intro
hello!
this is my first ever proper page after my about page
as 2024 comes to an end, i think it's time to reflect over the amazing music we've gotten (and enjoyed) this year; from huge huge artists like Ariana and Charli, to tiny indie artists you've never heard of!
i think it's important to mention that some of the music on this list may not be from 2024, because this is a general "really cool music that i liked/discovered IN 2024" and not a handmade spotify wrapped
i highly recommend going through this list on your computer with headphones and not on your rectangular smart cellular device
short and low quality song previews will be available where needed
korean pop
the biggest category! so many groups released such good music this year :)
and we also got the debut of the group i think shined the most in 2024:
ILLIT
hands-down best k-pop group of 2024!
unlike some groups i could mention,
they didn't ruin their no-skip discography this year,
giving us 9 amazing tracks. (excluding the weird tick-tack english version) with my personal favourite being Pimple !! :D
even the magnetic remixes are good - they're all in roughly the same bpm as the original, so you don't get that stretched out effect
i'm super happy the illit girls are successful considering all the hate they've gotten (and continue to get)f after the already traumatic event that was R U NEXT? lol
my bias is minju :D (or iroha,, idk)
they also have one of the best creative teams in kpop (2024), second after the aforementioned newjeans. the whole cherish my love concept with the "sarangnee" wisdom tooth thing was honestly genius - AND member yunah came up with it! someone put her in place of MHJ..
very excited for their activities in 2025 !!!
they're also the only group that i own physical merch of so i may be very biased here
LE SSERAFIM
lesserafim... lesserafim lesserafim lesserafim.
this was definitely an.. interesting year for them
i'll split this up into two, EASY then CRAZY
i'm gonna say it straight up, EASY was bad. i don't think i enjoyed a single part of that song, and i genuinely feel bad that the girls had to promote it LMAO
"damn i really make it look easy" is the only song's redeeming quality - that line is fire. other than that though... very forgettable song..
the promoted b-side Smart wasn't any good either, they wanted Tyla's nachos and they failed in getting them, i fear
also the EASY mv had this weird motion blur moment at the final chorus which i did not like LMAO, but maybe i'm nit-picking..
but i love lesserafim and can't give them a bad look, so i will say that the album's intro, Good Bones, is great !!! not their best intro (probably their worst lol) but lessera's intros have always been top-tier
i really enjoyed CRAZY ! it was a good 6.5/10 ep and definitely a step-up from EASY
Chasing Lightning is my favourite "song" off it - what can i say, i love lessera intros
i knew 1-800-hot-n-fun was a banger from the second we heard it during that one show they did; "one eight-hundred, hot 'n fun | that's my number hit my line | hear my ringtone every time" will forever be stuck in my head because of it
Pierrot.. bye - WHY does yunjin do that weird thing with her voice in the 2nd verse LMAO?? "just BOYRN yo FIYA" girl... T-T
CRAZIER was a mistake, i'm not doing anything new by saying this, but k-pop companies NEED to stop putting boring, slow, snooze-worthy ballads at the end of an otherwise fully high-energy album! like come on! you could have made CRAZIER a, well, crazier version of CRAZY - the opportunity was right there! i'm not a big fan of remixes in the main ep (i don't mind a remix album like NWJMX) but this would have worked so well! if you wanna release a slow song so bad make it a single or something lol??
title track CRAZY was a strong contender for my personal SOTY, it's the perfect "if you're gonna pander to the gays, make it good" track that Yves wishes she could make.
i was a bit skeptical when i heard the "da-ra-ra-ra" part during early promotions on instagram, but i really liked the song in the end!
the remixes are pretty okay too, my favourite is obviously the Pinkpantheress one, even though her lines do not fit the flow of the song in any way.
also highlighting this banger of a teaser!! i think it's up there with that one karina teaser for "best k-pop promotional photo"
other than that, i want to mention yunjin's post-CRAZY mv weverse post because i'm not crying, you are! the following is some of her writing:
a copy of the full post is available here, on reddit.
People are so quick to ostracize, calling people "cringe" or weird for simply looking and liking what they do. And it is often done in a passive air of cynical humor, the cruelest way, because, like classic microaggression, if you get hurt, you become the uncool one who just doesn't know how to take a joke.
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If you think about it, we all had something that made our hearts race when we were younger.
As a kid, I loved to create.
I drew every day without the pressure to become an artist; I wrote poetry without a single recitation.
I would chase butterflies that I knew I could never catch in the first place.
Simply because it made me happy.
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People will always pick you apart for your shortcomings and outcast you for your differences.
But among those watching, someone is waiting for something to show them it's okay to be themselves.
There is always somebody waiting.
I was that somebody.
So, believe me when I say that your voice matters. You make a difference. We are all important beings with the power to gift each other strength and hope.
shout out to all the neurodivergent gay people who grew up with 1.5 friends <3
i'm not one to idolize k-pop idols, but yunjin will always be someone i look up to.