K-POP HOTSPOT: January 2022 Comebacks And Debuts Roundup

How is 2022 treating y’all K-Pop-loving honey poppers? We are recovering from this immensely busy January. K-Pop did not let us breathe! Yes, that means it is time again for your favorite feature to get all things K-Pop comebacks and debuts: THP’s very own K-Pop roundup! January was full of quality, so make sure to check out the comebacks we already covered, such as ONEWE, MAMAMOO’s WHEEIN, MAMAMOO’s MOONBYUL, SEVENTEEN’s WOOZI, GIRLS ON TOP, ASTRO’s JINJIN and ROCKY, KEP1ER, PENTAGON, OMEGA X, ENHYPEN, BZ-BOYZ, P1HARMONY, CHANGMIN, AB6IX, SNSD’s TAEYEON, GOT7’s BAMBAM, and ATEEZ.

Now, let’s get into many more amazing comebacks and debuts that happened during January.

BLITZERS

Blitzers kick off the new year with ‘Bobbin,’ a bangin’ new rock anthem! Everything about this rookie group’s latest comeback is impressive, from the choreography to the lyrics. They’ve got a unique concept that is sure to win you over. And we can’t believe Blitzers are getting ready for their first U.S. tour, Check-In, next month!

UP10TION

A group overflowing with talent, Up10tion wows with their new EP, Novella! All six songs provide fans with gorgeous vocals so it’s difficult to pick a favorite, but ‘SAD ENDING’ is a very strong contender. Title track ‘Crazy About You’ laments the loss of a relationship they wish to get back. The lyrics are beautiful and melancholic, accented by their honey-sweet voices. If you’re not stanning them yet, now’s the time to join the Honey10 fam!

WOO!AH

Woo!ah! have released yet another bop! ‘Catch the Stars’ is a cute, energetic song about diving into a new love. It definitely belongs in your feel-good playlist. This catchy track is enough to make us stan, and we feel like having a solo dance party now!

TRENDZ

January was packed with not only comebacks, but also debuts! TRENDZ finally hit the scene after being teased for literal years. ‘TNT’ hit us right in the face with those amazing hip-hop verses and melodic chorus! We are hearing some amazing vocals there as well and are ready to stan.

WJSN CHOCOME

One of our favorite subunits returned this month! Filling the hole left behind by Orange Caramel, WJSN CHOCOME released the cheery, retro city-pop anthem ‘Super Yuppers!’ and if this song doesn’t make you feel better, we don’t know what will. Talk about an exciting track!

ALEXA

AleXa shows us a brand new side of her with her new single, ‘Tattoo.’ This break-up song feels full of emotion and nostalgia, all while staying bright and hopeful. Not only is the music video aesthetically gorgeous, and AleXa is gorgeous of course, but the song is simply beautiful and heartbreaking all while being empowering. ‘Tattoo’ might as well be one of AleXa’s best releases to date!

WEi’s YOHAN

Yohan made a surprise comeback this month that had us jamming all January long! The idol offered us amazing, sexy, and elegant visuals alongside one of his most fun songs to date. ‘Dessert’ will get you grooving to its super fun beat. But also, the rest of the album, ILLUSION, offers us a variety of songs that show us different sides to Yohan!

GOT7’s JACKSON WANG

Jackson blesses us with his new Chinese single, ‘王嘉尔 Jackson Wang!’ He reflects on his music career and shares difficult parts of his story that we’ve been needing to hear. Jackson reminds us to gradually move toward our dreams without comparing our paths to others, and we hope he knows how much he inspires us every day.

MIRAE

MIRAE were one of our favorite rookies to debut in 2021, and it seems like 2022 will continue their streak of giving us new music that is up to par! ‘Marvelous’ has been with us for the entire month and it just gets better with each listen. But that’s not all – the entire Marvelous album has some of MIRAE’s best songs to date!

KANGTA

Even after more than 25 years of performing, Kangta’s vocals still give us butterflies. We’ve been vibing nonstop to ‘Slow Dance’ ever since we heard it for the first time. His new single keeps us in the moment, and we can’t think of anything else except how good it is! No need to take things slow, just add it to all your playlists ASAP.

HYOLYN

Excuse us, is it hot in here or did our queen Hyolyn just come back with a new song? Both? Cool. ‘Layin’ Low’ is fire, and we couldn’t take our eyes off of Hyolyn’s dancing! The choreography just gets us every time. Jooyoung’s feature slaps, and his voice fits the sexy vibe of the song so well.

ONLYONEOF

OnlyOneOf has been on our radar since we named them one of our K-Pop groups to stan a couple of years ago, and there is a good reason for that. Since their first project, the group hasn’t slowed down and continues to release jams we can’t get enough of. Their most recent release has been their EP, Instinct, Pt. 2, and like part one, it’s filled with four great tracks. We start off with the title track ‘skinz,’ which if you haven’t checked out the music video for it, we highly recommend you do, and ends with ‘ultimate bliss.’ Though we like to say we don’t pick favorites, we think you’ll really like ‘gaslighting’ – let’s just say it has become our fave track from the group. We can’t wait to see what else OnlyOneOf has in store!

MOMOLAND

You can always count on MOMOLAND to deliver a super catchy bop! ‘Yummy Yummy Love’ teamed the girl group up with no one else but Natti Natasha, and it makes for such a feel-good song! The song is bound to be absolutely stuck in your brain for weeks on end. The girls also never looked better – we missed them so much, but this track more than makes up for it!

