Another week is upon us and we see some familiar faces back to claim their positions in the charts. From empowering female artists, to Show Me The Money contestants who have made it big; ballad, R&B, pop and hip-hop, are all present in the chart. Some are unique in their sound, whileothers rely on what they know.

Our Weekly K-music Review posts are here to give you a helping hand and a quick look back to the notable releases from Korean artists in a weekly format. This article looks at releases and comebacks from 19 – 22 April 2018.

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Minseo – Growing Up
Released: 19 April

Featuring soft yet powerful vocals that are mesmerising and addictive, Growing Up also has an upbeat mellow sound and a base melody that is reminiscent of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love. A strong aura and calmness is common in songs that are popular right now, and it’s good to see Minseo breaking away from what is very popular to create her own style.

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Apink – Miracle
Released: 19 April

Dedicated to their fan club Pandas, Miracle is a thank you and an acknowledgement of the support the group has received. Showing clips of their previous concerts, the video is truly touching as we see some emotional moments during interactions with the fans. When paired together with the vocals and lyrics of the song, this is a beautiful and well put together production. Being a soft pop-ballad in style, the vocals mixed with the pop drum beats bring a new genre of music to Apink’s forever growing talents.

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IN2IT – SnapShot
Released: 19 April

Showing they can “werk it” and Vogue on the runway, this video is like a large fashion show production. There are some nice visuals and some good choreography, but let’s also not miss the fact that this video did make us giggle slightly at the retro styling and camera angles. The song itself is actually similar to the release N.O.M by A.GUYS. Can you hear the resemblance?

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Zhou Mi – I Don’t Care
Released: 19 April

Zhou Mi is a firm favourite and a truly underrated artist. This version of I Don’t Care is in Chinese, though it is possible that a Korean version will be released in the near future. However, it would be wrong not to add this to our releases this week. The song is an upbeat pop-ballad with an extremely catchy underlying beat, easy to learn lyrics, and a well put together music video. Zhou Mi has grown so much both vocally and physically, and it’s really great to see him back in the charts again.

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YoonMirae – KawiBawiBo
Released: 20 April

YoonMirae is an empowering female artist from Korea who is at the top of her game. A true leader for females in the hip-hop scene worldwide, she brings politics to her lyrics and proves that she has just as much swag as the next person. KawiBawiBo is addictive, catchy and one of those tunes you need to blast out loud! The music video has a strong message and is truly artistic in its production. It’s great to see her back again.

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Jo SoJeong – Not Okay
Released: 20 April

Bringing things back a notch or two, Jo SeJeong’s latest ballad is accompanied by a video that captures the feeling of the lyrics and music, even if it is somewhat simplistic. Her vocals are like a whisper in the wind, which has the ability to lull the listener into an appreciative trance. Soft, calm and endearing with heartbreaking tendencies, it’s one for a rainy emotional day.

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SuperBee – 5 Gawd (Oh Gawd)
Released: 20 April

Crashing back onto the scene from his busy schedule of producing hip-hop tracks, featuring on other artist’s songs, and juggling private shows and concerts, SuperBee is back to prove his standing within the K-hip-hop scene. His rapping ability has obviously improved, and it seems the boyish charms he was once known for are slowly beginning to fade as he finds his own standing. Although it would have been nice to see something a little bit heavier, this is still a top record.

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Bay P – Woo
Released: 20 April

Touring the many roads of Seoul, Bay P’s music video captures some stunning visuals from the city that never sleeps – plus his styling and fashion choices are also on point. Vocally there is a lot of power behind the controlled vocals that we do hear. There is a slight echo to the chorus that will send you crazy (a truly ASMR component within the song). Chilled with a soft drumbeat, the song is wholly based on his vocals.

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Nano – Punishment (PROD. HSND)
Released: 21 April

R&B in style, this song is reminiscent of those produced by artists like Dean, Crush, and Jay Park. The one difference being a lot of autotuning used to create an eerie robotic vocal sound. This is also mixed with clever microphone edits that completely change Nano’s vocals. The video is a graphic designer’s playground, but does feature some clever cinematography.

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Stray Kids – Mirror
Released: 22 April

Having made their debut only a few weeks back, the production of this song is a slight letdown, especially following some promising teaser trailers. Vocally the singers have got super powerful voices that seem to be controlled, the rappers have emotion when spitting their lyrics, and when combined there is a nice underlying sound. However, it’s hard to pinpoint, but there is still something that is distracting. Musically the song is a bit all over the place, with EDM, hip-hop, pop and ballad. It’s like Stray Kids wanted all the genres in one, and they have a way to go.

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As there have been a lot of releases this week, be sure to check back for the second instalment of K-music week in review, which will look at releases from 23 April – 25 April 2018.