Ever wish to make your friends love K-pop as much as you do and have the same excitement when your favorite artists make a comeback? We've got the solution for you. We have compiled a 10-song playlist comprising some of the best songs to introduce the music genre to your friends.
Here are 12 of the Introductory Songs to Get Your Friends Liking K-pop
BTS "MIC Drop" feat. Desiigner
"MIC Drop" is one of the popular songs released by the 21st-century pop icon BTS. The track was released in two languages (Korean and Japanese), with the Korean version included as a B-side song on the group's fifth EP "Love Yourself: Her."
A remix version of BTS' "MIC Drop" made by American producer DJ Steve Aoki was later released and it features American rapper Desiigner. Since then, the remix has been achieving numerous feats on Billboard for the boy group.
EXO "Growl"
EXO's "Growl" is one of the legendary K-pop songs that even non-EXO-Ls know. Released back in 2013, the song is known as the boy group's breakthrough track, with more than two million downloads in South Korea.
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"Growl" even earned EXO a total of 14 music show trophies and was named "Song of the Year" at the 2013 MelOn Music Awards and KBS Song Festival.
2NE1 "I Am the Best"
"I Am the Best" by 2NE1 is another iconic K-pop song that attracted many music fans around the world. In fact, the song is the second K-pop track in history to rank No. 1 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart following PSY's "Gangnam Style."
The track was commercially successful in South Korea, attaining 3.4 million digital downloads in 2011 alone and becoming the fourth best-selling single of the year.
Girls' Generation "Gee"
Another best-selling K-pop song that will definitely make your friends love K-pop is Girls' Generation's "Gee." This track was named the most famous song of the 2000s decade by MelOn. This bubblegum pop and electropop song is widely renowned for its influence as a K-pop standard.
Among the songs released by the legendary girl group, "Gee" has the second-most music show wins, receiving a total of 14 wins. It is bested by "Lion Heart" with 15 wins.
GOT7 "Never Ever"
"Never Ever" is no doubt one of the signature songs of GOT7. It serves as the title track of the septet's sixth EP "Flight Log: Arrival," which became the best-selling K-pop album in the United States at the time of its release.
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GOT7's "Never Ever" fastest MV to cross 100 million YouTube views, doing so in only 392 days or one year and almost one month.
WINNER "REALLY REALLY"
Released in April 2017, "REALLY REALLY" is probably the most well-known song by WINNER. It became a huge hit for the boy group, becoming their first-ever song to hit 100 million views on YouTube. It also became the first 2017 male group song to accumulate 100 million streams on MelOn, the largest streaming platform in South Korea.
Not only does WINNER's "REALLY REALLY" has a catchy melody but also easy-to-follow dance steps.
BLACKPINK "DDU DU DDU DU"
YG Entertainment's latest global girl group BLACKPINK has multiple hit songs and "DDU DU DDU DU" is one of those. The track has set countless records on YouTube as the first or fastest K-pop group (or female K-pop group) music video to hit a certain amount of views.
Red Velvet "Bad Boy"
Another girl group song that caught many K-pop fans' attention is Red Velvet's "Bad Boy," which received praise from music critics for its lush contemporary R&B and pop sounds. It was certified platinum in South Korea after recording 2.5 million digital sales.
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Because of its addicting melody and chorus, the music video for "Bad Boy" has become the quintet's fastest MV to hit 100 million YouTube views as well as the group's first MV to reach 200 million and 300 million views.
TWICE "What Is Love?"
"What is Love?" is one of the top songs TWICE is known for. This dance song boasts a bright melody with up-tempo dance beats that can attract even non-K-pop fans. The MV for this track is the group's fastest MV to hit 500 million YouTube views.
During the summer season of 2021, TWICE's "What Is Love?" rose to popularity again after three years of its release, especially on the popular social media app TikTok.
BIGBANG "FANTASTIC BABY"
The legendary K-pop boy group BIGBANG is well known for their upbeat songs, including "FANTASTIC BABY." This track made the band the first Korean group in history to surpass 300 million views on YouTube.
Rolling Stone described "FANTASTIC BABY" as one of the greatest boy band songs of all time, while Billboard considered it as one of the biggest K-pop hits ever.
SEVENTEEN "Don't Wanna Cry"
"Don't Wanna Cry" resulted in SEVENTEEN's fandom expanding. This emotional song comes with an impressive choreography that gained attention for showcasing the group's amazing synchronization.
As it received more attention than before, SEVENTEEN's "Don't Wanna Cry" is the group's first music video to hit 100 million and 200 million YouTube views.
SHINee "Ring Ding Dong"
To complete the K-pop starter playlist, we have here SHINee's iconic song "Ring Ding Dong." This track gained a reputation for being so catchy. It has an addicting melody that Korean students can't get enough of, and so it became the first song banned during Korea's national college entrance exam.
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
