So, YouTube Music posted my 2023 Spring Recap on June 21, which I assume covers the period from March to May. This time around, I listened to YTM for 6,125 minutes. That’s 1,328 minutes longer than during the winter period.
I keep leaning harder into streaming music whether I want to or not, it seems. Let’s take a closer look at what I was listening to.
Favorite Spring Live Performance
For the third recap in a row, NCT 127’s “2 Baddies” is my Favorite Live Performance.
I am no closer to figuring out what that means or which video they’re talking about. I may never know at this point.
Top Spring Artists
Lately I’ve been branching out more when it comes to music. I’ve been trying some new groups and new genres. I ended up getting into a lot of new-ish and lesser-known groups.
#1 – NCT 127
My ult NCT unit, 127, is the only group from my Top Winter Artists list that managed to rank during the spring too. And they’re still in the top spot. Yep!
#2 – THE BOYZ
Just as I’d sworn that I was juggling enough groups for the moment—especially ones with lots of members—I discovered THE BOYZ. I fell for them faster than I have with any other group in recent memory. There was no period of getting used to them or waiting for the music to grow on me. It was simply love at first listen with “Roar.” Every song I heard and every performance I saw after that only fanned the Deobi flames. I’m still learning their names and working through their discography, but I think I’m going to be into this group for a long time.
#3 – OnlyOneOf
OnlyOneOf were at #3 for my Top Winter Playlists and now they’re in the same position for my Top Spring Artists. What a coincidence! I guess they’re moving up in the world, or at least in my music rankings. I listen to them all the time. Their music is oddly relaxing despite the suggestive nature of most of the songs. Reminds me of the old radio show The Quiet Storm or BET’s discontinued video block Midnight Love. I adore them more and more each day.
#4 – Kingdom
I kept hearing rumblings on Twitter about how cool this rookie guy group Kingdom is, so I finally looked them up. Their concept is cool indeed: each member plays a famous king in history who reigns over a fictitious kingdom that represents a certain theme, element, or object. Each album is named after one of the kings, and its lead single tells a bit of his story. Case in point, I joined the Kingmaker fandom just as their album, History of Kingdom VI: Mujin, was released. Mujin is the ruler of the cherry blossom kingdom and his song is “Dystopia.”
Their music is great, and more importantly, it doesn’t suffer under the weight of their heavy concept. I was also in awe of their elaborate costumes, impressive music videos, and attractive members. I can’t wait for the next album!
#5 – Kai
The legendary Kai has been pushing the boundaries of bias wrecker for me since the day he got out of that car in EXO’s “Call Me Baby” music video. My goodness! Between that gorgeous face and those masterful dance moves, it’s nigh impossible not to be mesmerized by him.
EXO and SuperM, both groups in which Kai is a member, have been on my various lists before, but this is his first time ranking by himself. That’s because I listened to his older solo releases a lot while I was waiting for his latest EP to drop…and then I played it to death too. More on that later.
Top Spring Tracks
Like my Top Spring Artists, my Top Spring Tracks have completely changed since the winter except for a single NCT 127 song at #1. Moreover, NCT 127 and THE BOYZ are tied with two songs each.
You’ll also notice that “STUDIO CHOOM” is given as the artist for songs two through four. Obviously that’s not the actual artist. STUDIO CHOOM is an MNET-affiliated YouTube channel where artists get to showcase their latest song’s choreography. These videos are a wonderful cross between a live performance and a performance music video, with their 4K quality, bright lighting, and pristine (lip-synced) audio. In fact, I often watch the STUDIO CHOOM videos more than I watch the official music videos. That’s presumably why so many made the list.
#1 – “Ay-Yo” (NCT 127)
“Ay-Yo,” the lead single from NCT 127’s repackage album of the same name, rose from #3 during the winter to #1. I don’t stream the song much anymore because I bought it, but I do still watch the music video practically every day.
#2 – “Roar” (THE BOYZ)
The BOYZ’s “Roar” is probably the first STUDIO CHOOM video that I watched on a loop (though not the last). It’s amazing to watch those eleven men perform what amounts to a sensual ballet to that slinky beat. Their moves are fluid, elegant, and completely in sync. It’s a perfect example of what drew me to them in the first place.
