January tends to be one of my favorite months of the year for Kpop releases. It’s all about artists experimenting with their sound and defining their “concept” or style for the new year.

January 2018 brought some of that year’s finest singles, including Red Velvet’s instant classic “Bad Boy” and iKON’s trendsetting “Love Scenario.” This gave January 2019 a lot to live up to, but the first month of the year did not disappoint. Many releases were characterized by atmospheric production, confident vocals, and eye-catchcing lyrics that moved Kpop singles into a more meaninful direction. Both veteran and rookie artists impressed with daring releases in a month that set the bar high for the rest of the year.

Looking at the list of Kpop releases of January 2019, I really don’t see one single that I truly dislike. In fact, I was orignially going to make a list of ten songs, but I expanded it to twelve because there are so many that deserve recognition. Here are my personal top twelve songs of January along with exemplary album tracks, and a few honorable mentions that almost made my list.

Honorable mentions: Imfact “Only U,” Cherry Bullet “Q&A,” Junho “Flashlight,” god “Road” (with IU, Henry, Jo Hyunah & Yang Da Il) and “Leave Him.”

List:

1. 1.CLC - "No" (See Also - “Show”)
2. 2. Apink - "%%" (Eung Eung) (See Also - “Push & Pull”)
4. 3. Shaun - "Bad Habits" (See Also - “Terminal”)
7. 4. Chung Ha  - "Gotta Go"
8. 5. Seventeen - "Home" (See Also - “Shhh”)
9. 6. GFriend - "Sunrise" (See Also - “You Are Not Alone” “Our Secret”)  
10. 7. Luna - "Do You Love Me" (feat. George)
11. 8. ATEEZ - "HALA HALA" (See Also - “Promise” “Desire”)  
12. 9. ONEUS - "Valkyrie" (See Also - “ZigZag”)
13. 10. iKON - "I’M OK"
14. 11. VERIVERY - “Ring Ring Ring” (See Also - “Flower”)
15. 12. WJSN (Cosmic Girls) - "La La Love" (See Also - “You Got” “Cantabile”

Please comment on my list and share your own lists!