Best New Music: February 2025

A ranking and review of the best new releases from K-pop, J-pop, P-pop, and T-pop artists!

#20: Aimer, SCOPE

In “SCOPE,” Aimer wonders how to decipher truths from imaginings, and the time spent “breaking apart empty theories” and “seiz[ing] the truth” are separated via an instrumental interlude. “yasashii butoukai” describes a scene that resides between those periods of discarding mirages and finding the actual truth: a moonlit ball with a moment of clarity that pierces through illusory veils (“Suddenly / In the melody of silence / The secret of the starry night / Softly rises to the surface”). In the powerful ballad “Utsukushii Sekai,” Aimer yearns to relive her Cinderella-esque recollection and return to that place where clarity and harmony is somehow found between fiction and nonfiction (“I sang over and over, my voice growing hoarse / For there is a dream I can never forget;” “I am still awake / Wanting to stay close to my dreams”). Another mid-song instrumental break stretches out this story, giving listeners time to process what Aimer is also still processing. SCOPE tells a deep and reality-bending tale in constructive, smartly-paced ways.

#19: Timethai, “Why tho?”

Looking suave and sounding smooth, this crooner keeps his allure obvious with “Why tho?” “You told me to forget, but that won’t do / No matter how hard I try, I can’t break through / Feeling hurt and broken out of the blue / Though it’s been ages, between him and you,” Timethai confesses. His inability to move on from a former flame comes across not just through his words and delivery - which quickens in the second verse, as if nerves risk getting the better of him - but through his behavior in the music video. His demeanor changes from carefree while hanging out with his guy friends to consumed with thoughts of his ex after she walks past them. This change is noticeable without being over-the-top, and the same sincerity appears in the looks of longing and jealousy on his face when she spends time with other men. “Why tho?” is an admirably honest breakup song courtesy of a swoon-worthy singer!

#18: RESCENE, Glow Up

This girl group proves the flexibility in seemingly straightforward and simple concepts. As is their tradition, Glow Up is scent-focused, and this time, that scent is soap. This adds new meanings to descriptors like “bubbly” and “refreshing” when talking about these pop songs! “In my lotion” further leans into the theme; it is all about the recall power scents can have. What could easily seem like a generic pop release becomes memorable and unique not just thanks to its concept, but its dual applications. While the members’ makeovers are external in the Glow Up trailer (their outfits have an entirely different vibe after a scene involving a washing machine), they are internal in the title track’s music video. Instructions periodically pop up on the screen, guiding viewers through the phases of finding one’s inner light, which involve utilizing “faith buoyancy” and making “Secret Sunshine gestures.” Those efforts open access to “Glow World,” a metaphor for the reconnection point with the clearest-possible essence of one’s inner being.

RESCENE go beyond the slang context of “Glow Up” to meaningfully celebrate the joy and relief that come from becoming a clean slate, likening that refresh to taking a fresh load of laundry out of the dryer!

#17: GYUBIN, Flowering

Flowering is an endearingly earnest EP about puppy love. The main track, “LIKE U 100,” is about a deep crush that isn’t too deep: “Wanna let you know it ain’t love… But I like you back”! The use of “100” in the complimentary slang context, plus the music video featuring GYUBIN dancing around her bedroom and happily roaming outside, keep her youthfulness apparent. The B-sides also show that GYUBIN is not growing up too fast. “Oops!” has a natural “Who, me?” innocent quality, “So Yeah, LOVE!” describes love as a “sugar high” as big as a “Lollipop in the sky,” and “Born To Love You” turns talk of loving back to liking: “Maybe I was born to love you,” she thinks, before following up with another version of “LIKE U 100,” as if to say, “Wait, maybe not!” The other song, “Evergreen,” is one GYUBIN recalls making while still in her uniform, rushing to a writing session after school! Even when sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Flowering keeps GYUBIN’s youth top-of-mind. At the same time, she shows potential for a long-term career and natural growth, given her clear passion for music; she has both composition and writing credits on this release.

