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After a decade of counting down the year’s best K-pop songs at Billboard, 2022 brought refreshing and remarkable shifts in how these lists usually shape up.
Undeniably, this was the year of the girl group. More than half of 2022’s entries are from female troupes who now lead the scene in taste and trends. From established queens like Girls’ Generation and KARA celebrating milestone anniversaries to rising rookies including IVE, NewJeans, and LE SSERAFIM kicking in the industry door, the spectrum for excellence ran the gamut.
That’s not to say the boys weren’t bringing their best. In fact, cuts from BIGBANG, Zico, BTS, plus Ha Sung Woon and Jimin blew up big time without traditional music videos or typical promotional tactics. Even for those tracks riding on a viral trend, these were expressions of the artists that audiences won’t look back on as novelty tracks or cringey viral sensations best left as clips on TikTok.
Not to mention, K-pop has more eyes on it than ever worldwide, and it seemed like the artists delivered knowing the world was watching. Stray Kids and (G)I-DLE shared personal and powerful messages in their biggest singles yet, while BLACKPINK spotlighted how traditional Korean instruments fit inside their latest pop anthem.
2022 was the time for K-pop artists to express themselves vocally, thematically and artistically in ways previously seen, and it undoubtedly paid off in full. Read on to see who we think did it the best with Billboard‘s list of the 25 best K-pop songs of the year.
If night two is this rockin’, how are we even going to make it six more crazy nights? For the second installment of this holiday season’s “Hanukkah Sessions,” Foo Fighters boss Dave Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin roped in P!nk for a raucous run through the singer’s 2001 smash “Get the Party Started.”
“One of the music world’s biggest and brightest stars of David, P!nk shows a couple of schmendricks how it’s done by joining us for her very own Bat Mitzvah staple ‘Get The Party Started!,’” read the description of the clip.
P!nk, dressed down in ripped green pants and a blue denim shirt worked the tiny stage at L.A. club Largo backed by Grohl on drums and Kurstin on keys, hilariously flubbing a few lines from the single on her second album, Missundaztood, while getting a bit of forceful backup vocal assistance from one of the night’s other special guests, Jack Black.
This is Grohl and Kurstin’s third year posting eight nights of covers of songs made famous by Jewish musicians. In a twist, this year’s efforts were all recorded live at Los Angeles’ intimate Largo on Dec. 5 with a cast of all-star guests taking the stage at the 250-capacity club that also included the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O and Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter, Violet. Night one featured beloved director Judd Apatow rocking through a cover of Blood, Sweat & Tears’ 1969 Grammy-nominated Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “Spinning Wheel.”
Grohl and Kurstin released the first “Sessions” in Dec. 2020 in the midst of the first winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping one new cover for each night of the holiday. In the midst of a concerning rise in antisemitic incidents and hate speech in the U.S., proceeds from the Largo night went to the Anti-Defamation League.
The inaugural 2020 “Sessions” featured covers of songs by he Beastie Boys, Drake, Mountain, Peaches, Bob Dylan, Elastica, The Knack and the Velvet Underground, while last year’s edition brought eight crazy nights of covers, including a black metal take on Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You),” as well as the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana (At the Copa),” the Clash’s “Train in Vain,” Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite,” Van Halen’s “Jump,” Amy Winehouse’s “Take the Box” and Billy Joel’s “Big Shot.”
Watch P!nk get the party started below.
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If you missed out on BTS‘ Oct. 15 show at Busan’s World Expo 2030 bid on Oct. 15 then you’ll have another chance to re-live the magic in early 2023. The on-hiatus K-pop superstars will release BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas in movie theaters worldwide on Feb. 1.
According to a release announcing the movie the footage from the concert has been fashioned into a “special cinematic cut, re-edited and remixed for the big screen,” complete with new close-ups and a “whole new view” of the entire show. The concert in front of a huge crowd in Busan, South Korea featured the band’s members — Jin, RM, Jimin, V, J-Hope, Suga and Jung Kook — playing some of their most beloved hits, including “Dynamite,” “Butter” and “Idol,” as well as the first concert performance of “Run BTS” from June’s Proof album.
