K-Pop tracks turning 10 years old in 2023

Happy 10th Birthday to all these K-Pop songs! Each track has stood the test of time, hitting the decade milestone in 2023 and still being loved.

Girls’ Generation perform onstage back in 2013. Image: All Idol Tistory.

‘I Got a Boy’ — Girls’ Generation (1st January)

How better to start 2023 than with SNSD’s iconic genre-hopping track? Released on New Year’s Day in 2013, ‘I Got a Boy’ has since garnered a whopping 243 million views and 42 million Spotify streams at the time of writing. The experimental jumps from pop to hip-hop, EDM, and even rock have put the controversial title track in the K-Pop hall of fame. It was even explored in an episode of Netflix’s Explained documentary series!

‘No More Dream’ — BTS (12th June)

The biggest boy group in the world debuted to the world a whole ten years ago with ‘No More Dream’. Sporting some of their more questionable looks in the MV, the seven-piece kicked off their journey to the top boldly. The hip-hop influenced track is a far cry from some of BTS’s recent songs (think ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Yet to Come’) but certainly helped to shape the group, particularly the skills of the talented rapline! ‘No More Dream’ currently boasts 269 million YouTube views.

‘Bar Bar Bar’ — Crayon Pop (24th June)

There’s perhaps nothing more quintessentially K-Pop than Crayon Pop’s ‘Bar Bar Bar’; it’s bizarre, it’s upbeat, and it’s utterly addictive. Even ten years on, the girl group’s pop song continues to be deemed ‘iconic’, with many calling for a return of its kooky style and sound in the current K-Pop industry.

‘NoNoNo’ — Apink (5th July)

Described by one reviewer as simply “a sweet song with a cute MV to boot”, APink’s ‘NoNoNo’ is a bubblegum pop classic. Its bright sound and saccharine vocals were coupled with an iconic killing point dance that would be recognised by many a K-Pop fan. Despite the music video being swapped around to the 1theK YouTube channel six years ago, the girls have still garnered 26 million views and a further 58 million on an unofficial channel that posted the dance version of the video.

‘Growl’ — EXO (31st July)

It takes something special to be dubbed ‘The Nation’s Song’, and that’s exactly what EXO’s ‘Growl’ is often known as thanks to its popularity in Korea. Since its release with the group’s original twelve members, the song refuses to fall down the ranks, firmly planting itself in minds and playlists alike. This has led to a huge 287 million YouTube views. With a standout sound that has been described as “supple”, “slick as hell”, and “universally loved”, ‘Growl’ will be celebrating it’s tenth birthday in style.

‘24 hours’ — Sunmi (20th August)

After her success as part of the quartet Wonder Girls, Sunmi stepped out as a soloist in 2013 with ‘24 hours’. She has since become of one the most well-known solo artists in the industry, with an impressive catalogue of successful, catchy title tracks. ‘24 hours’ is often lost amongst such gems as ‘Gashina’ and ‘pporapippam’, but highlights Sunmi’s prowess nonetheless. The sultry choreography was even copied onstage by SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan and Vernon back in 2016, indicating its popularity even amongst idols!

‘Rocking’ — TEEN TOP (26th August)

If you’re looking for an old school, electropop song to party to that resembles LMFAO and BIGBANG, and perfectly encapsulates its era, look no further than TEEN TOP’s ‘Rocking’. Ten years later, the track still gives that classic club, EDM sound that is seldom heard in more contemporary K-Pop songs, perhaps due to its now dated style. Pairing the track’s bouncy sound with a ‘top-rocking’ choreography (the stylish moves seen before a breakdance floor routine), ‘Rocking’ acts as the perfect track to throw you straight back to the early 2010s.

‘Crooked’ — G-DRAGON (5th September)

It would likely be very difficult to find a K-Pop fan that has never heard of G-DRAGON. As the frontman and leader of YG superstar group BIGBANG, G-DRAGON (Kwon Jiyong) has cultivated an outstanding career. Dubbed the ‘King of K-Pop’, the 34-year-old’s tracks continue to stand the test of time. ‘Crooked’, his 2013 release, is one of his most popular; the pop-rock track blends synths, electric guitar, heavy drumbeats, and a sense of angst to create a song deemed to be “endlessly playable”, and “pure serotonin-fuelled bliss”. Definitely worthy of ten years of success.

‘Very Good’ — Block B (2nd October)

Just over two years ago on the Korean music survival show Road to Kingdom, PENTAGON chose Block B as their personal ‘Kings of K-Pop’, covering ‘Very Good’ in their own style and bringing the track back into the public eye. The song, often overshadowed by ‘Nillili Mambo’, ‘Nalina’, and ‘HER’, has still wracked up an impressive 5.5 million streams on Spotify, and 31 million YouTube views. Thanks to its intense, synth-based effervescence, incredible rock version, and rap flows full of braggadocio from ZICO and Park Kyung, ‘Very Good’ could easily be a modern track released by the likes of ATEEZ or TREASURE.

‘Everybody’ — SHINee (10th October)

As one of the biggest boy groups to grace the K-Pop scene, SHINee have become timeless. 2013’s ‘Everybody’ (also performed on Road to Kingdom by ONF who selected the SM group as their kings) is EDM excellence, dropping dubstep against the vocals of ONEW, MINHO, KEY, JONGHYUN, and TAEMIN for a ‘complextro’ track that would be well suited to audiences in Japan. The track was fairly divisive upon release a decade ago, but when paired with impressive choreography, it shares the lasting impact that SHINee has worldwide.

‘Hush’ — miss A (6th November)

Many recent K-Pop fans have been calling for the return of mature concepts for girl groups over the more common ‘girl crush’ concepts. Embracing sensuality and femininity is exactly what second generation quartet miss A did with their title track ‘Hush’. Echoing, harmonised vocals over a fairly stripped back instrumental of acoustic guitars and whistles creates an intimate sound, bolstered by passionate lyricism. Sporadic tempo changes between lyrics and beat build momentum, whilst a haunting, engaging MV and dance make for an overall treat that deserves its ten years of popularity and a whopping 65 million views.

Which is your favourite of these decade-old tracks? Are there any other songs from 2013 that you think have earned the right to be ‘iconic’? Let us know in the comments below.

Edited by Chelsea Cheetham..