#16: Sakurako Ohara, “Sakura”

Backed by a piano that is periodically joined by strings and percussion, Sakurako Ohara beautifully sings about the changing seasons and the comfort that comes from knowing spring will always return. She describes a wind as something to push her forward in life, scars as eventual “nostalgic light[s],” and dreams as an invincible resource (“Even the wishes that spilled over / Not a single one was in vain”). She vows to “wipe away [her] tears” and “keep living / Without fearing the changes in [herself] / Crossing through the seasons.” Sending the moving message home is the music video, which is a cross between sand art and shadow puppetry. What sometimes resembles ink on parchment sometimes resembles dark grains of sand. Either way, an arm’s shadow is seen continuously making new pictures out of the material. An oval becomes a lemon (presumably a reference to the “Make lemonade when life gives you lemons” sentiment), a blacked-out space becomes soil for a new plant, two friends grow up together and then are drawn as children again… “Sakura” is a clever and engaging way to portray the passing of the seasons and all that it represents.

#15: CHUNG HA, Alivio

Named after the Spanish word for “relief,” Alivio is aptly cathartic. With dance-pop, house music, R&B, and even orchestral influences, CHUNG HA keeps the basic topic - stress relief - interesting and versatile. The songs that ought to be fan favorites are the sassier ones, “Even Steven (Happy Ending)” and “Salty”! The latter is a retro gem on which CHUNG HA harmonizes well with SUNMI, and it also stands out for its self-awareness. They show how to live both vulnerably and confidently, admitting to crying while describing it as just their eyes “getting salty”! Other revealing moments throughout Alivio show CHUNG HA’s conscious efforts to remind both herself and others to keep their chins up. Alivio acknowledges that becoming less self-critical (and therefore less stressed) is harder than it seems, so the album is less of a command and more of a permission structure. Reiterating the permission to let loose is the final track, “Still a Rose,” which reminds people they are worthy of blooming even as they grow “thorns” and even if others try to “cut” their “stems.”

#14: Ryokuoushoku Shakai, Channel U

Channel U is akin to a collection of motivational speeches, encouraging people to harness the power to change and brighten their own thoughts. In “PLAYER 1,” the group cleverly reminds people how capable they are in their seemingly most-doomed moments: “Isn’t a desperate crisis actually a chance? / That’s exactly when you push forward.” They link the times in a video game when one is “Backed into a hopeless corner” to the times when one succeeds via sneak attack, catching opponents off-guard! In “Hazukashiika Seishunwa,” they urge people to reframe each “ordinary day” as an “exquisite” one, with just as much potential as any other to become the best day of one’s life. They are less subtle about wanting to take up space in “Nice Idea!,” in which they describe turning the world into their stage, and in “Channel Me,” in which they express the desire to shake up the whole world with their noise (a message topped off with a literal “BANG!”).

This album is not solely about seizing the day and living loud. “Magic Hour” compares loving partners to fireworks and the water’s surface; the water is ready to reflect the best of the fireworks, and the two sometimes appear as if “Flickering together [into] the same shape.” “Ienai” talks about a “monochrome” world that is present after a loved one leaves it. “Be a flower” describes people as beautiful simply as they are, so there is no point in acquiring “prettily garnished vases” or other cosmetic changes. Even when not at their most exuberant, Ryokuoushoku Shakai offer novel ideas for seeing things in new lights.

#13: LISA, Alter Ego

To be frank, Alter Ego has hits and misses. Some of the disjointedness can be excused by the album’s premise - an introduction to five different personas - but there are ways LISA could have utilized that premise in more effective and less derivative ways. Many of the new songs share the same “living fast and large” topic of the pre-released singles. That being said, it is commendable how willing LISA is to dabble in different genres, to spend time both rapping and singing, and to work with such diverse collaborators (the rapper Future, Spanish superstar ROSALíA, British powerhouse RAYE…), all for a single project. She has clearly had fun putting this album together, and it draws some interesting outlines for a fuller backstory for the five main characters, who each get their own theme song. (To be fair, the alter egos’ stories are surely elaborated on more in the corresponding comic book, but it is disappointing that those who check out the album and not the book do not get the same comprehensive understanding of what her characters are really all about.)

