Nugu K-pop - Look out for these artists in 2023
Nugu, or “누구” in Korean, literally translates to “who.” It’s a term in K-pop that fans use to describe musicians who are so new to the industry that most people haven’t heard of them. This term can also be applied to artists who are underrated to the point that you have to ask “who?”
If you’re an avid K-pop listener, finding nugu artists to keep up with is a great way to fill in the gaps between your favorite artist’s comebacks. So, when groups like New Jeans, Twice, and BTS go dormant, try supporting someone smaller! Let’s find out what asking “who?” will bring to the playlist this week, with a brief look into the artist’s themselves. 🎧
0WAVE
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Our journey into Nugudom begins with an artist crew formed by former K-pop boygroup member Ha Yoonbin of Treasure. They’re a part of the hip-hop and R&B based label “PYRAT,” established by the popular kR&B artist Colde.
Their discography currently consists of six EPs, including their most recent EP (“ITULT”), which was released in August of 2023. Their fresh sound contains various genres like hip-hop, trap, and R&B. Sometimes they even fuse trap and R&B sounds together, with aggressive vocals in one song and dreamy/moody vocals in the next track.
To experience 0WAVE’s range of sounds in 3 songs, check these out:
oh yeah
in my dreams
summ’ time
Summer Cake
Kim Minkyung, or “Summer Cake,” is another kR&B/pop artist who first stepped into the public’s eye when she was on South Korean survival reality shows like “Mix Nine” and “Voice of Korea.” She debuted solo in 2021 and uploads song covers on Youtube.
Summer Cake hopes to make her own unique style of music that people will recognize. Her sound is fun and flirtatious, just like her stage name, which is short for “hot like summer and sweet like cake.”
To find out why more people are starting to give her the hype she deserves, check out these 3 songs:
Not in public
Move me
Love villain
TNX
TNX is the first boy group produced by P Nation, the record label and entertainment agency founded in 2018 by singer Psy. Since their debut in 2022, they’ve released diverse and high quality music. With such great production quality and fun nostalgic concepts, it’s a wonder why they’re not recognized on the same level as similar boy groups like Enhypen, The Boyz, or Ateez.
Although TNX has the potential for a bigger fanbase, people who have come across their music rave about it. Several of them were upset when their February 2023 EP “Love Never Dies” didn’t have a track that topped charts, and I have to agree that it deserved more attention. When the “noise music” trend in K-pop didn’t seem to be dying down like K-pop fans had hoped, TNX were out there bringing back the old sound fans loved.
To give TNX the love they deserve, stream these 3 songs:
Kick it 4 Now
Love or Die
By You
Ily:1
ILY:1 is a girl group under FCENM Entertainment. Their debit was originally set to be in by 2022, but it was postponed. They officially debuted in April of 2022, with the single “Love in Bloom.”
This girl group is one that people love once they find out about it. While they’re bubbly pop sound is not for everyone, they are filling a hole that was left in the industry when Gfriend disbanded.
Not only have these girls achieved a very specific sound, they also offer great performances when it comes to synchronization and clean dance steps.
To find out what the praise is all about, check out these songs:
My color
Blossom
Twinkle, twinkle
Listen to them and more on the complete playlist:
See you next week!
