Music Monday – Have You Heard Of…

I spotlighted one of my favorite groups, BTS, but another great thing about discovering a love of K-pop was expanding my musical experience to non-US based singers. My Spotify playlist is full of groups or solo singers I had never heard of and can’t fully understand their songs but their voice and music are just so catchy and beautiful. This is in no particular order and is by no means an exhaustive list because I would have to probably do a Top 100 to cover them all (some of my favorites aren’t listed here but if you’re interested in more groups leave me a comment and I can list some other favorites). Here are my 10 non-US performers to give a try.

*Please forgive any mistakes I may have made on their locations or facts. I don’t speak any language other than English but I tried to research the best I could!

Blackpink is a Korean girl group. (Fun fact – only 2 of the 4 members were born in South Korea.)
EXO is a Korean pop group that debuted in 2012. (Fun fact – while they are a Korean group one of my favorite songs from them, Paper Cuts, is actually sang in Japanese.)
Uru is a Japanese singer/songwriter with the most beautiful voice! (Fun fact – She started a YouTube channel back in 2013 though she didn’t make her major debut until 2016.)
Ateez is another K-pop group that debuted in 2018 and has quickly become one of my favorite groups. I had to cheat and include two songs that showcase their different sides. (Fun fact – The name ATEEZ refers to a group of teenagers who is willing to do everything from A to Z.)
Min is a Vietnamese pop singer and dancer. Y.Ê.U is one of my favorite songs from her! (Fun fact – She started off as a member of the dance group St.319.)
Armaan Malik is an Indian singer. (Fun fact – He can sing in multiple languages including Hindi, Telugu, English, Bengali, Tamil,, Punjabi, Urdu, and several others. So I included one he sang in English and one in Telegu.)
IU is a Korean singer/songwriter who also has the most stunning voice. (Fun fact – IU is also a successful actress and has starred in multiple dramas.)
Rin (Rinne) is a Japanese rapper and this song was so catchy. (Fun fact – he began to participate in musical activities as a rapper since 18 years old.)
Monsta X is a K-pop group and I had to cheat again and included two of my favorite songs from them because they have such different feels. (Fun fact – the group was created through a reality show called No Mercy.)
Nissy is a Japanese singer. (Fun fact – He is also an actor and member of the J-Pop group, AAA, under the name Takahiro Nishijima.)