I will be posting thematic and class playlists here regularly. Click the link to go to the playlist on YouTube.

2023 K-Pop Christmas Playlist

Of course I have to begin with my friends TRENDZ! Happy Holidays!

1. Christmas Medley (TRENDZ, 2023)

2. _Must Have Love (ATBO, 2023)

3. Melting Point (ZEROBASEONE, 2023)

4. Pink Christmas (APINK, 2023)

5. The Carol 3.0 (ARTMS, 2023)

6. 첫 눈(FIRST SNOW) (XODIAC, 2023)

7. Merry PLLIstmas (PLAVE, 2023)

8. A Typical Trainee’s Christmas (BTS, 2013) – pre-debut!

9. Christmas Without You (BABYMONSTER, 2023)

10. Christmas Tree (from OST of “Our Beloved Summer” (V of BTS, 2021)

11. Snow Flower (V of BTS, ft. Peakboy, 2022)

12. Back to Christmas (NINE.i, 2023)

13. 첫 눈 The First Snow (EXO, 2013)

SOCY 081 (Fall 2023) “Songs to Remember Us By” (Posted September 1, 2023)

I asked each of the students in my 1st year seminar to choose one K-Pop or New Wave song to help me learn their names. It’s easier for me to remember song titles than names and strangely, this helps me learn their names! The first song is my choice. Here’s the list:

1. Dope (BTS)

2. Look at Me (george)

3. Sugarcoat (NATTY)

4. Run to You (SEVENTEEN)

5. Oh My God ((G)I-DLE)

6. Tomorrow (BTS)

7. Spring Day (BTS)

8. Happy Fools (TOMORROW X TOGETHER)

9. Bambi (Baekyun)

10. The Truth Untold (BTS)

11. Paradise (BTS)

12. Love (S.E.S.)

13. Hello Future (NCT DREAM)

14. TT (TWICE)

15. Yet to Come (BTS)

16. Tomboy ((G)I-DLE)

17. Time Slip (Red Velvet)

18. Wedding Dress (Taeyang)

19. Mini Skirt (AOA)

Playlist Inspired by My April 2023 Trip to Korea (Posted May 11, 2023) 

List followed by my short summary of my trip!

1. NEW DAYZ – Music Bank (TRENDZ, 2023).

2. short clip of NEW DAYZ shot by me.

3. EUNOIA (Billlie, 2023).

4. Dystopia (KINGDOM, 2023).

5. Me, Myself, and I (APINK, 2023).

6. Sour & Sweet (BamBam, 2023).

7. Like Crazy (Jimin, 2023)

8. Ditto (NewJeans, 2023)

9. Say Yes (느낌이 좋아) (SAY YES, 2013).

10. Love You Love You (Blue Spring, 2009).

11. U (Baekhyun, 2021).

12. Together (SF9, 2017).

13. Drawing the Line (Royal Pirates, 2014).

14. Not Alone (Boys Planet Final Battle, 2023).

15. O Sole Mio (SF9, 2017).

16. Puzzle (SF9, 2023).

17. Back Down (P1HARMONY, 2022).

18. I’m a Loner (CNBLUE, 2010)

19. NEW DAYZ – MV (TRENDZ, 2023)

20. O (VERIVERY, 2022)

21. ERROR (VIXX [빅스], 2014)

I was in Korea in April 2023, where I gave a number of talks and also participated in K-Pop activities.I had the opportunity to go to Music Bank and Show! Music Core at the beginning of April 2023. I saw fan meetings and performances held by TRENDZ, Billlie, and Kingdom. TRENDZ must be the hardest-working 4th generation boy group out there — “New Dayz” is super catchy, and I was able to visit with their managers and received a personalized and signed CD! I also got to see veterans APINK and BamBam (GOT7). When visiting HYBE, I received Jimin‘s new album & one from NewJeans.

Along with my graduate student (PhD Student in Yale Sociology, Meera Choi), I also got to meet CR Kim and Subin (SB) Kim of Aiming Music. CR was in a duo called Blue Spring, and Subin was the lead singer in SAY YES. These days, they are composing and producing top hits & OST, including Baekhyun‘s “U” from “Doom at Your Service.” I hope to have them visit my class in Fall 2023!