The main reason why Alter Ego needs a spot on this Top Twenty List is for its empowering, eighties-inspired breakup song, “Born Again.” It is a marvelous meeting of the musical minds, with each of its three superstars getting both separate and collective times to shine in their verses and video scenes. LISA goes from old-school-Hollywood glam to channeling the story of Adam and Eve; Doja Cat goes from singing in a gothic ensemble to pole-dancing; RAYE poses in a flower field that is black-and-white part of the time and colorized in the second half. None of them limit themselves when it comes to expressing who they feel like being reborn as, nor do they act limited to only one rebirth.

Alter Ego is a little bit of a lot of things, and while it never fully coalesces into one clear picture, it does prove LISA has what it takes to build worthwhile additions on top of its foundation, along with the dexterity to do so with an array of A-list assists. It also smartly starts off with “Born Again,” the most stellar of the singles that is by a terrifically talented trio.

#12: ALL(H)OURS, Smoke Point

Smoke Point is a fittingly fiery project! “GIMME GIMME” is a contagious adrenaline rush, with an unrelenting sense of urgency. One of the lyrics is “WE GOTTA GO,” and the other songs respond accordingly; they waste no time transitioning from one style to the next. “Kings & Queens” throws R&B, hip-hop, and more at the wall and gets them all to somehow stick. That mega genre hybrid is followed by the glitchy, noisy “Freaky Fresh.” The two other tracks, “Smoke Point” and “Graffiti,” are funky in their own ways; the former builds on a New Jack Swing foundation, and the latter takes inspiration from 90’s techno. Smoke Point is proof that ALL(H)OURS are ready and willing to mix things up without any sense of obligation to pace themselves while doing so.

#11: SB19, “DAM”

While the “DAM” music video has many potential interpretations, here is one: The members play wealthy and powerful characters who reside in a fancy castle, while the rest of the population lives in poverty on the other side of the gates. Their villain characters encounter a series of omens that awaken the humanity buried within them. These omens include being attacked by a crow and watching an angel alter ego escape from a mirror world. After the members realize the monstrous traits they have normalized, like being a dividing line between the haves and the have-notes, they voluntarily conduct a ritual that involves circling a magical tree and ends with them turning to stone. Afterwards, the guards lose power, and the destitute population rushes the gates and streams into the wealthy ex-enclave.

Another interpretation is that the members do not sacrifice themselves due to awoken consciences, but out of a sense of inevitability. After all, their glowing images appear around the glowing tree in a spell book at the end of the video; perhaps they have chosen to simply follow a prophecy.

Whether turning into stone out of shame, due to recognizing the emptiness of their lives spent hoarding power and prestige for nothing, or out of a sense of obligation to succumb to fate, one moral of the story is clear: Ignorance is not bliss. The “DAM” lyrics tout SB19’s status as “the Great, the Best Pessimist[s]” and discourage turning a blind eye to suffering, because that leads to a rude awakening: “If you’re only focused on the positives, you’ll get paranoid / ‘Cause when reality hits, you’ll be wide awake!” A life spent shielding themselves from the cruel and unjust truth ends with no good resolution.

Thought-provoking plot aside, “DAM” is admirable for its cinematography: sweeping camera movements, detailed costumes, and smart uses of lighting that keep scenes not so dark that it is hard to literally see what happens, but dark enough to sustain the heaviness for which the premise calls.

#10: BINI, BINIverse

There is an admirable sense of sureness in BINI’s creative direction. BINIverse leans fully into the bubblegum aesthetics that they pull off so well, while always circling back to grounded messages of self-worth and sisterhood. The group is clear about what they want to convey - “Be yourself,” “Value your friends” - and convey those things in sugary-sweet ways!

