At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade.
March 2026 Overall Thoughts
Hmm… um…
Well…
I guess if I look solely at my top two songs of March, this month was a minor improvement over January and February. After all, I genuinely like those top two picks a lot, even if neither reached a hallowed “9” rating for me. But dig further down and this month delivered way more duds than it did hits. We’re now a quarter through 2026 and I’ve still heard no song that could feasonably compete for a “top ten” position in my year-end countdown. It’s been almost five months since I’ve rated a song “9” or higher, which is actually shocking. I mean… what are we even doing here?
Worse yet, this year in K-pop hasn’t delivered even one album I’ve had the desire to listen to more than a couple of times through. I feel like I’m running way behind on “buried treasures” since most b-sides have simply been “fine” to “okay”.
March was framed around the much-hyped BTS comeback. Some have speculated that the group’s mere presence on the release slate frightened away other artists. I’m not sure I fully believe that, since the first quarter of the year tends to be a slow release period anyway, but its scheduling definitely had some effect. Sadly, for me the BTS album was not worth the wait. None of its material made it into this monthly round-up. I know fans probably feel different, but to me the album came and went without any real impact.
So… we’re left with a ton of decent-but-forgettable songs rated in the “7” range and quite a few clunkers rated in the “6’s” or even “5’s.” Songs like these come and go like flotsam and jetsam, rarely even making it to my playlist unless they really grow on me. Because of this, my K-pop listening tended to be pretty light in March.
If K-pop was disappointing, J-pop was downright anemic. I’m not even going to bother with a “top three” this month because nothing really made it to my playlist. I’d just be picking a few songs that I think are okay but have no lasting interest in. That doesn’t feel right. However, it was a banner month for J-pop in one regard: one of the best groups to ever exist finally put all their music on streaming. Check out my write-up if you’re looking for some fantastic music during these doldrums.
Thankfully, April seems poised to finally kick off 2026 in style. Many groups I’m fond of (TWS, KickFlip, &TEAM, Close Your Eyes, TXT) and big names (AKMU, NCT Wish, T.O.P) are set to release new music. CORTIS is also threatening a new track and we’ve got some key debuts on the docket. If nothing else, April will be busy. Will we finally see a 9+ rated song emerge? At this point, it’s becoming a necessity. The whole premise of this blog hinges on there being at least a few big highlights every now and then. Otherwise, you’re all just reading variations of the same cranky critiques. Who wants to do that?
Month Cumulative Rating: 7.4
(compiled by averaging the scores of every K-pop review from this month)
J-Pop Highlights
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week One
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week Two
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week Three
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week Four
New & Noteworthy J-pop: Week Five
TOP J-POP SONGS OF THE MONTH
None this month
K-POP
Honorable Mentions
Baby DONT Cry – Bittersweet / Shapeshifter (review // review)
CSR – Can’t Hide Anymore (review)
Dragon Pony – Oh Perfect! (review)
H1-KEY – To. My First Love (review)
Jang Haneum – Wanna (review)
Odd Youth – Babyface (review)
TWS x 24kGoldn – You Like It I Love It (review)
Wonpil (DAY6) – Highs And Lows (review)
This Month’s Risers and Fallers
This Week In K-pop: Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5
This Month’s Global Pop Round-Up
TOP THREE SONGS OF FEBRUARY
3. ALL(H)OURS – Dead Man Walking (review)
2. KickFlip – Twenty (review)
1. Yena – Catch Catch (review)
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of February 2026
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of January 2026
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of December 2025
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of November 2025
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of October 2025