The movie presented by HYBE, Trafalgar Releasing and CJ 4DPlex will hit screens for a limited run in more than 110 countries and territories, with a special Feb. 4 event dedicated to “light stick screenings,” during which ARMY members can light up the theaters with the group’s signature glow devices. In addition to standard formatting, Yet to Come will also be released in a number of special versions, including immersive 270-degree field of view ScreenX, 4DX, which mimics the effects of the concert’s live atmosphere and 4DX Screen, which combines both formats.
“We look forward to collaborating once again with the teams at CJ 4DPlex, and HYBE to bring BTS’ awe-inspiring Busan concert to the big screen in this special cinematic cut,” said Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby in a statement. “The group’s engagement with audiences has always been perfectly suited to the cinema, and we are excited to welcome fans from all corners of the globe to this must-see celebration.”
Tickets for the screenings will go on sale here beginning Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. ET.
“We are thrilled to announce our second ScreenX collaboration and first 4DX, 4DXScreeen collaboration with BTS,” added Jong Ryeol Kim, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX. “This film is made for both special formats, which fans can experience our movie completely through enlarged screens with 3 different angles and moving motion seats aligning to BTS’s music.”
Yet to Come is Trafalgar’s fifth release with BTS, following on the heels of this year’s BTS Permission to Dance on Stage — Seoul: Live Viewing, as well as 2020’s Break the Silence: The Movie, 2019’s Bring the Soul: The Movie and 2018’s Burn the Stage: The Movie. The one-off concert in Busan was BTS’ final performance together for the immediate future as the elder members of the group are facing enlistment for South Korea’s mandatory military service: oldest member Jin enlisted for active duty earlier this month.
As 2022’s most successful K-pop debut with the triple-punch release of surprise singles “Attention,” “Hype Boy” and “Cookie,” NewJeans have followed up with the new track “Ditto” that shows off a cooler and more subtle pop approach suitable for the winter months.
While their NWJNS EP was more focused on effervescent pop hooks suited for the sunshine, “Ditto” is more subtle while remaining true to the sweet style NewJeans established at the start. Over a soft, chopped-staccato beat somewhat reminiscent of the Baltimore club style, members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein mix eerie, dulcet harmonies with fun and fast melodies to match the breakbeat. The quintet spill about the rush of hoping to take the next step in a relationship and having their feelings reciprocated: “I don’t want to stay in the middle, like you a little/ Don’t want no riddle…/ Say it back, oh say it ‘ditto’/ I want you so I want you/ So, say it ‘ditto.’”
While Danielle wrote on “Attention” and Hanni wrote on “Hype Boy,” this time eldest member Minji helped write “Ditto,” giving three of the five members songwriting credits just five songs into their career. As the group told Billboard in an earlier interview, NewJeans label CEO Min Hee Jin gives the group “plenty of opportunities to participate” in different ways in their music despite being so new in the industry.
Just like how “Hype Boy” and “Attention” were released in multiple music video versions to help tell the group’s stories, “Ditto” comes with two different visuals. The video’s “Side A” and “Side B” versions both focus on a look back to the five NewJeans members playing and dancing in younger school days alongside a sixth, faceless friend in an arm cast who tends to record their dance rehearsals. While the viewer never gets to see the sixth friend’s face fully, we follow her journey which includes a crush on a schoolmate and reminiscing on her time with the girls by looking through old VHS tapes as an adult.
Visually, the “Ditto” video does a fantastic job in capturing not just the technology middle ground of the ’90s/’00s, where memories lived on fuzzy video cameras and grainy VHS tapes, but in the loneliness and awkwardness one can feel in adolescence, even when surrounded by friends. Lyrically, “Ditto” might be initially thought to be about a romantic crush, but the visual offers the possibility of hoping a new friend reciprocates your feelings to take a friendship to the next level too.
As previously reported, “Ditto” is NewJeans’ pre-release buzz track ahead of the new single “OMG” dropping on Jan. 2. Check out both the “Side A” and “Side B” versions of “Ditto” below:
Justin Bieber is calling out retail clothing company H&M for selling products featuring his image and song lyrics, claiming that the items were released without his approval.
“I DIDNT APPROVE ANY OF THE MERCH COLLECTION THAT THEY PUT UP AT H&M,” Bieber wrote in an Instagram Story on Monday afternoon (Dec. 19), adding that it was done “all without my permission and approval SMH I WOULDNT BUY IT IF I WERE YOU.”
