A Halloween K-pop playlist

25 Oct

With so many different haunting hits from K-pop across the years, here’s a breakdown of some of our Halloween favourites!

*Vampire Lee Chaeyeon for her ‘Hush Rush’ promotion. Image: @official_LCY on Twitter.*

“Hush rush” — CHAEYEON

Released in 2022, “Hush Rush” was CHAEYEON’s stellar debut after IZ*ONE’s split. Differing from many other K-pop releases, “Hush Rush” is a laid back song with a chill instrumental and a focus on synths and vocal chops; EDM-style.

It references many vampire tales and is the best song for those who enjoy calmer music.

“The Black Cat Nero” — ATEEZ

ATEEZ is known for their incredible performances, one being “The Black Cat Nero” in the Korean show Immortal Songs 2. With “The Black Cat Nero”, which was originally released by ‘90s star Turbo, they gave the song a heavy metal twist. The visuals of the performance video have a dark, vampiric vibe that is perfect for the spooky season.

“Lucifer” — SHINee

Known as one of the most iconic K-pop songs ever, “Lucifer” by SHINee is the perfect song to add to your Halloween playlist. This song tells the story of an addictive relationship in which the partner is compared to the titular “Lucifer”. Released back in 2010, this track has been covered by many idols throughout the years. Featuring synths in a fast-paced rhythm, “Lucifer” has garnered almost 20 million streams on Spotify, remaining legendary to this day.

“Up All Night” — Stray Kids

Staying true to their hip-hop style, Stray Kids’ producing members 3RACHA wrote “Up All Night” as a reflection on their hard work and the stress of their everyday lives. In the video, the members dress as vampires as a metaphor for their nocturnal habits. The song features Bang Chan, Changbin, Felix, and Seungmin together and offers their audience a fresh, summery sound to warm things up for the Halloween season.

“BEcause” — Dreamcatcher

As a rock and metal influenced group, Dreamcatcher has always embraced the Halloween vibe. “BEcause” takes a turn throughout the song, going from a pop sound to hard rock and even utilising drum and bass pattern beats during the rap. The dark feelings portrayed in the track are the perfect addition to the playlist.

“Favorite (Vampire)” — NCT 127

For the group’s Halloween comeback in 2021, NCT 127 released a toxic love anthem. With an R&B sound, the killing point of the song is the whistling, as well as the stunning harmonising in the chorus which the members use to desperately confess their love. Combined with the viral Haechan vampire meme, you can’t help but love this song.

“Spider” — HOSHI

“Spider” was SEVENTEEN member HOSHI’s 2021 solo debut. The song’s vibe, alongside the choreography, helps enhance HOSHI’s description of an entangling love: “being unable to escape an individual’s magnetic and deadly charms” he said to Teen Vogue. “Spider” is a contemporary RnB track quite complementary to a more sexy Halloween!

“Addicted” — PIXY

PIXY have been slowly making their name in the K-pop industry. “Addicted” is the title song off their album Fairyforest: Temptation. With a focus on spookier synths, the track was confidently released in 2021 during Halloween season, proving once again PIXY’s all-rounder abilities and their mastering of darker concepts.

“RING X RING” — BILLLIE

BILLLIE debuted in 2021 with the song “RING X RING” immediately grabbing attention with their horror lore that dives into the disappearance of a girl named Billlie. Bringing storyline theorising back into K-pop, “RING X RING” builds a sense of urgency from the beginning. With siren-like chords, BILLLIE begin their journey in search of their missing friend. This song is brilliant at creating a spooky atmosphere needed for this season.

“Full Moon” — SUNMI

“Full Moon” was released in 2014 with as SUNMI’s solo debut album and return to K-pop after leaving Wonder Girls in 2010.

The song featured a collaboration from JYP and Brave Sound on production with vocals from SUNMI and rapping by Lena. The guitar combined with the hard-hitting drum enhances the sexiness and secrecy of the track.

SUNMI is now preparing for her next comeback, “Stranger” which will be released on the 17th of October as an official Halloween comeback!