A Deep Dive into Kr&b

So you’re not into the electro pop and cute style of mainstream k pop. I get it. It’s not for everyone. If you’re willing to trying out k pop, or just want to know about a different branch of Korean music, then maybe Kr&b is the path for you. How about we look at some of my favorite Kr&b artist to give you an idea of the genre, shall we?

Song of the Day: Gentleman by SHINee

So, What is Kr&b?

Well, its just like American r&b, but you know, in Korean. A lot of the artist that are big do new school r&b, but you can easily find people who do old school (which I enjoy).

What Are Some Big Artist?

The first to come to mind is obviously is Jay Park, with well known tracks like Mommae and Solo. He’s a great intro to the genre as he makes tracks in both Korean and English. He is great at what he does, but just like some American artist, his music is very explicit.

Another artist that took the genre by storm was Dean. His vocals are honestly amazing and his songs are easy to dance along to. All his title songs have become big hits, and although he just debuted, Dean is already a well known name.

Last but far from least is Crush. This dude is amazing. Even if you don’t any of his solo tracks, he is definitely featured in a song you do know. A voice perfect for r&b, he’s one of the artist that really define the genre.

What are some songs I should check out?

Beside the artists mentioned, there’s some great songs by some great people out there. I’ll link my personal playlist  (spotify) (youtube) There’s a bunch more artist on there, some with new school, old school, or hip hop vibes.

First is Babylon’s “Crush on You”. Its a nice classic r&b track, with a great voice to match. This song is one of my favorites from Babylon.

Next is Loco’s “Still”. This song is an easy listen with some emotional lyrics.  Everything from Loco is a good listen, check him out.

Hoody’s “Your Eyes” is also a great song that is easy to sway along to. Hoody doesn’t have a lot of music out, but everything she does is release is a little different from the rest.

Lastly is Heize and Dean’s track “And July”. These two have voices that mesh so perfectly. Not to mention the fum MV that goes along.

Why should I listen to Kr&b?

You may be thinking, “Why should I listen to this if 1. I can’t I understand it and 2. there’s American music like it.”

My answer to this is that you should listen in order to broaden your horizons. There’s nothing wrong with listening to a similar sound in a different language. That just gives you more music to listen to. So give it a try!

Alright so poll time! Out of all the artist mentioned here, who would you like to know more about? I might make a “featured artist” post for the one who wins. Any other artist you like? Let me know!

-Sakura ♡♡