Best Kpop Songs of 2020

[Stryfe]

   BEST KPOP SONGS OF 2020!   

Time to vote again for your favorite k-tunes, this time from 2020!



Rules:

You can vote for any Korean releases from 2020 - that means, album tracks, digital releases are all acceptable! Japanese, Chinese etc releases are not.
Addendum 2020: Songs that have both Korean artists AND Korean vocals in them are allowed. This means some songs from artists like K/DA qualify.

Voting is simple: List your top 10 tracks of the year. The #1 gets 10 points, #2 gets 9, #3 gets 8 points, and so on.

This poll will be open for at least a few weeks. So get your lists in, and feel free to tweak them later.

If you're allergic to posting or just unable to for some reason, you can pm/tweet/dm/etc your votes to me and I can add them to the thread.



Releases:

Here's the wikipedia entry of 2020 in kpop. Albums only.

Also, a few youtube playlists full of releases, by no means complete:

Korean KPOP Music Videos 2020 (342+ videos)
Female Kpop Songs of 2020 (209+ videos)
Kpop 2020 (1,644+ videos)



Previous polls: (click the year to visit the corresponding thread)

Year	#1	#2	#3
2019	Red Velvet - Psycho	Mamamoo - Destiny	(G)I-DLE - Lion
2018	IZ*ONE - La Vie en Rose	Fromis_9 - Love Bomb	Red Velvet - Bad Boy
2017	Winner - Really Really	Sunmi - Gashina	Mamamoo - Finally
2016	Blackpink - Whistle	Blackpink - Playing With Fire	Oh My Girl - Step By Step
2015	Oh My Girl - Closer	Red Velvet - Automatic	IU - Zezé
2014	Poll not held
2013	Crayon Pop - Bar Bar Bar	Girls' Generation - I Got A Boy	EXO - Growl
2012	T-ara - Lovey-Dovey	T-ara - Day by Day	Sistar - Alone
2011	Kara - Step	T-ara - Roly-Poly	IU - You & I
2010	Girls' Generation - Hoot	Kara - Lupin	Girls' Generation - Run Devil Run

[Stryfe]

This first list is from Amelia!

1. Twice - I Can’t Stop Me
2. ITZY - Wannabe
3. Everglow - LA DI DA
4. Rocket Punch - Juicy
5. Oh My Girl - Dolphin
6. GFRIEND - Apple
7. STAYC - So Bad
8. Weeekly - Tag Me
9. Aespa - Black Mamba
10. GFRIEND - MAGO

[SomethingWild]

10. Aespa - Black Mamba
09. Oh My Girl - Dolphin
08. Everglow - Dun Dun
07. Rocket Punch - Bouncy
06. Everglow - La Di Da
05. Dreamcatcher - Scream
04. IU x Suga - Eight

03. Cignature - Arisong



Cignature actually debuted this year. All of their songs have been wacky and intense. They don't follow any rules, plus they fully embrace their quirky style. This is one of those groups you either love or hate. I feel Arisong especially is an underrated masterpiece, haha.

02. IZ*ONE - Secret Story of the Swan



SSotS is a perfect example of good song writing. You have multiple hooks with "uahage," "swan swan swan" and "mama." Then you have the section where it skips a beat, which goes straight into Yena's rap. It works so well! Plus Minju's wink is always a fun moment to anticipate.

01. Rocket Punch - Juicy



Juicy is a really fun and unique song. Throughout the song there are only minor changes in the backing track and melody lines, which makes the whole thing somewhat unpredictable. You can have it on endless repeat. This song saved the summer. It's so fresh!


edit: I thought Dreamcatcher - Scream was from 2019, so I changed my list.

[storyboard]

1. Loona - Moksori (voice)
2. Everglow - Untouchable
3. fromis_9 - Feel good
4. Everglow - Ladida
5. wjsn chocome - 흥칫뿡 (Hmph!)
6. Cherry Bullet - Hands up
7. Red Velvet - Monster
8. Blackpink - Pretty Savage
9. Everglow - Dundundun
10. BOL4(볼빨간사춘기) - Dancing Cartoon

I'd add loona's star on the list too but moksori will have to do

[Stryfe]

I'd add loona's star on the list too but moksori will have to do

I haven't 100% decided how to handle different language versions yet but I'm leaning towards counting them as one and same song right now. Like with the "K/DA" rule, this thought process came from one exact example, Loona's "Voice/Star".

