Top 38 Kpop Songs of the First Half of 2021

Alright, well, since last quarter I’ve added on another 21 songs to the list. This year has been fantastic so far and extremely competitive, there’s also a few songs that I haven’t added that are currently under contemplation because I can’t figure out if I want them on my list yet. This time around I’ll be noting if a song went up or down, and how many spots, so we can see how much movement occurs. Let’s get it!

38. G-reyish- Blood Night (Down 21)

I mentioned last quarter that I’m not in love with this song but it’s a good listen. That statement still holds true, nothing more to say here.

37. WJSN- New Me (Down 21)

Solid WJSN output, not ever upset when this song comes on, but they’ve definitely had better this year too.

36. PinkFantasy- Lemon Candy (Down 24)

I overestimated this song a bit last time, and my feelings towards it have definitely cooled off. That said, it’s still a good song with an interesting twist for me. Note: I still don’t know how to feel about their new song so don’t expect it later in the list.

35. Ateez- Fireworks (Down 20)

Still cool autotune use, still not close to my favorite song from Ateez, really interested to see what they do next.

34. MCND- Note Over (Down 20)

Not a super unique song or particularly standout, but a solid fun MCND track, not gonna say no to that.

33. WJSN the Black- Easy (NEW)

The second subunit from WJSN and instead of being quirky fun like Chocome, it went heavy into sexy. I think this song and subunit work really well, although it isn’t really in my style musically.

32. Lucy- Stove (NEW)

This over 6 minute long b-side is an absolute epic, and marks the first appearance of Lucy in any of the articles on ManelyKpop. This band has a really cool makeup, with fantastic use of their violin player in a lead guitar role. Stove is almost classical in structure, it feels like it goes building across a few movements that all feel unique but unmistakably intertwined, really unusual and cool song that I would love to get more of.

31. Wooah- Scaredy Cat (NEW)

Wooah with a fun and compelling b-side that just earworms into you in a way that feels unstoppable, what else is new? Their company is really consistent with these tracks, to the point where I know a lot of fans prefer the b-sides to the title tracks on many of their albums.

30. Yukika- Insomnia (NEW)

I know this isn’t particularly high, but I really love the atmosphere of Yukika’s music on a general and holistic level, I have quite literally every song she’s ever put out on my main playlist. Insomnia has that great city-pop vibe that she always brings to the table, and is great music for doing just about anything.

29. Rocket Punch- Ride (NEW)

Rocket Punch is extremely musically consistent for me, and I like basically every song they put out, they’re all good. Ride is a good time, solid energy, but always leaves me wanting to listen to Twenty One Pilots afterwards.

28. Oh My Girl- Dun Dun Dance (NEW)

This song is just cute upbeat fun, it’s not crazy musically, not particularly daring or out of the box, which is why it doesn’t land higher up, but it’s still fantastic.

27. Rocket Punch- I Want You Bad (NEW)

This is an interesting and kinda odd sounding slow song, but it’s also unique and pleasant. As somebody who isn’t a fan of slow songs on the whole, this one works for me, it keeps the brain working instead of letting it shut down.

26. GWSN- Like it Hot (NEW)

While I always love GWSN’s music, the competition is super tough this year, and despite liking this song I couldn’t put it higher. This is a very different look for GWSN, but they still wear it well, I will say the choreo is a little less intricate and visually pleasing than some of their previous work.

25. Majors- Dancing in the Starlit Night (NEW)

ANS sadly disbanded and from the ashes rose Majors, with one returning member and what seems to be a lower budget. This song is fun although it gives me Six Flags Dancing Old Man vibes that I just can’t shake.

24. Wooah- Purple (NEW)

I mentioned that Wooah has popular b-sides, and that’s partly due to some interesting and strange title tracks. I put Purple in that camp, but I love it for the weirdness. The random chorus, the returning chanty section they feature at the end having a more hip hop tonality, and the chorus dance feeling like it belongs to a different song all come together wonderfully, bizarre but great.

23. Purple Kiss- Ponzona (Down 10)

This song is weird for me, it’s objectively good, and I enjoy it every time I listen to it, but at the same time, when it comes on I’m never saying to myself “ah yeah, Ponzona, this song is the bomb.” I guess I enjoy it objectively, but subjectively it doesn’t get me feeling hyped.

22. IU- Lilac (Down 11)

Still love IU’s voice in this song, not my favorite song ever, but her vocals are just fantastic and really carry it for me.

21. Dreamcatcher- 4 Memory (Down 11)

I still love the chill mood that this song puts me in, still the only Dreamcatcher song here, waiting for the next album.

20. MCND- Crush (Down 11)

Unique and fun, and the last of the trio that dropped exactly 11 in this section.

