'2021 half yearly report'
- steph
- Jul 14, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 15, 2021
the first half of 2021 has passed and unsurprisingly, it was largely dull. the first half of the year always is. although girl groups generally shine more than boy groups (i mean take a look at the charts), the boy groups actually did pretty nicely this time. i won’t say boy groups did better overall, but they had more standouts than expected. looking back, the 4th gen groups did well in first half. even when trends were followed, they still did a decent job. other 4th gen groups also experimented, and it payed off. we saw more male solo artists release this year as well and the standard has been set high by them. lastly, there were a lot more grower songs this first half too from groups overall. you can decide if that’s a good thing or not!
but you didn't come here to read me babbling, lets get on with the list.
“Most Underrated Group Song”
this category is for the group who put out a fantastic song but for whatever reason was completely overlooked by kpop stans. so i’m giving them their things
“Most Underrated Solo Song”
i stumbled across this one and i was so impressed. yuqi is a special vocalist with a distinctive tone. it’s good to see she got a song of her own to really flaunt it.
“Best Solo Song”
as the title suggests, this is simply the best track by a solo artist. of course i have to give it to this song, i've been raving about it all year
“Best Girl Group Title Track”
girl groups put out some cool stuff this time around. but this trap inspired tune embodies everything good abt classic kpop whilst still being different from the average cute song.
“Best Boy Group Title Track” + "Best Title Track"
txt have once again impressed me with their ability to pour emotion into music. the more you listen to it, deeper you fall in love with it. txt has stolen my heart with this. i can’t fault it.
“Best Kpop B-side”
although albums have been disappointing in the first half, this was a difficult decision to make. but this blossoms beautifully in the last chorus.
“Best Non-Kpop B-side”
without a doubt i had to choose this track. with baekhyun running vocals circles around this simple rnb instrumental, it was a no brainer.
“Most Surprising Song”
surprising in this sense means something i didn’t necessarily expect and i didn’t expect this from nct dream after their recent releases. it’s dreamy with outstanding vocals from haechan.
“The ‘Grower’ Hit”
this song is shocking the first time you listen to it. but that middle section draws you in bc it’s really good, classic sm. before you know it you’re enduring the rest of the song to get to the best parts. that’s a grower everyone!
“Best Solo Album”
bambi is baekhyun’s best release to date. it’s smooth and warm and well produced with practically no flaws. he should be happy with what he’s put out.
“Best Group Album”
shinee really came into their own with this one. they’ve found their roots again and have developed from it. jonghyun’s spirit is well and truly in this album
other special mentions:
- warning; kim sejeong
- love so sweet; cherry bullet
- dont call me; shinee
- marry you; shinee
- lecia; epik high
- bother me; chungha
- drunk-dazed; enhypen
- kidding me; itzy
- baby blue love; twice
- first time; twice
- the other side of the moon; gwsn
- U R; loona
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