The “Blink Twice” music video is bathed in pastel hues that match the members’ outfits. They undergo testing for “Fuzzy Heart Syndrome,” a “LOVE BUZZ” that, according to the TV news anchor in the “BINIverse,” is sweeping the globe! “Cherry On Top” follows the same format, set in a fictional and pastel-colored realm in which a love-themed source of magic runs amok and puts BINI on people’s radars (a newspaper headline warns of a “STRANGE FEVER GOING ON IN CHERRY TOWN,” a phenomenon that BINI flagrantly associate themselves with, casting magical and cherry-themed spells). BINI’s impacts reverberate across their world, while they sing about hoping to leave a strong impression on the real one, too. As they say in “Zero Pressure,” “It ain’t about the fame / I wanna be remembered for the way the world [is going to] change.” BINI sing about wanting to spread love and light in their bubbly pop songs, while doing so in intentionally attention-grabbing ways in the “BINIverse”-based videos. BINIverse is a pretty, pastel paradise that has passion and a purpose.

#9: NiziU, AWAKE

AWAKE takes the “Spread your wings and fly” advice in surprising directions that eventually stick the landing. The cryptic album trailer features many symbolic objects, none more notable than an empty bird cage. The trailer offers more questions than answers, but one takeaway is that the NiziU members plan to fly no matter what it takes.

In the “YOAKE” music video (a pre-release from January that sets the scene well for February’s finale to this era), they help each other learn to fly, singing, “From the safety of your arms, fly out… I had to learn to fall… These wings aren’t borrowed anymore.” They continue, “Honestly, I was a little scared / Taking all that you gave me / And giving it back to myself… But here I am, flying.” Scenes with high tension among the members precede the scenes in which they make amends and learn to lean on each other, making the lesson not just “Spread your wings,” but “even if that requires teamwork, time, and patience.” Going from scared to fly to trusting one another enough to learn how is not a linear journey. The video has many ambiguous details, like when a member appears to float in the air but can be easily interpreted as flying or falling instead. Also, the members wake up from a dream at an indeterminable point. Whether the times of strife are the ones they dream up and the times of solidarity are the ones that actually occur or vice versa (or a bit of both), the determination to escape their self-imposed “bird cages” stays key.

As for the B-sides on AWAKE, they are primarily bright ones that convey a similar sentiment to “YOAKE,” about finding peace and harmony through teamwork. The most must-hear track is “CRUSH.”

#8: BLUE ENCOUNT, Alliance of Quintetto

Alliance of Quintetto is a satisfying soundtrack for an existential crisis! It stays relatable by pairing its many questions about the meaning of life with a source of motivation to keep searching for it. The songs are permeated with a sense of self-loathing: “I don’t think I’m worth that much” (“BABEL”), “How stupid can I be?” (“birdcage”), “I’m a lost cause” (“DEAD”)... They avoid sounding apathetic, however, through dramatic declarations, like in “Bloody Liar,” when they compare themselves to soul-suckers and sing “The more I save you, the more I hurt you.” They sound defeatist without sounding nihilistic; they doubt themselves but still care about what happens to them. That ability to care stems from the relationships they mention in the last few songs. After “DEAD” is the song “ALIVE,” which has lyrics like “I’m gonna be okay” and “Life goes on / You make me feel alive.” Lyrics in “to be continued” include “There are so many pains, so many wounds / That’s why I found you,” “this is something to live for,” and “My resolve will continue.” It would be reductive to say these songs are about going from having zero self-worth to having some; the band tackles more emotional nuances than that. The ways they do so are just as strong instrumentally as they are lyrically. Like how some turbulent life phases are experienced as waves that come and go, while some turbulence feels sudden and instant, some songs use instruments and sound effects to craft periods of rising and falling action, while others are all-at-once outpourings.

