Back to the Future: 5 Retro K-Pop Hits and Misses

The genre of K-Pop as a whole took a trip back a few decades for the better part of 2020. While some artists put out timeless bops, a few others fell short.

Written by Arundhati Ghosh

Photo courtesy of SM Entertainment

Following the popularity of Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia album and The Weeknd’s 2019 single “Blinding Lights,” the K-Pop music landscape — and pop music in general — became inundated with groups and soloists vying to put out the retro song to beat all retro songs. Considering the sheer number of nostalgic concepts that Korean artists explored in 2020 and 2021, it makes sense that only some of them are hits — noticeably retro tracks that adhere well to the aesthetic they were aiming for — and some are misses that are only ‘retro’ aesthetically. Despite how totally tubular the songs on this list are (and they’re all very, very good), some of them just weren’t as successful at throwing it back to the 20th century as others. 

Hit: “Call Me Anytime” by Eden, Ateez, maddox, & Eden-ary

Inspired by the broad genre of ‘90s R&B, KQ Entertainment’s premiere artists collaborated on a ballad that sounds like it’s straight out of a slow-dance scene in a ‘90s high school sitcom. The percussive rhythm sequence and hushed monologue that start “Call Me Anytime” are reminiscent of Shai’s 1992 hit “If I Ever Fall In Love,” and the way the rhythm fades into the background to lift up dulcet vocals is stylistically similar to how Boyz II Men layer many of their songs. Rather than merely taking loose inspiration from the genre, “Call Me Anytime” attempts to replicate ‘90s R&B authentically, introducing modern listeners to a style that was pioneered almost 30 years ago.

Miss: “Alien” by Suhyun

Apart from some bouncy synths in the background and a few percussive flairs throughout the song, Lee Suhyun’s solo debut single “Alien” does not have the overpowering percussion that was the hallmark of many ‘80s synth-pop songs. A perfect example of this style is Dead Or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record),” which uses punchy monotonic notes to emphasize the underlying beat. While Suhyun’s production is very clean and easy on the ears, it is not pushed far enough sonically, nor does it have the percussive strength to make it a full retro song, particularly of the ‘80s era. Her voice is also very light rather than the droning vocal style many ‘80s artists stuck with, as exemplified in Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer.” She slows down before her chorus, unlike most dance songs of the ‘80s. Overall, Suhyun succeeds in maintaining her signature airy style but, simultaneously, does not stay true to theme because of it. 

Hit: “Dumhdurum” by Apink

With a bouncing bassline in a style similar to Elvin’s “You Set My Heart On Fire” and an instrumental introduction that — while slightly longer than most K-Pop songs — fits in perfectly with the style of ‘80s synth-pop hits, girl group Apink’s “Dumhdurum” has the requisite business and vocal riffs needed to fit in with the style the members were shooting for. Although they stay true to the trademark K-Pop song structure by including a slow bridge, the group maintains its energy in the pre-chorus rather than allowing themselves to slow down before their powerful and percussive chorus. Apink’s members manage to successfully reconcile ‘80s instrumentals with the modern day K-Pop blueprint.

Miss: “Blue Hour” by Tomorrow X Together

While catchy and percussive, “Blue Hour” is boy group Tomorrow X Together’s sidestep into disco and funk music before they resumed their path to realizing their pop-punk dreams. Apart from the stereotypically retro  bassline, “Blue Hour” is far more a modern pop song than a throwback in that most of its style is less droning than most ‘80s dance music. Their chorus comes closest to passing for the genre they were aiming for — ‘80s disco — but it is sandwiched between crooning vocals that are best categorized as a staple in the late ‘00s boyband’s guide to pop music.

Hit: “Soul Lady” by Yukika 

Miss: “Pporappippam” by Sunmi

Sunmi’s staple style — emotive, sharp vocals backed by hard-hitting synth coming together as a blend of typical pop influences and more retro elements — is one that is so distinctive that fans and critics alike have taken to calling it “Sunmi-pop.” “Pporappippam” has a dreaminess and an energetic rhythm that are both typically associated with ‘80s city pop songs, just as Yukika’s “Soul Lady” does. Sunmi’s ‘80s inspiration is undeniable, but her application of instrumental and production elements akin to those in songs from the ‘80s is easy to call into question. Because of this, “Pporappippam” is so well-balanced in terms of being “Sunmi-pop” that it is not really distinctly retro in any manner outside of the aesthetic and the synth that is present at points of the song (but is notably missing from her bridge).

Hit: “I Can’t Stop Me” by Twice

Known mostly for the cutesy girl-next-door style of music that launched the band into international stardom, JYP Entertainment’s girl group Twice went in a completely different direction with lead single “I Can’t Stop Me” from 2020 album Eyes Wide Open, and the risk paid off. While they do not have the same bassline many other retro K-Pop songs have, the heavy percussion that backs the Twice singers’ airy vocals and the song’s synth intro and backing track are reminiscent of the theme songs of many ‘80s movies. This song also does not have the lengthy rap part that characterizes most K-Pop songs, making it even closer to retro. The Twice members took a risk by taking a more mature route with their music, and it paid off spectacularly.

Miss: “Home;Run” by Seventeen

Seventeen went much further back in time with their retro concept than most, modeling their music video set after a jazz club and wearing outfits straight out of the 1920s. Although the song begins and ends with jazzy, upswing instrumentals, most of the song does not emulate the lively but laid-back vibe most swing music from the ‘20s had. Although their vocals are very strong, they tend to overpower the jazz instruments in the background in a manner that was not really found in the decade the song takes inspiration from. This is in part due to the fact that Seventeen is a very rap-heavy group, which naturally makes it difficult for any of their music to mesh with the styles that were prevalent before the 1990s.

Hit: “90’s Love” - NCT U

While being rap-heavy worked against Seventeen, the “90’s Love” NCT unit composed of four rappers and three vocalists helped their throwback to 1990s hip-hop succeed. Part of the song’s chorus is even modeled after the introduction on ‘90s rap icon Busta Rhymes’ early 2000s song “Pass the Courvoisier Part II.” Although they still follow the K-Pop style of having a non-rap pre-chorus, the raspy vocals supplied by some of the group’s rappers in conjunction with the shouted ad-libs in the background and heavy rap bars make the song feel like it could fit in in a late ‘90s hip-hop track. Lyrics that playfully call back to the show “Friends” or famous nightlife spots during the ‘90s only serve to try and make the song more authentic. With the addition of typical boy-band harmonization, “90’s Love” is duly reminiscent.

Miss: “Dynamite” - BTS

Objectively one of the biggest hits of 2020, “Dynamite” may have been BTS’ addition to the nostalgia rush, but it is not noticeably retro. Although it does reference many things that were relevant at various points in the 20th century, such as the “Got Milk?” commercial from the ‘90s, the actual song itself is more pop-heavy than it is disco-adjacent. With its percussive rhythm and heavily vocal melodies, it is more closely related to the type of pop songs that grace modern commercials than it is to disco music of old, which makes sense considering the fact that “Dynamite” is featured in a Samsung phone ad.

From funk to disco and R&B to rap, artists in the 20th century offered us some of the smoothest vocals and most dance-able beats to date. With a retro resurgence on our hands, we all have the luck of experiencing the music of bygone days all over again in multiple different languages. Although we can’t always be sure of what the future will bring, we can always count on these songs to take us back.