Amid the continuous countdowns and round-ups that mark the top of the 12 months, THE BIAS LIST is celebrating an necessary milestone. At this time is the weblog’s tenth anniversary!
Jeez. Ten years. In concept, a decade doesn’t appear that lengthy, however whenever you have a look at simply how a lot adjustments in that point it’s fairly astounding. For the previous few weeks, I’ve been making an attempt to map out what this anniversary put up would appear to be. Do I do some massive, momentous countdown? (an excessive amount of work) One thing tremendous private? (not likely my factor) Merely embed the YouTube video for The Chaser and name it a day? (tempting…)
When it comes right down to it, anniversaries are a very good alternative to look again, and there’s rather a lot to look again at over these previous ten years.
Truly, it’s been longer than ten years. I first began running a blog about music nineteen years in the past. After I first launched THE BIAS LIST, it was simply as I used to be beginning to really feel left behind by the worldwide pop music I had coveted for therefore lengthy. Okay-pop had taken over my playlists for awhile and confirmed no signal of letting up, so I made a decision to make it my passion to doc, critique and have fun the business. I’ve since come again to international music in a giant manner, however these first couple years of the weblog I used to be listened to Okay-pop nearly completely. In fact, it helped that the business was nonetheless at a really excessive level again then.
My first authentic put up for THE BIAS LIST was ten years in the past as we speak, and it was a overview of EXO’s Sing For You. When you scroll again to the start of the weblog, you’ll see a number of opinions dated sooner than that, however these had been transitioned from my outdated weblog and had been backdated. So for the needs of anniversaries, I contemplate December twenty seventh to the be the official “begin” of THE BIAS LIST.
Within the time this weblog has been round, we’ve seen quite a lot of developments come and go – musical and in any other case. Along with Okay-pop’s traditional sonic touchstones, we’ve been deluged with tropical pop, lure, noise music, teen crush, metropolis pop, synthpop, future bass, “beigepop,” charismatic sing-talk and plenty of different genres (a few of which I’ve needed to coin my very own names for). Songs have dropped from 4 minutes to 2 minutes. Tremendous producers had been changed by track camps. Okay-pop has exploded globally in methods we’d by no means seen earlier than. It has remodeled from a distinct segment curiosity to one thing I recurrently hear spoken about as we speak. Produce 101 premiered and led to the glut of survival collection we love and hate now. HYBE was established and rapidly devoured up many smaller companies. We’ve moved from third gen to fourth gen and now fifth. Subtitled selection and dramas grew to become simply accessible. Vlive got here and went. The Universe app got here and went (leaving many irreverent track opinions in its wake). Okay-pop artists went from barely touring the States to doing so recurrently. You should buy Okay-pop in Goal and Barnes and Noble as we speak, which might have completely shocked my 2015 self.
But, round these elements of the web not a lot has modified in any respect. Certain, my early opinions tended to be far more harsh than they’re now (particularly contemplating the wealth of nice materials I needed to work with again in 2016), however my core model and rankings system has remained intact and I nonetheless proceed to write down about Okay-pop each rattling day. The truth is, as a testomony to my very own madness, I’ve written about Okay-pop for 3,590 consecutive days with out skipping a single one. Inside these days I’ve revealed 7,345 posts with a complete of over 2.6 million phrases. That makes me drained simply studying it. Over the course of the last decade, the weblog has been visited over 36 million instances and over 72,000 feedback have been shared. An enormous shout out to my high two commenters: mymagoogle and EijiDoesThings! You two should be simply as loopy as I’m.
My first ever remark got here from a reader referred to as nessi456 and my first detrimental remark got here from a distinct customer a month later. My prior weblog solely centered on music I preferred and praised, so detrimental feedback had been nonexistent on the time. On that day, I nonetheless keep in mind pondering “what have I gotten myself into?” (btw, that commenter had a terrific level and comes throughout as fully tame when in comparison with the unhinged stuff that goes across the web nowadays).
Since its launch, THE BIAS LIST has been accessed from each nation/territory on this planet besides Western Sahara and Svalbard (that are territories, I believe?). I even managed one go to from North Korea. I’m so curious to know which put up it was and the circumstances across the go to. My high “markets” are the US, Philippines, United Kingdom, India and Canada. My high posts of all-time are:
1. The place To Purchase Okay-pop Albums On-line: The Greatest Shops Reviewed! (hopelessly outdated, btw)
2. The High Ten Greatest Songs By SEVENTEEN
3. The High Ten Greatest Songs By GOT7
4. The High Ten Greatest Songs By NCT
5. The High 40 Pop Songs of 2022 (20-1) (to this I say… WTF?)
6. Tune Overview: BLACKPINK – How You Like That
7. The 100 Greatest Okay-Pop Songs of All-Time: #1
8. Tune Overview: BLACKPINK – Pink Venom
9. Tune Overview: (G)I-DLE – Nxde
10. Grading The Okay-Pop Businesses 2020: BIG HIT LABELS
So, the most-viewed posts are both countdowns or opinions for songs I usually didn’t like. Nice. I am pleased about quantity seven being up there, although. General, my mammoth “100 Greatest Okay-pop Songs” countdown is one among my most learn options. It’s additionally most likely essentially the most bold factor I’ve accomplished on the weblog over the previous decade. I’m fairly happy with it, although I typically surprise if it wants an replace.
The 100 Greatest Okay-Pop Songs of All-Time
For individuals who are newer to the weblog, I need to hyperlink another options and posts that I’m happy with or suppose could be value your time. Certainly one of my favourite issues to do on this weblog is get a bit historic and look again at previous many years of labor. This isn’t at all times the most-viewed or trendiest kind of undertaking, however I’ve at all times thought it’s necessary to place music in context and be taught the legacy of an business. For this, I’d level you towards two nostalgic options:
Again To Okay-Pop’s First Technology
The 90’s J-Pop Roadmap
Each goal the 90s and early-00s – a selected candy spot for me and an period that doesn’t get mentioned almost sufficient in on-line Okay-pop/J-pop circles.
Along with that, I wished to hyperlink some miscellaneous options that most likely gained’t present up simply on a search however are enjoyable to look again at anyway:
From Savage Backyard to Golden Baby: My Pop Music Timeline
Eight Classes that 2019-era Okay-pop Might Be taught from INFINITE’s The Chaser
Monitoring Okay-Pop’s Tendencies from 2011-2017
A Love Letter to Japan’s Late-90’s Techno Trance Craze
How a Publish-Produce 101 Business is Stifling Okay-pop’s Creativity
Okay-Pop’s High Songs of Summer time (2012-2018)
R.I.P. Okay-Pop’s UNIVERSE App (2021-2023)
Largely, I simply need to say because of all of my readers — the outdated and the brand new. I actually by no means anticipated this weblog rising into what it’s as we speak and the truth that you all proceed to go to is the largest purpose I proceed to supply my ideas each day. I’ll attempt to provide you with a extra momentous function someday subsequent 12 months to totally have fun the weblog’s decade of existence, so keep tuned for what is going to hopefully be a fruitful interval for each Okay-pop and THE BIAS LIST.