#7: Soraru, Solve the dream

Unintentional or not, Solve the dream benefits from balancing the weaker instrumentals with the stronger lyrics and vice versa! For example, “Blooming in abundance” does not stand out sonically, but it artfully analogizes one’s suffering with gloomy weather. And “Rainbow three-way intersection” has some goofiness that makes it an acquired taste, but the lyrics are universally relatable and sweet, about humming through the ever-turning pages of one’s life story. Other songs only need strong instrumentals to get the job done, especially the first few tracks. The electronic and guitar-laden blitzes swiftly establish a sense of place and time. Regardless of which songs hold the audience’s attention for which reasons, each one contributes to a specific yet far-reaching narrative, one with insightful analogies. These include a “Foamy memorandum,” a rusted bus stop (“Yume-Madoi”), a “Hungry monster,” and a blizzard that gives one ample time to think (“Aurora,” on which Soraru ponders what he is moving towards that he is unable to see, as the wind pushes him forward and he trudges through the whiteout).

After taking listeners down paths with sonic detours and symbols that serve as landmarks, the journey ends with “Solve the dream,” which has this summative line: “A single guidepost / Is what connects two people.” He expresses sorrow at the impermanence of his memories’ specifics, while deciding he will be “Gathering up the fragments of a dream” and revisiting those “guideposts” to try retracing his steps and recreating precious moments.

Solve the dream is both a promise and a quest, and the mission’s vast implications get the artful depictions they deserve.

#6: ZEROBASEONE, BLUE PARADISE

As a BLUE PARADISE preview video puts it, “Blue shadows my face, but I let it in. Sad and beautiful, blue becomes a piece of life.” The BLUE PARADISE era dutifully channels this “beauty in blueness” theme. In “BLUE,” ZEROBASEONE sing about feeling blue via up-tempo synth-pop. Songs about being “Out of Love,” wanting to “Step Back” from a relationship, and feeling like a relationship is “Cruel” and a “Devil Game” are also delivered with pep in their steps! And with “Doctor! Doctor!,” they keep things light with lyrics like “It’s an L-O-V-Emergency”! They prioritize playfulness in countless other ways, including a game-themed highlight medley video; “Hide” and “Seek” photoshoot versions; and the “BLUE” music video, in which they add blue items to their world in forms including a furry monster mask, the glow from virtual reality headsets, and star-shaped twinkle lights akin to childhood bedroom decor. Adding literal blueness to their world is actually what adds more whimsy to it! Additionally, they jump in a swimming pool while wearing “grown-up clothes,” and one member leaves his blue outline on the ground as part of playground chalk art. While embracing the “blue” aspects of life can be an indicator of a matured mindset, ZEROBASEONE’s message is that embracing the “blue” parts of life does not require “aging out” of anything.

For a period of time during the “BLUE” video, a montage of memories plays across a nine-square grid. These snapshots encompass moments of sadness and joy alike, and when the question “CAN YOU REMEMBER DAYS” appears on top of the clips, it is a question that does not specify “Can you remember bad days?” or “Can you remember good days?” The question is simply, “Can you remember at all?,” the point being that memories ought to be made regardless of the risk that some end up “blue” - perhaps even because of the chance that some will. Whether lovesick or heartbroken, BLUE PARADISE reckons with the “BLUE” side to falling in love and how that side is inevitable in order to also feel the “PARADISE” side of it.

#5: JISOO, AMORTAGE

AMORTAGE combines “amor,” meaning “love,” with “montage,” and this EP indeed tells a love story montage-style. At a brisk pace, it cuts out the filler and sums up a relationship’s highs and lows. Likewise, the “earthquake” music video just makes time to touch on key milestones: the initial expression of romantic interest (when JISOO gets a text from her crush while at her office job), the moment one’s world feels pulled in an unpredictable and exhilarating new direction (when the building where she works gets struck by an earthquake), and the time when texts from a loved one become normalized (when JISOO settles back into her daily routine as if the chaos never happened). The 0-to-100 way people go from hesitant to approach a crush to forgetting what a day was like before communicating with that crush throughout it is something “earthquake” perfectly captures. As for the EP itself, JISOO goes from sounding head-over-heels (in the first two songs, “earthquake” and “Your Love”), to sounding proud of breaking up (“TEARS”), to giving her now-ex a blistering chastising (“Hugs & Kisses”). If one wants to summarize what the rush of a romance feels like from start to finish, AMORTAGE and “earthquake” do the trick!

