#bye babe chen

[refreshdaemon]

This collaboration produces one of 10cm's most fun pop singles in a while.

[bastardtrait]

Legacy superlatives tag game

hello babes I found this really old tag game that was being passed around simblr like almost 10 years ago and I thought it was funky and fun. I brought it back for the legacy girls. I'm tagging some folks who've got a few generations under their belt, so: @beebeesiims @simsandgiggles @natolesims @bearphase @akitasimblr but if you see this n u wanna participate please feel free to!! <3 I will be answering for Nova and Lucky bc they're both done as of October 2024.

Favourite heirs

Nova: HONESTLY I think my 9th generation heiress has officially dethroned Musica from gen. 2, like I genuinely feel like I went out with a bang.

Lucky: I love Iain from gen. 5 okay he's been through a lot. I put old boy through a victorian death trap of a story and he still made it out flaws and all.

more below...

Favourite spouses

Nova: this is really hard but I think it's Neveah from gen. 6 by @lizillasimming. I had genuinely so much fun with her and she even got her own solo adventure like hello? mother

Lucky: OOHHH this is really hard but I love Chen Ruiyang from gen. 4 mainly because he had the most fleshed out story between Magnolia and his generation and also bc he's hot like. yes daddy.

Favourite spares

Nova: hmm I guess I'll hand it to Crow from gen. 3 bc he appeared as a side character in the Luckys too! but then again Soma from gen. 8 is about to be in another save, so it's up in the air.

Lucky: Sara from gen. 3 thank u bye! actually, I loved Ibrahim too; gen 3 kids were just built different

Favorite side characters, if you do story-oriented saves (skip if not)

Nova: ok this save was really inconsistent with story lmfao but I'll hand it to ... idk Lim Shiyeon from gen. 3? she was not a good person but she gave us Delilah at least so.

Lucky: of COURSE it's miss Khadijah Daniel from gen. 3! she ran Finn's office like a naval commander. but I also have to give an honourable mention to Jiang Yuqi from gen. 4 because she's mother.

Mishaps during your legacy

Nova: let's discuss Salem from gen. 7 dying in a glitched out fire that the firefighters refused to save him from!!! damn!!! that shit pissed me off so bad bro

Lucky: umm it's obviously Shaw from gen. 7 fucking DYING BEFORE HIS GENERATION COULD EVEN START OMFGG.....like are u kidding me dawg!!! i had PLANS FOR U!!!!!

fuck man, 7th generations of my legacies are bad omens...

Largest number of children

Nova: oh let's talk about how Jericho and Day-Day from gen. 1 had four kids: TWO sets of twins in a row?!! i actually quit this save for the first time because of that AJDSIOFDSKF

Lucky: Franklin and Bayram from gen. 2 had three, and that's not even counting all their dependent animals. six chickens, two cows, and a llama! and one Sister Elisabeth.

Any surprises

Nova: that I even FINISHED THIS SAVE AT ALL. lmfao. I abandoned it like 3 times dude! but I'm nothing if not stubborn. and also that I ended up really loving my final 9th generation. I can't wait to post that one.

Lucky: that I pulled out all the stops for the story portion of gen. 6? tbh that was the most story for TS4 i'd ever worked on, and it was hard, I won't lie. but rewarding. and I'm terribly satisfied with the results.

Favorite family pet why this is question so low smh.

Nova: aw now come on, it has to be my baby Tango from gen. 4. a little stray that went up to Delilah to ask for a home...and she took him in...I love u Tango...

Lucky: now can this go to anybody but Cake Boss from gen. 4? the immortal dog so iconic she also appeared in TWO Nova generations? like hello?

