K-Bops in K-Pop

Recently, I stumbled upon this video on YouTube and since I am sitting here twiddling my thumbs until the BTS comeback, I decided to give this video and these groups a try. Underrated K-pop groups exist in spades, so I know this is not an extensive list, but I did my best to cover a fair number. What I learned was this: there is so much talent and there is so little me. Every day a new group debuts and I have another group I’m missing out on. But without further ado, here are my thoughts!

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about these groups so if they’ve been racist/discriminatory/disrespectful toward women, let me know! I don’t really feel comfortable supporting problematic groups, but sometimes I miss stuff.

100%

I had never heard of 100% before so when I searched for their MVs and found out they had been around for nearly a decade, I wondered how I could’ve missed them. I listened to the song that was in the compilation video–Heart–and I wasn’t a huge fan of their voices. The verse was also a little awkward for me, but the chorus was catchy and you can see they have real talent. I’d definitely be willing to give them another chance if I stumbled upon them again.

Cross Gene

I had a little bit of prior knowledge about Cross Gene when going into this because a picture of one of their members stumbled upon my Tumblr dash eons ago and I had one of those moments that every K-pop stan has where I went, “WHO is that?” That aside, I like some of their songs and they seem like they’ve been consistent since their debut. I recommend them if you like darker, moodier tracks.

The Boyz

I think I’ve talked about The Boyz before and my entire Twitter timeline was, at one point, filled with The Boyz stans (they’ve kind of quieted now) so I had no idea they were considered underrated. That said, they’re a really talented group and they have solid bops, so I highly recommend checking them out.

IMFACT

So I had heard of IMFACT from my friends in the past but I knew nothing about them going into listening to them for the first time and let me say: they pop off. I started watching their MV fully expecting to just be kind of okay with whatever I heard, but it was actually really good. I would definitely listen to more of their songs in the future.

NewKidd02

They are so cute! From what I could tell, it looks like they debuted not too long ago, but they are so precious. I don’t think their label’s decision to make them all blonde for Shooting Star was the best one, but the music video was great regardless. I have to admit that I’m a sucker for bright, vibrantly colored MVs and this was no exception. The song was a solid hit; the kind of song you have no real complaints about. I can’t wait to see more of them in the future!

14U

I was honestly ready to stan after listening to this song. Holy shit, it was so good. The guitar in the background, the drop to the chorus, the vocals, like this was so good. For real, why don’t more people stan them? I’m absolutely going to listen to more of their songs and get to know them a little better, because they are so good.

A.C.E

I know they were only “featured” on this track but WOW. Just. WOW. This was so good! And like…a little sexy? A.C.E. is another one of those groups that has always just hovered outside of my inner boy group circle but I’m 100% changing that after listening to this. This was not only super catchy, but it just showed how talented they are. 10/10 would listen again.

What other boy groups should I listen to? Should I do underrated girl groups next? Which girl groups should I cover? Let me know in the comments!