(Part 2) The Best K-Pop Music Videos of 2024 So Far
A ranking and review of the top 50!
Check out No. 50 - 26 here!
#25: from20, “Demon”
Besides being just plain catchy, “Demon” is commendable for the ways it makes clear from20 has increased his performance maturity and charisma. His Michael-Jackson-style moves come across as less of an imitation now, and there is an increased naturalness in his facial expressions and character transformations. Between steamy scenes complete with rapidly-flickering lights are mesmerizing moments when a silhouette of from20 dances by himself, rocking a cowboy getup. Other twists are mythological, as from20 sprouts black angel wings and falls from the sky as a meteor does. In under three minutes, from20 somehow plays three kinds of outlaws! A cowboy, an Icarus-type character, and a modern rockstar each manage to find a place in from20’s world that feels suitable. “Demon” is a testament to how much more sure of himself and of his distinguishable filmmaking style (the video is self-directed) from20 is now.
#24: YENA, “Good Morning”
YENA’s video character is a leather-clad, pink-pigtail-sporting, sword-wielding fighter who seems just as prepared to fight as she is to throw a dance party! “Good Morning” alternates between action shots and performance ones, between black-and-white and in-color scenes, and between comic-book-esque moments and ones that bring to mind a live-action TV show. YENA beams while singing about living in the moment and wishing people “Good morning,” but her sword skills and edgy outfit choices bring her sweet, innocent image into question! YENA always plays an entertaining enigma in her videos, and “Good Morning” is no exception.
#23: SEOLA, “Without U”
SEOLA addresses the concept of loneliness in novel ways. She appears miserable when alone but all smiles when with a companion - who is actually just another version of herself! Her newfound confidence is further made evident through clever details, like the video’s widened screen after she becomes her own best friend. Her world expands as she realizes that her only truly lifelong companion is herself, so she might as well be kind to herself! The only main character in “Without U” is her, whether sitting in a circle of otherwise-empty chairs or thinking about getting older when staring at a birthday cake that has dynamite instead of candles. “Without U” shows how much one’s world can grow after reframing independence as a high-risk but high-reward way to live.
#22: SAAY, “DOMINO”
SAAY conveys relatable feelings through an analogy about falling dominos that heightens its lyrical effectiveness with visual applications. Flexing her natural ability to suddenly change pitches, she describes herself as in the path of falling dominos, while those who wish her the worst take pleasure in watching them fall. Her palpable resentment is conveyed well through the interpretive dance routine, as others play the role of the dominoes at times and just pure antagonists at others, ones who literally pull SAAY in multiple directions. In some scenes, her enemy appears to be all of them, but it appears to be just one person in others; the choreography at times involves a large group and at times just a duo. Further representing SAAY’s feeling that people are out to get her no matter how the circumstances change are the lighting and outfit changes, none of which ease tension. While the usual sultry swagger SAAY brings to R&B songs does not take its usual form in “DOMINO,” it is still felt through her piercing, unforgiving gaze. “DOMINO” comes from a clearly authentic place while channeling emotions in original, artful ways.
#21: BABYMONSTER, “SHEESH”
The spooky castle in which most of the “SHEESH” music video is located is transfixing, with shadows of bare trees spread across the walls and a primary source of light being periodic lightning strikes. Viewers are first reeled in with BABYMONSTER’s commanding presence and the dramatic setting, and then they are kept feeling trapped in the story with the maze images that appear sporadically before suddenly appearing everywhere. There are two other particularly attention-grabbing details in the video. One is a blink-and-miss-it transition from a close-up of a red candle to a ring of fire that outlines an inky-black pool. The fire and pool resemble a giant eye from an aerial view. The second particularly striking visual is when individual members appear in different windows. They show off their riches and pose while saying the hushed bridge (“B-A-B-Y-M-O-N / Tell a friend, tell a friend, tell a friend”) like an incantation. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#20: ONF, “Bye My Monster”
ONF dance amid destruction while wearing black outfits and then wear all-white outfits while performing in front of a multicolored, calm sky. The peaceful setting includes a lopsided, giant bird cage with nothing in it, representing both freedom and the precariousness that comes with it. The cage’s tilted angle is just one of many details complicating the seemingly binary contrast between dark and light experiences. Feeling off-balance comes with good times, and grappling with the good and the bad simultaneously is also represented through the sunny scenes being interrupted by moments of darkness. The reverse happens too, with signs of hope interrupting ominous scenes (for example, one member nervously writes a letter in the dark, but later on, the pen’s ink turns into purple flower petals). Signs of hope and reasons for fear interact with one another at unpredictable times throughout “Bye My Monster,” a great summation of what this era of “Beautiful Shadows” is all about. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#19: SEVENTEEN, “Spell”
