JADE

Favorite Songs: Glitch, Lip Service, Before Your Break My Heart

When it was officially announced that Little Mix would be taking a hiatus, I was so interested and thrilled to see the artistic routes the girls would take as soloists. Out of the trio (yes, trio), I have been very pleased with Jade the most. Her debut single Angel of My Dreams was among my top streamed songs in 2024, and now her debut album ranked in my top 10 most streamed albums of 2025. The instrumentals, the lyrics, the visuals. 10000/10 pop perfection. I am so excited to see what else she has in store.

Favorite Songs: Band-Aid, 그림자놀이 (Shadow Puppets)

I remember hearing a snippet of Avocado on Twitter and reminding myself to check this out once it was officially released. I’ve always admired Chaeyoung in Twice for her unique style and artistry; even with a rapper position, she still has a very nice vocal color that is fleshed out even more in this album. Her solo debut allowed me to see a completely different side of her, and I look forward to seeing more variations of her style in future releases.

Favorite Songs: Should Be, Roll With Me, CRZY

I’ve never really been the biggest NCT fan. I do know most of the members individually, one of them being Haechan of course. I’ve always thought he had a nice voice, but after tuning into this album, that thought has skyrocketed by 100000000x. The R&B route for his debut album was an excellent choice to make, as I feel this genre of music suits his voice exceptionally well. He is also an amazing performer; go watch literally any of his stages for CRZY and tell me I’m wrong. All that to say, Haechan is bringing back yearners.

Favorite Songs: 1-800 Heartbreak, Don’t Make Me Do It/Tempted, Get Yo Boy

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews and opinions on this album, and I’ve been able to understand some of those viewpoints. For me personally, I enjoyed it! There’s maybe two songs that I didn’t save, and one that I haven’t listened to all together and probably never will (cough cough CHRIS BROWN cough cough), but despite that, I think this was a great final chapter in this album trilogy. Also, I don’t care what y’all say: I do happen to like Go Girl a lot, even though TikTok has turned it into a meme.

Flash
and Core

Yerin Baek

Favorite Songs: Another Season, Karma calls, You broke my heart but.., in the middle, Put it back on

I discovered Yerin in 2021, after coming across her album “Every letter I sent you.”, which I consider one of my favorite albums of all time now. Having followed her for a few years now, I couldn’t contain my joy for her newest album released this year. And she did not disappoint in the slightest. Even though it was just released in October, it became my 4th most streamed album for the entire year. That’s how much replay value this album has for me. She’s a true student of genres like soul, funk, and jazz, and it shows heavily in her work.

Favorite Songs: Favorite Songs: White cat, Soap, Aibo

Though I am very familiar with Loona, I have not really delved much into their solo/group unit releases since the “indefinite hiatus”. I came across the video for White cat while scrolling on Twitter one day and immediately went to listen to the full project. There’s this feeling of nostalgia that comes over me whenever I listen to it, which I believe keeps drawing me back in for more. Her visuals go hand-in-hand with the listening experience, especially the White cat video.

Favorite Songs: Hashtag, Gone Girl, See you in hell,

I literally could not get enough of the “Soft Error” EP, so I had to tap in to see what else Yves has released so far. About 5 seconds into the opening song, Viola, I knew I needed to have my Yves stan card signed. Once again, there is a certain nostalgic feeling that arises in me whenever I listen to her music. And who isn’t a sucker for some good ole’ pop nostalgia? I think she’s carving out an amazing lane for herself, and she’s easily made me a diehard fan with just two projects.