[qiankunnies]

26, 38, and 39 for the ask game! ^^

26. your favorite collabs?

can I say superm? 😅 no but seriously: hate that by key & taeyeon, heart stop by taemin & seulgi, runaway by minho & gemini, tell me what is love by d.o & yoo youngjin, 17 by pinksweat$ with joshua & dokyeom, beg for you by charli xcx with vernon, rina sawayama & a.g. cook, lil something by chen, heize & vibe, chi-ka by tabber & dean, honey! by tabber & dean, being by tabber & baek yerin, bye babe by chen & 10cm, young by baekhyun & loco, who are you by boa & gaeko, say nothing by yugyeom & lee hi, all shook up by b.i & agnez mo, do by padi & lee hi, try again by jaehyun & d.ear. I know I forgot some but I went crazy enough as it is. But I love a good kpop collab 🙂‍↕️

38. a song everyone seems to like but you?

baggy jeans by nct u. I mean, I know it's one of those love or hate songs but I do not like her 🙂‍↔️ maybe a more controversial answer: guilty by taemin isn't my fave

39. a song no one seems to like but you?

hweek by teen top. which might just be an exposure thing. sticker by nct 127 but again a song people either love or hate. so ssfw by chanyeol. final answer. 🤭 OH! or maestro by svt. I don't feel like a lot of carats like that one.

send me a question from this kpop ask game

[holdingforexo]

with the members essentially forgetting their whole discography 🤪 what are some of their best collabs in your opinion? bc if they forgot their own songs, you can bet they probably dont remember songs theyve done with other singers lol ps: love the words you have on your ask page!

Ooooh. Fun question!

Because it’s currently playing right now and has been on repeat a lot recently... All In by Yixing with Victor Ma and Shan Yichun. Yixing’s voice and pop ballads are such a beautiful combination. Victor and Yichun sound lovely as well. It is sooo good. Yixing co-wrote the song, too... so, you know.

Kyungsoo’s I’m Gonna Love You with Wonsetin is brilliant. I hope he/they perform it live someday. This one might be a cheat, though, because I feel I love it largely due to Kyungsoo’s R&B sound, rather than the song being a collaboration. But, I love it nonetheless, and it’s a collaboration... so, it’s making the list.

I know their first collaboration is extremly popular, but Chanyeol and Punch’s newer song, Go Away Go Away from Romantic Doctor II is one of my favorite original soundtracks of all time (which says a lot, because Jongdae primarily occupies that list.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS ⤵ Young — BAEKHYUN and Loco Break My Heart — LAY, Vinida Weng, and GALI Say It — EXO-SC featuring PENOMECO Goodbye Summer — f(x) featuring D.O. Freal Luv — Far East Movement featuring CHANYEOL, Tinashe, and Marshmello Bye Babe — CHEN and 10cm Doll — BAEKHYUN and DOYOUNG

[whogaveyoupermission]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Hey, hi, hello!

Thank you for today’s and Sunday’s tags: @fatalfangirl @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @johnwgrey @whatevertheweather @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch @aristocratic-otter @hushed-chorus @sailorblossoms @cutestkilla @artsyunderstudy @shrek-gogurt @martsonmars @facewithoutheart

I’ll be getting to your posts asap! I’m running behind on all things at the moment.

Sadly, I won’t be able to finish editing chapter 8 (the final chapter) of Stress Management by tomorrow, which was when I had planned to post. It’s not easy to finish a thing, and I think I second-guessed myself too much when I first started writing this ending. Almost done, though! Please, have faith in me.

Everything is a friggin spoiler, so I’ll give you this absolute mess. From Simon’s POV:

I’m [redacted].

I’ve got my [redacted] between Baz Grimm-Pitch’s [redacted]. He’s [redacted]—I feel [redacted]. His hand has [redacted].

Five seconds ago, we were [redacted]. We were [redacted]. He had one cool hand [redacted]. And I told him to fucking [redacted]?

Lol. Sorry.

K, I love you, bye!

Tagging: @raenestee @basiltonbutliketheherb @captain-aralias @confused-bi-queer @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @dragoneggos @erzbethluna @forabeatofadrum @ionlydrinkhotwater @ic3-que3n @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @krisrix @larkral @letraspal @moodandmist @mostlymaudlin @nightimedreamersworld @palimpsessed @stardustasincocaine @thewholelemon @tea-brigade @therosebudgirlwriter @yeonjunenby @yellobb

[soft-jihoonie]

#Whipped - Chapter One

TaoTao: Does anyone wanna help me with this essay i’m stuck on?