Every single rewatch of “Spell” can lead to new discoveries! SEVENTEEN’s natural skill at telling detail-oriented, engaging stories through everything from camera angle choices to color palettes remains evident. They continue to show their ability to send messages via myriad methods, and their new method in “Spell” is through playing cards! Much of the action unfolds within playing card backgrounds, but much also unfolds outside of the cards, creating a layered story in ways both literal and metaphorical. The members repeatedly do something akin to breaking the fourth wall, moving out of the frame created by the cards to interact with the larger world around them. The blurring between dimensions is just one of the many variables that not every artist can pull off effectively. They also utilize dance moves, props, on-screen text, and costumes to lay out ambiguous yet on-brand story threads. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#18: TWICE, “ONE SPARK”
The “ONE SPARK” music video celebrates both past and current TWICE, with cute (albeit perhaps coincidental) nods to past videos, like an aquarium scene that brings to mind one from “What is Love.” Quick scene changes, extravagant decor, and eye-catching finishing touches (like the way rainbows of light reflect off of a shiny surface, and the replacement of the elevator floor number with the word “TIMELESS”) keep the viewing experience fast-paced and interesting. Plus, TWICE bring their typical fashion A-game, literally shining in silver ensembles that match the setting and separately rocking black outfits with red accents. The perfect finishing touch is a continuation of the dance routine literally into the night, as fireworks go off behind them! Read more about the corresponding album here!
#17: NAYEON, “ABCD”
“ABCD” starts with a car crash and “A GIRL NAMED NAYEON” popping up in big, bold letters, like a movie’s opening credits scene. Right on cue, NAYEON enters the frame and makes sure all eyes - both the eyes of the audience and of the other video characters - stay on her. From a dinner date to a rooftop dance break, peers and backup dancers alike are drawn to her. She naturally attracts admirers in the concept trailer too, both in black-and-white scenes where she channels old-Hollywood glam and in present-day scenes where she attends a red carpet event and fashion show. She does the latter after spilling wine on her white dress, but she struts down the runway and signs autographs without a hint of embarrassment. She carries herself with admirable confidence and does so in yet another way in a concept trailer scene involving a mural of herself. She opens a window in the wall on which the mural is painted and lets down a knotted piece of cloth, as if she is Rapunzel letting down her long braid for a suitor to climb. Through the NA era’s videos, NAYEON is both trying to be a star and already is one; there are tributes to her already, yet she continues generating the kind of word-of-mouth campaigns that make stars the “next big things.” Read more about the corresponding album here!
#16: LE SSERAFIM, “EASY”
The details in “EASY” have multifaceted meanings. Some are primarily aesthetic but also tap into a deeper context, like the flower-lined porch swing and time spent brushing each other’s hair; these details repeat LE SSERAFIM’s habit of mixing elements affiliated with a sweeter and more youthful image with elements of a more mature and confident one (the side of them seen through their confident gazes and dance moves). Other details are less about aesthetics than reinforcing the EASY era’s central message. The EASY era is based on the poem “Good Bones,” which encourages optimism via the mindset of a real estate agent. Selling a house requires magnifying its positive traits, and much like a real estate agent looks at a house’s blueprint and fixates on “selling” it based on the “good bones” the agent has to work with, LE SSERAFIM “sell” an image to the public based on a foundation of raw talent and natural charm. They show the bare-bones foundation of what goes into their performances, by dancing on a skeleton of a stage and amid indicators of a manufactured setup, including projected images and a wind machine. LE SSERAFIM purposefully perform in a makeshift, seemingly unfinished setting to keep attention on the “good bones” on which their group image is built. They effectively “sell” an image to the public by highlighting what is worth admiring about that image, which is how hard-earned yet effortless-looking it is to attain! The overall message of both EASY and “Good Bones” is that if there is even a kernel of an opportunity to make something worthy of interest and attention, people have what it takes to build something amazing out of that kernel, and “EASY” seizes that opportunity. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#15: WENDY, “Wish You Hell”
