Top 10 Must-Listen Korean Songs of 2022

Blackpink is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by YG Entertainment, consisting of 4 members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, Lisa. Blackpink officially debuted with the first single album Square One, featuring two songs Boombayah and Whistle. Both tracks later charted on Billboard's World Digital Songs and Gaon Music Chart in South Korea.

Following Pink Venom, YG Entertainment recently released the official MV for Shutdown, the next song in BlackPink's album series. In contrast to the seductive, mysterious concept of Pink Venom, the YG quartet appears entirely new with a rebellious, street-style image alongside luxurious cars.

Born Pink is the second album marking Blackpink's comeback since the release of their first studio album, The Album, in 2020. A grand return with 8 tracks, the latest releases include the pre-released single Pink Venom and Ready For Love. In just over an hour, Shut Down by BlackPink attracted over 8.4 million views. Previously, Pink Venom set a record with 90.4 million views on YouTube within 24 hours. Achieving 100 million views in less than 3 days, BlackPink's MV is considered the fastest in terms of views for all Kpop group MVs.

Pink Venom is a track recorded by the South Korean girl group Blackpink for their second studio album, Born Pink. The song was released through YG Entertainment and Interscope Records as a lead single on August 19, 2022. Described as a hip-hop song infused with traditional Korean instruments, the song was written by Teddy Park, Danny Chung, and produced by Ido, R. Tee, and 24.

Pink Venom commercially succeeded, claiming the number one spot on the Billboard Global 200 chart for two weeks, marking their first chart-topping hit. In South Korea, the track topped the Billboard South Korea Songs chart and secured the second position on the Circle Digital Chart. It became the first song by a K-pop group to top the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia and reached number one in charts across Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. An accompanying music video was uploaded to Blackpink's YouTube channel simultaneously with the single release, amassing 90.4 million views within 24 hours, setting a new record for the most-viewed music video by a female artist in this time frame on the platform.

As of now, the YG Entertainment quartet's latest release shows no signs of cooling down. Pink Venom continues to bring in numerous new records. YG Entertainment officially announced that Blackpink's single Pink Venom has surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify, marking the group's 24th song to achieve this feat. Pink Venom took only 17 days to reach this milestone, making it the fastest song by any female Kpop artist to reach 100 million streams and the fastest by any female group in Spotify history to achieve this milestone.

Blackpink holds the highest ranking on the Billboard Hot 100 at 13th place with Ice Cream (2020) and on the Billboard 200 with Born Pink (2022) taking the top spot. Blackpink is the first K-pop girl group to enter and lead the Billboard Emerging Artists chart while owning three chart-topping singles on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart. They are also the first Korean girl group to receive certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their singles.

The primary concept that Blackpink often employs in their songs is Typa Girl, featuring a black-themed style, portraying a strong, assertive, and independent image. However, in some of their songs, the group switches styles by using a pink concept, showcasing a feminine, youthful, and cheerful image.

While fans are still curious about the song's lyrics, the release of Typa Girl has been warmly embraced, highlighting the continued musical dominance of Blackpink in the Korean music scene.

Woo!ah! is a South Korean girl group consisting of five members, debuted under NV Entertainment. The group includes members Nana, Wooyeon, Sora, Lucy, and Minseo. They made their debut on May 13, 2020. Woo!ah! Entertainment's 'Generation Z Icon' Woo! Ah! has released the comeback schedule 'Let's Go Star Picking' and started promoting the official comeback.

Woo!ah!'s management company, NV Entertainment, unveiled the comeback schedule for Woo!ah!'s new digital single, 'Let's Go Picking the Stars,' through official SNS at 00:00 on the 27th. Danger is also the group's comeback song, warmly received by fans with over 10 million views.

The song Danger by Woo!Ah! was released on 06/09/2022. Danger talks about not being able to receive enough love from someone because it's too sweet, everything will just be shared experiences, unable to measure or contain.

Winner is a South Korean idol group formed on August 17, 2014, by YG Entertainment. The original lineup included 5 members: Kang Seung-yoon, Song Min-ho, Nam Taehyun, Kim Jinwoo, and Lee Seunghoon. On November 25, 2016, member Nam Tae-hyun officially left the group, and Winner continued with the remaining 4 members.

After 817 days, the long-awaited comeback of Winner finally happened with the album 'Holiday' and the title track I Love You. At 6:00 PM KST on July 5th, Winner officially released the new album 'Holiday' after nearly 3 years of hiatus. Immediately after its release, the 'Holiday' album quickly rose to the top of the iTunes Vietnam chart. Meanwhile, the title track I Love You also debuted at the first position on the Bugs music chart in Korea.

Regarding the melody, I Love You is truly a perfect song for the summer atmosphere. The cheerful melody, vibrant colors, and unique harmonization of the 4 Winner members will make it hard for listeners to escape. With I Love You, you will feel like the main character in your own movie. After its release, both the 'Holiday' album and the song I Love You by Winner received positive feedback from Korean netizens. Most comments praised Winner's music. Some even called the 4 YG boys the summer kings.

