YouTube Music certainly knows how to keep me on my toes! For once, the seasonal recap dropped before I was able to whip myself into a frenzy about it. In fact, I had just planned to make some predictions when I looked on social media and saw that one of my moots had already posted their Spring Recap. I ran straight to the app to see mine. This was June 5th, about a week earlier than I had expected.
There were a lot of repeat offenders from over the years, as well as some interesting shake-ups. Let’s take a gander at my results!
Overview
This seasonal recap covers March 2025 to May 2025, aka the “Spring Recap.”
My total listening time continues to decline. It dropped from
3,720 minutes in the Winter Recap to 3,483 minutes (~58 hours) for this period. That’s another 237 minutes (almost four hours) gone. There’s no helping this situation, I guess.
My Top Genre is, as usual, K-Pop. While it accounted for 46% last season, it’s now at 49%. That’s not the full picture, though. If you add the fact that Korea R&B/Soul is also accounted for at 3%, K-Pop actually represents 52% of my overall genres. That sounds more accurate. I’m disappointed that J-Pop slipped off the list again. I thought I was making headway in diversifying my listening habits. Instead, it looks like K-Pop gobbled up all of my previous gains.
My Musical Moods haven’t changed much either. My Top Mood is still Dramatic, though the amount has risen to 31%. I was concerned because my second-ranked mood, Romantic, had been steadily gaining ground. It was actually tied at first place with Dramatic at 28% in the winter. But now it has dropped back down to second place. What was happening with me that Romantic almost overtook Dramatic? Was I trying to develop a romantic side? And if so, why did that mood go away? Questions, questions…
Lastly, the Top Playlists category reappeared in my stats again after a long absence. That’s because I’ve been hooked on YouTube Music’s “Presenting…” playlists, which highlight an artist’s top songs. They’re similar to Spotify’s “This Is…” playlists except that they’re a mixture of songs and music videos. The one I watched the most was “Presenting MONSTA X,” probably because they are my second ult group, it’s their tenth anniversary year, and most of them have finished their military service now. These are good playlists to have saved when I want to vibe with some music on the TV when I’m writing.
Top Spring Artists
I was shocked when I took a look at my Top Artists. The list looks somewhat different from what I’m used to seeing.
NCT is nowhere to be found. Not a single unit! That hasn’t been the case since I discovered the group a few years ago. However, two NCT members did manage to rank on their own: WayV’s Ten, one of my top NCT biases and one of my overall ults, in first place; and Dream/127’s Mark, NCT’s second-in-command and the group’s backbone, in third. I’ll take it! I’m so happy to see my Neos out there showing the world the undeniable talent that has allowed NCT to flourish and pulverize the competition. They excel just as much individually as they do collectively.
Meanwhile, THE BOYZ appear for the first time since they were my number one at the end of last year. They’ve been through a lot of changes lately, particularly having switched to a new record label. I’m happy to report that nothing much has changed with them musically. They’re still out here killing the game.
Enhypen and &TEAM are in the top five like before, though the former drops from second to fourth and the latter rises from third to second. Clearly, I’m still preoccupied with these vampires and werewolves. What can I say? Their music continues to slap, and their visuals continue to dazzle. Neither of them disappointed me with their recent comebacks either. I hope they keep up the excellent work in the future.
Four of the five artists represented here will definitely pop up in other sections as well. I’m consistent like that this time around.
Top Spring Tracks
I wasn’t sure what to expect for my Top Tracks. I’ve been a little all over the place. Thankfully, Mark and Ten are once again representing NCT with their solo music, while &TEAM leaves their mark as well.
Mark comes out on top with his single “+82 Pressin’.” This is an incredibly special song for me because he invited Haechan, his fellow Dreamie/Ilichil and another one of my top NCT biases, to bless the track. I cannot express how much I love this release and this duo! I’ve been praying for a subunit or even a collab between these two for years. Mark’s kick-ass rhymes and Haechan’s buttery-smooth voice against that slamming beat is a manifestation of my fondest wishes. The cinematic music video and their electric 1theKillPo performance were the cherries on top. It was an absolute dream all around.
Then there’s &TEAM. My dear werewolves have the most entries from a single artist (two). “Deer Hunter” slides into second place, showing up again from last season. I still keep that fantastic music video on constant rotation. The other song is their latest single, “Go In Blind.” It comes in third place due to me wearing out their STUDIO CHOOM performance of the song. The song, which is about them confidently going to war no matter what might go down, is very rock-based, with a hard, driving guitar punctuating the rhythm. As usual, they give it their all, with their alluring black outfits, satisfying choreo, and tricky blindfolds. Oh, and those concept photos!