Borrowing from Red Velvet’s mix of fairy-like and spooky aesthetics while adding her own punk twists, WENDY bids farewell to her old self. A dark version of WENDY attends the funeral of a dolled-up version, but later scenes show that the dolled-up version of WENDY is alive and well. This could mean that the funeral scene is out of place chronologically to emphasize how strongly memories of “the old WENDY” linger, but it could also represent how real rebirths are never absolute. WENDY does not entirely abandon her old self while becoming a new one; she takes and changes elements of her older self. Her varied wardrobe and decision to display opposite facets of her personality speak to the messiness of an authentic personal transformation. Regardless of deep interpretations, though, the video is a must-watch for its unpredictability and Wonderland-esque qualities, such as toying with the size proportionality of props. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#14: YUQI, “FREAK”
YUQI embraces and redefines what it means to be a villain. Classic movie villains (including Billy from Saw, The Grady Twins from The Shining, and Ghostface from Scream) become her friends and roommates. The kooky, spooky misadventures have comedic twists, from a seance-type ritual involving a stuffed animal to a scene that riffs off of the rom-com Love Actually. The story has four chapters, ends with a house party for which the musical act is YUQI and her fellow villains’ rock band, and includes a “To be continued” message on the screen. “FREAK” mixes the familiar with the unfamiliar to tell a one-of-a-kind tale about confidently shaping one’s own character arc. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#13: CHUU, “Strawberry Rush”
This comeback is as cute as it gets! CHUU plays a perky superhero, singing while blasting at animated enemies, riding through the galaxy, and cloning herself to become a whole cheerleading squad! The story starts and ends in the same diner, only at the end, the wall has new framed photos up, snapshots of her galaxy-crossing, cartoon-filled adventures! Some of these adventures are made possible thanks to the gentle giant from the “Howl” video, who is responsible for ushering CHUU into a surreal setting after exposing a rip in the “real world.” The role of the friendly monster is now more of a sidekick’s, while CHUU plays the down-for-anything main character. This is a reversal from CHUU’s time as a timid follower of the monster’s in “Howl;” she maintains a friendship with the monster but no longer relies on him to believe in her dreams enough to make them real. Dreams unfolding in front of CHUU is the overarching theme of Strawberry Rush, and the music video sticks to that theme in uber-adorable ways!
#12: IVE, “Accendio”
The “Accendio” video is both literally and metaphorically magical! The aesthetics are top-tier, from the giant jewelry the members pose in to the hip summer vacation house in which most of the action unfolds. The video is just as strong narratively. The members gather around a magic wand that one of them has retrieved, and the backstory behind that retrieval is shown in the video’s second half. That flashback reveals that she snuck away with the magic wand as IVE’s dark alter egos were conducting a ritual with it. Flexing new magical abilities, the “good versions” of IVE conjure up a portal into a different world, presumably one without their supernatural circumstances. They inexplicably store the magic wand in a fridge in a kitchen in this “normal world’ on the other side of the portal. The video ends with a little girl finding the magic wand somehow out of the fridge and washed up on the beach. She picks it up and excitedly runs to go show her mom what she has found. What happens next remains up in the air, but one interpretation is that the little girl represents fans of IVE. IVE have used an outer source of magic to find their inner sources of it, and now they want to pass the torch - in this case, pass the wand! - to enable their fans to do the same. Through a quirky example, IVE generate a ripple effect of empowerment to counteract people’s darker and more doubtful sides. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#11: tripleS, “Girls Never Die”
This tripleS comeback is defined by constant juxtapositions. Just to name a few from the “Girls Never Die” video: two girls in dark angel wings cheerfully play hand-clapping games while standing on top of a skyscraper, which they abruptly jump off of; a black bird appears to be dead in some scenes and alive in others; the girls enjoy some “typical” youth hobbies uninterrupted, like doing each other’s makeup, while others take a sinister turn, like when ants crawl over a live-streaming gamer’s hand; and the girls face many dangerous scenarios, but they stay near-fatal. The innocent and the morbid undercurrents are never far behind each other and are sometimes intertwined. Overall, <ASSEMBLE24> and “Girls Never Die” take unconventional routes to tell a powerful story of resilience, as well as what happens when one tries to build a future out of both old and new parts. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#10: NCT WISH, “WISH”
NCT WISH play Cupid-like mischief-makers, aiming their crush-inducing radar gun at people. One interesting aspect to the angels’ hijinks is that their most effective ones are the ones that do not go according to plan. For example, one member misfires and causes his target to fall in love with a tree instead of a man! Separately, when one of them hits a dog with the love-triggering radar gun, the dog runs toward a potential new love interest for its owner. When the group tries to meddle in relationships more directly, they fail, but when they meddle in a more roundabout way, they succeed! One possible lesson from that is to embrace unconventional problem-solving, a skill the members ought to hone for their future adventures. After all, the plot outlined in a pre-debut short film hints at many magical, mysterious adventures to come for these cute rascals!