“The H&M MERCH THEY MADE OF ME IS TRASH AND I DIDNT APPROVE IT DONT BUY IT,” he emphasized in a second Instagram Story.
Bieber was referring to items that appeared online on H&M’s website including a tote bag, a sweatshirt, a sweatshirt dress and more. On a fan Instagram account that shared images of some of the products, Bieber left the comment “When everyone finds out I didn’t approve any of this merch smh.”
Billboard reached out to H&M for comment on Bieber’s allegation.
“As with all other licensed products and partnerships, H&M followed proper approval procedures,” a representative for H&M said in a statement via email Monday night.
After a significant 2022 that included NCT DREAM‘s first Billboard 200 entry, first KCON appearance and first international movie release, the boy band closes the year with a holiday album for worldwide fans that also pays homage to a formative song for the Korean-pop industry.
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For NCT DREAM’s special winter album Candy, the septet reinterpreted the classic K-pop song of the same name for its title track single. “Candy” was originally released in 1996 by the five-member boy band H.O.T., credited as the first “idol” group in Korea’s music industry and setting the formula still used today. From their debut track “Warrior’s Descendant” tackling school bullying, H.O.T. released music that acted as social critique, but it was their saccharine single “Candy” that became the band’s breakout hit. The group disbanded in 2001, but “Candy” is considered a quintessential track in any K-pop primer.
Now, more than 25 years after H.O.T. released “Candy” under SM Entertainment, the K-pop super label brings back the bubblegum classic with its youngest group, NCT DREAM. The ’90 track is a perfect fit for the bouncy, youthful energy DREAM brings into their music with the track reinterpreted with a slightly updated arrangement. The accompanying music video has a glossy look that K-pop is known for today but pays tribute to H.O.T.’s original visual for “Candy” with the fashion (like Jeno’s very fuzzy, very ’90s yellow hat) and the sets (including filming in an amusement park just like the original).
Candy delivers more treats for listeners as well, including the standout R&B cut “Graduation” and the synth-pop throbber “Tangerine Love (Favorite),” with member Mark co-writing the winter-themed, mid-tempo track “Take My Breath.” The new release follows Glitch Mode, which debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard 200 in April. The LP bore a deluxe repackage titled Beatbox, which included the new single of the same name.
Check out NCT DREAM’s “Candy” and the original “Candy” music video by H.O.T. in its newly remastered version shared by SM Entertainment just two weeks ago.
Gwen Stefani opened up on Monday (Dec. 19) about the possibility of No Doubt getting back together, her favorite holiday traditions and more.
“What are the odds of anything?” the star said in a profile for the Wall Street Journal when it came to a reunion with her old bandmates. “I was just on The Drew Barrymore Show. She was one of my favorite celebrities when I was a little girl, and now I was just on the show with her. Anything can happen. I have no idea what’s going to happen with No Doubt. We haven’t really talked about doing anything, but it feels like everyone is, right? All the ’90s people — Blink-182 did an eight-month tour that sold out in like five minutes.”
The So Cal-based foursome last came together a full decade ago for 2012’s Push and Shove, which itself was released 11 years after their previous album, 2001’s Rock Steady. Of course, since then, Stefani has served as a six-time coach on The Voice, met and married her husband Blake Shelton, launched a Las Vegas residency and released two more solo albums —2016’s This Is What the Truth Feels Like and 2017’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas.
“Blake likes to make new traditions every year,” Stefani added of celebrating the holidays with her country star hubby and three sons. “We do this thing called a timpano dome, which is an Italian dome, it’s kind of like a lasagna within a pizza. We’ve been doing that ever since I met him. It was in a famous movie [1996’s Big Night]. You can put anything in it.”
The couple also took a trip to Disneyland over the weekend, which the “Let Me Reintroduce Myself” singer happily shared on Instagram. “Had the most magical time at @disneyland!! all the pretty lights + decor felt like i was walking thru a winter wonderland !!” she captioned a video of the family’s Christmastime adventures in the Happiest Place on Earth.
Check out Gwen’s sweet trip to Disneyland below.
Miley Cyrus teased some big changes on the horizon via social media on Monday (Dec. 19), and fans are hoping it means new music from their queen.