Read by 11 people

TaoTao: Y’all can go suck a dick

Jongdae’s hoe: gladly

-----

Chanyeol is obvious, Kyungsoo is oblivious and no one says no to Yixing.

Chanyeol x Kyungsoo | Jongdae x Baekhyun | Sehun x Jongin | Minseok x Luhan | Yixing x Tao | Kris x Junmyeon - chatroom style fic - 1.3k words

Disclaimer: this fic was started prior to Yifan’s arrest and I do not support him in any way. Any further chapters including him merely write him as a character for continuity

The members chat names are:

TaoTao: Tao

Dog lord: Kai/Jongin

No.1 Vivi supporter: Sehun

Lu: Luhan

Kyungsoo: D.O/Kyungsoo

Kris: Kris/Yifan

Myeonie: Suho/Junmyeon

XingXing: Lay/Yixing

Jongdae's hoe: Baekhyun

Baekhyun's hoe: Chen/Jongdae

Yeol: Chanyeol

Hot dad: Xiumin/Minseok

Chatroom: Fuck This

TaoTao: Do you guys ever think about how many toes there are in the world?

Kyungsoo: I hate this chat and everyone in it.

Lu: ^

Hot dad: ^^

Yeol: but not me right soo?

Kyungsoo: Especially you.

Jongdae’s hoe: and that kids is the sound of all of Chanyeol’s hope dying

Yeol: soos just joking!! i know that

Kyungsoo: Do you guys ever think about how much quieter life would be without Chanyeol around?

Yeol: but i love you soooooo

Kyungsoo: That’s nice.

No.1 Vivi supporter: Why did no one tell me savage Kyungsoo hyung was out?? You hoes would really let me miss that??

Myeonie: Sehun! Language!

No.1 Vivi supporter: But hyung you know you’re my favourite hoe?

Myeonie: Awhh Sehun

Baekhyun’s hoe: and here comes Jongin in 3

Jongdae’s hoe: 2

Baekhyun’s hoe: 1

Dog lord: Sehunnie I thought I was your favourite hoe?

Hot dad: I can’t believe that works every time

No.1 Vivi supporter: I -

No.1 Vivi supporter: Shit u right, sorry not sorry Junmyeon hyung

Dog Lord: ^-^

Yeol: #whipped

Kris: you can hardly talk Chanyeol

Kris: and babe you’re my favourite hoe

Myeonie: I would hope so if you want to get any tonight

TaoTao: I would like to delete that image from my brain

Lu: But then your brain would be empty

TaoTao: @Hot dad Your boyfriend is being mean

Hot dad: Last I checked, there’s nothing mean about telling the truth

TaoTao: Xiiiinnnnggg

XingXing: Come on guys, leave poor TaoTao alone

TaoTao: Luv u XingXing

No.1 Vivi supporter: Suck up

XingXing: What was that Sehun?

No.1 Vivi supporter: Nothing Yixing hyung!! I was just saying how hot you looked today

XingXing: Thank you Sehunnie ^-^

Dog lord: “Sehunnie” ??????

Lu: Uh oh

Dog lord: “S e h u n n i e” ?????

Myeonie: Okay kids, don’t you think it’s about time you get on with uni work?

Kris: you know they’re not actually our kids, right?

Myeonie: W u Y i f a n

Kris: okay kids, listen to your mother

Yeol: #whipped

Kyungsoo: Shut up Chanyeol.

Yeol: anything for u soo

Jongdae’s hoe: i’m gonna puke

Baekhyun’s hoe: don’t worry babe, i’ll hold your hair

No.1 Vivi supporter: Do you think chanyeol realises how obvious he is?

Kyungsoo: Obvious about what?

Dog lord: .....

Jongdae’s hoe: .......

Baekhyun’s hoe: .........

No.1 Vivi supporter: I give up

TaoTao: Does anyone wanna help me with this essay i’m stuck on?

Read by 11 people

TaoTao: Y’all can go suck a dick

Jongdae’s hoe: gladly

Chatroom: Fuck This

Yeol: @Kyungsoo can u come to the studio to record vocals?

Kyungsoo: Why?

