Hello hello! It’s been a looooong time since my last blog post. For the past few months, I have been drowning in a seemingly endless pile of schoolwork, university applications, and other extracurriculars. If I am being totally honest, I still haven’t managed to drag myself out of this work overload yet. However, I wanted to write at least one more post before we send off 2022. 2022 was a fantastic year for movies, music, and entertainment galore. For me, 2022 was a year of exploration. I discovered many new artists and genres of songs and also learned that I am a sucker for 90’s style K-dramas. With COVID restrictions easing off in some places, I also attended many concerts and events. In today’s post, I will discuss my top entertainment picks for 2022.
Top Album of 2022
2022 saw its fair share of excellent albums. From pH-1’s “BUT FOR NOW LEAVE ME ALONE” to Han Yo Han’s masterpiece “Time Machine”, we were blessed with many phenomenal releases from amazing artists. However, I’m going to say that my top album of 2022 was BIG Naughty’s “NANGMAN” album. “Nangman” means romance in Korean and perfectly matches the vibe of BIG Naughty’s album. All of the songs tell their own unique story, and I had a lot of fun coming up with my own interpretations of the lyrics of each song. The songs portrayed BIG Naughty’s exploration into a new, unnamed genre and reflected his growth as an artist. Whether I was feeling down or floating on clouds, this album got me through all the different times. This album is a no-skip, listen-anywhere kind of album. For only 19, BIG Naughty is one of the best artists out there. I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for him!
Top Drama of 2022
Many of you can guess the winner of this category. It was insanely popular and had everyone swooning and crying their eyes out. If you thought Twenty-Five Twenty-One, you are 100% correct. I actually didn’t watch this drama right away when it was released. I wasn’t a huge fan of TV shows or dramas at the time, as I don’t really like when plots drag on. However, I kept seeing stuff about this drama all over social media. Everyone kept going on about the fencing-news reporter duo, and eventually, I caved and decided I might as well give it a try. Boy, was I hooked in fast. Na Hee-Do and Baek Yi-Jin’s story took me on an emotional roller coaster. One minute I was laughing until my stomach hurt, and the next, I was bawling my eyes out. I loved how the story captured aspects of what it was like to be a teenager in Korea during the 90s, and I loved seeing all the cultural references, such as bungeoppang street vendors. Although the ending had me in tears and in denial for the next few days, this drama was a masterpiece. It was my feel-good, comfort watch late at night after all my day’s work.
Top Podcast of 2022
Growing up, I loved listening to audiobooks before I went to bed. Even in junior high school, I would listen to at least a chapter before bed. This love eventually died down starting in high school. I even deleted my audiobook app off my phone because it was just sitting there, taking up storage. However, my love for listening to stories came back in slightly different forms of podcasts this year. Let me tell you, Spotify has some fantastic podcasts. Although I heard so many incredible podcasts over the year, my all-time favourite was “Get Real” by Dive Studios. I did a more in-depth review of it here, so feel free to check it out if you’re eager to learn more about it. This podcast made me feel like I was sitting in a room, talking about all kinds of things with my best friends. There were segments with much-needed life advice and parts where the hosts were getting heated about ridiculous yet hilarious topics. If you need a new podcast to check out, I couldn’t recommend it more.
Top Event of 2022
With the pandemic slightly easing, I attended many concerts and music festivals this year. If you asked me where all my money goes, I would say concerts. That, and Japanese sweet potatoes (for something so small, they sure are damn expensive). While each event was fabulous on its own, the Resffect Festival I attended over the summer in Korea holds a special place in my heart. Many factors made it so memorable– it was the last week before I left Korea, the weather was perfect, and it was my first outdoor music festival. Let me just put it out there– outdoor music festivals hit differently. Especially when the sun starts to set. The artist lineup was also killer. Be’O, D-Hack, Wonstein, GRAY, Heize, Loco, and many more– all my favourites. This was one of the highlights of my summer, and I can’t wait to attend more outdoor music festivals next year.
2022 was overall a great year of entertainment, and I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for us. I’m glad I got to write something before the new year, and hopefully you will hear more from me next year. With that being said, Happy Holidays everyone!
Yuri Choi 
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