19. GWSN- Starry Night (NEW)

I absolutely love the beat in this song. I want to edit out all the vocals in the verses to isolate the beat and rap over it, and I would if I knew how to do any of that. The song is good, don't get me wrong, but the beat is the absolute highlight for me.

18. Weeekly- 7 Days Tension (NEW)

Ad songs have gotten so good these days, and this is my favorite since Orange Caramel’s Abing Abing, which always leaves me craving ice cream. This song really sits at the border between “catchy and cute” and “repetitive and annoying” but manages to land on the right side of it. I often catch myself just repeating the “tension” section quietly.

17. Woodz- Feel Like (Down 9)

I mentioned it last time but this song is really fascinating on an instrumental level, super groovy and smooth, my favorite Woodz title track probably.

16. Cherry Bulley- Love So Sweet (Down 9)

Everything I said in the previous article holds true.

15. Everglow- First (NEW)

Wow, the energy, the dominant strong energy, and coming from a girl group at that. This is what girl crush is to me as a genre, this is the vibes right here.

14. Everglow- Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (NEW)

So I’m not the biggest girl crush fan in general, despite loving First, this comes higher. What I am into is the funky bass line that permeates this entire song and hits you right from the first second. I would take an instrumental of this any day of the week, I don’t even need all the vocals to appreciate what the production did here.

13. WJSN- Unnatural (Down 12)

I did mention last time that I had this first but was probably a victim of both recency bias and being a Ujung. Since then I’ve settled on Unnatural being here, it’s a fantastic song, but the rest of the list is just a bit better for me, pre-chorus still slaps though.

12. WJSN- Super Moon (Down 6)

I’ve actually settled on Super Moon being my favorite song from Unnatural, it’s soft and fun, and feels a little different than other WJSN songs, which gives it staying power for me.

11. Aespa- Next Level (NEW)

It’s like 3 songs in one but structured like a sandwich, and that works for me, especially the middle parts, I wish those were just their own songs. I also love the pronunciation of “level” from Winter, it’s really unusual, but good.

10. Woodz- Touche (Down 6)

I stand by the Gambino R&B vibes statement I made previously, and that is never a wrong step, fantastic song.

9. Lucy- Hero (NEW)

Taking the title of highest male appearance on the chart this time is Lucy. I really like what this group is doing musically, they always mix it up a little and keep the listener wondering what the next move will be. Not sure how I feel about their newest song yet, but it could come in later on down the road. I only wish I had found this group earlier, because I like Snooze and Flowering even more than I like Hero, and I’d be curious how they would have done last year.

8. IU- Celebrity (Down 3)

Super great IU output, barely affected by all the new songs this quarter, a competitive year can’t hold back a talent like hers.

7. Fromis_9- We Go (NEW)

One of the most consistent groups for me in the last few years, including outputting what I think is the quintessential kpop song in “Love Bomb,” Fromis has done it again. We Go is fun and energetic, easy to just smile and bop to. I even try to get one of my cats to dance to it, and my wife says he’s really starting to master the choreo.

6. Majors- Rain On Me (NEW)

Did you think Majors was done in the 20s? If you did, surprise, Rain On Me just clicked with me, which is weird because it isn’t my style song at all normally, it just works here. Interestingly, that’s how I felt about ANS too, never was my style but I loved the songs anyways, truly spiritual successors.

5. Rocket Punch- Ring Ring (NEW)

Rocket Punch are the one of two groups with 3 appearances on this entire list, and they’ve earned it with how good the entire Ring Ring album is. Ring Ring does campy retro so well, leaning just campy enough to feel cheeky and fun without jeopardizing the respect that the retro side of the song deserves. This is also another example of why I think the retro movement in kpop has been so good, the songs just hit that happy part of my brain and let it take over.

4. Stayc- ASAP (NEW)

This is just the most absurdly catchy and fun thing on the planet, with some fantastic fun and simple choreo that just makes you want to join in on the fun. I know a lot of people were disappointed that this song wasn’t more like So Bad, but if this is the future of Stayc, I’m staying on board, because this is such an energetic mood raiser, and we need more good energy in the world.

3. GWSN- Burn (NEW)

The other group with 3 appearances on the list, and with this entry being the shortest song on the list as well. Burn is actually a subunit song, and despite the short runtime is a fun journey with some nifty production work. I also don’t know why but the idea that you have to let it burn just clicked with me and was what I needed to hear earlier this year, and is something I’m working on actively.

2. Azer- Elegante (No Movement)

Elegante stays in second and is still in my opinion an absolute hidden gem that deserves so much attention.

1. Weeekly- After School (Up 2)

The only song that actually moved up since last time, Weeekly are monster rookies with an undeniable chain of back to back to back hits. If their musical consistency stays this good, they aren’t going anywhere, and I’ll probably have a lot of articles about how catchy and fun their music is for years to come.