Virtual social-distanced high-five everyone: we made it to the end of 2021! (pauses while you give yourself a high-five and then realize the only way to do that is to awkwardly clap) This year was like taking a gamble on gas station sushi- maybe a little better than what could have happened, but still way off than what it should have been.
Despite everything, 2021 still gave us a lot of great things in the world of K-drama and K-pop. Let’s find out the best of the best this year in the 2nd annual Daytodaebak awards! *dramatic pause* *audience cheers*
Skip To:
- Favorite K-Drama
- Favorite Rookie Group
- Favorite Soloist
- Favorite Boy Group
- Favorite Girl Group
- Most Impossible To Get Out Of Your Head
- Best Comeback Story
Favorite K-Drama
- WINNER: Hospital Playlist Season 2
- RUNNER-UP: Run On
- Honorable Mentions: Navillera; Red Sleeve Cuff (incomplete so I’ll save my rant on how much I love it until next year)
The world of K-dramas really had a moment this year. The same people who previously poked fun at you for reading subtitles while watching silly foreign dramas bought Squid Game costumes for Halloween. We had civil wars over which ship was better in True Beauty. And we saw records break with dramas such as Penthouse, My Name, and Hellbound. And while I applaud the cast and crew of such momentous dramas that masterfully remind us of the true villains we face today (Greed! Toxic Beauty Standards! Corruption! That one secret twin in Penthouse!), sometimes with all the chaos, it’s nice to know you have somewhere to go home to. A place where everyone knows your name, where all the doctors are good-looking, where all your favorite ships finally- finally!- sail, and everything is solved by the time the nostalgic soundtrack comes on. The creators of the show, who are also behind such gems as the Reply series and Prison Playbook, have a knack for creating a family on their dramas, one that you feel a part of as you laugh and cry with the characters and relate to their struggles. Although season one ended with plenty of things that could cause tension and create plot points that could have dragged on throughout the sequel, many of the major issues were introduced and solved rather quickly. The characters, including potentially-forgettable side characters, and their natural growth created the plot, instead of having dramatic issues forced at them. I also appreciate that although this is definitely a feel-good kinda drama, not every problem was wrapped up in a neat, unrealistic bow. The result was a healing, cathartic experience that made you want to ‘come home’ every week to cheer on your favorite squad. Speaking of healing dramas, that same feeling also made Run On a close second on my list. If I had to sum up this drama in one word, I’d say it’s ‘quirky’. It might not be for everyone, but I appreciated that the characters and their reactions felt new and refreshing, and they didn’t have typical drama-land jobs either. Our lead couple also had healthy communication and *gasps* resolved misunderstanding quickly instead of waiting until episode 15. The secondary couple did pale a bit by comparison, but I will take SNSD’s Sooyoung as a talented, unbothered girl-boss over your stereotypical toxic macho tsundere CEO any day.
Favorite Rookie Group
As a big fan of MAMAMOO, I was pretty excited for the debut of their ‘little sisters’ from the same company, but also a bit nervous. I rarely follow groups from pre-debut, but their pop-rock inspired pre-debut single (co-written and choreographed by the members themselves) “My Heart Skip A Beat” and “Can We Talk Again” completely blew my expectations and upped the anticipation. In my defense, I haven’t always been 100% happy with how RBW handles their new groups (ONEUS, you deserve better!), but man do they know how to put together a girl group. I was a bit worried that they would try to just be a clone of or end up overshadowed by MAMAMOO, but their official debut track “Ponzona” made it clear that these girls have their own direction and story to tell. The only similarity: these girls can sing. Like, really sing. (Just watch them singing live!) After a strong debut, they were able to follow up with a solid comeback and a lighter, catchy title track “Zombie” that showed off a more playful side. Overall, it’s been a great year for them and I can’t wait to see what else they show us next.
Starship Entertainment’s (MONSTA X; WJSN) 6-member girl group IVE just debuted this month and already made a huge impact. With top-tier stage presence, an insanely addictive debut track, and 2 former IZ*ONE members bringing even more attention, these girls have the potential to be the next big thing in 2022 
PIXY’s brooding, dark, and borderline creepy make the hidden goth in me very happy. 
