The Best J-Pop from K-Pop Stars
A ranking of the 17 K-pop acts with the best Japanese discographies!
To hear more about these choices and to find out who received honorable mentions, listen to this episode of 17 Carat K-Pop!
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#17: ENHYPEN
Reason: What ENHYPEN’s Japanese discography lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. The Japanese version of the “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” music video is the best example: with swords that have minds of their own, dark rituals, and flames galore, the story gets five times more cinematic! While their Japanese music videos amp up the drama, their original Japanese songs opt for levity. “Make the change” and “Always” are bouncy bops that prove ENHYPEN excel at both dark suspense and smile-worthy singles.
Standout music video: The aforementioned “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC) [Japanese Ver.].”
Underrated track: “Forget Me Not,” which effortlessly resides in the middle of ENHYPEN’s pop-punk-to-down-the-middle-pop range.
#16: BAEKHYUN
Reason: BAEKHYUN's self-titled solo Japanese album has him crooning through sweet love songs and feel-good pop bops. He cranks up the charm in other ways through the creative “Get You Alone” music video.
Standout music video: “Get You Alone,” in which he plays the role of both a “nerd” in need of flirting advice and the advice-giving late-night host! It is a cute and funny video made even more amusing with its show-within-a-show concept and the ways BAEKHYUN tries to follow the host’s advice with his teddy bear!
Standout B-side: “Stars,” which blends piano and strings with angelic vocals to end the album on a high.
#15: Dreamcatcher
Reason: Dreamcatcher’s pop-rock lane guaranteed their J-pop/anime-rock crossover would be seamless! The group’s anime OSTs and other Japanese songs stay in their wheelhouse - just at a faster clip, with several instrumental layers always working together smoothly and at an exhilarating pace.
Standout music video: “Breaking Out,” which literally and metaphorically weaves an interesting tale about intertwined fates and a desire to control one’s own destiny. Red strings and an all-white setting are all it takes to bring its message home.
Standout B-side: “Don’t Light My Fire,” which blends pianos and guitars with EDM undercurrents and eerie echoes for a hauntingly good time!
#14: IZ*ONE
Reason: This group’s cute and colorful Japanese eras embodied everything that is missed about them! The girl group added a bubbly, loveable quality to everything they touched, be it a “Vampire” storyline or a travel theme like in “Buenos Aires.” Songs like “Love Bubble” mixed bouncy beats with catchy choruses and quirky, arcade-game-ready noises, provoking nostalgia and youthfulness and solidifying their discography’s classification as a treat for both the eyes and the ears!
Standout music video: “Beware,” an aesthetically pleasing story that takes place within an adorable, miniature world!
Standout B-side: “Fukigen Lucy,” which ought to be listened to with high-quality headphones to recognize all of its cool spatial qualities!
#13: EXO
Reason: COUNTDOWN is what dance parties are made of! It is hard not to rock out while listening to jams like “Run This” and “Drop That.” A song being fun to listen to is not a guaranteed hit without great vocals to go with it, though, and EXO have those in spades! COUNTDOWN is a compulsively loop-worthy mood boost.
Standout music video: “Electric Kiss,” which visually represents its uncontained energy with topsy-turvy camerawork, neon lights, and ambiguous props. The confusion is the point; the song and video do not take themselves too seriously!
Standout B-side: “Run This,” which features multiple build-ups, jump-worthy choruses, and cheeky awareness of the spell it casts on listeners (“let’s do it one more time;” “let’s bring it back again”)!
#12: Girls’ Generation
Reason: Girls’ Generation’s Japanese music videos are charismatic nesting dolls; their stories unfold within other stories. They appear via TV screen within the “FLOWER POWER” music video, come to life as members of a toy circus in the Japanese version of “Genie,” and do not break into a performance of “PAPARAZZI” until after they play different roles in a theatrical production’s opening number. Aside from the visuals that are gifts wrapped in several layers, their Japanese singles show off cool choreography and inherent star power for days.
Standout music video: “PAPARAZZI,” which holds greater meaning in hindsight because of the many ways younger SM Entertainment artists have built off of its show-within-a-show premise.
Standout B-side: “Karma Butterfly,” a nostalgic dance floor gem.
