So here's a post about some of my favourite songs and artists recently, with a focus on non-idols.
I usually don't intentionally go finding these songs, but happen to chance upon them while reading forums or blogs.
My favourite male solo singer is Jung Joon Young. I first saw him in his We Got Married stint with the super cute and lovely Jung Yumi in September 2013. They were hilarious on that show and he sang a little on that show and I was like whoa this guy is good. So I went to check out his debut and was so impressed I bought his debut mini album.
Sense of an Ending was the title track, while Spotless Mind was the pre-release. I love all the songs in this album, but my favourite is Sense of an Ending. Here is the lovely MV, starring his wifey Jung Yumi!
His second mini album Teenager was really good too. I haven't bought the album yet (planning to do so when I visit Korea again...whenever it may be). Once again, my favourite is the title track Teenager, but I really love Sailboat and Hold On as well.
One of my favourite female solo singers is Younha
She has been around for quite awhile so there are way too many songs to recommend. The entire Supersonic album is fantastic, especially title track Run that turned me into a permanent fan.
Also check out some of her covers. I love the Viva La Vida cover she did on Sketchbook, as well as Standing in this Shade of Trees.
Another female solo artist I started listening to recently is Lim Kim/Kim Yerim. She had a big hit with her debut song, All Right. I personally love Goodbye 20, the title track from her debut album more. I can especially relate to it since I'm 20 right now! The MV is also really adorable.
Her new album Simple Mind was released recently and it is currently my favourite album this year.
While the title tracks AWoo and Love Game are good, my favourites are No More composed by Jonghyun of SHINee, You First and Upgrader. They are all really different in style, which makes for a very interesting listening experience. Definitely planning to buy this gem of an album.
Lucia is an indie artist, a lot less known than the previous two. I also found out about her just recently. Her MVs are also really unique and a visual treat to watch.
My favourite song from her is That Kind of Season, which is simultaneously calming and haunting.
Other songs from her I enjoy are Demian (데미안), Savior and Be Mine. Savior's MV is especially beautiful.
Nell is a band that is pretty famous in Korea but severely underappreciated internationally.
Haven from their Escaping Gravity album is hands down one of my all time favourite songs. It just transports me to another world, and when it finally reaches the climax, it gives me chills. Also interesting is that the entire song is in English!
Here is the live, which is slightly different from the studio version but still amazing.
I love the entire Escaping Gravity album (so much so that I bought it even though there's no usual perks like photo books or stuff). Another favourite from the album is Boy-X.
I also love White Dwarf off the Walk Through Me album and The Great Escape from Newton's Apple.
They have an extensive discography that I haven't managed to finish listening to either.
Another song I've been looping recently is Eddy Kim's Artificial Flower. Gorgeous song.
These are just some of the few amazingggg artists in the Korean music scene. I haven't covered a lot of others such as the rappers (MC Mong, Verbal Jint, Beenzino, Leessang) or the indie bands like Standing Egg and Dear Cloud. All worth a listen!!!