Yeol: youd sound so good on the song we are writing

Kyungsoo: You think I have the time for that?

XingXing: Come on Kyungsoo, your voice is perfect for this song!!

Kyungsoo: Alright then, i’ll be there in 10 minutes hyung.

XingXing: Yay!!

No.1 Vivi supporter: @Yeol Ouch you okay hyung?

Yeol: never been better hahahaha

Yeol: hahaha

Yeol: ha

Yeol: i have to get back to the studio bye guys

Lu: Great, you broke Chanyeol

Chatroom: The Hoes™

Yeol: hahahaha dont you love being rejected by ur crush

Baekhyun’s hoe: oh boy, here we go

Jongdae’s hoe: dude he’s still coming to the studio

Yeol: BUT HE NEVER DOES THINGS WHEN I ASK!!!!!

Baekhyun’s hoe: okay but no one says no to Yixing hyung

Jongdae’s hoe: yeh it’s the rules

Yeol: maybe ur right i mean he wouldve said no too if jongdae was the one asking

Baekhyun’s hoe: I am offended

Jongdae’s hoe: woah babe, a capital “I”? calm down

Baekhyun’s hoe: i’m chill i’m chill

Yeol: asdfghjkfhfsfnlkjgoerhgerlrgndkfsm

Jongdae’s hoe: you okay there hoe no.3?

Yeol: whydoeshehavesuchaperfectsingingvoiceplsENDME

Baekhyun’s hoe: you need me to come to the studio for moral support?

Yeol: p l e a s e

Baekhyun’s hoe: i’ll be there in 5 mins

Yeol: jongdae ur my best friend ily

Jongdae’s hoe: uhm bitch i’m right here

Yeol: srry dae ur my best friend after baek

Jongdae’s hoe: too late bitch go choke on Kyungsoo’s dick

Yeol: dtfyguhijonfwpmdksuwuohgfiejhfuck

Baekhyun’s hoe: do i need to call an ambulance?

Yeol: i choked on my drink bc of baeks text and soo started patting my back HE TOUCHED ME GUYS

Jongdae’s hoe: why am i friends with you

Baekhyun’s hoe: i’m at the studio, Chanyeol looks like he’s dying and Yixing hyung is v concerned

Jongdae’s hoe: don’t care let the hoe suffer

Baekhyun’s hoe: this is why i’m the nice friend Baek

Jongdae’s hoe: it’s more fun being a bitch Dae

Yeol: j o n g d a e

Baekhyun’s hoe: gotta go, the hoe is struggling

Jongdae’s hoe: Jongdae: i’m the nice friend

Jongdae’s hoe: Jongdae 2 secs later: calls Chanyeol “the hoe”

Chatroom: Fuck This

Hot dad: Why do Monday’s drag so much? Work seemed to last forever today

XingXing: Tell me about it, Yeol and I spent hours in the studio today

XingXing: It’s 8pm and I only just got home

No.1 Vivi supporter: Yeah Chanyeol hyung only got home 10 minutes ago and went straight to his room

Lu: Speaking of, Chanyeol hasn’t said anything here since Kyungsoo rejected him

Kyungsoo: I didn’t reject him, I still went to the studio.

Lu: Because Yixing asked

Kyungsoo: You don’t say no to Yixing hyung.

Jongdae’s hoe: it’s the rules

Baekhyun’s hoe: where did these rules come from?

Hot dad: Junmyeon probably

Lu: Junmyeon

Kris: Myeonie

TaoTao: Probably our literal mum Junmyeon hyung

Myeonie: YES OKAY WE GET IT

Kyungsoo: Luhan hyung is right though, Chanyeol’s never this quiet.

Jongdae’s hoe: .......

Baekhyun’s hoe: ...........

Yeol: @No.1 Vivi supporter pls come to my room

Kris: is anyone surprised anymore that Chanyeol shows up as soon as Kyungsoo mentions him?

Yeol: oh hey soo didnt notice you there

TaoTao: I call bullshit

Kyungsoo: What do you mean Tao?

TaoTao: I.....

TaoTao: @Yeol What do you need Sehun for?

