The end-of-year lists to end all other end-of-year lists (and appreciate the incredible music we had this year)
This year I finally started my music blog (although I didn’t really post a lot or make any of that custom front-end that I wanted to) but I felt MORE THAN EVER this year that I had had enough of mainstream music publications. They consistently miss the mark because they 1. don’t listen to kpop or 2. just put popular artists at the top to get likes and shares from fans.
And well if I will do anything it’s stand up to bullshit so I started the Snoraing K-Pop Grammy’s!(gonna trademark this im sure it will go through) What I have prepared for you today is the following rankings:
I ended up reviewing 58 artist’s discography from this year. Which isn’t even close to everyone, but it really did feel like a high number ok? I lowkey started hating people who released full albums this year, so I need to try better to listen to everyone throughout the year if I wanna keep up with this list-making business. The image below shows them all (but I didn’t write out each ARTMS member it felt kinda redundant).
Before we dive in to the lists I need to take you through some rules:
- No HYBE artists – I’m sure they released great music this year, but due to my issues with the company, I did not listen to/review their artists discographies (even though I wanted to). But Hybe can probably payola their artists onto other lists anyway soooo
- Not counting k-pop artists featuring on non-k-pop songs.
- Not counting original Japanese/Chinese etc. releases or eventual Korean versions.
- Not counting remixes.
- Not counting OST.
- For releases that are mostly in English, there has to be at least ONE Korean word in the entire album
- Only counting deluxe versions of albums released in 2025 (rip I Did: Bloom specifically)
- &Our Vibe by SAY MY NAME was not counted because it just came out too late T_T I’ll remember it for next year’s list!
There we go. Now. LIST TIIIME:
Top 30 Songs
Yeah I had to make my own YouTube video for this list. I expected to stay in the khia asylum but I got lot’s of positive feedback from people. If you had seen this video before me posting this THANK YOU <3 its a christmas miracle
There were so many incredible songs this year. I started out making a top 10, then it became a top 20, and eventually… here we are at 30 songs. And the cuts I had to make were HAAARD. This ranking music business is difficult, even if I accept that it will just be my subjective taste.
30. Too Hot – tripleS
29. 삐빅 (♥beats) – IVE
28. like JENNIE – JENNIE
27. Can You Entertain? – Kim Lip
26. 2 Months – UAU
24. THIS IS FOR – TWICE
23. Wrong Number – The Deep
22. Heaven – Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI
21. body – DAYOUNG
20. KNOW ABOUT ME – NMIXX
19. Cameo Love – msnz moon (tripleS)
18. Lemon Drop – ATEEZ
17. 1 of LOV – XLOV
16. XOXZ – IVE
15. High Horse – NMIXX
14. Kiss a Kitty – CHUU
13. loverboy – ifeye
12. Obsessed – ARTMS
11. Ex Machina – Yves
10. Love Child – tripleS
9. BEBE – STAYC
8. BTG – KiiiKiii
7. You Never Met – uneverm8t (idntt)
6. Goddess – ARTMS
5. r u ok? – ifeye
4. Apple Pie – Hearts2Hearts
3. Praying – SEULGI
2. Papillon – NMIXX
1. Icarus – ARTMS
Top 10 Albums
Yeah.. made a video for this one too…. now it’s only a couple hours old !but I have the feeling this will stay in the khia asylum even though I put so much more effort into the editing here… tis the wrath of the algorithm…
This list was so… much harder to make. You’d think with only 56 albums and EP’s I’d have an easier time. But the limiting it to 10… and then comparing them… albums can be so different in ways that songs aren’t. I tried sticking to the banger% metric but what if the banger% is low but the bangers really bang? And what if the album is full of solos that sound really good, but just doesn’t feel like a Twice album? (oops spoiler?)
Anyway. I did it. I may never be happy with the final list. But I made it.
If you’re interested in more thoughts about each album in this list may I direct you to the YouTube video I made ^^ I don’t feel like repeating everything #sorry
10. Playlist #You Are You – UAU
9. Only Cry in the Rain – Chuu
8. Blue Valentine – NMIXX
7. sweet tang – ifeye
6. THIS IS FOR – TWICE
5. lip bomb – RESCENE
4. Accidentally On Purpose – SEULGI
3. <ASSEMBLE25> – tripleS
2. Fe3O4: Forward – NMIXX
1. <Club Icarus> – ARTMS
Top 10 Album Intros/Outros
Is it just me or does this kind of list go so ignored? I realised after my research that there just simply… is not a lot of intros/outros to choose from. So that’s probably why. But ever since the SO WHAT Loona era that had my favourite album intro of all time (until the 12:00 one). This topic has been of special interest to me.
I actually can’t remember if there were any more albums with intros from this year… this might be all of them ranked from worst to best?
