These 20 K-Pop songs represent a fantastic array of veteran artists, popular idols, ballad crooners and talented rookies.
2012 was the year that PSY, an unlikely K-pop veteran, surpassed his contemporaries with international stardom and an inescapable single ("Gangnam Style," of course). But that doesn't mean the rest of the K-pop world wasn't also delivering excellent tracks. BoA reminded us what made her a superstars in the first place, After School said they "missed you" and went back to their sexy roots, and indie acts like Busker Busker and The Koxx showed how you didn't need a major agency to make waves in the business.
Best of 2012: Billboard's Year-End Charts & More [1] | K-Pop Hot 100 of 2012 [2]
It was a year of fantastic tracks, exciting comebacks and these 20 singles represent a fantastic array of veteran artists, popular idols, ballad crooners and talented rookies. Check out the Billboard.com and Billboard Korea staff's picks for the top 20 K-pop songs of 2012, and tell us your personal favorite tracks of the year in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
| 20 | "Catch Me" - TVXQ  The K-Pop kings came back this year with a major electronic track. With a thumping bass and emotional piano backing, the duo paired their ethereal vocals with hulking roars and further proved why they have lasted in this industry for over a decade. WATCH THE VIDEO [5] |
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| 19 | "Love Dance" - The Koxx While EDM acts like Calvin Harris and Kaskade saw bigtime crossover success this year, The Koxx could give them a run for their money with "Love Dance." The indie band got dance-y with sputtering synthesizers with the song's best moment coming when its chorus builds to a moment of rock euphoria. |
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| 18 | "Touch" - miss A The dark disco feel of miss A's "Touch" showed a true change of form from the foursome's previous cutesy single "Good-bye Baby." The track got about as sexy as miss A could legally get as member Suzy was still not an adult in Korea (the legal age is 19), but expect an even more mature evolution when she does turn 19 next year. |
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| 17 | "One Of A Kind" - G-Dragon With a knocking hip-hop beat that any of today's biggest rappers would kill for, the BIGBANG leader showed off his impressive knack for flow and lyrics with his EP's opening track. The track put his talent at the forefront in comparison to silliness seen in single "Crayon." text by Jeff Benjamin and Jessica Oak
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Busker Busker brought something new and sweet this year with their smash debut hit. The indie band proved it was a sound to be heard above the din with its concoction of Beom-June Jang's charismatic vocals atop simple melodies.
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