We then met Dahae Iris Choi of Hitfire Productions. They have produced many K-Pop and J-Pop songs, including “Your Eyes Tell” by BTS, and songs for TWICE, Super Junior, NCT, ASTRO, CIX, and many others! She was also instrumental in making so many introductions of me to K-Pop industry professionals. Thank you, Dahae! 🙂

Next, we visited FNC Entertainment, home of groups such as  C.N BLUE, SF9, P1HARMONY, and CHERRY BULLET. We met Tina Kim and Sooyoon Kim. Tina is a manager and Sooyoon is a composer and musician. He was the drummer in the group ROYAL PIRATES. He wrote some SF9 songs (see the playlist), and also co-wrote “Not Alone” which was featured in the final battle of BOYS PLANET. Hope to see Sooyoon in my class too!

A real highlight was going to Global H and chatting with the managers (Soyeon Shim and Hyunsoo Seo) of TRENDZ! Meera Choi kindly interpreted for us. They were so kind and personally signed and wrote a message to me. Perhaps these idols will visit my class as well! 🙂

I also got to meet an idol! I took photos, but was asked not to post them. Here’s an official photo of Gyehyeon of VERIVERY — coincidentally I saw them in concert in New Haven last fall, and they were fantastic. My favorite song of theirs is “O,” which I’ve included in the playlist.

I also got to meet the lengendary songwriting team MELODESIGN (Doohyun Kim and Jungjin Seo) of Jellyfish Entertainment. They wrote most of the songs by VIXX, including “Error,” an especially impressive song & MV from 2014. Doohyun is also managing VERIVERY. They are real music buffs, and they loved hearing about my class. The highlight for me is when they said that my knowledge of music was on the level of a “professional.” They really made my day. 🙂

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K-Pop Songs about Pets! (Posted December 28, 2022)

1. Your Dog Loves You (Colde, Featuring Crush, 2018)
2. Cat (Colde, 2022)
3. Black Cat Nero (Turbo, 1996)
4. Cat and Dog (Tomorrow by Together, 2019)
5. _pet (10cm, 2017)
6. _Take Me (with 11 Kitties) (CODE DUNST, meenoi, 2022) (super cute video!)
7. Like a Cat (AOA, 2014)
8. Cat’s Eye (ASTRO, 2016)
9. _Cat (Sunwoo Jung A, featuring IU, 2017)
10. Cat’s Waltz (ONF, 2017)
11. Cat Waltz (MCND, 2021)
12. Bunny (Yerin Baek, 2019)
13. Turtle (TWICE, 2017)
14. Spider (Hoshi of SEVENTEEN, 2021)

K-Pop Christmas 2022 Playlist (Posted December 17, 2022)

1. “Candy” (cover of H.O.T’s song) (NCT Dream, 2022).
2. “Celebrate” (Super Junior, 2022).
3. “Beautiful Christmas” (Red Velvet & aespa, 2022).
4. “Butter (Holiday Remix) (BTS, 2021)
5. “Dynamite” (BTS, 2021)
6. “Christmas EveL” (Stray Kids, 2021).
7. “Christmas Love” (BTS Jimin, 2020)
8. “Snow Flower” (BTS V, Featuring Peakboy, 2020)
9. “Snow Prince” (cover of SS501 song) (VERIVERY, 2020)
10. “Last Christmas (A Typical Trainee’s Christmas)” (BTS, 2013)
11. “Upper Side Dreamin'” (ENHYPEN, 2021).
12. “Merry Christmas with STAYC (STAYC, 2021).
13. “Sweet Dreams” (Tomorrow by Together, 2021)
14. “24 to 25” (Stray Kids, 2021).
15. “The First Snow) (EXO, 2018)
16. “Merry & Happy” (TWICE, 2017)
17. “Miracle” (GOT7)
18. “Dear Santa” (Girls’ Generation, 2015)
19. “Colorful (SHINee, 2013)
20. “Show Me Your Love” (original by Super Junior and TVXQ!) (SEVENTEEN, 2016). 

SOCY 081B (Race and Place in British New Wave, K-Pop, and Beyond) 2022 Playlists

July 20, 2022. Playlist Inspired by my visit to M Countdown, Music Bank, and  Show! Music Core! 