#4: IVE, IVE EMPATHY

Newness mixed with nostalgia remains IVE’s winning formula. IVE EMPATHY includes unconventional analogies, like comparing a “FLU” to a problematic crush, and using boxing terminology in “TKO” to express confidence. The nostalgia comes from their spins on classics: “You Wanna Cry” is inspired by Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” and “ATTITUDE” borrows from “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega. The album finds additional strengths in what listeners are familiar with by staying true to IVE. Some members have writing credits on the album, they re-team up with Ryan Jhun for “REBEL HEART,” and empowerment remains a go-to message. As for the visual components of this era, they complement the music well and take its themes in odd but entertaining directions! They reiterate a “Make the most of a bad situation” ethos.

In the trailer titled “EMPATHY!,” the members gather around and hug a block of ice, causing it to turn pink and mold itself into a heart shape (perhaps a nod to their I’VE MINE era; that album cover is a heart with scratches on it, another way to symbolize a mix of having love and scars). In the “REBEL HEART” and “ATTITUDE” music videos, the group brings eccentricity and personality to settings that sorely lack both without them. Lastly, the promotional images for IVE EMPATHY include messages like these: “If I get hurt, I’ll put a pretty bandage on the wound,” “If the cake I worked hard on gets ruined, I’ll just play with it,” and “I can even turn my tears into jewels.”

Every element of this release is intrinsically IVE, as is the big-picture takeaway about being enough, even when others need to go the extra mile to remind someone of that. After all, in “EMPATHY!,” the members play the “Whisper Challenge,” akin to a game of “Telephone” in how it represents both a bonding moment and distorts what someone is literally trying to say; empathy requires effort that the members are willing to make.

#3: ONE OK ROCK, DETOX

ONE OK ROCK want people to make no mistake: they “want to scream like a banshee” (“NASTY”), they are “sick of rolling with the punches” (“Tropical Therapy”), and they are “losing faith in everyone” (“Puppets Can’t Control You”). In addition to being distraught, a recurring theme in DETOX is distrust of those in power: “You think we don’t notice… it’s all just a game to you” (“NASTY”); “every talking head expects you to believe them” (“Delusion:All”); “TV stations sell their lies on cable” (“Puppets Can’t Control You”). They also express sources of angst that lack clear targets. They struggle with the weight of life in an unjust, overwhelming world and, as the album title suggests, the need to find a coping mechanism. “Tropical Therapy” is about the need to get away from it all, “Tiny Pieces” is a solemn acknowledgement of how much harder tough times are when dealing with them alone, and “This Can’t Be Us” has a similar but even more moving sentiment. “This Can’t Be Us” comes full-circle and brings to mind the 2010 song “Nobody’s Home.” They now sing, “I’m going home / Wherever home is… Within myself, I’ve come to find my safe and sound.” They bring to mind the more recent past in “The Pilot </3,” in which they say that “Broken’s beautiful” and that one can be “broken” without being “broken down.” 2021’s “Broken Heart of Gold” has the same bottom line: One can be broken without needing fixing, and sometimes the cracks prove to be more worth having than the previously pristine veneer.

ONE OK ROCK’s music remains a dependable outlet for pent-up angst, a call to be skeptical of authority, reassurance that it’s okay not to be okay, and an attempt to channel righteous anger into a united front for those who have less power. DETOX bluntly assesses the state of society without sacrificing empathy towards those who feel hopeless.

#2: Sakurazaka46, UDAGAWA GENERATION (Special Edition)

This group acts childish and acknowledges knowing they can get away with it! In the title track, they complain, “I wanna go!,” “I don’t want to have people tell me to do this and that,” and “We can’t even have a blast here anymore”! They admit, “I can do all these foolish things only when I can blame them on my youth,” and the music video is indeed peak foolishness! They make themselves the stars of a circus, before turning it into a Victorian-Era fashion show. No one can tell them any amount of makeup is too much, any amount of “extra” is too extra when it comes to fashion, or that any of their antics are off-limits due to needing to grow up! They refuse to - until they can no longer avoid getting older, which other songs on UDAGAWA GENERATION (Special Edition) address.