#11: Red Velvet
Reason: Red Velvet are as cute as can be in the visually stimulating videos for “#Cookie Jar” and “SAPPY,” and they bring that sweet charm to “WILDSIDE” too - until the video changes to a “Bad Boy”-era-esque wardrobe and plot! Their deftness at duality presents itself sonically too: in Bloom, they amp up the attitude in one song and sound soft and angelic on the next one.
Standout music video: “WILDSIDE,” a dramatic jewelry heist that lets Red Velvet flaunt their fiercer, darker personae.
Standout B-side: “Marionette,” which samples The Nutcracker and represents Red Velvet’s visual and sonic aesthetic realms perfectly.
#10: SHINee
Reason: From beautiful ballads highlighting their signature harmonies to delightfully playful jams like “SUPERSTAR,” SHINee’s Japanese earworms are as varied as they come.
Standout music video: “Get The Treasure,” the quirky and campy story of a frozen-in-time, supernatural house party that has a literally explosive ending!
Standout B-side: “Become Undone,” a song that makes sense both in and out of the “pop ballad” category; it is pop ballad material with a classically SHINee spin!
#9: Stray Kids
Reason: Stray Kids’ trademarks remain firmly intact throughout their Japanese albums: their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach, their back-and-forths between boisterous declarations and vulnerable pivots, and the quirky ad libs and sound effects that top it all off.
Standout music video: “CIRCUS,” a likable, immersive show within a show.
Standout B-side: “Battle Ground,” for its unapologetic, in-your-face blend of rock, rap, and electronic pop components.
#8: NCT 127
Reason: The best word to describe NCT 127’s Japanese songs is simply “fun”! Each one does not take itself too seriously, from “Chica Bom Bom,” whose lyrics include “Eeny meeny miny moe, everybody’s beautiful,” to the rowdy “Kitchen Beat.” The group cranks up the noisiness in the best ways on the industrial “Chain,” a perfect encapsulation of what makes a song an NCT 127 one. Powerhouse vocals and a busy background layer set the scene, TAEYONG raps like his life depends on it, and TAEIL’s high note is queued up with an intoxicating intensity.
Standout music video: “Chain,” full of swoon-worthy stares and flexes with power tools!
Standout B-side: “100.” Each segment is anticipatory in its own ways, from the murmured introduction to the energizing pre-bridge build-up.
#7: TVXQ!
Reason: While the quantity of TVXQ! members has dropped over time, the quality of the group’s releases has not. Case in point: “Epitaph -for the future-,” a relatively recent single, which shows how it only takes two band members to make a TVXQ! scene feel complete. The duo has a commanding presence with wide movements and contrasting characters, one person playing a devilish role and one an angelic one. Even more recent singles, like “UTSUROI” and “PARALLEL PARALLEL,” show they still have what it takes to pull off theatrical, amusing music videos with just two performers.
Standout music video: “Together,” an adorable animated story about, well, togetherness!
Standout B-side: “Something,” a foot-tapping great time!
#6: TXT
Reason: While it can be nice to see K-pop stars try out a new look for their Japanese releases, it is appreciated that TXT keep those releases in the same musical realm as their Korean ones. Even their Japanese album titles - STILL DREAMING, GOOD BOY GONE BAD, and Chaotic Wonderland - summarize their catalog’s overarching themes. The group’s Japanese releases also tell tales of whimsical dreamscapes that are repeatedly replaced with nightmarish scenarios. The magic mixed with the messy and the mundane form their story’s foundation regardless of language.
Standout music video: The Japanese version of “Blue Hour,” aka “5時53分の空で見つけた君と僕,” which is even more charming than the original version of the video. Vivid plumes of smoke, dancing bushes, and flying machines join the adventure!
Standout B-side: “Everlasting Shine,” which insightfully addresses the shades of gray that leave “no clear distinction between angels and devils,” the pessimism of “finding fault, pretending [to not be] broken,” and the eventual determination to stay strong (“Let’s turn these tears into hope”).
#5: BTS
Reason: With profound lyrics and stirring instrumentals, BTS’s Japanese songs are the embodiments of emotions at their purest: unfiltered pain, nostalgia, triumph, contentment, and so much more. For example, “Stay Gold” epitomizes calm and contentment. “Lights” is another standout for being the sonic equivalent of gratitude. BTS always know just the right soundtrack for a specific feeling or memory.
Standout music video: “Film out,” for its many Easter eggs and cinematic music video stills that match the drama of the song itself.