I was fortunate enough to attend M Countdown, Music Bank, and Show! Music Core in Seoul on June 30, 2022, July 1, 2022, and July 2, 2022, respectively. Since these shows were back-to-back, I was able to see some of these acts multiple times! I have a renewed appreciation for how hard the idols work and how wonderful they are at interacting with the audience even when they are not performing. Here are some of my favorite songs/performances from the shows.

1. Dear My Spring (넌 나의 봄이야’) by HUTA (Lee Minhyuk), formerly of BtoB.
   1. I adore this Britpop-inspired jangly guitar song that is composed by HUTA. The live performance was terrific.
2. Boom by HUTA (Lee Minhyuk), formerly of BtoB.
   1. This is the single from the album, but I prefer the first song. Clearly I became a fan of his — he performed at all three shows!
3. Heart Bun by SUNMI (formerly of The Wonder Girls).
   1. I just adore all of her solo songs, which is sometimes referred to as “Sunmi-pop.” She co-wrote this one.
4. Ring the Alarm by KARD.
   1. I love this reggae-inspired song from one of the few coed idol groups currently active.
5. Stupid Cool by DAWN.
   1. I saw him at all three shows. I’m a bit biased because I got a flower from him during the morning arrival of the idols to Music Bank (at KBS).
6. Sugar by Youngjae (GOT7).
   1. I like this song, but he was not that energetic at M Countdown, but was noticeably more so 2 days later at Show! Music Core.
7. UP! by Kep1er.
   1. I’m generally not a big fan of girl groups, but they are charming and I was able to watch them rehearse and perform at all three shows. They also beat Pop! by Nayeon (TWICE) at Music Bank, which seemed to surprise everyone, especially them. I was able to meet their manager too!
8. Siesta by Weki Meki.
   1. What a catchy chorus. I had heard this many times before seeing it live.
9. PLAY DUMB by OMEGA X.
   1. They were really charming. We also saw them in the parking garage after the show, and they were so polite and kind.
10. Villain by PIXY.
    1. Again, I’m not a fan of girl groups and this is not my favorite song. However, the group members were so nice to their fans — constantly smiling and waving before and after their performances. I don’t think one can get a real sense of how much emotional labor they perform when you just watch groups on YouTube.
11. Pop! by bugAboo.
    1. Similar to my comments about PIXY — not the best song, but the group seemed genuinely kind to their fans.
12. POP! by Nayeon (Twice).
    1. I don’t know if having the same title as another performer on the same show is like wearing the same dress as someone at a party, but no one seemed to care. Nayeon’s performances were pre-recorded (since she had sets), but the artists perform on stage to the in-studio audience when the televised version is pre-recorded. Her fans were loud!

Seo Taiji and BTS

January 9, 2022. Seo Taiji 25 TIME TRAVELER – featuring BTS. Seo Taiji is known as the “Father or President of Culture” in South Korea. Seo Taiji and the Boys debuted in 1992 with “I Know” (난 알아요 or Nan Arayo). This song arguably marks the beginning of modern K-Pop. In their debut on MBC, they received the lowest score of any performer that night. The music establishment hated everything about them — their lyrics, music, clothes, and singing. The song was banned on the radio. Nonetheless, “I Know”went to #1 and stayed there for 17 weeks. They were extremely successful, but after 4 albums, Seo Taiji in 1996 abruptly announced that they were disbanding. “The Boys” were essentially Seo Taiji’s two backup dancers — one of whom was Yang Hyun-suk (who would later be the founder of YG Entertainment — home of Jinusean, 1TYM,  BIGBANG, 2NE1, and of course BLACKPINK).

This concert, performed in 2017, marked the 25th Anniversary of Seo Taiji’s debut. His songs draw from hip-hop and heavy metal influences. There are standard ballads as well as synth-centric music. Seo Taiji considered BTS the future of K-Pop and invited them to join him at this concert — of course, it was also a clever move on his part. This is a landmark concert, and Seo Taiji just posted the concert in its entirety on YouTube a few weeks ago. BTS replicated many of the iconic dance moves performed by Seo Taiji and the Boys. Below are links to each song (props to someone on YouTube who posted them) if you want to listen to a few songs at a time. The most well-known, besides “I Know,” are “As the Night Goes On, “You, in the Fantasy,” “Anyhow Song,”  “To You,” “Come Back Home,” and “Classroom idea.”