In “Nightmaresyndrome,” they admit to fearing “grown-up relationships” and compare them to a haunted house. In “Nothing special,” they face the fact that some days of adulthood will be boring, with no time for fun and games. In “Monshirotyou ga tashika tondeta,” they mix childish framing (like comparing a relationship to a game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”) with mature observations (like how relationships are like butterflies; it dawns on them that relationships’ fragile and uncontrollable traits might actually come with beauty and joy). In “Ikanaide,” they decide to let someone move on and be happy, a turning point from their previously immature, self-centered worldview. In “ULTRAVIOLET,” they continue to show they have grown more mature, through the empathy they express. Lastly, in “Yarushikanaijan,” their youthful optimism reemerges, but in a more constructive and less tantrum-throwing way! They give listeners encouragement, finding many ways to say “You’ve got this!” and “There is no time to waste!”

With UDAGAWA GENERATION (Special Edition), Sakurazaka46 are growing up on their own terms (after all, one line in the title track is “The word ‘Gen-Z’ is just a marketing term”!), with a realistic intensity in the ways they address both their highs and lows.

#1: G-DRAGON, ÜBERMENSCH

Psychologist Friedrich Nietzsche popularized the term “Übermensch,” referring to a human who transforms into the most idyllic and powerful state imaginable. This aspirational “Overman” transcends human categories, hence why artists’ depictions of an Übermensch take on superhuman traits. Since an Übermensch can play any human role one can think of but never needs to, human-describing adjectives are deemed irrelevant. An Übermensch does not need to be “this” or “that;” the Übermensch is beyond compliments and reproach alike. With this context in mind, it makes sense for G-DRAGON to defy clear categorizations for any part of this ÜBERMENSCH era.

In the “DRAMA” music video, he laments how much of a “drama queen” someone is while acting quite dramatic himself, sitting alone with a metal piece in his back that resembles the one on a wind-up toy. Throughout this era, material is similarly presented, in ways that are simultaneously silly and serious. For example, “BONAMANA” uses play-on Korean words while addressing a state of despair; it comes across as both authentic and a joke when he likens his crumbling mental state to various foods. “GYRO-DROP” also leaves the audience unclear whether or not to take him seriously; he might mean it when he says he’s upset about an “unfair” situation, but his carnival analogies make using the word “fair” appear to be in jest!

“You could not make heads or tails of me if you tried” seems to be a mantra of G-DRAGON’s, and this comes across strongly in the “TOO BAD” video. He and the dancers dress preppy while outside of a convenience store. Separately, he pairs a hat with a McDonald’s logo on it with a jacket that has cuffs featuring an iconic Versace print. He does not align dress codes with locations, and he combines “low-class” and “high-class” status markers. He also combines languages, via multilingual graffiti. (Also notable is his use of four languages in the song “DRAMA.”) He ignores norms around what is considered classy or corny, and he extends the “Human language can’t do this justice” concept inherent to the Übermensch to apply to his locations and outfits, not just to his personality.

At the risk of reductiveness, another way to describe an Übermensch is “everything at once,” and G-DRAGON’s distinguishable, definitive aesthetic makes the utility he finds in the concept obvious. He has always had a signature yet hard-to-pin-down style, and it is on full display as he plays characters in every type of show. He is part of an impromptu street performance in an androgynous outfit in “TOO BAD;” he gives a wide-screen performance that resembles one from a live telethon in the same video; he is an inherent performer against his will in “DRAMA,” due to being surveilled; and he puts on an improv act in “POWER,” roaming from one manufactured setup to another while paying continuity among them no mind.

In “DRAMA,” he says, “I’m out the door… Go play the role alone,” one of his more overt allusions to the Übermensch theme of being evolved past human role ascription. However, “DRAMA” is the music video in which he is surveilled and very much not heading out the door! His captivity brings his message’s sincerity into question, and this “Keep them guessing” method remains one with which he proves to excel.

Revisit January’s Top 20 here!