EPEX’s debut almost flew by my radar, but a chance encounter with them doing a performance cover of BTS’ “Boy With Luv” brought me back to their comeback “Do 4 U” (which is a lot better than their actuall debut imo….)
Favorite Soloist
If last year was the year of the super rookies, this year was the year of the solo artists. Many artists were finally able to release albums after frequent postponements and teasing pre-releases, such as CL’s Alpha, and Chungha’s Querencia. Then there were solo debuts that had long been anticipated like BLACKPINK’s Lisa and Rose and IZ*ONE’s Jo Yuri and Kwon Eunbi. And a lot of artists took advantage of less frequent group activities in exchange for solo releases such as EXO’s D.O. and Kai, MAMAMOO’s Wheein, and literally all of GOT7 now that they are free from JYP’s dungeon management. There were so many great solo releases this year, that I had trouble picking my favorites. But the sheer amount of amazing releases from IU (two pre-releases, a full-length studio album, a single, and a surprise year-ending mini-album) and a masterpiece solo debut from EXO’s D.O. pushed them to the top.
IU is great a making pop, feel-good tracks. But if you thought that only Adele could master the whole aging-through-album-release thing, then you don’t know IU. Though not always as obviously number-themed like “Twenty-Three” and “Eight“, her tracks have been maturing as she does, with relatable lyrics highlighting the external and inner struggles we all face as we realize that reality doesn’t always line up with the image of the future we had when we were younger. But there’s a reason that IU is so well-known for the ‘healing’ power of her songs, which always have a undercurrent of optimism despite the very real challenges. Her fifth full album “Lilac” is no different; and presents a more mature, confident side. The title track and MV, despite the deceptively cheery and catchy melody, talk about both accepting and letting go of the past while looking forward to a new chapter in life; a theme which is carried throughout the album. IU tracks have a way of staying with you, like the emotional and personal track “My Sea”. A spiritual successor to “My Name“, which talks about losing yourself, “My Sea” puts into lyrics a journey of self-discovery, self-love, and confidence in finding your way.
EXO-L’s had been anticipating D.O.’s full official solo release since his 2019 SM Station track “That’s Okay“. And it was definitely worth the wait for his first solo mini album Empathy. While the title track “Rose” is light and cheery, the ‘no-skips’ worthy album shows off D.O.’s range from pop, to R&B, to ballads. And just to show off, the release has him singing beautifully in three languages.
Energy. Power. Chemistry. CL’s Alpha album reminded everyone why she still is & will always be the baddest female 
Lee Hi’s “4 Only”, her first full album after leaving YGE showed a mature, genre-exploring, vocal queen 
*googles Taemin performing “Advice” in crop top* – *counts down days ’til military enlistment is over* – *cries*
Favorite Boy Group
(I decided not to add in BTS this time because (1) They’re my ult group and (2) Although they could breathe and literally break the internet, they technically didn’t release a full album this year. So I put my second ult group at the top of the list. Hey, I don’t make the rules. I mean, I do but whatever.)
This year has been such a whirlwind of emotions for Shawols after waiting so long for the older members of SHINee to come back from the military and then only a few short months together before Taemin enlisted. *cries pearl aqua-colored tears* Yet in the short time that they were all back, we got the masterpiece that is “Don’t Call Me”. Even as a newer SHINee fan, it was just so much fun to see how happy they were to be preforming as a group again. Not to mention both title tracks (“Don’t Call Me” and “Atlantis” from the repackaged album) stayed in my head for weeks. And despite leaving us still wanting more (still waiting for a full group live performance of “Body Rhythm” SM! *shakes fist holding SHINee lightstick*), their releases prove why they’ve managed to stay on top for all these years. On the opposite end we have 4th-gen powerhouse TXT, who delivered hit after hit this year. I love that TXT is in their emo phase, and lead tracks “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” and “LO$ER=LO♡ER” were a refreshing switch from an oversaturated ‘tough guy’ pop scene. TXT also delivered with their B-sides, like “Frost” and the full-English track “Magic” (which makes me so happy that I almost forget how much I like raspy-voiced emo Taehyun- almost).