So don't vote for both, please.

[Kimuuu]

There was a LOT of great music last year. So hard to cut this down to only ten. 

1. Hwasa - Maria
2. (g)i-dle - Oh My God
3. Moonbyul - Eclipse
4. Sunmi - Pporappippam
5. Moonbyul - Absence
6. Hwasa - LMM
7. Mamamoo - Chuck
8. Apink - Dumdurum
9. Nada - My Body
10. K/DA - The Baddest

[strawb3rrykream]

Sorry I forgot to do this earlier!

1. Irene & Seulgi (Red Velvet?) - Monster
2. Hwasa - Maria
3. Dreamcatcher - BOCA
4. Twice - More and More
5. Dreamcatcher - Red Sun
6. Dreamcatcher - Black or White
7. Moonbyul - Eclipse
8. Mamamoo - Aya
9. K/DA - More
10. (g)i-dle - Oh My God

LOL clearly I listened to a lot of Dreamcatcher last year...

[Thorin33]

1. Loona-Voice
2. Apink--Duhmdurum
3. Everglow-La Di Da
4. Gfriend-Labyrinth
5. Twice- Cant stop me
6. Izone-Sequence
7. JYP/Sunmi- When we disco
8. Lim Haram-Secret Crush
9. Itzy-WANNABE
10. Blackpink-Love sick girls

[Hatix]

It was a difficult year to choose just 10...

1. IZ*ONE – Fiesta
2. EVERGLOW – Dun Dun
3. IZ*ONE – Secret Story of the Swan
4. EVERGLOW – LA DI DA
5. Dreamcatcher – Scream
6. Dreamcatcher – Boca
7. ITZY – Wannabe
8. Blackpink – How You Like That
9. 3YE – YESSIR
10. aespa – black mamba

Honorable mentions:
ITZY – Not Shy
IZ*ONE – Panorama
IZ*ONE – Sequence
TWICE – I Can't Stop Me
Lee Su-hyun - Alien
LOONA – So What
Red Velvet (Irene & Seulgi) - Monster
(G)I-DLE – Oh My God
3YE – Queen

[shirenuファクトリー]

I'm so not qualified to vote in this, but whatevs, these are the ones I found in my random picks list from 2020:

1. G-Idle - Oh my god
2. Kanto - Favorite (feat. Bumkey)
Kanto guaranteed catchy
3. AKMU - Happening
4. Red Velvet Irene & Seulgi - Monster
5. Loona - Why Not?
6. LEEBADA - Empty room
Me and my random chill "indies"
7. LEE SUHYUN - Alien
8. Solar - Spit it out
9. Chung Ha - Stay Tonight
10. Jun K. - This is not a song, 1929

[Stryfe]

Stryfe's Top 10

01. K/DA - The Baddest
02. Loona - Voice
03. K/DA - More
04. Everglow - La Di Da
05. (G)I-DLE - Oh My God
06. Itzy - Not Shy
07. Itzy - Wannabe
08. Aespa - Black Mamba
09. Loona - Why Not?
10. Twice - I Can't Stop Me



Some thoughts:

01, 03. K/DA - The Baddest, More
You might have guessed the origin of the "K/DA rule" at this point... it just makes my list so much easier to make haha. It makes sense tho, K/DA is pretty much kpop even without the (g)i-dle influence, but I feel it's appropriate to limit it to the tracks with actual Korean in them. (frankly almost half my list would be from the album if that weren't the case lol)

The songs are a complete masterclass of songwriting and production with great performances by everyone involved, Soyeon is completely in her element even without full creative control. This is my style, great stuff all around.

02. Loona - Voice
The mandatory album cut is Loona's best full-group song to date. A melancholic track with 80's synths, hypnotic beats and soothing vocals. Picking between Voice and Star, the english version, is largely up to language preference because the english pronunciation is almost perfect. Both are excellent, but in the end Moksori triumphs over Starlight for me.

04. Everglow - La Di Da
Everglow have been releasing solid tunes and finally they've peaked with their magnum opus, La Di Da, a stellar synthwave-influenced track accompanied by a cool cyberpunk/sin city aesthetic.