No.1 Vivi supporter: Yeah we literally live in the same house, come to my room hyung

Dog lord: is that a good idea?

Yeol: what if i cant leave my room and you clearly have headphones in so i have to message you here

No.1 Vivi supporter: .... You got stuck under your bed again didn’t you?

Yeol: maybe...

Myeonie: Again? This has happened before?

No.1 Vivi supporter: Sigh i’m coming now hyung

Baekhyun’s hoe: Sehun is done on a whole new level

Yeol: ur the best dongsaeng!!!

Kyungsoo: Idiot.

Yeol: soooooo dont be mean

Yeol: comfort me in these hard times

Kyungsoo: Oh, would you look at the time, I have to go.

TaoTao: Every day I lose more and more faith in Chansoo being real

Kris: ^

Lu: ^^

Dog lord: ^^^

Jongdae’s hoe: sorry Chanyeol but ^^^^

Chatroom: Hot dad + Kyungsoo

Kyungsoo: HE GOT STUCK UNDER THE BED.

Kyungsoo: AGAIN.

Kyungsoo: WHAT A DORK.

Kyungsoo: I WANT TO PROTECT HIM.

Hot dad: Y’know, instead of just yelling to me every time he does something you apparently find cute, you could just be nice and stop pretending you can’t stand him?

Kyungsoo: Sounds like hard work.

Hot dad: Lord knows I need at least a bottle of wine to deal with this...

Hot dad: Okay but y’know maybe he’d realise your feelings then?

Kyungsoo: That’s exactly why I act the way I do hyung

Hot dad: But Kyungsoo if he knows your feeling then you could maybe idk, act like normal people and date?

Kyungsoo: But Chanyeol doesn’t have feelings for me?

Hot dad: Breathe Minseok breathe

Kyungsoo: ?

Hot dad: Sigh whatever go back to telling me about your dork

Kyungsoo: Well considering you asked.

Kyungsoo: HE’S SO CUTE. HE’S SO TALL BUT HE ACTS SO SMOL THAT HE PROBABLY FORGETS HOW TALL HE IS SOMETIMES.

Kyungsoo: HOW MANY TIMES HAS HE GOTTEN STUCK UNDER HIS BED? THAT’S ADORABLE, HE’S ADORABLE.

Chatroom: The Gays

Hot dad: Babe I need like a bottle of wine right now

Hot dad: Oh god he’s gushing about Chanyeol’s ears now

Hot dad: Make it two bottles

Lu: Babe it’s Monday night, you have work tomorrow

Hot dad: Did I fucking stutter?

Lu: I’m about to head home, i’ll pick some up on the way

Hot dad: I love you

Lu: I love you too baby

Hot dad: Buy me the good wine and i’ll suck your dick later

Lu: 2BOTTLESOFGOODWINECOMINGUP

Divider is from this post

[z-exo-l]

30 Day Kpop Challenge

Day 24: A song from a collaboration

Back on Black by NCT 2018

(Honorable Mention to Bye Babe by Chen feat. 10cm)

I’m cheating hardcore in picking this one. But for a group as dynamic as NCT, I appreciate that they occasionally do things like this; projects where they put all the different units together. It risks becoming messy or overwhelming, and instead it’s a great display of talent and homogeny within the group.

[flaredpantsagenda]

Thank you @baekslight​ for the tag!! (and the songs! the Baekhyun SM station had previously escaped my playlist)

current top 5 songs:

(I never know if I should post these here or on my main so I decided to stick to kpop songs since I’m posting here- anyway here’s some summery ones!)

Up-Holland

Walk With You- Onew

Very Nice- Seventeen

Pretty Pretty- Pentagon

Bye Babe- Chen, 10cm

tagging: @heartcravings​ @justbeinglonely​ @hyuck-xix​ @moonbeamskiss7​ @sunflowerchen​ if you feel like it!

