solo Artist
- Winner: Hwasa
- Runner-Up: Chungha
- Honorable Mentions: IU; BoA; Taeyeon
Although there was considerably less plastic wrap, this was still a great year for Hwasa. With MAMAMOO taking more time to focus on solo projects, Hwasa was able to follow up from the success of last year’s “Twit” with her first solo album “María”. The sexy choreo, the film-inspired music video, and Hwasa’s brand of self-acceptance and attitude all just worked. The album is produced by someone who knows her style well, and played to her strengths. We got seductive Hwasa, but we also got to see a more vulnerable and raw side, especially highlighted in tracks like “LMM“. (Check out our full album review and explanation here!) Speaking of working, soloist Chungha definitely hustled this year. It seems like every time I looked up, she had released another pre-release, OST, or collaboration. She showed off her dance genius with tracks like “Stay Tonight” and “Dream Of You” but reminded us of her sentimental vocals in “Everybody Has” and “My Friend“. And any list of female soloists in the industry wouldn’t be complete without the legendary BoA, who released the glamorous R&B influenced “Better“, SNSD/ Girls Generation’s Taeyeon with the laid-back “What Do I Call You“, and IU, who is still one of the top-selling soloists of the year despite only releasing one song and two soundtracks.
Favorite Male Solo Artist
- Winner: Taemin
- Runner-Up: Baekhyun
- Honorable Mentions: Wonho; eaJ
Lights! Camera! Taemin! The SHINee maknae Taemin released his theatrically-themed solo albums “Never Gonna Dance Again” Acts 1 and 2 and they didn’t get nearly enough attention. *insert SM burning building meme* Not only were these albums filled with amazing songs, the concept and storytelling alone sets these releases apart from the rest. (Check out our full review/explanation of his Act 1 here!) I love how all of the songs on the albums feel like they belong together, like an epic novel or a concept album (which are becoming more rare these days). There was something for everyone, from the unparalleled detailed choreography, angsty self-composed lyrics in “2 Kids“, impressive vocals in the studio version of “Heaven“, and the heartfelt “Think of You” and fan-dedicated “Pansy“. Also on my list is EXO’s Baekhyun, who became the first “million seller” in almost 20 years with the release of his second solo mini album “Delight” and the addictive choreo for title track “Candy“. I was also impressed by former MONSTA X member Wonho for making a great comeback into the industry with the emotional “Losing You” and the sexy “Open Mind” (I could look like that too, but I am too emotionally attached to binge-eating ramen). And special shoutout to eaJ (the solo project alter-ego of Day6‘s Jae), who again, doesn’t exactly fit the ‘K-pop’ genre mold, but gave us amazing (but short) lyrical releases like “Pacman” and “50 Proof“.
Girl Group of The Year
Me: “Risky Risky Wiggy Crisis, This Is An Emergency!”
- Winner: TWICE
- Runner-Up: BLACKPINK
- Honorable Mention: Dreamcatcher
When I first got into K-pop, I was definitely prejudiced against a lot of girl groups with cute/upbeat concepts because wannabe hipster me though they weren’t ‘high quality’ (yeah, I know; I want to smack some sense into high school me as well). Who would have known years later I would be praising TWICE discography over girl crush concepts? This year has been a critical development of the group’s concepts and musical style, yet it felt natural. “More & More” and “I Can’t Stop Me” gave everything I need from a K-pop release; they’re fun and catchy, the music videos are colorful and memorable, and the choreo is in sync and matches the concept perfectly. And their 2nd full album “Eyes Wide Open” really showed how they’ve grown into this more mature sound over the years. Meanwhile, BLACKPINK finally lived up to all the hype and expectation with the very literally named “The Album”, featuring enough collaborations and attitude that it almost made me forgive the company for their 2-year hiatus. Almost. Perhaps the only surprise entry on this list is rock/pop group Dreamcatcher. Although their summer release “BOCA” wasn’t my favorite, their first full album “Dystopia: The Tree of Language” gave us gems like “Scream“, “Black Or White“, the head banger “Sahara“, and like 50 different versions of Siyeon’s solo “Paradise“.
Boy Group Of The Year
“I can’t understand what people are saying” -Me, when the captions aren’t loading
- Winner: BTS
- Runner-Up: GOT7
- Honorable Mentions: Stray Kids; TXT
Yes, we said that we were going to add variety to our choices, but we can’t ignore BTS. This year has been huge for them, with record-breaking album sales for “Map of the Soul:7”, a winning streak on the Billboard Hot 100, a Grammy nomination, and a self-produced album. On top of that, fans received two full length concerts, additional bonus content live-streamed throughout the year, and so many versions of “Dynamite” that I thought there might actually be a disco overload. On the other end of the spectrum of agencies that promote their artists well, there’s JYP Entertainment’s GOT7. The mini album “DYE” gave us the Shakespeare-inspired “Not By the Moon” and my favorite on the album, “Poison“. And although their company did a terrible job of advertising the release of their latest album “Breath of Love: Last Piece“, the self-produced album showed why they’ve been able to stay as one of the top groups for so long. Label-mates Stray Kids really made it big this year while they went “DU DU DU DU DU DU” right into our hearts with “God’s Menu“, followed by the successful “Back Door“. And TXT might make a MOA out of me yet, with consistent progression/storytelling and choreography as seen in the ominous “Can’t You See Me” and the Bruno Mars-esque “Blue Hour“.
Favorite Iconic Choreography
- Winner: ITZY “Not Shy”/ “Wannabe” (Be honest, you tried to do Ryujin’s shoulder move at least once didn’t you?)
- Runner-Up: Apink “Dumhdurum”
- Honorable Mentions: NCT 127 “Kick It“; Red Velvet Irene & Seulgi “Naughty”
Favorite Music Video
- Winner: IU “Eight” (feat. Suga of BTS) (check out our full MV explanation here!)
- Runner-Up: GOT7 “Breath”
- Honorable Mentions: Agust D “Daechwita“; BTS “We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal”
Favorite Concept
Underrated group A.C.E went with a traditional folklore concept with a modern twist for their lead single “Goblin (Favorite Boys)“. Not only do the underwater concept photos look stunning, but the Korean mythology represented by each member add a depth to the catchy MV and lyrics. (Watch an explanation behind the myths ‘explained by a Korean’ here.)
Tied for first place is SEVENTEEN‘s “HOME;RUN” with it’s Broadway-esque heist sequences and amazing live stage performances.
Favorite R&B Artist
See our MV & lyrics explanation here!
- WINNER: Lee Hi [“HOLO”; “For You” (feat. Crush)“]
- Runner-Ups: Crush [“Mayday (feat. Joy of Red Velvet)”; “OHIO“] ; KATIE (Katie Kim) [“Our Time“]
TOP AWARD: Best Cowboy Hat
That wraps up our 2020 Day To Daesangs! Here’s to another year of great content!
Let us know your favorites in the polls and comments!
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Check out all of the top releases this year on our Spotify playlist!