Big Bang is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. Comprising 5 members G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri. However, on March 11, 2019, Seungri left the entertainment industry, and on April 5, 2022, T.O.P left YG after the release of Still Life. Despite that, they are still prepared for future activities with Big Bang.

Before the lineup changes, numerous retirement rumors and hopes for a reunion were dashed by factors beyond control, leaving the future of Big Bang uncertain. However, fans continued to hold onto hope. After 4 years of waiting, the good news arrived as YG Entertainment confirmed the legendary group's return to the spotlight. The highly anticipated single Still Life might not be the clear answer or reassurance most people were expecting, but it affirms that Big Bang has matured, no longer the image of four years ago, as each member has become a better version of themselves.

Through the lens of four seasons, Still Life speaks about the time in between, where the group was four years ago and now. For today's Big Bang, the glorious days of sold-out concerts, world tours, and comebacks are just cherished memories that the group always values. Farewell to our beloved youth.

Treasure is the fourth boy group from YG Entertainment formed through the survival show YG Treasure Box. The group consists of 12 members and officially debuted on August 7, 2020, with a single album featuring the title track 'Boy' and the B-side track 'Come to Me.' They are YG's newest rookie group after Blackpink and currently the largest member group in YG's history, boasting two co-leaders unprecedented in YG's history.

Darari originally a b-side track in Treasure's album 'The Second Step Chapter One,' unexpectedly gained viral popularity. YG announced the release of the MV and plans to promote this song in April. However, member Hyunsuk informed fans during a video fansign that the promotional schedule for music shows for 'Darari' had been canceled. Additionally, during a fansign event in Japan, Haruto confirmed that the group had finished shooting the MV but did not know when it would be released.

Currently, Darari is one of the latest trending songs on TikTok with 700 million views for videos with the dararichallenge hashtag. Moreover, Darari has entered the Billboard Global 200 and Spotify Global Top 200 charts in the United States.

Im Na-yeon, born on September 22, 1995, commonly known as Nayeon, is a South Korean female singer. After participating in the survival show Sixteen in 2015, she became a member of the girl group Twice under JYP Entertainment. In consecutive years (2017-2018), she was voted the sixth prominent idol in South Korea according to Gallup Korea's annual music poll.

Composed and written by a hit-making team including KENZIE, LDN Noise, Lee Seu Ran (Jam Factory),... The music video for Pop! captures the unique, refreshing charm of Nayeon. TWICE delivers an adorable, confident message with an appealing melody. Pop! is the title track of Nayeon's debut mini-album. Notably, the song 'No Problem' has 100% English lyrics. Nayeon actively participates in writing lyrics for her songs.

The MV for Pop! blows away the summer heat with a fresh, sweet melody that perfectly matches Nayeon's personality. Her beautiful appearance is highlighted with cute and trendy outfits. The lyrics convey the meaning of making someone's heart flutter, making the heart swell like a balloon.

BTS is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The group consists of 7 members: Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. They are known for their diverse music style, initially starting as a hip-hop group and later exploring various genres. BTS often addresses mental health issues, school and youth challenges, loss, the journey to self-love, and individualism in their lyrics. Their works also delve into cultural and psychological concepts, featuring a parallel universe storyline.

On June 10th, BTS made their official comeback with the MV Yet To Come and the 9th-anniversary album Proof. Within the first 24 hours of release, BTS and Yet To Come achieved remarkable success, capturing immense public attention and interest. With a meaningful message reflecting on the past and looking towards the future, Yet To Come received positive reviews from 9 out of 10 audiences for BTS's comeback.

As an Alternative Hiphop track, the title song Yet To Come differs from BTS's energetic, youthful hits like Butter and Dynamite. With a gentle melody and a bright message, Yet To Come shares the same inspiration as BTS's hit from six years ago, Spring Day. For the Army, BTS's return with this meaningful product is a complete tribute to the fans who have been with them on their 9-year journey.

NMIXX is a South Korean girl group formed by SQU4D, a sub-label under JYP Entertainment. The group consists of 7 members: Lily, Haewon, Sullyoon, Jinni, Bae, Jiwoo, and Kyujin. They officially debuted on February 22, 2022, with their first single album, Ad Mare. As JYP Entertainment's rookie girl group, NMIXX made a groundbreaking debut in the first week, setting a new record for debut album sales among girl groups. Each member brings their unique charm, showcasing not only excellent singing skills but also visuals comparable to their predecessors.

After much anticipation, on February 22nd, the debut MV O.O by NMIXX, a JYP rookie, was officially released. It is the title track from their first album, Ad Mare. Considered one of the promising rookies of the year, NMIXX gained significant attention from the audience as soon as the MV was released.

O.O is introduced as a Mixx Pop song, blending Bailey Funk and Pop Rock genres for teens. The song title is a stylized representation, symbolizing the wide-eyed, astonished state and embodying the exclamation 'Oh!' when encountering something new. Strength and confidence are what NMIXX aims to deliver to the audience in their first step into the K-Pop scene.