05. (G)I-DLE - Oh My God
Jeon Soyeon making more appearances on my list than anyone else, this time with her "real" group. Epic song in tried and true (G)I-DLE / Soyeon style. She showed me all the stars, once again.

06-07. Itzy - Not Shy, Wannabe
I think it's safe to say that Itzy is probably the most fun kpop group out there for me, their performances are always a joy to watch and listen to. Really fun songs, both of these, and hard to pick which I like more, but both are elevated by the energetic music videos and perfs. A+ dancing, choreos and Ryujin's thighs. Wait, I meant to type out something else.

08. Aespa - Black Mamba
SM's rookie group is an instant favorite of mine, with incredibly talented and beautiful (and silly) girls and the kind of girl crush style that is right up my alley. Not too shabby of a debut track either. I'm addicted.

09. Loona - Why Not?
The second Loona song on my list. First impression: not great (technically not true, my first impression was watching the mv and being more like "jesus h christ, heejin, oh my fucking god, yves). Anyway, I slowly found myself getting into it more and more every listen. It's still not a slam dunk but really fun and unique.

10. Twice - I Can't Stop Me
It finally happened, a Twice song made my list! Synthwave is almost cheating (as you might see from some of my picks), but hey, it works. The only part keeping it this low on the list is the (and I love you, Dahyun) "rap" segment lmao.




--

I'm so not qualified to vote in this

Everyone is qualified! Love seeing all these lists, everyone, keep them coming, you still have time. 

[thatonezombie]

I got mine!

1. Sunmi - Gotta Go

Pre-pandemic I had this on loop heavy in early 2020 but got lost in the shuffle, and especially with the more focused promotion of pporappippam, but man this shit goes.

2. Yukika - Soul Lady

I quite enjoy some City Pop. Now she's a free agent and I hope to continue to enjoy her music.

3. Twice - Say Something

When I was told Twice had a City Pop album cut, I went directly to it and I never quite left. JYP, let Twice do more stuff like this please.

4. Mamamoo - Chuck

As evident in my list, I thought Mamamoo has a great 2020. Chuck stuck to my bones on first listen.

5. Sunmi - pporappippam

Wouldn't be surprised if I am burned out on City Pop by the end of 2021, but as of right now, her take on it easily makes this list, too.

6. Mamamoo - Wanna Be Myself

I am with the positive message of this song. Side note: Hwasa has been so active in 2020 and I hope she gets to chill.

7. Moonbyul - Moon Movie

When those piano keys start then the rest of the instruments kick in to make it sound more sinister, then when she starts to bounce on the track. My kind of shit.

8. Eyedi - J.us.T

Not all of her music resonates with me, but the ones that do really, really resonate.

9. Gfriend - Night Drive

I can tell you I wasn't expecting a Gfriend song to make my list, but I like this vibe of the subunit.

10. Twice - Make Me Go

More Twice r&b album cuts, please!

[Stryfe]

Another guest list, this one's from Aline!

01. Taeyeon - What Do I Call You
02. Apink - Dumhdurum
03. (G)I-DLE - Oh My God
04. Bibi - Kazino
05. Twice - I Can't Stop Me
06. April - Lalalilala
07. Dreamcatcher - Boca
08. Loona - Why Not
09. Red Velvet Irene & Seulgi - Monster
10. Aespa - Black Mamba

[DioBrando]

Hi! Stryfe holds a gun to my head once a year and I show up with a list:

01. Dreamcatcher - BOCA
02. Apink - Dumhdurum
03. Irene & Seulgi - Naughty
04. LOONA - Star/Voice
05. Taeyeon - What Do I Call You?
06. BLACKPINK - How You Like That
07. Dreamcatcher - Scream
08. G-Idle - Oh My God
09. ITZY - Not Shy
10. BLACKPINK - Crazy Over You

[Stryfe]

And another guest list, from sindorkumon!

01. Itzy - Ting Ting Ting
02. Loona - Star
03. Dreamcatcher - Boca
04. Dreamcatcher - Tension
05. Itzy - Not Shy
06. fromis_9 - Weather
07. BIBI - Kazino
08. NCT 127 - Punch
09. Blackpink - Pretty Savage
10. Everglow - Dun Dun