BTS, Red Velvet, PENTAGON, And IU Make Billboard's Staff-Curated 100 Best Songs of 2018 List

Several Korean artists were recognized on another one of Billboard’s year-end lists!

On December 11, Billboard released their 100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics’ Picks, which is a list consisting of the staff’s favorite songs of the year.

BTS, Red Velvet, PENTAGON, and IU were all included in this year’s curated list.

BTS was listed the highest at No. 22 with “Fake Love,” the title track of their “Love Yourself: Tear” album. They are cited for their exploration of “the depths of despair, loneliness and heartbreak,” losing yourself when faced with a failed love, and how the musical components of the track like its chorus echo these sentiments.

Red Velvet was No. 43 with “Bad Boy,” the title track of their repackaged album “The Perfect Red Velvet.” Caitlin Kelley brings to attention how the R&B track exemplifies that “it’s not contradictory to be badass and soft at once” in pop music, and praises the various details layered in the song.

PENTAGON’s “Shine” took No. 69 on the list. The title track of their mini album “Positive,” the song saw a massive resurgence on the charts and earned the group their first Top 10 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart. It’s noted by Tamar Herman for its fun musical elements like its “quirky brass and onomatopoeic chants” and the contrast between the vocal and rap lines.

The final Korean song on the list is IU’s “BBIBBI” in No. 88. The upbeat single is an empowering track that explores a deeper sentiment of calling out those who think that being in the public’s eye is grounds for disrespect. IU’s track is an example of “deeply personal K-pop,” as cited by Jeff Benjamin.

Congratulations to all the artists! What were some of your most favorite tracks from 2018?

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