DRIPPIN

DRIPPIN have returned as the ‘Villain’ of our hearts this time around. Woollim knows how to produce amazing music for their artists and we are thankful for that. You can always trust DRIPPIN to deliver a catchy bop that will be stuck in your head for days! ‘Villain’ is the perfect addition to their discography with its powerful beat and strong vocals.

CHOI YENA

It is sad that we had to say goodbye to IZ*ONE, but it’s amazing to see them all debuting as solo artists and bringing us incredible music! Yena is no exception at all. She didn’t come to play as she collaborated with none other than BIBI for her first-ever solo song, ‘Smiley.’ And there’s nothing that will bring you more joy than this song! The music on Yena’s debut EP represents her personality and talent so well that we’re obsessed with every single part of it: the colorful music video, the catchy songs, and her, of course. We can’t wait to see what her solo career will bring!

FROMIS_9

Among all the incredible comebacks we had this month, fromis_9’s was one of the most anticipated, and they did not disappoint. ‘DM’ is the perfect mix between a retro pop song and a feel-good anthem, and it is so addictive that there’s no way anyone could not fall in love with it. Needless to say, the girls absolutely killed it with this comeback and it shows, as it is their biggest and most successful comeback to date. And yes, we do love talented women being successful!

VICTON

Over a year after their last comeback, Victon are back with their third single album, Chronograph! Title track ‘Chronograph’ is such a bop in Korean and English, and we’re in love with their refreshing and unique sound. They killed it and they killed us with their charisma – swoon!

YUJU

POV: you’re the villain of a story living your best life. That’s the vibe we get from Yuju’s powerful solo debut with her first mini-album, Rec! This is her first release since she joined Kang Daniel’s company Konnect Entertainment last September, and it’s a stunning project. Yuju’s debut has the perfect balance of hard-hitting, lower register songs and tender songs with her sweet vocals taking center stage.

LUMINOUS

LUMINOUS are back again with a new mini-album! Departing a bit from their fun and refreshing debut sound, the boys channel all of the boy group angst we love so much from fourth gen K-Pop! We can’t get enough and we’re so excited to see what this year has in store for LUMINOUS.

GOT7’s MARK TUAN

Mark Tuan bears his soul for all to see on his single ‘My Life.’ The honesty in the lyrics offers us a sensitive inside look into his thoughts and emotions, and we love the song’s vulnerability. “Sometimes I wish I was different/And someone would listen.” The mellow track impresses with a simple melody paired with the stunning visuals of his music video. Mark’s solo career is headed for the stars and we can’t wait to see him go interstellar!

KARD BM

BM can literally do it all! His new single, ‘LIE (Lost in Euphoria),’ is a beautiful song about being in love and feeling like you’re right where you need to be. We love his vocals just as much as his rap verses. ‘LIE’ is the chill type of song you play on those nights when you think too much, and it’ll totally comfort fans when they need to feel less alone. We can’t wait to see what he releases next!

SUPER JUNIOR’s KYUHYUN

Kyuhyun’s fourth EP, Love Story (4 Season Project 季), makes us involuntarily emotional with how warm and romantic it sounds. All of his songs are beautifully written and sung, and we can just imagine ourselves playing his mini-album on repeat while we study at a cafe. Kyuhyun’s ballads truly never disappoint!

LOVELYZ’ YEIN

We are still getting over LOVELYZ‘s disbandment, but the members have a lot in store for us. Up first to start her new journey is YEIN with her solo debut single, ‘Plus N Minus!’ She gave us a nice indie summer-sounding song with a music video that makes us feel envious of her friends.

GOLDEN CHILD

Golden Child finally made their long-overdue Japanese debut! They hit the scene with ‘A WOO!!,’ a song that’s very unlike GOLCHA, but at the same time, only they could have made this song this fun! While giving some of GOLCHA’s signature vocals, we also get a super fun chorus with howling elements that are super catchy. Honestly, Golden Child have never sounded like this, and it’s super fun!

GOT7’s JAY B (Def.)

Def. makes a strong comeback with his first solo EP, LOVE.! The six-track mini-album sets sail with smooth melodies and Jay B‘s soft vocal tone. The title track, ‘SUNSET WITH YOU,’ begins with a gentle yet soulful guitar intro, before Jay B lets the sweet lyrics open our eyes to the feeling of being so far in love that all we think of and see is that person. He teams up with LEON and JUNNY on ‘AGAIN’ and ‘LIKE A FOOL,’ respectively. We waited patiently for this EP and Def. over-delivered with each track, like the legend he is!

WANNA ONE

Are you crying? We are crying for sure! Never in a million years could we have thought that Wanna One would give us new music! After their emotional reunion stage at MAMA 2021, the boys have released ‘Beautiful (Part. 3),’ which is bound to make every last Wannable cry. We miss this power group every day, so to get this emotional music video and this beautiful upbeat ballad as a reunion feels unreal.

How did we make it through this month of bangers without collapsing, right? Are we ready for more, since February is just as packed? Of course! What was your favorite comeback of January? Which one are you most excited about in February? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @TheHoneyPOP!

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Words by: Selina Kuhn, Juu Luquin, Julie Dam, Valerie Valdez, and Nina Negron.