TIME's Best K-pop Albums and Songs of 2021: TXT, Taemin, STAYC and Chungha listed
Previously, in July, TIME magazine had made a list of the 10 best K-pop songs released in the first half of 2021. It had included veterans like IU, Epik High and EXO’s Baekhyun as well as rookies and popular fourth-gen artists like aespa, STAYC and Cherry Bullet. With the year coming to an end, it’s time to look at the best of the best that was released in 2021.
We had platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Billboard and Rolling Stone releasing their year-end charts. We had K-pop dominating and competing with popular Western artists. Well, with the Hallyu Wave taking over the world, TIME decided to make things easier and straight-up release a list of the best K-pop song and albums. Their list consists of popular as well as underrated releases from the likes of Enhypen and TWICE to CIX and ONF.
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TIME’s year-end list of Best K-pop Albums and Songs of 2021
In no particular order, TIME curated a list of the 10 best albums and 10 best songs released by K-pop artists in 2021.
Best songs of 2021
CIX’s ‘Cinema’ - The movie-themed love song has been described as a “timeless classic” as they compare romance to the thrill of a film.
Cherry Bullet’s ‘Love So Sweet’ - This song was also mentioned in TIME’s best K-pop songs list for the first half of 2021. Bora’s high note is considered the highlight of the song as the group sings about a subdued romance.
Enhypen’s ‘Fever’ - The b-side is considered as more arresting than the title tracks of the album ‘Border: Carnival’ as they sing about a love that leaves their bodies burning in passion.
Weeekly’s ‘After School’ - This song was also mentioned in TIME’s best K-pop songs list for the first half of 2021. The viral sensation is viral exactly for its dopamine boost as the cheery girl group create a “euphoric anthem.”
Taemin’s ‘Advice’ - No other soloist has left a mark quite like Taemin who in fact dropped ‘Advice’ days before his military service. The haunting piano along with the trap beats is deemed as a “playlist regular” with the tendency to still stay a bop years later.
Everglow’s ‘Pirate’ - The energetic song is standing out for its unique structure with the invitation for us to join their crew as they take over the world.
Woodz’s ‘Feel Like’ - Woodz’s silvery voice is further elevated with the guitar serving as a second voice which creates a magnetic duo.
STAYC’s ‘ASAP’ - This song was also mentioned in TIME’s best K-pop songs list for the first half of 2021. ‘ASAP’ may be laid back but its catchy hook and its pulsating percussions are bound to make listeners sway to the beat.
Seventeen’s ‘Rock With You’ - The rock-tinged track is sure to get one's blood pumping thanks to the “dynamic contrasts” of the 13-member group.
Aespa’s ‘Savage’ - Even with minimal knowledge about the SM Culture Universe, ‘Savage’ can still be enjoyed as “aespa delivers punch rap verses spelling out why they’re a threat.”
Best albums of 2021
B.I’s ‘Waterfall’ - Former iKON leader is commended for his “aching expressions of pain and sorrow as well as apathy” for his first solo album as he bares his soul for the listeners.
Chungha’s ‘Querencia’ - With K-pop not being bound to any one genre, Chungha proves this point with 21 songs each different from the last as she experiments with genres like R&B, EDM, disco, house, Latin music and pop ballads.
SHINee’s ‘Atlantis’ - The repackaged album is considered superior to ‘Don’t Call Me’ for its “kinetic electropop song that shows SHINee at its best.”
Stray Kids’ ‘NOEASY’ - The album is considered a diss on antis who hate on their noise music discography.
Younha’s ‘End Theory’ - Younha succeeds in showing off her pipes “whether the instrumentation is heavy electronic production (‘P.R.R.W’), modest acoustic guitar strumming (‘Oort Cloud’) or simple piano chords (‘Stardust’), her voice remains the star.”
TXT’s ‘The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape’ - This was also the only K-pop album to make it on Rolling Stone’s year-end list of 2021. The album can be said to be their best yet as it consists of the three iconic songs ‘LO$ER=LO♡ER’, ‘Anti-Romantic’ and ‘0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You)’ all from varying genres.
IU’s ‘Lilac’ - The album’s title track was also mentioned in TIME’s best K-pop songs list for the first half of 2021. The album is a goodbye to her twenties as she “muses over the fleeting nature of relationships” all the while showcasing her masterful vocals.
ONEUS’ ‘Devil’ - Known for incorporating music with intriguing storylines and concepts, the fantastical album is actually grounded in reality as it talks about “humankind’s race against time.”
TWICE’s ‘Formula of Love’ - The girl group proved themselves as one of the prolific acts of K-pop with a deep trove of love songs as they experiment with a new vocal arrangement.
ONF’s ‘ONF: My Name’ - The album “reinstates the group’s musical strengths” as they showcase their personality and versatility with EDM-heavy tracks and poignant ballads.