[xosthetic]

bye babe - chen wallpaper/lockscreen

[bloomiedits]

bye babe - chen headers

like or reblog this post if u save or use

cbxingzh

[xiuminscheeks]

adorable bf look || Bye Babe 190630

[happykjd]

[fandomcitymayor]

Bye Babe - 10cm x CHEN

[playboyseho]

Me: *Blaring Bye Babe on my speaker while dancing in my dorm room*

Sehun Plushie: ITS ONE AM WOMAN

Me: CHEN IS GETTING A SOLO ALBUM

The Plushies: HOLY SHIT *starts dancing too*

[fychen]

171103 | [STATION] - 10cm x CHEN - ‘Bye Babe’

[z-exo-l]

My Top Kpop songs of 2022

So, 2022 was a rough year for me and mine. We survived it, and truly things could have been much worse, but it didn’t make for many happy repeat listens, Kpop wise. It’s a shame, because there were SEVERAL well-deserved solo debuts this year, and I feel like I didn’t give a lot of the songs the appreciation they deserve. To be clear, I did enjoy this music, and the year wasn’t wholly without happiness, I just couldn’t muster up as much enthusiasm as normal. But that’s okay, I’m going to desperately hope that 2023 is a better year, for all of us. 🤞🏻

There’s plenty of artist repetition, like always, BUT, this year has the most female entries so far! (Even those are a little repetitious, but I digress!) Let’s begin.

Honorable Mentions

Veil by Lay: Yixing nailing it every time! I didn’t love this song, (an unfortunate trend for Lay songs lately) but I have to mention it, if only for his sheer talent. ♥️ Bite by D.O: I’ve still got to watch this drama, but I’ll take any opportunity to hear Kyungsoo sing! Especially in a spooky, punk r&b style!

Dice by Onew: Even if I didn’t exactly care for how Jinki sang this, the MV is quintessential SHINee, the black and white look was A+, and his dancing was delightful!

Zoom by Jessi: I know who Jessi is, of course, her music just doesn’t really suit me. But this song had me giggling from the lyrics and dancing from the beat. A fun little earworm. 

⚠️Good Night by Rolling Quartz: PLEASE check these girls out if you haven’t yet! They’re a kickass girl K-Rock band (their vocalist Jayoung has an outstanding rock voice!) that are hustling their hearts out and not nearly enough people know about them! The only reason this is in honorable mentions is because this is a Dreamcatcher cover.

TOP 20

20. Vision by Dreamcatcher: I appreciate the environmentalism concepts the girls did this year, and to me this track is far superior to Maison.

19. Diamonds Only by WayV: Phantom had some excellent aesthetics, but this groovy B-Side had the best sound on the album.

18. Cursor by Purple Kiss: I’ve grown to appreciate an angsty pop-rock song, and the stripped down instrumental paired very well with PK’s voices. (I’ll miss you Jieun 😢)

17. Don’t Wait by Super Junior: A goofy, happy SuJu track is always welcome. It’s kind of fabulous that one of the silliest groups around is also one of the oldest; and the drag in the mv is just the cherry on top.

16. Bear Hug by Suho: I loved Suho’s powerful vocals here. And like I’ve mentioned, I think his time on stage really helped his stability. Beautiful singing!

15. Summer Rain by Purple Kiss: The vocals of this song are just right for a rainy day, and the melody is very folksy.

14. Traveler by Chen: A gentle, toe-tapping song that was a great addition to Last Scene! His ballads are obviously excellent, but more mid-tempo Jongdae numbers, please. (Bye Babe w/ 10cm was a BOP, mkay?)

13. Fire Flower by Purple Kiss: The rhythm and Eastern influence on this track are very compelling! Unfortunately this song gives me a terrible case of musical amnesia, so even though I like it a lot I always forget how it sounds. 😅

12. Love is Dead by Purple Kiss: A very catchy and almost haunting song; the kind of track I love from PK. And I’ve tried to figure out what era of music this makes me think of, and outside of a sample (I think) all I can come up with is 90′s or 00′s girl group. Works for me!

11. INVU by Taeyeon: The AESTHETICS of this MV!!! It hooked me like you wouldn’t believe, it is GORGEOUS! And musically this is my first Taeyeon song to top Spark! Goddess indeed! 😍

10. Devil by Changmin:

This song is AMAZING! Give this man all the praise and appreciation for putting Gospel and Blues into a KPOP song!! And that’s not even talking about his voice! His voice is so high, but forceful that he’s able to match it pitch for pitch! Criminally underrated!

