2019 was another year filled with amazing K-Pop releases. Out of the countless new songs that came our way this year, here are the favorites that the allkpop staff loved the most!

Eric's Pick: Stray Kids - "Miroh"



This is an incredible one I keep returning to again and again. It sounds cool during the bridges but has that hip-hop style that I love. I've been a fan of this band since 'District 9.' I will STAY around to see what they do next.

sl278's Pick: Bol4 - Workaholic

This is a song that was so well written and resonated with me so much. I love the vocals and the entire production, as well as the fact the writers tried to capture the emotions of the average Korean living in a high-pressure society.



germainej's Pick: MAMAMOO - "Hip"

Hip" is another feel-good song with sass from MAMAMOO, who are really good at releasing music that picks you up when you're down. Songs about love are nice, but sometimes you need a song for yourself. "Hip" is exactly that.

Hannah's Pick: CIX - "Movie Star"

After the disappointment I felt upon finding out that Byunggon and Seunghun did not make it to the final lineup, I was more than happy for the two members when they joined C9 Entertainment. On July 23, 2019, the five-member group debuted with “Movie Star.” Despite being a debut single, the song sounded like one that a more experienced group would release. The beat and the chorus are catchy — “Movie Star” is that one song you can’t get out of your head. Given that the producers have worked with top groups like EXO, SHINee, and NCT collaborated on this song, it makes sense that it was amazing, especially for a debut song.

Julie's Pick: MAMAMOO - "Hip"

2019 has been a good year for Mamamoo's growth. With their effortless coolness, HIP has got to be one of the strongest vibes they girls released this year. Right off the bat, HIP catches your attention and doesn't let go. The entire song feels on-brand for the girls to have their fun but also be strongly mature and encaptivating at the same time. Without a doubt, this song really shows off Mamamoo's charisma and fun personalities while also being catchy.

Beans's Pick: 'NCT 127 - Superhuman'

I literally went crazy over this song as soon as I saw NCT 127 debuting the short performance of it on 'Good Morning America'! Ever since then, I haven't been able to stop myself from just gushing about this song to everyone I know. For me, "Superhuman" just really defines where K-Pop started out from, how far it's come, and most importantly, the message that it sends out to its listeners. It's hard to describe, but the song has a lot of old vibes from some of NCT 127's biggest predecessors like H.O.T and TVXQ, and it also has modern vibes in the rhythm and vocal/rap style. The choreography is super fast-paced and dynamic, and combining it with this whole modern 'superhero' concept and outfit styles that SM has been pushing all year (not just with NCT but with Yunho, SuperM, EXO, etc) really hits me in all the right spots. But seriously, there's no need for me to even get all technical like this because "Superhuman" is an outright JAM!

Paul's Pick: Damoim (YUMDDA, The Quiett, Simon Dominic, Paloalto, Deepflow) - "Forever 84"

The Quiett and Paloalto are two of my favorite rappers and producers ever. I used to love to see them collaborate 10+ years ago on tracks like "Young Poet" and "상자속 젊음 (Youth Inside Box)". Around 10 years ago, they kind of went their separate ways with The Quiett doing his thing on 1LLIONARE and Paloalto on HI-LITE but they're now back together. However, it's not just the two of them as they now have a team in collaboration with Dingo. Damoim (Everyone Together), consists of members YUMDDA, The Quiett, Simon Dominic, Paloalto, Deepflow and together, they're like Voltron. You get together the best and they form a beast that spits hot fire. Not only that but the beat on this track is on another level. This is the best song released in 2019.

Jenny's Pick: ATEEZ - "Say My Name"

This is the song that put ATEEZ really on my radar and made me the ATINY I am today. Everything about this song is amazing, starting from the concept all the way up to the choreo. It's kind of shocking that at this point, ATEEZ was only 3 months into their debut, because this is quality befitting a much more experienced group.

Julia's Pick: TXT's 9 and Three Quarters - "Run Away"

This song is the perfect morning mood booster to get my day going.

Lorraine's Pick: Hwasa - "TWIT"

Hwa Sa's "TWIT" takes the cake for my song release of the year. Though MAMAMOO released a number of catchy and infectious singles this year, Hwa Sa's solo release caught me by surprise. With upbeat tropical house inspiration paired with snappy trap influence, Hwa Sa demonstrated her keen ability to be both a powerhouse vocal and a rap superstar. The song boasts empowerment, self-love and is an absolute anthem for womxn around the world.

Hiju's Pick: VERIVERY - "Ring Ring Ring"

Favorite song, favorite rookie of the year. This young boy group from Jellyfish Entertainment has more than just a few things to offer than simply standing as VIXX’s brother group. As they reinterpret the funk genre, VERIVERY takes on the classically groove sound of Bruno Mars and mixes it with old school rap, ‘90s-00’s fashion, and clean-cut group choreography altogether. “Ring Ring Ring” has the perfect opening, mid-section, and ending that it sometimes catches listeners off guard. It starts off with strong bass beats that later enter a smoother chorus that features a much more melodic and choral sound as if a couple of naughty schoolboys are waiting for the perfect moment to confess their innocent love with a bouquet of flowers hidden behind their backs.

Dani's Pick: CIX - "Movie Star"

2019 was undoubtedly the year of the K-pop rookie group, and CIX's "Movie Star" was undoubtedly my favorite debut song. The song's chic early-90s R&B sound is so sleek and cool, and Bae Jinyoung has really come a long way since he first debuted through Wanna One. It has also been exciting to see eliminated 'YG Treasure Box' contestants BX and Seunghun make such a solid debut after the survival program had fans wondering where they would go next. "Movie Star" is forever stuck in my head.

KG's Pick: BTS ft. Halsey - "Boy With Luv"

This is pop perfection and a very danceable song that gets stuck in your head! Halsey's voice perfectly complements BTS. Such a bop!