Standout B-side: “Don’t Leave Me.” Jung Kook’s smooth, piano-backed vocals followed by Jimin’s electronified angst make for a compelling contrast.
#4: BoA
Reason: The word “iconic” is overused, but no other word fits as well when describing BoA’s Japanese debut. BoA’s Japanese breakthrough is a milestone in K-pop’s history, and her unprecedented acclaim has been maintained throughout nine - and counting! - Japanese album promotional eras. Checking out any of her Japanese albums makes it easy to see why: her timeless girl-next-door image and dance-pop hits are cyclically trendy. Simply put, BoA’s songs never go out of style!
Standout music video: “Jazzclub,” in which BoA turns her bitterness towards someone who has moved on and gotten engaged to someone else into fuel for her nonstop dance party!
Standout B-side: “AGGRESSIVE,” which works seamlessly beside Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” on a playlist.
#3: TWICE
Reason: In addition to many original Japanese singles and full-length albums, TWICE have released several Japanese compilations of their Korean hits and have started teasing subunit MISAMO’s debut with stunning images! Additionally, the group’s cover of “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5, made as an OST for the Japanese adaptation of Sensei Kunshu, is endearing for keeping the original essence of the classic while still adding a personal finishing touch.
Standout music video: “Doughnut,” which uses a metaphor in ways both silly and serious. They compare feeling stuck in a “love loop” to a doughnut, and the jelly oozing out of a doughnut becomes representative of a crime scene’s “blood”! The video adds a wholesome twist to a mystery, and the music video is sweetened even more with ballet-esque dancing and pastel, tulle dresses.
Standout B-side: “Good at Love,” for its addictive, deep bass and flirty, mature demeanor; it contrasts with the youthful charms people have come to expect from TWICE in a way that indicates organic maturity.
#2: TAEMIN
Reason: At times pained and breathy, at times loud and commanding, TAEMIN’s chameleonic vocals always astound. Not only are his Japanese releases no exception, but they include some of the strongest songs in his whole discography. His voice takes listeners on emotional roller coasters made even more vivid with EDM twists and other turns away from a stereotypical pop formula. Songs like “Goodbye” and “Exclusive” stay as invigorating in lyricless moments as they do when TAEMIN’s voice re-enters. TAEMIN’s self-titled Japanese album, as well as Flame of Love and FAMOUS, emphasize his remarkable ways with words and music notes, and the corresponding videos prove he has a way with visual storytelling that is just as captivating.
Standout music video: “Goodbye,” aka “さよならひとり,” which contrasts colors and characters to tell a three-dimensional story in more ways than one. TAEMIN fluidly, mesmerizingly dances between parallel worlds.
Standout B-side: “HOLY WATER,” which highlights both extremes in his vocal strong suits, the power and the fragility his voice can convey.
#1: SEVENTEEN
Reason: Like all SEVENTEEN releases, their Japanese eras are carefully curated so each component ties into one cohesive theme. For example, in “Fallin’ Flower,” the group’s choreography mimics the look of flowers unraveling their petals. The song’s fast beat and rapping collide with a sudden mood drop as they sing about petals falling to the ground, and the lyrics expand on the metaphor of fearing the love one is receiving will wilt away as surely as the seasons change. The story resumes a hopeful tone, though, as they sing about sprouts emerging where flowers once wilted and JOSHUA repurposes those old flowers into an accessory. Even the moments that use symbols other than flowers recall the same sentiment, like THE 8 and HOSHI’s dance in chains and moments when members become mere outlines of people, shadows behind a curtain, yearning for the moment they can break free and regain the affection they once thought was guaranteed. “Fallin’ Flower” is just one of many examples of SEVENTEEN taking a seemingly simple theme - in this case, a flower’s life cycle - and turning it into a profound, personalized analogy. They also do this with “CALL CALL CALL!,” a phone being the seemingly straightforward symbol with more to its meaning than it first seems. The same is true of “24H,” which expands on the keyword “time” to an impressive extent. The list goes on and on!
Standout music video: “DREAM,” in which the members reside in a dreamscape of their own making. Their fantastical, self-created narratives they spent the year’s “Face the Sun” project singing about come to life in a satisfying conclusion.
Underrated track: “BETTING” with Shingo Katori. The artists’ separate musical styles strongly complement each other and amplify the infectious energy each of them already generates separately.