K-Pop is massive and is growing daily with new debuts, more comebacks, sub-units, and solos. It can be hard to keep up let alone expand your listening, which is why I have some tips to help you discover new K-pop artists.
Collaborations
Collaborations are how I got into K-Pop in the first place, specifically through BTS and Lauv’s Make It Right, and Steve Aoki’s version of Mic Drop. Be it a collab between K-pop artists or ones with western artists, these songs can be excellent introductions to new groups and soloists. Not sure where to start? You can check out my favorite collaborations.
Content Creators
Be it through YouTubers, TikTokers, or even bloggers like me, you can find a wealth of new music from content made by other fans. I have seen many YouTube videos that suggest songs to listen to in various scenarios, even ones of underrated artists that deserve more love. I have found a lot of great music through these and I hope that my own content can introduce you to some new music too.
Recommendations
This piggybacks off of content creators but also goes beyond just them. Yes many creators, myself included, make recommendations. But you can also get them from other fans who just like sharing what they listen to. This can be online through social media or if you have other K-Pop lovers as friends you can ask them. You can even browse through your music app of choice and find curated playlists to find new stuff.
Livestreams
Music shows are a big deal in Korea and for the success of artists on that side of the world. And you can find some of these shows live-streamed online. I tend to put on the 24/7 streams that continuously play recent performances on that specific show. You can even find ones that specify performances within a certain time period, like 2016-2019. I’ll have these playing and when I hear a song I like, I Shazam it to save it to Spotify automatically.
How do you find new music? Share your tips in the comments!
I stumbled across Twice and BlackPink back in 2017 or 2018. I liked them well enough for variety’s sake, but no kpop group has ever been “a favorite” for me, and I’ve never bought an album or anything, just will occasionally listen/watch a video on YouTube is all. As a result, I’ve never really been interested in finding out more about them, just might click on a “related video” in the sidebar or something has been about all. Coming across your blog here due to Blaugust this year has actually educated me more in the past month about a lot of groups I’ve never heard of before than I’d stumbled across on my own in the past few years, I think. It’s been fun, but it’s still just “more for variety” than anything I plan to take up as a hobby.
Still and all, I’ve got you in my Feedly and enjoy reading your kpop posts and often do click through on videos you’ve been embedding, and it’s been fun, so I will definitely keep doing that!