#9: RM, “Come back to me”
As detailed previously, the songs on Right Place, Wrong Person and the corresponding music videos have the ultimate takeaway of “Ready or not, here life comes!” “Come back to me” is no exception. It shows RM revisiting memories from different ages with a blank stare on his face, re-revisiting those memories with a big grin, and then appearing as if both the apathy and the joy were staged. The final zooming-out of the camera at the end reveals RM is in a diorama of sorts, with the connected rooms in a building having no or only half-finished ceilings. “Come back to me” is really two stories in one. The first is about what RM can learn or reflect on from trips to the past, and the second layer of reflection comes from recognizing the ways the future is still in his hands. One way to view this story is one of inferiority, with RM being like a figurine in a giant’s play set. On the other hand, the DIY-ed, incomplete setup RM is inside of could be seen as a symbol of him still having time to control how the rest of his story unfolds. “Come Back to Me” is a thought-provoking song with the music video to match.
#8: TXT, “Deja Vu”
“Since some things are precious, but invisible to the eye, we forget them as life passes by,” reads the text on the screen at the beginning of the video. It is a reference to The Little Prince, the story upon which this TXT era is based, and it alludes to the wonderfully expansive, imaginative lenses through which children see the world. “Deja Vu” visually represents the world through those innocent lenses, but it also does so through the lenses of present-day TXT. The ways in which the lines between these views are blurry speaks to one of the main themes throughout the album: struggling to grow up while keeping one’s inner child close. Symbolic choices throughout the video relate to that tension, including a shimmering, mysterious image of, presumably, a mother; a scene inside what can be viewed as a jungle gym or sets of jail bars, infused with a mysterious, purple haze; and identical scenes that occur in both the past and present. In terms of both cinematography and narrative, “Deja Vu” does a fantastic job. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#7: JxW, aka JEONGHAN X WONWOO, “Last night”
The story of “Last night” is so intricate that telling it requires more than a traditional music video, which is why it is also told in an “audiobook version.” It is a fascinating set of videos that grapples with major philosophical questions. The videos prompt the audience to reflect on how unreliable memories can be, why that unreliability scares people, and what happens when one stops trying to recreate the past exactly as it was. They also turn viewers into detectives, theorizing over when a scene takes place in a dream world and when it occurs in the “real” one. The ease with which one turns into the other is another thought-provoking aspect of the story. What truly distinguishes the line between “dream” and “real” categories? THIS MAN and its main track, “Last night,” give a voice to different answers, characters, and perspectives, speaking to the complexity of its themes and making JxW’s debut project an impressively far-reaching endeavor. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#6: SEVENTEEN, “Cheers to youth”
As detailed here, “Cheers to youth” excels at reinforcing the messages underpinning the corresponding album, 17 IS RIGHT HERE. It creatively gives examples of SEVENTEEN’s values in action: being a shoulder to cry on, seeing the power in small acts of kindness and compassion, cultivating an inclusive environment where everyone feels free to be themselves, and prioritizing camaraderie.
#5: IU, “Love wins all”
While an apocalyptic video premise is nothing new, the “Love wins all” music video stands out thanks to two key symbols. One is a massive clothes pile. As IU and her lover (played by V of BTS) run from the presumed source of the ongoing apocalypse, they move past this pile. At the end of the video, their clothes fall from the sky and are added to it. The second key symbol is a video camera, one they use to literally see the world through a new lens. When holding up the video camera, their surroundings look downright festive compared to the current dystopia. These symbols have a fascinating juxtaposition: While the clothes are a physical form of memory preservation, the camera is used for memory alteration. The clothes left behind are a means of keeping the past in the past, leaving it untouched. Conversely, the video camera revisits memories in an attempt to rewrite the past, making it appear rosier than it might have really been. “Love wins all” is a clever representation of the power of love and the simultaneous urges to revisit and close previous chapters of it. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#4: A.C.E, “My Girl”
Playing “PETFLIX” startup founders, the members of A.C.E express dissatisfaction with office life. They hit the big time but are still berated and belittled at work. What gives them a much-needed reminder of their worth is their girl, and they go from feeling grief to giddiness at the thought of finding “the one.” After slow-motion running and jumping out of their office building, they smash through a sign that spells out “PROFESSIONAL,” so nothing remains of it except pieces of confetti, symbolically covering their suits. As the members rise into the sky with angel wings and harnesses on, someone loses a shoe, and the others freeze with exaggerated reactions on their faces. The over-acting is followed by a quote on the screen attributed to Charles Chaplin: “That’s all any of us are: amateurs.” My Girl : “My Choice” has a deeper message about chasing dreams and an ego boost underneath its unassuming top layer, and the “My Girl” video’s comedic, over-the-top antics remind people that even those who appear to be outwardly thriving the most end up just as humbled by life’s curveballs as everyone else!
