As per custom, the following few weeks on The Bias Record can be full of all types of year-end countdowns, principally in regards to the 12 months in Ok-pop but additionally encompassing J-pop, world pop and even Japanese dramas! Mainly, it’s an opportunity for me to take inventory of my 12 months in fandom and have fun the issues I loved most. I hope you’ll discover some discoveries alongside the best way and provide your personal highlights. Probably the greatest issues about this weblog is its group of readers, and I really like studying from you all!

Earlier than leaping into the primary countdown (my high 50 Ok-pop songs of the 12 months!) on Monday, I wish to take inventory of the 12 months total. For the needs of this weblog, I are likely to divide music into three classes: Ok-pop, J-pop and “World” pop. That’s probably not honest to any music that falls outdoors of Korea or Japan, but when I micromanage genres an excessive amount of this may change into a really completely different weblog! The Bias Record remains to be 99% Ok-pop centered, in any case.

When pondering of those three musical classes in 2023, right here’s how issues shook out for me:

World pop delivered the most music I favored this 12 months, which is sensible given the expansive attain of that class. In the meantime, J-pop delivered the music I felt most passionate about in 2023.

I assume Ok-pop delivered… essentially the most music I wrote about?

I’m unsure how else to categorize it. I assumed quite a bit about Ok-pop this 12 months, however in my decade plus journey as an energetic fan, 2023 was in all probability essentially the most underwhelming 12 months for me personally. Ok-pop may be very trend-oriented, which means a lot of any 12 months’s fortune depends upon the sounds and acts which might be hottest at that second. I’m not an enormous fan of the sound palettes most producers are taking part in in proper now, and even when a music embraces a method I have a tendency to love, truncated operating occasions and overused vocal results usually tempered the general effectiveness. As at all times, I notice that is all very subjective. If the present musical panorama matches your style nicely, you in all probability cherished 2023. In my opinion, I’ve had my fill of sing/shout-talking and subdued musical soundscapes. Fortunately, traits like these are cyclical. Nothing stays lodged on the high of the charts for too lengthy.

Most of my favourite songs of 2023 appeared to exist outdoors of this trendiness, borrowing components from all factors in music historical past. Additionally they tended to be longer in size, unveiling efficient builds and (much more importantly) satisfying payoffs. I’ve at all times cherished when music looks like a narrative, taking you on an entire journey. In our present age of streaming, many songs appear extra content material to unveil a sequence of earworm hooks that wash over the listener in light waves, begging to be replayed on a loop. This is sensible from a enterprise perspective, however it hardly ever satisfies me on an experiential stage.

Expectations like these are a product of your personal private historical past with music, so I don’t anticipate everybody sharing my very own inclinations towards sure sounds and constructions. And it’s price noting that an ideal music is a good music and might break by means of private biases by means of sheer power and execution. Sadly, there weren’t lots of these outliers this 12 months for me. Nevertheless, I’m excited to highlight these songs that did break by means of. Even in Ok-pop’s weaker years, there’s music to have fun.

In relation to the weblog itself, 2023 was one other robust 12 months. I attempted to handle my curiosity in J-pop and world pop with out sacrificing any of the standard Ok-pop content material. Greater than something, these posts supplied an opportunity to spotlight sounds and approaches I really like that might not be current in Ok-pop in the intervening time. I hope you’ve discovered my J-pop and world pop round-ups helpful. I’m nicely conscious that their readership isn’t as excessive as my Ok-pop content material, however they’re enjoyable to put in writing and act as a pleasant counterpoint.

I can’t imagine it, however The Bias Record will finish the 12 months with its strongest numbers but! I actually anticipated the weblog’s readership to plateau in 2023, however we’ve had eight straight years of development and are approaching the weblog’s twenty-five millionth hit. I assume you guys aren’t uninterested in my bitching and moaning but, huh?

(Simply kidding, I’m nicely conscious that a few of you might be very uninterested in it)

This year-end function is my 715th publish of the 12 months, which is up ever-so-slightly from this time final 12 months. That’s 225,000 phrases. I can’t quantify precisely how a lot time I’ve spent on the weblog, however it’s a each day endeavor and has been that manner for two,841 days with out interruption. That both makes me very devoted or deeply loopy.

Truthfully… it’s in all probability a bit of each!

Eligibility standards for my Prime 50 Singles record hasn’t modified since 2022, however for many who are new to the weblog, listed below are the principles. This 12 months, there was a music or two that towed the road between promoted single and b-side, so I’ve made my very own judgment name on which countdown it ought to land.

Eligibility standards:

1. A music will need to have been launched as a title, follow-up or promoted observe between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023.
2. A music should be paired with a full music video or big-budget efficiency video (the traces get extra blurred annually).
3. English-language singles are eligible. Japanese singles by Ok-pop artists can be a part of the J-pop countdown.

Earlier than kicking off the countdowns on Monday, listed below are the ten songs that didn’t fairly make the Prime 50. I’m totally shocked (and fairly gutted) to see one in all them this low. I guess longtime readers can guess which music I’m referring to!

60. H1-KEY – Rose Blossom (evaluation)

59. ZEROBASEONE – Crush (evaluation)

58. CSR – Shining Vibrant (evaluation)

57. ENHYPEN – Candy Venom (evaluation)

56. TAN – Repair You (evaluation)

55. NewJeans – ETA (evaluation)

54. Vanner – Performer (evaluation)

53. Infinite – New Feelings (evaluation)

52. BOYNEXTDOOR – However Generally (evaluation)

51. xikers – Rockstar (evaluation)