Mixing languages, music styles, and bringing back the classics, this week has a large eclectic collection of music which covers a multitude of genres. Pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, ballad and Latin are all key music styles that have made an appearance. It has been an extremely busy week for music releases, as well as announcements for upcoming album releases. So be sure to keep checking back for all the latest releases.

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 12 – 15 April 2018.

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Reddy – Peach (FEAT. Suran)
Released: 12 April

A play on words can bring out the naughtiest side to ourselves and with this new release from Reddy, you will definitely be thinking, “What did he just say?” The song is chill, with a smooth flow. The softness of the song mixed with Reddy’s manly vocals gives a nice R&B/hip-hop vibe. Suran’s inclusion with her high toned vocals brings a nice contrast. The video is artistic, yet slightly confusing with its use of opposing colours as a definition.

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Super Junior – Lo Siento (FEAT. Leslie Grace)
Released: 12 April

Crossing boundaries that many say exist in the music world, Super Junior have joined forces with Leslie Grace in a surprise collaboration. Mixing Latin dance music with Spanish and Korean vocals, the song brings a whole new style to the K-pop scene. Upbeat and colourful, the song and music video are able to set the mood. Lo Siento (Spanish for ‘I’m Sorry’) has one of our favourite dance breaks midway through and is generally a song that will get you up out of your seat and grooving. It’s great to see Super Junior back in the music charts once again.

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Yu Seungwoo – A Day Before Us
Released: 12 April

Pop ballads are a genre that’s overlooked on many levels, but also a key part of the soundtrack to many Korean dramas. In this case, a new animated webtoon. Yu Seungwoo’s soft and dreamy vocals will melt your heart and send you into a trance when hitting those high notes. Singing about love, his vocals are the perfect accompaniment to the soft drums, piano and guitar background music. The video features the singer in a relaxed live setting, along with clips of the animation. It’s super cute.

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Siyoon – Alone
Released: 13 April

There is a key style of music that has become super popular leading out of 2017 and into 2018. It mixes electro with soft ballad tones and is mixed with soft vocals and powerful raps. Siyoon has tapped into this genre and turned it into something completely unique to his style. His vocals feel like he is speaking the words in a loud whisper rather than singing, leaving something very soothing. We love the vibe of the song, and the simplistic music video as well.

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Shin Yong Jae – Today
Released: 14 April

With touching vocals, lyrics and the perfect ballad backing song, the one thing that pulls a good sad song together is a great music video. The music video for Today shows the troubles of a working-class person within Korea’s standards, working hard to achieve their goals. Paired together with the heartbreaking lyrics and song, it is definitely a tearjerker. Vocally, Shin Yong Jae has perfected himself, hitting some pretty high notes and controlling his vocals precisely. The song and video are soft, beautiful, and thought-provoking.

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TKsound – Lost (FEAT. Samantha Gang)
Released: 14 April

Smooth jazz, an upbeat drum track with an electronic sound bite, mixed with simple controlled mid-tempo vocals, Lost is retro in its sound, yet modern in production. The music video is a simple black background with animated coloured figures and patterns that flash across the screen. Musically it’s nice to hear a mix of old-school with a modern vibe, and it really does fit in with the spring season.

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Amber – Closed Doors (Rogue Rouge)
Released: 15 April

As part of her mixtape release, which is free to download from her Soundcloud, Amber released a special music video for her release of Closed Doors. The track is in English, with Amber singing about equality and troubles people can encounter. A lot of fans associate the song with Amber’s personal experiences, as she is an advocate for equality in all matters and has been on the receiving end of a lot of hate about her appearance, sexuality, femininity and so forth. The lyrics are strong and the music is upbeat with a softer underlining tone.

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The Rose – Baby
Released: 15 April

Rock bands throughout the Korean music scene are sparse, but when we do see a new band, they certainly know how to rock. The Rose are still classed as a rookie band but have more than secured their place as one to watch. The music video is artistic, bright, colourful, and shows the troubles of someone going insane through love. Vocally the song is unique with its gruffness and ethereal feeling. The music, on the other hand, is powerful, brash and erratic. The perfect song to thrash around to in your bedroom.

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WeAreYoung – I Know
Released: 15 April

Taking things back from the previous songs, WeAreYoung have released a heartwarming ballad that truly pulls at those heartstrings. Featuring the duo’s soft and highly talented vocals which have the ability to stop you in your tracks, they are accompanied by a fantastic orchestral background. Everything you would ever need in a comforting ballad song. We can’t wait to see more from this duo, as they seem to have a knack for pulling at the emotions of the listener.

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E Hyuk – I’ll Live
Released: 15 April

Fans of the sadly disbanded duo Norazo will recognise this singer. It’s none other than E Hyuk. Hyuk has been seen on many TV shows demonstrating his powerful vocals which are more than perfect for rock ballads like this one. Having seen his vocal range and the power of his voice, it’s great to see that he has gone on his own solo adventure and released a song. It would have been nice to see more of his power vocals at work, but I’ll Live is a beautiful song in its own right.

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Eddy Kim – Woah Woah
Released: 15 April

It’s been a while since Eddy Kim has graced our ears with his soft and jazz filled vocals. It’s great to see Eddy back in the music charts, and in no better way than with an acoustic version of his song Woah Woah. With just a guitar and his voice, the smooth jazz setting really fits well when the listener is accompanied with a steaming hot coffee in a busy cafe, just watching the world go by. A perfect song for the springtime and for any newcomers who are listening to him for the first time. The song truly allows his vocals to shine.

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There was a lot of great releases this week and sadly we couldn’t add them all to this list. So a few special mentions go to Park Ki Young with her latest release of I Love You Too. If you’re into your acoustic swing and jazz music, you will love this. It’s raw, sweet and has an interesting concert idea (yes, everyone is listening to the concert through headphones).

Badkiz aren’t just another girl group like the many others. With their release of Just One Day, they have secured a spot as a girl group to watch in the future. With a similar sound to 4minute and Brown Eyed Girls, the chorus is super catchy and one you will be humming to straight away.

Young Jun is a member of the smooth blues, jazz and ballad vocalist Brown Eyed Soul. Upon hearing that he was releasing a solo song, we were super excited, and not disappointed. He has released his song Don’t Leave Me, which is just as smooth as his vocals. 

With super soft and gentle vocals, Jin Won is able to make the strongest of men weak at the knees with his ballad release A Confession Of Love. The song feels gentlemanly, yet soft enough that it will leave the listener swooning. The music video is super cute, and it’s obvious we have yet another singer to keep an eye on in the future.

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 16 April – 18 April 2018