And what is the song about, you ask? Here’s part of the translated chorus from the music video: “Fallen angel/Is my name/I turned my back on Paradise/Only now am I free.” I don’t think the narrator is actually Lucifer. The lyrics seem like a metaphor for a lonely character like Lucifer who has decided to stop bowing to society’s rules and going for everything he wants, starting with this object of his desire. Whew!
#3 – “Sticker” (NCT 127)
It was a huge surprise when I saw NCT 127’s “Sticker” on the list. Like “Ay-Yo,” I don’t stream it much because I own it. And while I do watch the music video on a regular basis, I didn’t think I had played it enough for it to rank. Well, blame this blast-from-the-recent-past’s resurgence on 127’s STUDIO CHOOM performance that I stumbled across one day. I had never seen the full, unobscured choreography for “Sticker” until then. It’s so slick! Plus, my guys were seriously serving that day with their gorgeous faces and cute cowboy outfits.
#4 – “Creature” (E’LAST)
I’m a little fuzzy on the exact details of how I first got into E’LAST. I think I stumbled across their song “Dark Dream” while I was browsing YouTube. That music video piqued my interest. Let me tell ya—these handsome gents are very talented, the full package. They’re not afraid to pile on dramatic yet flattering makeup and wear fancy yet skimpy costumes while performing steamy yet intricate choreography to a melancholy yet melodic song. I was sold.
While I was reading the comments for “Dark Dream,” I saw someone recommend their other song “Creature,” so I gave it a try too. I liked the gothic-themed video right away, but the song itself, in which the narrator is a “monster” who’s trying to dissuade his lover from being attracted to him. The song itself, however, didn’t fully click for me until I found their energetic STUDIO CHOOM performance of it. I couldn’t stop watching it.
#5 – “Maverick” (THE BOYZ)
The only other non-STUDIO CHOOM song on the list is “Maverick,” another banger from THE BOYZ. When I wasn’t bumping “Roar,” I was blasting “Maverick.” It’s such a feisty, bravado-filled song. I get such a charge out of yelling, “Back in the game, son!” from the chorus. I feel like I could fight somebody after listening to that song and guarantee a win, that’s the kind of confidence it instills. Like, that’s right—I am a Maverick!
Top Spring Albums
There are no repeat offenders from the Winter Recap on my Top Spring Albums list. However, some of the albums do come from artists you’ve already seen here.
#1 – Rover (Kai)
Kai is back, this time in the top slot on my Top Spring Albums list for his EP Rover. Up until now, his solo music has been hit-or-miss for me. His first EP was great, but his second EP didn’t do much for me beyond the title track. I didn’t know what to expect for his third EP.
Well, Rover blew both of his previous albums out of the water! I was obsessed. I had to play it at least once a day. There are almost no skips (I’m not crazy about “Sinner”). All of the songs fit Kai’s sultry voice and brand to a tee. It was the perfect temporary parting gift before his enlistment.
#2 – seOul cOllectiOn (OnlyOneOf)
OnlyOneOf also makes a second appearance in my Spring Recap with their latest EP seOul cOllectiOn. seOul cOllectiOn offers a fantastic batch of songs. To name a few, there’s the rock-driven lead single “seOul drift,” the Korean remake of their Japanese single “chrOme arts” (now called “chrOme hearts”), the total bop of a B-side “candy bomb,” and my personal fave, the Spanish guitar-kissed midtempo ballad “mirage.” I was pleased with it and proud of them.
#3 – FACE (Jimin)
I was over the moon when Jimin, my BTS bias, released his first solo EP. I’ve been patiently waiting for this moment since “Filter” came out a few years ago. He did not disappoint! I wasn’t expecting such a bold, in-your-face song like “Set Me Free Pt. 2” straight out of the gate. I was especially shocked (and delighted) to hear the “F” word come out his mouth. Then there’s “Like Crazy,” with Jimin’s angelic vocals on full display and that dizzying club beat. Ultimately, “Face-Off” became my favorite track of all because I love a good breakup song. Good stuff!
#4 – Deadlock (Xdinary Heroes)
Although I’m not usually the biggest consumer of K-Rock (or rock of any kind), the quirky rookie band Xdinary Heroes has managed to maintain a tight chokehold on my attention since I found their music on Freegal in 2022. And I mean “band” literally. These guys play their own instruments and write a lot of their own stuff. I don’t know who originally said it, but calling them the lovechild of their label mates Day6 and Stray Kids is fairly accurate.
