The Bias List is a K-pop blog that also covers a fair amount of J-pop. But just like most music fans, I enjoy tracks from all around the world. So, I thought I’d start a monthly round-up of some of the non-K-pop songs that have caught my ear. No ratings — just highlights!
February 2022 // March 2022 // April 2022 // May 2022 // June 2022 // July 2022 // August 2022 // September 2022 // October 2022 // November 2022 // January 2023 // February 2023 // March 2023 // April 2023 // May 2023 // June 2023 // July 2023 // August 2023 // September 2023 // October 2023 // November 2023 // January 2024 // February 2024 // March 2024 // April 2024 // May 2024 // June 2024 // July 2024 // August 2024 // September 2024 // October 2024 // November 2024 // December 2024 // January 2025
Alice Chater – Bed Of Lies
All of Alice Chater’s singles so far have been “almost there” for me and this is no different, but I love the groove.
Arttu Wiskari – Suuria tarinoita
Propulsive Finnish pop from a master of the genre.
Ava Max – Lost Your Faith
Ava gets a lot of crap online about how “basic” her music is, and I suppose there’s some truth to that. However, her songs are always catchy and fun to sing along with and I quite like the more rock-influenced edge to this one.
Bentley Robles & Zee Machine – Lock Me Up!
These two came together for one of my favorite songs of 2024 and aim to repeat that glory with Lock Me Up. It’s another victory lap for both of them. I just love this high-energy synth sound.
DE’WAYNE – Highway Robbery
The perfect blend of Prince and Lenny Kravitz with a new-gen edge. I love the sound of this but I’m playing last year’s bombastic Synthesizer even more. He’s such an exciting new pop/rock star!
Grant Knoche – Autopilot
80’s funk meets early-2000’s Neptunes/Timbaland beats for a total standout.
Gustaph – Really Mine
Gustaph remains one of the world’s best purveyors of authentic 90’s house.
John Lundvik – Voice Of The Silent
Cheesy as all get-out, but I’m a sucker for these big, anthemic pop tracks.
JVG – Rehellisesti
Finland’s leading rap duo has slowly morphed into an incredible dance act. This is massive.
Käärijä & Hooja – San Francisco Boy
No one pulls off novelty better than Käärijä. This is way catchier than it needs to be.
Kaleen – Knocking On Heaven’s Door
She’s continuing her rave from last year with this straightforward, crystalline club banger.
Klara Hammarström – On And On And On
Melodifestivalen 2025 has been underwhelming so far (I assume they’re saving the best for last), but this is my highlight of the first half. It’s the kind of massive dance track you can only get with Eurovision.
Kristy Spiteri – Heaven Sent
Speaking of Eurovision, I’m not a fan of the Kant song Malta ended up choosing but I really love this zany, operatic runner-up.
Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
My favorite development of 2025 so far is the general public’s rapturous acceptance of this brilliant new Lady Gaga single (followed closely by Erika Vikman winning UMK). The song is everything I’ve been missing in mainstream pop and has me ridiculously excited for the upcoming album. We are so back!
Ladybug – Hot As Hell In Paradise
Operatic bombast on a larger-than-life pop banger. I live for this drama.
Landy Wen – One Kiss (ft. icyball)
Taiwan’s diva unleashes a big disco bop with the help of excellent synth-rock back icyball.
Le Manou – Fille à papa
On to Belgium now, with another huge club hit. That electro beat is lethal.
LLL – Parasite
I love a new girl group with a pounding rave sound!
Lovequest – Wrecking Crew (with Ultra Naté)
This new dance outfit teams with legendary club queen Ultra Naté for a predictably great house hit.
Madison Rose – Panavision
I featured this in an earlier round-up but wanted to give its cool self-directed music video some spotlight too. Madison continues to kill it.
Maja Ivarsson – Kamikaze Life
I can’t believe I’m hearing a Maja Ivarsson song in 2025 that sounds as if it could have been a part of The Sounds’ debut album. It’s a huge shot of nostalgia.
Michael Medrano – The Penthouse
I love how parts of this echo the addictive bounce of J-Kwon’s immortal hip-hop classic Tipsy. The entire album is sleazy fun with consistently high energy.
Ollie Wride – Holy Drug
Ollie Wride’s second album is incredibly strong, especially if you love 80’s Spingsteen-esque synth-rock. This is one of my favorite b-sides, but I also want to link the incredible Radio – a stellar single I somehow missed from last year.
Olly Alexander – Heal You / I Know
Olly’s new album is super solid. It’s very Erasure-esque at times (with a touch of Darren Hayes), which these two standout tracks represent. Great melodies and nostalgic production.
Punchbag – F**k It
I’m intrigued by this new duo and their pummeling sound.
Sissal – Hallucination
We’ve got a ton of Loreen inspired Eurovision tracks this year and I’m not complaining one bit when they’re this satisfying.
Tone Damli – Last Song
Just a great, shimmering dance-pop track.
Tuure Boelius – Kertaakaan
His new EP is consistently great, but I mostly want to post this so I can call back to 2023’s gorgeous Läpi, which is anchored by a two-note synth riff that is completely foundational to my life. It reminds me of Til Tuesday’s 80’s hit What About Love, which for whatever reason is connected with incredibly vivid sense memory for me. Music is truly the world’s greatest magic trick. How can two notes, arranged in a specific meter, contain so much of a person’s musical DNA?
The Weeknd – Open Hearts
His new album’s a boring slog, but this one song stands out as a big highlight.