Weekly K-Pop Ranker: The Top 5 K-Pop Releases From The 1st Week Of September

Welcome to Kpopmap’s brand new weekly series, “Weekly K-Pop Ranker” where we rank the best Korean music releases from the week. This includes music released by any and all artists such as K-Pop groups, soloists, bands, K-Hip Hop artists, indie artists, and more. It is also inclusive of foreign language releases from K-Music artists as well as OSTs.

The timeline in consideration for each article will be the span of 7 days, from Fridays to Thursdays. The Weekly Ranker article will be published every Friday. In the case of this article, we will look at releases from 2nd September 2022 to 8th September 2022.

Note: This ranker will not be based solely on the commercial success or popularity of the releases. However, we will open a poll at the end of each article where you can vote for the best release of the week. The best releases from each week will be compiled in a monthly article based only on your votes. 

Here are the top 5 K-Pop releases from the 1st week of September!

BTOB’s ChangSub comes in strong this week with a stellar new special single, ‘Surrender’, his first solo release in over 3 years! ‘Surrender’ is an excellent entry into synthwave K-Pop genre, drawing from some classic nostalgic sounds juxtaposed with modernity. This is the type of song that gets stuck in your head until you find another ChangSub special to obsess over.

Kim JaeHwan has a tryst with rock in ‘Back Then’, and we have to say, it is truly exciting. The vocals on this song are immaculate, and the impact it leaves is solid. There’s a familiar feeling to this song, perhaps because it is reminiscent of pop rock bands like 5 Seconds Of Summer, but there’s a sentimentality here that is truly inimitable. After all, this is Kim JaeHwan we are talking about, and he’s always extraordinary.

3. ONEUS – ‘Same Scent’

Trust ONEUS to deliver bop after bop because ‘Same Scent’ is the tropical dance track we needed this season. With all the strengths of a memorable K-Pop song, ‘Same Scent’ will have you grooving in no time. It is powerful, romantic, and energetic, whereas the lyrics are rather heartbreaking – classic duality! Special appreciation is due to the rap line, who truly transform this song into a unique ONEUS piece coupled with the gorgeous vocals.

YoungSeo lets his golden voice shine in all its glory in ‘The Letter’, a poignant ballad that plays out just like the name suggests. It is personal, deeply moving, and heartfelt. It is a wonder how this is YoungSeo’s first-ever solo project, especially since he sounds so impressively experienced and more importantly, effortless. We cannot wait to hear more from him as he explores his personal musicality further.

Chuu’s ‘One And A Half’ is a remake of the popular song of the same name by TWO TWO. Not only is the song perfectly suited to Chuu, but she also imbues it with a whole new charm. Her rendition has a patient pace and a quiet yet youthful elegance. It almost sounds as though she is singing the OST for a campus romance drama! We just can’t get enough of her mellifluous voice!

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