1. 0:47 INTRO+내 모든것 My Everything (Live Mix) (1992)
2. 7:06 JULIET (2009)
3. 13:32 난 알아요 I Know (Club Mix) (1992)
4. 16:14 이 밤이 깊어가지만 As the Night Goes On (1992)
5. 19:47 환상속의 그대 You, In the Fantasy (1992)
6. 21:37 하여가 Anyhow Song (1993)
7. 27:20 너에게 To You (1993)
8. 34:27 영원 Eternity (1994)
9. 38:42 연설
10. 40:25 교실이데아 Classroom Idea (1994)
11. 46:12 컴백홈 Come Back Home (1995)
12. 50:14 필승 Must Triumph (1995)
13. 54:20 Take One (1998)
14. 58:38 Take Two (1998)
15. 1:02:53 울트라맨이야 Ultramania (2000)
16. 1:05:54 탱크 Tank (2000)
17. 1:07:18 오렌지 Orange (2000)
18. 1:09:45 인터넷전쟁 Internet War (2000)
19. 1:16:01 로보트 Robot (2004)
20. 1:20:59 0(Zero)+Outro (2004)
21. 1:28:21 T’IKT’AK [Intro]
22. 1:30:29 T’IKT’AK (2008)
23. 1:34:25 크리스말로윈 Christmalo.win (2014)
24. 1:39:16 시대유감 Regret of the Times (1995)
25. 1:42:59 10월 4일 October 4th (2004)
26. 1:47:25 난 알아요 I Know (2008)
27. 1:52:20 마지막 축제 Last Festival (1993)
28. 1:55:02 우리들만의 추억 Our Own Memories (1993)

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January 1, 2022. SM Entertainment hosted another free concert and had its artists perform over 45 songs. Below is a playlist of some of my favorite songs (MVs)

SMTOWN LIVE 2022: Selected Songs Playlist

1. Rising Sun (TVXQ)
2. Black Mamba (aespa)
3. Hello Future (NCT Dream)
4. Psycho (Red Velvet)
5. Favorite (Vampire) (NCT 127)
6. Mmmh (Kai)
7. Hate That (Key, Feat. Taeyeon)
8. Like Water (Wendy)
9. Hello (Joy)
10. Second (Hyoyeon)
11. Black Suit (Super Junior)
12. Devil (Super Junior)
13. Thank U (U-Know)
14. Heartbreak (Minho)
15. Next Level (aespa)
16. Woman (BoA)
17. Peaches (Kai)
18. Bad Love (Key)
19. Weekend (Taeyeon)
20. Savage (aespa)
21. Hot Sauce (NCT Dream)
22. Queendom (Red Velvet)
23. House Party  (Super  Junior)
24. Catch  Me (TVXQ!)

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December 24, 2021. Grace’s K-Pop Xmas 2022 Playlist (includes Xmas performances)

1. “Last Christmas (A Typical Trainee’s Christmas)” (BTS, 2013)
2. “Snow Flower” (BTS V, Featuring Peakboy, 2020)
3. “Christmas Love” (BTS Jimin, 2020)
4. “Sweet Dreams” (Tomorrow by Together, 2021)
5. “Miracles in December” (EXO, 2013)
6. “Magic Castle” (TVXQ!, 2005)
7. “Christmas Tree” (V, 2021)
8. “Christmas Day” (EXO, 2013)
9. “Wish Tree” (Red Velvet, 2015)
10. “Upper Side Dreamin'” (ENHYPEN, 2021)
11. “Dynamite” (BTS, 2020)
12. “Christmas Eve” (Stray Kids, 2021)
13. “Merry & Happy” (TWICE, 2017)
14. “Show Me Your Love” (TVXQ! and SUPER JUNIOR, 2009)
15. “Lonely Christmas” (Crayon Pop, 2013)
16. “Dear Santa” (Girls’ Generation, 2015)
17. “This Christmas” (JYP Artists, 2010)
18. “Butter (Holiday Remix) (BTS, 2021)