I am a person who listens to an obscene amount of songs. My tastes range from hip-hop to bouncy love songs– I am truly all over the place when it comes to music. I enjoy trying out new songs and looking for unique artists, and it just about makes my day when I find a new song I like. However, as much as I like trying out new songs, I also have a selection of songs that I will love until eternity. These are my tried and true, golden songs– they’ve been with me through thick and thin.
Because- Ash Island
I recently discovered this song through my customized daily mixes on Spotify, and it’s been on repeat since. Ash Island has the classic raspy rapper voice, but in this song he sings more softly and melodically. The lyrics are also deep and meaningful, and the way he sings this song softer compared to other songs really draws the emotions out. His raspy voice also adds a unique element to the song. I feel like without it, the song would have been more bland and like a typical love song, but his voice definitely adds a little more edge to the song. Another thing I love about this song is that the tone changes throughout the song. It starts off soft, but has a more upbeat, aggressive rap line in the middle. This adds an extra flare to the song, and comes really unexpectedly. It took me by surprise, but it helps listeners be hooked until the very end. The Korean hip hop artist scene isn’t widely known such as K-pop, but for those of you interested in discovering Korean hip hop artists, you should check out Ash Island as a starting point.
Beautiful Feeling- Day6
Will my love for Day6 ever end? No, I don’t think so. In classic Day6 fashion, this song is heavy on the instrumentals and loaded with deep, meaningful lyrics. It also serves to show off the amazing vocal line of the band. The chorus is explosive yet full of melody, and the verses hooked me in right from the beginning. And if the lyrics and melody of the song made it good, the instrumentals make it amazing. Right from the start, the twinkly sounds and drumbeat made me know that this song was going to be awesome. Then Wonpil starts off the verse with his unique high voice, and the whole song just flows beautifully from there. And don’t even get me started on Dowoon’s part in the song, when all the instrumentals go quiet and instead puts the focus on his voice. I know that his official position is the drummer, but he absolutely killed this part of the song. It draws you in with its softer sound, and then jumps right back in to the explosive chorus. The rhythm of the song also pumps you up, and leaves you feeling happy. Since discovering it, which was actually quite recently considering I’ve known Day6 for a while, this has become my go to feel-good song.
Officially Missing You- AKMU
This song is not originally by AKMU, but it was reproduced by them, with some additional parts. Let me tell you, this reproduced version is everything. It makes the song more catchy, and gives it a sneaky additive quality. There is a fun, bouncy rap line, and much more vocal runs. It also has some additional parts that are sung in Korean (the original song is in English). These added parts allow the duo to truly let their vocal skills shine. The female singer of the duo, Su-hyun, is an amazing singer. She has the clearest, smoothest voice I’ve ever heard in my life. I think I could listen to her sing all day, that’s how good she is. Her brother Chan-hyuk, who is the other part of the duo, is also very talented. The way he raps almost sounds like he is singing, and pairs well with his sister’s voice. AKMU pulls off this reproduced version so well, I actually initially thought that this song was theirs. It was actually this song that made me get into AKMU. Since then, I’ve listened to many of their songs, but this one still remains a classic.
Never Ending Story- Stray Kids
I absolutely adore this song. It was the first Stray Kids song I ever heard, and I instantly fell in love with the unique vocals of each member. Stray Kids is an eight-member group, and each member has their own charisma . When I first heard this song, I was shocked and amazed at how smoothly they transitioned from one member’s high, honey vocals to another member’s low, cave-like rap. This song is actually an OST from the k-drama Extraordinary You. Even though it technically then isn’t Stray Kids’ own song, the way they sing it makes it so special. I also love the lyrics of the song. In true drama OST style, they are very romantic, and admittedly a tad bit cheesy. BUT, sometimes those are the best kind of songs. Also, the rap parts in the song help make it not sound cheesy. This is my go-to song for just about anything– from working out, long car rides, getting ready in the morning, or a shower jam session.
Closed Ending- Shaun
There is something about this song that reminds me of home. I was born in Korea, and my entire extended family lives there. I don’t know why, but whenever I listen to this song, I am reminded of Korea. It makes me nostalgic, but also happy– like I have a piece of my home to listen to when I’m homesick. This song is actually my all-time favourite song. It is very twinkly, with amazing background music. Shaun is actually a DJ, so the melody and music part of the song is one of the best I’ve ever heard. Shaun also has this really interesting voice– it’s hard to describe with words, but it feels bouncy and almost three-dimensional. This gives the song life, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. Shaun is actually also the singer of the hit single Way Back Home, which is how I came to know of this song. Way Back Home is also an amazing song, and I could write another paragraph about how good it is. However, it did get a little overplayed. Closed Ending, though, this is my little secret gem. However, I am sharing it with you because we all deserve a little good music in our lives 🙂
To My Youth- BOL4
This song never fails to take me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It talks about the pains of growing up, but how time heals those wounds. I feel like for me, as a teenager, this song gives me a lot of comfort. It’s comforting to know that other people feel these pains too, but that it gets better with time. One of the lyrics that hit me hard is when they talk about how things have gotten better, but they are afraid that things will turn for the worse again. No matter how hard I try to keep a positive mindset about things, sometimes I can’t help but feel like this too. When I feel like life is going good, a small part of me wonders when it’ll fall again. This is something I am working on getting past, but this song gave me a lot of comfort in knowing that there are others out there who feel the same way. Besides the emotional lyrics, it also has an amazing melody. It is very soothing, but also very twinkly at the same time. If you’ve known about me for a while, you know that I LOVE twinkly songs. They’re just so pretty and has a head-in-the-clouds kind of feel to them. BOL4 is the queen of twinkly songs, but I would have to say that this song is perhaps the twinkliest of them all.
I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my all time favourite songs, and I also encourage you to try some of them. Let me know if you do!
Yuri Choi 
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