9. Feedback by Xiumin:

This is a song, like many dance tracks, that absolutely SLAPS when the mood is right! If this came out during the dubstep era, (the very tiny window where I went clubbing) this would’ve been on constant repeat. As it is it’s still a really fun song to bop around to. ☺️

8. Pretty Psycho by Purple Kiss:

Outside of a really niggling, almost distracting Britney Spears sample, this is an awesome song. It’s very dance-able, but still has that signature wickedness that I love about PK. And the vocals menacingly glide over the instrumentals in almost a Eurythmics style. Easily the best track off MemeM!

7. Decanting by Suho:

Mature idols being allowed to sing sbout mature subjects will always get me, and while I compared it Baekhyun’s Drown, Decanting feels like a much slower, more lavish type of seductive sound. You could play this during a rainstorm, or on a commute, or at a café, and by the end you’d feel contented and satisfied. Beautiful guitar, and stupendous vocals. Well done Junmyeon!

6. Hot by Seventeen:

Even though I think the autotune almost teeters into too much, this song is immensely delightful and catchy. You can always count on Seventeen for something fun and happy, and that was something I needed a lot this year. And it was probably the best song released in 2022 that I could just shut my brain off and boogie to.

5. Voyager by Kihyun:

I obviously love rock and kpop, so it was especially exciting to learn that not only was Kihyun having his solo debut, but it was a rock song! This was such a great track; very easy to sing along with, as well as just rock out to around the house. Kihyun has the perfect voice for the genre, and I’m already very excited for his next comeback. 

4. Brand New by Xiumin:

I’ll be the first to admit the sample took some getting used to, but once I did, this song was stuck in my head constantly. Even without the sample though, I love Brand New’s retro sound; most people brought up the 90′s, but what came to mind to me were the effects from the late 60′s/early 70′s, which I love, and it’s a great match for Minseok’s voice. Not to mention it has crazy athletic choreo that showcases what a talented dancer he is! It was the perfect debut song for Minseok, and I’m SO proud of him!

3. Mango by Super Junior:

I LOVE this song and I LOVE that it’s from SuJu! This came at a point in the year when I wasn’t enjoying a lot of the releases coming out. But omg, this song! The pre-chorus, the colorful mv, the KRY bridge, the display of experienced talent all around (vocalist Eunhyuk, center Shindong!) Ahh! The song is a gotdang BOP!

2. Love by Monsta X:

I pretty much always give high spots to the songs I can dance to, and on the rare occasions the urge struck me this year, Love was the was the song I was most often shuffling to in my kitchen. It didn’t start out this high on the list, but more and more often I caught myself wanting to play it just to brighten my mood. The chorus is super catchy, but at the same time it’s still laidback and easy to listen to thanks to the instrumental, and Joohoney’s parts make me giggle. A great track if you need a pick-me-up!

1. Hurdle by Suho:

The biggest surprise of 2022! I was so stunned that Suho released a song like this, but the funky pre-chorus had me hooked immediately! Plus for as high register as Suho sings, it works shockingly well against the 80′s pop rock sound. It almost gives Joan Jett with Pink Floyd vibes??? …If those comparisons make any sense! Anyway! Then you throw in an almost wacky, utterly surreal mv, and this track all but demands a revisit. It was one of the only songs this year that had me on first listen, and I’m still not sick of it. I hope the other members follow in your tracks Junmyeon, and dare to be just as experimental, because damn does it pay off!!

So ends the countdown for 2022. Kyungsoo has said that he was recording for his album, Jongin said that he’s deciding on a title track right now, and Chanyeol wants to release a solo album as well. Then Suho declares more than once that there will be an EXO 2023 comeback as soon as Baekhyun is back from the military. …I’ve been an exo-l long enough that I’m handling this with a healthy bit of skepticism, but I’ll hope for at least the exo comeback, and go from there. Who knows, with any luck at all my next top 20 will be chock full of exo songs. :-)

I hope you all had a great, or at least survivable 2022. Happy New Year, and have a great 2023!