“NEW YEAR, NEW MILEY,” the pop star captioned a video of a cryptic roadside sign in Los Angeles emblazoned with the same four words. The phrase is flanked by close-up shots of a lower body wearing a strappy red thong and a tattooed hand digging into a leg.
In the comments section, fans rushed to speculate about what the promise of “New Miley” could mean, with many hoping for a new musical era. “Give us a sign if new song is coming sooner than we think Miley,” one wrote. Another declared, “I’m ready no matter what the genre is gonna be” with a fire emoji. Other comments included a request to “Headline Coachella PLEASE!” and one particular fan asking, “DOES THIS MEAN A TOUR?!!!”
To add to the mystery, Cyrus also launched a countdown clock on her official website, which is set to count down to the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2023 — the same time she just so happens to be hosting NBC’s New Year’s Eve special with godmother Dolly Parton.
The Hannah Montana star’s most recent studio album was 2020’s rock-influenced Plastic Hearts, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart. It spawned singles “Midnight Sky,” “Prisoner” featuring Dua Lipa, and “Angels Like You” as well as killer live covers of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” and The Cranberries’ “Zombie.” Earlier this year, she also dropped her third live album Attention: Miley Live.
Check out Miley’s cryptic announcement below.
Taylor Swift may be the “Anti-Hero” in some regards, but not when it comes to cats. Animal advocate Beth Stern revealed Sunday (Dec. 18) that the pop star made a big donation to her pet rescue foundation Beth’s Furry Friends, and in return, she named a new foster cat in honor of Swift, who turned 33 years old on Dec. 13.
“Welcome new foster from Oman!!” wrote the Kitten Bowl host, sharing a photo of the new kitty. “Her name is Angel Taylor in honor of recent birthday girl, Taylor Swift who sent me a sizable donation to Beth’s Furry Friends to help me save more lives.”
“When I learned about this horrifically abused kitty who was beaten and had her ears cut off, I reached out to @street_cats_of_oman to ask if I could assist in her journey to much needed medical help and a forever family,” Stern continued. “She arrived to JFK on the day that Taylor sent me her generous donation.”
The Oh My Dog! author, who is married to radio star Howard Stern, has a lot in common with Swift when it comes to feline fondness. The “All Too Well” singer has long been open about her love for cats — “Guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats,” she sings on “Gorgeous” — and has adopted three of her own: Meredith, Olivia and Benjamin.
Stern, meanwhile, has been caring for cats in need through Beth’s Furry Friends for years, and is also a spokesperson for and a board member of the North Shore Animal League. According to her website, she has provided spay/neuter care, foster care and facilitated adoptions for more than 2,000 kitties.
“Kitty Angel Taylor is currently being assessed at my specialist vet hospital,” Stern concluded her post. “I can’t wait to love her and help her heal and find her a forever family. Thank you, Taylor Swift, for helping me save more Angels. You are truly one yourself.”
See the foster kitty Beth Stern named after Taylor Swift below:
Billie Eilish, who turns 21 on Sunday (Dec. 18), achieved more before reaching legal age than, well, just about anybody. She set records at awards shows and on the Billboard charts that are likely to stand for many years.
Eilish was just 15 in November 2017 when she entered the Billboard 200 for the first time with Dont Smile at Me. The EP debuted at an unimpressive No. 185, but it ultimately cracked the top 15. It has logged 246 weeks on the chart, longer than any other Eilish title.
Eilish was 16 in June 2018 when she hit the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with “Lovely,” a collab with another talented young artist, Khalid (then 20).
Eilish’s success has truly been global. Both of her first two albums reached No. 1 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Holland, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.
Eilish has won seven Grammys and an Oscar, which means she was halfway to an EGOT before she was legally able to buy a drink.
Eilish deserves credit for keeping her head on straight during the past few years of nearly unprecedented attention, acclaim and accolades. That may not sound like it would be so hard to take, but it’s a lot – and young people sometimes want nothing more than to blend in. By virtue of her talent and accomplishments, Eilish was destined to stand out.
Take a look at this sampling of her accomplishments so far – and just think of what she can achieve going forward if she, you know, sticks with this music thing.
—Assistance in preparing this report by Gary Trust and Keith Caulfield