Jisoo, the only female artist on the entire list, is at number four with her single “Earthquake.” While all four of the Blackpink members made commendable solo albums, Jisoo’s EP was my favorite. “Earthquake” is a solid club banger. The focus is a particular guy that she’s completely gone over. Every time she sees or thinks about him, the feelings hit her strongly, shaking her down to her very soul…like an earthquake. Powerful! It makes me want to dance so much that I accidentally learned a bit of the chorus’s fun choreo too. That’s unusual for me. I am not a dancer.
Rounding out the list is Ten’s single “Bambola” (which apparently means “doll” in Spanish) at number five. It fits Ten’s style to a tee. It’s a high tempo dance track, which allows him to impress us with his expert moves. It also has highly sexual lyrics, which allow him to effectively seduce us with his words: “Sometimes I want to play with you real slow/I choose two, when to stop and when to go.” Talk about a one-two punch! It’s an ace track, with a music video that’s both entertaining and amusing. I especially love his Take#B performance where he’s wearing fringe-lined leather pants that he shimmies with stunning precision.
Top Spring Albums
My Top Artists are a bunch of familiar faces, including this season’s all-stars Ten (who has two albums on the list) and Mark again. But someone else who also appeared earlier beat them both to first place.
Not only did THE BOYZ make a comeback as one of my Top Artists, but they conquered my Top Albums with their new album Unexpected too. As they should! The album is nearly perfect from start to finish. All of their typical flash and flare is present and kicking. They leaned into a slightly deeper R&B direction, which works well for them. I’m a big fan of “Feel The Bass,” “Miss Demeanor,” and “Starry Night” in particular, but “Ain’t Salty” is (pardon my language) my shit! That sensual tune falls straight into their repertoire of toxic love songs about being attracted to someone who’s bad for you. I could listen to that one all day. I do wish they had chosen a stronger, more fitting lead single than “VVV,” though.
In second place is Humanity, Ten’s first Japanese EP. I was so blown away by WayV’s Japanese album last year that I thought Ten’s take on J-Pop would be even more impressive. Instead, the album took him in a different musical direction: quieter, more cerebral, more introspective, more abstract. I like that Ten’s trying new things. This side step reveals the hidden depths of his talent and boosts his artistry to a new level. I loved the tracks “Living Now” and “All Good.” But this EP didn’t immediately hit me as hard as his others have. It will take me some time for this album to grow on me as I digest this new aspect of him.
Next, Mark reaches number three with his long-awaited solo album The Firstfruit. Admittedly, Mark’s solo singles thus far have been hit-or-miss for me. I didn’t care for “Child” or “Golden Hour,” “Fraktsiya” is okay, “200” (especially “Minhyung’s Version”) is beautiful, “+82 Pressin'” is (of course) a freaking masterpiece, and “1999” is good. So, I tried to give his full album a fair shot. It wasn’t bad overall. It’s an extremely solid collection of songs. I recognize and appreciate the huge amount of insane creativity, genuine heart, and authentic personality that Mark put into it. But like with Head Neo Taeyong’s solos, it just isn’t my type of music on the whole. I will still continue to support his work and appluad his milestones, though.
Then there’s Baekyun, my top EXO bias, and his latest EP at number four. I fell in love with his formidable, velvety voice back when I was a K-Pop newbie listening to my EXO Pandora station. Although he totally slays within the group, he shines the brightest with his solo music. He delivers some of the most romantic, soothing, raunchy, and tear-jerking K-R&B songs you’ve ever heard time and time again. Essence of Reverie is another one for the books and is possibly his best album yet. It’s cohesive, full of hits, and gives me all the feels. “Chocolate” and “Love Comes Back” have been my go-to tracks from jump. Whenever he releases his next album, I’ll be waiting with bells on, for sure!
And that brings us back to Ten, whose STUNNER EP is at number five. What a hit! No skips! “Sweet As Sin” is my top favorite. It’s like the baby of “On Ten” and “Water” from his first album. He brags about his own awesomeness (“I walk in/Make the heads spin round/Scandalous/Talk of the town”) while he’s being bespelled by someone who’s similarly awesome (“Your mind is like an ocean/I just want to dive in”). The track’s highlight is how he raps in a lower tone during the verses. The mesmerizingly suave “Stunner” and the beautifully romantic “Butterfly” deserve special kudos as well.
Conclusion
So, that was my spring. I know I’m a little late in sharing it. The summer recap will probably be out by the time I post this. In any case, I’d say I heard some great music during this period. I hope to keep this ball rolling in the future!
Photo Credit: “Headphone and Laptop on Pink Background.” @ towfiqu barbhuiya via Canva.com