I’ve happily followed Xdinary Heroes through the releases of their first two EPs, Hello, world and Overload. Their latest EP Deadlock is their best yet. I listened to it on YTM until it was available for download on Freegal. I immediately loved the lead single “Freakin’ Bad,” as well as the tracks “Good Enough” (co-written by Young K from Day6) and “Bicycle.” People really need to stop sleeping on this group!
#5 – CIRCLE (Onew)
Lastly, there’s CIRCLE, the latest solo album from SHINee’s leader, Onew. It seems like I’m always playing catch-up with this group. I realized that I’ve been so preoccupied with Taemin over the years that I’d ignored the solo efforts of the other SHINee members. While Taemin was in the military, I had plenty of time to rectify that mistake. I listened to each member’s discography and promised myself that I would pay attention to everyone’s solo releases in the future.
That brings us to CIRCLE. CIRCLE is the perfect vehicle for Onew’s beautiful voice. It’s very mature, like adult contemporary in the best possible way. You can dance to some of the songs, but his primary goal seems to be to steal your tears. “Expectations” and “O (Circle)” in particular hit me straight in the heart box. Even when he’s singing in his softest tones, his unmistakable vocal power lurks just beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed. I dig that.
Top Spring Playlists
I’m getting the hang of making and maintaining playlists. All of my top playlists this time are of my own making. My new naming scheme is to use a form of the group/artist’s fandom name.
#1 – NCTzen
NCTzen ranks number one on my Top Spring Playlists list. I called it NCT Faves back in the winter, when it was at #2. It holds my favorite NCT songs from all of the units and their albums. I think of it as my default playlist, the one that I go to when I want to hear some familiar music or I can’t decide what I want to listen to.
#2 – Kingdom Title Tracks
This playlist contains the music videos for all of Kingdom’s lead singles, as well as the performance versions of those songs, in order of their release. Being a huge fan of analyzing and speculating about stuff, I immediately wanted to unravel as much as possible about their complicated lore. I often rewatch the music videos to see if I can sniff out any new clues. No luck yet! This playlist is not to be confused with King Me, which is my unranked playlist for Kingdom’s albums.
#3 – LyOn
LyOn, formerly known as OOO and recently edited to lyOn, used to be a playlist for OnlyOneOf albums and songs that I don’t own. I renamed it because I added the rest of their albums to the playlist when I got tired of switching between YTM and Musicolet.
#4 – Ilichils
Ilichils holds all of NCT 127’s albums. As much as I love 127, I’m still a relatively new fan. I know the hits and the most popular B-sides, but they have a lot of other songs that I haven’t heard yet. I’m working on becoming more familiar with their overall discography.
#5 – El’ring
Finally, my El’ring playlist is full of E’LAST’s songs. They only have a few EPs to their name so far, but their music is fantastic! All of them can sing, even the rappers, a trait that I always appreciate in a group. I hope to get some new music from them to add to the list soon. I’m still mad that they had a concert practically in my backyard during their tour and I couldn’t go.
Top Spring Genres
My top genres themselves haven’t changed much from the winter period, but the percentages are different.
A weird thing I noticed is that these percentages don’t equal 100%. By my calculations, they only add up to 63%. So…what genres make up the other 37%? The same thing happened for the Winter Recap too, though to a lesser degree. Back then, the top genres added up to 98%. I don’t understand that.
#1 – K-Pop
K-Pop is at the top of the list again. The percentage, however, drastically decreased from 90% to 51%.
#2 – Pop Music
Pop Music moved up from #3 to #2. It’s now in second place and has increased from 3% to 6%.
#3 – Korea R&B/Soul/Ballads
Meanwhile, Korea R&B/Soul/Ballads dropped from #2 to #3. At the same time, it also increased from 3% to 4% of the overall percentage.
#4 – Electronic Dance Music
Electronic Dance Music stayed in fourth place but decreased by two percent to 1%.
#5 – Ballads
Finally, Ballads is at the bottom of the list with 1%. I’m not sure if this is the same genre as Korean Ballad, which was in the same position during the Winter Recap.
Ta-ta until the summer!
Header Photo © “Headphones Around A Book” @ Julia Pomodoro from corelens via Canva.com