#3: SEVENTEEN, “MAESTRO”
Individual scenes in “MAESTRO” show people just making noise, but in the end, under a giant metronome, they make one big, dynamic musical number, each person offering their own unique contributions. “MAESTRO” reiterates SEVENTEEN’s career-long message that everyone can and deserves to go from feeling like they just make noise to feeling like a welcome player on a team, someone who makes music. Besides its themes of inclusion and self-expression, “MAESTRO” deserves praise for the clever ways it repurposes elements of previous SEVENTEEN music videos.
#2: Red Velvet, “Cosmic”
The enchanting, Midsummer-themed “Cosmic” video includes animated imagery at the beginning, middle, and end, as if the scenes between them are reenactments of what happens in a classic fairy tale. A whimsical afternoon spent getting dolled up and then singing and dancing in a field involves notable details from past Red Velvet eras, like a “Cat’s Cradle” game and an allusion to at least some of the scenes being just a dream. Also on-brand are the ways they show their “red” side in addition to the “velvet” one! Some scenes seem more ominous when stopping to think about them, like seance-type moments and how one member’s journey begins after falling from the sky! Other ominous undercurrents are in the era’s opening trailer (“Love is COSMIC”), which goes from being about an unassuming summer road trip to showing the members standing in darkness, gazing up at a mysterious door into an alternative universe. The text on the screen at the start of the “Cosmic” video is French for “Remember the last summer on this planet,” implying a grand old time but the last one of its kind. “Cosmic” has both Red Velvet’s fairytale charm and secret dark sides, making the video fit the group’s layered image perfectly. Read more about the corresponding album here!
#1: RM, “LOST!”
Interpretations of “LOST!” and the other music videos associated with RM’s Right Place, Wrong Person vary widely, but the underlying message is that life often feels the way RM depicts it: like something being constructed in real time. Life cannot be fully planned out; life happens simply as one lives it, like how RM’s video scenes unfold as he roams through them. Forging connections is similarly unable to be planned out in advance, hence why many video characters’ reactions have questionable sincerity, why the line between RM enjoying and merely tolerating others’ company is often disputable, and why RM’s thoughts pertaining to each song’s subjects are tangled balls of emotions. A display of all these takeaways is “LOST!,” which shows what happens when an event unfolds both according to plan and the opposite.
“LOST!” has a show-within-a-show format. RM is the special guest on The Lost Show Starring RM, a late-night talk show co-hosted by someone who appears genuinely giddy to see RM in person and someone who introduces RM through gritted teeth. In one scene, RM literally sees himself in the latter; his face replaces the reluctant host’s. RM watches himself physically pop up in various settings during his late-show performance, and his literal name pops up (“Namjoon’s Brain”) on name tags spread out across a table. Miniature figurine versions of himself also proliferate. With all this in mind, viewers are left contemplating who really “runs the show” that is RM’s life. His name is everywhere, implying he is a big star, but the show bearing his stage name is hosted by other people. One of these people seems inclined to be a positive stand-in, protecting RM’s public image, but the other seems inclined to either represent RM negatively, without RM being able to defend himself, or, at best, speak for RM in a resigned way, just saying what the teleprompter says. All the name tags reinforce the fact that RM being a public figure makes people feel confident speaking on his behalf, some with pure intentions and others not. RM does not have control of his own narrative.
RM’s name is everywhere, but his true sense of self is what is lost, and he seems compelled to make others feel just as out-of-sorts. He pushes lots of elevator buttons and literally climbs up a group of people to travel through the air ducts, among other antics that force those he comes across to be thrown for a loop not unlike his internal one. Whether putting himself in a place where he cannot evade others (like the elevator) or totally fleeing them (via air ducts), the goal seems to stay the same: maintain a shared state of confusion! RM tries to abandon the scripts others try to write for him at all costs.
Out of the handful of music videos corresponding to RM’s latest body of work, no video captures the inexplicable yet profound essence of it better than “LOST!” Read more about the album here!
COMING SOON: The Best Songs and Albums of 2024 So Far! Subscribe here to not miss the reveals!
For even more music recommendations, revisit the “Best of 2023” lists!
The Top 100 Albums of 2023, Part Two