TXT- 4th gen powerhouse or professional TikTokers? The world may never know 
Junho bias aside, this long-awaited comeback showed why 2PM is still the hottest part of the day 
Although this year’s ‘Fireworks’ was a bit underwhelming for some fans, ATEEZ made up for it with the seductive “Deja Vu” and “The Real” 
I am both proud to see ENHYPEN develop their concept and sound and jealous that maknae Niki is so young and so much more talented than me
Favorite Girl Group
- WINNER: ITZY
- RUNNER-UP: TWICE
- Honorable Mentions: Red Velvet; WJSN/ sub-unit WJSN The Black
What makes ITZY songs so irresistible? Is it the catchy melody? The iconic choreos? The random ‘Z’ in their name which for some reason my non-K-pop friends just can’t understand? Whatever the answer, ITZY was everywhere this year. Every time someone says “morning” I still hear ‘guess who loves you, na ya na’ in my head. Meanwhile label-mates TWICE had a bit of a controversial year, with many fans split on title track “Alcohol Free“, which isn’t my favorite release by them either. Some also found comeback song “Scientist” a bit too simple, but I though it was light and cute and let the B-sides of the album showcase the sub-units. Also, their insanely addictive English-release track “The Feels” more than made up for everything else.
Most Impossible To Get Out Of Your Head
- WINNER: STAYC “ASAP”
- RUNNER-UP: NCT Dream “Hot Sauce”
- Honorable Mentions: SOMI “Dumb Dumb”; Weeekly “After School”; Lisa “Money”
Last year we had so many TikTok challenges, that you could tell that some agencies were trying a bit too hard to make their tracks into TikTok friendly trends at the expense of making an actually good song. Although we’re not completely rid of that phase, this year saw releases of a better balance between catchy and a nice to listen to and STAYC’s ASAP is the perfect example of this. I definitely liked their debut track better, but “ASAP” shows a cuter side to the group and has a memorable melody and an easy to learn choreography perfect for going viral.
Whenever I see something spicy my body involuntary does the “Hot Sauce” dance. Please send help. 
I’m~~ So~ Good~~ With~ You~~~ (I know you sang that in your head) 
Kinda frustrated that her label won’t let her show off how good of a dancer SOMI is because they want easy TikTok dances but it works I guess 
This song makes me feel powerful and then it ends and I realize I have no actual money because I already spent it on K-pop merch
Best Comeback Story
WINNER: Brave Girls “Rollin'”
Who doesn’t love a good underdog story, where the little guy, against all odds, wins in the end? There’s no better example than Brave Entertainment’s Brave Girls, who originally debuted back in 2011 with a completely different line-up. Like many from relatively smaller companies, the group struggled to make it big in a oversaturated pop market and seemed doomed despite a small group of loyal fans. In fact, 2017’s “Rollin'” was a result of crowdfunding activities in order to produce the mini album and title track. By 2021, the current line-up had persevered for 6 years and the girls were ready to disband and already packed and left their dorm when K-pop magic happened in the form of a military camp performance video that went viral. Suddenly, “Rollin'” was topping charts and the girls won their first music show award in 10 years, beating out big names like IU and BTS. Appearances on music shows, variety shows, and two successful comebacks followed, showing that their fame wasn’t just going to last overnight. Besides being a great song, it’s been nice to see the group’s glow-up, proving that hard work, good timing, and a bit of chance can pay off in the end.
“You can’t know the course of one’s life.
If you’re thinking ‘Can I do this?’ ‘Can I start chasing this dream?’ just because of your age, then I hope that you won’t have those thoughts.”
Brave Girls’ Yujeong
We made it! *virtual hugs* May your 2022 be filled with more K-pop glitter, backhugs, and K-drama happy endings!
What were your favorites this year? Let us know in the comments!
Check out all of your favorite 2021 K-pop hits on our Spotify playlist!