A Year of K-Rock, American Pop, and Everything In Between
2020 is finally over. And while 2020 was a dumpster fire of epic proportions, ironically, it was also first year I’ve ever kept my New Years’ resolution. And that’s probably because this one was actually a lot of fun.
New Year’s Eve 2019: I’d just started listening to BTS maybe 6 weeks or so before and it made me realize there was a lot of good music I’d never heard of. So I decided that in 2020 I’d spend the year expanding my musical horizons and finding new things to listen to. I’ve never really been proactive at finding new music, at least on a large scale. Most of the time new songs fall into my life via the radio, or a friend recommending something to me, or occasionally various other areas of pop culture. But this past year I actively tried to find new artists to listen to, explore new genres, and give things a chance where in the past I never would have bothered. The result is not just a great year in music, but a greater appreciation for music I never particularly thought about before.
Not all the music I listened to I liked. There were things I actively wanted to like, such as the Run the Jewels’ album, that just didn’t end up resonating with me, and plenty of songs where I honestly got bored of half-way through and just never bothered finishing. That happens. Exploring and having an open mind isn’t about just accepting everything that is new or different to you. We all have tastes and there are some things we just aren’t going to like. And that’s not just ok, but good! It’s important to have your own personal taste. But you have to try new things to see if your taste has changed or expanded. You never know what you will find. And that can be amazing.
A Year in K-pop and K-rock
The main result of this past year’s musical exploration is that I became I full-fledged kpop and k-rock stan. This time last year I was a hesitant, kind of embarrassed, “ARMY-adjacent” BTS fan with only a couple other kpop references. I spent all of 2020 going deeper and deeper into the kpop world, learning more and more. I now stan six different groups, five of which I’d never heard of before my music exploration. I’ve streamed concerts live from South Korea, even waking up before 5am to watch one. I watch reaction videos, go on VLive, and know way too much about the Korean music label system.
But more importantly, I discovered that there wasn’t just K-pop but a nascent and kind of amazing rock scene in South Korea. I am, at the end of the day, rock and roll. That’s where my musical core is based. And there are some fantastic bands I discovered this year. ONEWE is hands down one of my favorite bands that is currently making music. I will sing their praises to the sky, Parting is possibly my favorite song that came out of 2020, and I never would have heard of them if it wasn’t for this resolution.
Reconnecting with American Artists
It’s easy to get swept up in a new musical space than to re-evaluate one that already exists in your world, but that you don’t spend much time with. One thing I made a concerted effort to do this year was not to get sucked only into the Korean music scene. Because there is plenty of great music right under my nose.
Sometimes, that involved asking for advice, and finding artists I’d never heard of. But a lot of the time it meant giving time and the benefit of the doubt to artists that I never really liked much or had never given the time of day. Justin Bieber and Dua Lipa were artists I had little interest in or patience for, but, while they still aren’t anywhere close to my favorites, I appreciate them and a number of their songs a lot more than I ever would have before 2020. Even artists like Taylor Swift, who I knew and like a couple of hits by, I tried to approach with more of an open mind. I absolutely have to credit the dance workout channel I subscribe to, The Fitness Marshall, for helping me encounter more in pop music from the US that I otherwise would have. Without the radio, it’s been invaluable for giving me a view of the current pop landscape.
Conclusion
Even with this year of musical exploration, I don’t like anything indiscriminately. I can’t predict what will resonate with me, why this group and not that one, regardless of the genre or recommendations from the internet. But I’d never have found the ones that do without exploring.
I don’t know how much being largely stuck in my apartment for most of 2020 due to COVID-19 gave me the time and motivation to turn music, particularly being a kpop/k-rock stan, into a full-on hobby. And at this point, it legitimately is one. Moving into 2021, I’m not planning on continuing this as a resolution per se. I think, or at least hope, that I’ve opened my music habits enough that I’ll remain open to more new music moving forward. And like I said, I’m a full-fledged kpop stan now, and like any ongoing hobby, that takes up a solid chunk of time. But this resolution has opened both my tastes and, hopefully, my mind in a lasting way.
Over the year I’ve written about songs that I particularly liked and that hit me. You can find them here. But as a retrospective, I’ve created a playlist with all the songs I discussed over the year, along with a few other ones I’ve loved but didn’t list. I hope you enjoy!