10. New – uneverm8t (idntt)
9. MAID – SUNMI
8. Taste Better – Kep1er
7. Club For The Broken – ARTMS
6. AVOCADO – CHAEYOUNG
5. @% (Alpha Percent) – tripleS
4. Intro: JANE with FKJ – JENNIE feat. FKJ
3. Bridge : The Edge of Reality – ATEEZ
2. Magic Shine New Zone – tripleS
1. FOUR – TWICE
Rookies of the Year
There are only a couple rookies on the list of artists this year. But it is also really hard to pick just one… So I will be giving you my top 3 and let the very few other artists just be… a mystery to you 🙂
3. XLOV
Now I’ll be honest… I liked I ONE and that’s kinda it. But XLOV is truly a revolutionary group, and just their presence. existing. here and now. in 2025. Earned them the third spot in my list. And I ONE was really good! So that helps a lot. It’s just three songs. But they were really good songs.
2. Hearts2Hearts
Hearts2Hearts released one EP and one single this year, and they both aaaaaaaaatee! I feel like nobody has said it enough, but they are genuinely Red Velvet’s daughters. which is… important considering … #rip
I’m consistently excited to see what they’ll release next, and I love the aesthetics so far. The Case was such a good debut, and though I only really liked 2 songs off of FOCUS, they were really good songs you know?
1. ifeye
I cannot overstate how good sweet tang was. And the fact that I had only heard any noise about r u ok? CRIMINAL! Coming from a small company, I’m so impressed with their quality of music, and I hope FOR DEAR GOD that they continue to release great music for a long time. So this is me manifesting ifeye world domination NEOOOWWW
APOLOGIES TO
There were a couple artists/albums/songs during my review that I needed to extend my deepest apologies to. For various reasons. So before you get to even get to comment (which I remembered to add in this time despite only getting spam comments… its okaaay). I admit it. I’m sorry.
Rescene
During the making of these lists, I stumbled upon Rescene’s discography. And my jaw just fell on the floor because it was literally December 20th and I was hearing Bloom for the first time.
What. Do. You. Mean!?!?!??!?!?
They fell off the top 30 songs list JUST BARELY… TWICE. Hello XO and CRASH were incredible, but they did only get like 2 streams for me to appreciate them. So apologies to Rescene. You were robbed. And so was I.
SAY MY NAME
Not only had I, like with Rescene, missed out on their discography from this year. But they literally dropped an EP on the 29th of December. I mean what was I supposed to do??? My rankings were done!
I’m sorry SAY MY NAME. Because not only did My Name Is… just barely fall off the albums list, along with XOXO from the songs list. But &Our Vibe didn’t even get the chance. Sigh….
uneverm8t
First of all. I’m sorry for spelling your name wrong in my songs list. But TO BE FAIR. the album was called unevermet with an E in met. I’m just a new fan who tuned in too late (again…) how was I suposed to know!? (ignore the fact that I have put all other Modhaus artists on both lists)… I’m sorry…. for underestimating a boy group…..
Blue Valentine
I was honestly completely unfair to the whole Blue Valentine album on my first listen. I had Forwardesque expectations, and it was the morning… and I was kinda tired… And I accidentally robbed NMIXX on the songs list despite them being there thrice….
I’m sorry Blue Valentine, because I am still salty that it wasn’t Forward that got the All-Kills… but you were good too….
Baekhyun and also the rest of EXO
Baekhyun actually single-handedly (maybe) kept 3rd gen k-pop alive this year. I was spiritually back in middle school watching vlive of him and Chanyeol in a car talking about some chicken tender love (those who know they know) while listening to Essence of Reverie. And where were his accolades? Nowhere to be seen! (By me). Even despite loving this album a lot I put a fucking 4-song long album over it… I’m sorry Baekhyun.
And also all the rest of EXO… I had finished reviewing every artist in the above list. Was tired and exited to be over with it all. When I in secret realised that I had completely ignored the rest of EXO. I even tweeted earlier in the year that EXO-CBX has one of my favourite songs and music videos of all time. And I never even tried to check why EXO-CBX was on my timeline that day. My first bias ever in the history of ever was literally Chanyeol and I didn’t even try to review him…
shame……….. im sorry……….
YUM – Kep1er
Guys, if I had included Japanese releases in this list. Do you know who would absolutely top every single one? YUM BY KEP1ER.
FREAKY SHOW ME HOLD IT DOWN HOLD IT DOWN HOLD IT DOWN HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?????????????
I was literally sweet and yummmmming all year and I couldn’t even put it on my list. Just disgraceful. I’m truly. DEEPLY. sorry to Kep1er and Yum.
mm mm mm mmm….
OKAY FINALLY DONE
That was all the lists. Did you enjoy? Did you agree? This time I’m gonna try to actually add in a comment form and… we’ll see how that goes.
It was a long one so thank you for reading with me all the way to the bottom. Regarding 2026 resolutions, being more active in music reviewing is certainly one of them. I’m literally aiming to become a professional music enjoyer. computer science master degree be damned!!!!! We’re all going to hell anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!
RAAAAAHHHHHHH
I ALMOST FORGOT but I made Spotify playlists for the songs and albums lists if anyone.. cares…. And I know fuck Spotify, but I’m on my mom’s family plan soooo….
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