2023 in K-pop

In which Iotar reflects in two parts on the year gone by on the South Korean music scene.

This year has been huge in K-pop. South Korean pop culture is at a pivotal point where the new fourth generation of groups is making a definitive impact on the landscape.

Part One: The Girls

The most notable act to break the mould last year was NewJeans, who with their first eponymous album shook up everything that was expected of girl groups. NewJeans became the act to watch, and it felt like the entire first half of 2023 was merely an anticipation of their follow up, Get Up, and of whether it would deliver on their promise.

And it did, in spades, but even before it came out it was crystal clear that they were already influencing the entire industry. While during the last few years, K-pop girl groups had a tendency towards a techno goth space-pirate vibe; that vibration ceased this year, and acts who didn’t shape up to the new model, such as Pixy and EVERGLOW, were looking visibly dated when they re-emerged. Aespa however notably chose to rebrand strongly, taking pointers from left-field acts such as Billlie and LOONA, to update their music and image for 2023.

Other acts who made successful transitions into the new year, such as IVE and G(I)-DLE also adopted what was at times a much less CGI-heavy video route, and a more natural, although probably carefully curated, dress code towards a spooky lo-fi witch-pop vibe. None of these acts have slavishly copied NewJeans’ baggy, informal illusion, and LE SSERAFIM, who also have been enjoying massive success, including a banger co-written with Nile Rodgers, managed to retain their spookily absolute hi-energy control while remaining right at the top of their game.

And speaking of LOONA, as we were, things had appeared to be on indefinite hold for them last year as all of the members took legal action against Blockberry Creative, their former label, who had been exploiting them since they started. However in 2023, all twelve members won freedom from their contracts, and ten of them are already active in various formations.

Five of them, in Loossemble on the CTDNM label managed by an ex-Blockberry executive, put out a successful album with an agenda aimed at reuniting the full twelve members of LOONA; another three, ODD EYE CIRCLE, which was one of the most beloved LOONA sub-units, have reuinited on MODHAUS, the label of Jaden Jeong — the original architect of the LOONA mythos. Heejin has also put out a solo album on MODHAUS and something similar is expected from Haseul soon.

However, of all of the former LOONA members, perhaps it is Chuu‘s solo album which is the most immediately engaging, and the most radical departure from her original role in LOONA. As a footnote, it’s worth mentioning that MODHAUS’s other major project, tripleS, has been putting out excellent fourth generation K-pop through several sub-units, including Acid Angels From Asia last year, and +(KR)ystal Eyes, EVOLution and LOVElution this year.

It’s also worth noting that MAMAMOO+, a sub-unit of MAMAMOO, one of the most highly-regarded third generation acts, gave us one of the most effortless reinventions of the year with their Two Rabbits album: Solar and Moonbyul gave us definitive evidence that there is still plenty of life in thirtysomething idols.

Before signing off on our overview of the year for girl groups in K-pop, maybe it’s worth noting that all of this may only have been possible because BLACKPINK have not had a comeback album this year. Having said that, Jisoo‘s solo album and single were insanely successful, which demonstrates that YG Entertainment can by no means be dismissed as has-beens.

Part two – The Boys

One thing has been bothering me about K-pop for the last few years: why are girl groups generally superior to boy groups? This was not always the case. During the golden age of the second generation, the imperial grandeur of BIGBANG and Super Junior, boy groups were at least as good as their female counterparts. Similarly, EXO and the NCT groups and sub-groups during the peak of the third generation had apparently limitless energy.

The answer is of course national service. Men in South Korea are required to participate in national service during their twenties, and this has ruptured the careers of many boy groups.

BIGBANG in particular have never really managed to pull themselves back together in spite of the enormous success they enjoyed in the period before serving their nations, and for this reason it’s notable that Taeyang‘s solo career since BIGBANG has been the exception rather than the rule. This year he slinked across the stage like everyone’s favourite K-pop big brother, dropping bangers that collaborate with the great and the good from fourth generation acts like BTS and BLACKPINK.

SHINee alumnus Taemin also gave us another excellent solo album this year, as did Kai from EXO, before both of them were dragged off for military service. There appears to be some sort of system in place at SM Entertainment for ensuring that idols set up their legacy before this hiatus in their career, and many of their NCT-related acts are sufficiently flexible in terms of their membership that an ongoing throughput of bangers is still feasible, and indeed the various NCTs have been doing solid business this year. The long-awaited return of EXO was very welcome, although it remains to be seen how long we’ll have to wait for this less flexible group to reform in the future.

Beyond the hit factories of SM Entertainment, we’ve been very much enjoying Zior Park‘s fantastic new material, which has been examining gender identity, as well as the legacies of masculinity. However, since he operates outside the large corporates, it will interesting to see how he copes with the upcoming call from his nation state.

But yes, in spite of all of the above, we still find it difficult to account for how girl groups have weathered the pandemic years better than boy groups. Maybe it’s just personal bias, and perhaps the expansible bubble expressed in the huge success of girl groups such as NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM cannot be maintained for much longer, or perhaps the next BIGBANG is just around the corner.

Watch this space!

-Iotar-

Fifteen Essential K-Pop Albums and EPs from 2023

1. MAMAMOO+ – Two Rabbits
2. NewJeans – Get Up
3. Kai – Rover
4. LE SSERAFIM – Unforgiven
5. G(I)-DLE – HEAT
6. Taemin – Guilty
7. ODD EYE CIRCLE – Version Up
8. CHUU – Howl
9. Taeyang – Down to Earth
10. IVE – IVE
11. Billlie – Side B – Memories of Echoes Unseen
12. NCT U – Golden Age
13. EXO – Exist
14. tripleS – Assemble
15. Zior Park – Where Does the Sasquatch Live? – Part Two