Top 10 K-Pop Summer Jams

Wow, can you believe it's almost summer? It feels like I was just shoveling snow from the driveway and now I’m battling spring allergies and, in a few weeks, facing the hot humid summers of Canada. (Yes, it gets hot here in Canada too LOL.) Summer is a time for fun, to get out and have fun with friends and family, so why not spice things up with some great music?

These songs are in no particular order, they’re just some of my favorite K-pop songs to listen with a great summer vibe. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

First up, the queens of summer, SISTAR! Basically, every one of there songs could fit into this category (you know, hence the title “queens of summer”). But I’m just going to pick my absolute favorite one which is “Loving U”. It was one of the first SISTAR songs I heard, and I loved it! The music video is colorful and cute, with hints of sexy, and you can really feel the summer breeze just from listening to it.

Next is K.A.R.D, now they’re kind of in the same boat as SISTAR, since basically, all their songs are very summery. K.A.R.D’s music style is a mix of dancehall and reggae, both genres that are the staples of summer vibe songs, so in this case, I’m also just going to choose my favorite from all of their songs. My pick is “RUMOR”. It’s a darker song completely different from their first two summer songs but it has a good summer beat nonetheless. I’m showing you the dance version rather than the actual MV, since I feel it looks more like a summer MV than the actual one.

This next group is known for their upbeat electronic/punk vibes but for this song they slowed it down a bit for a soft sweet summer song. “STAY” by BlACKPINK really captures that “end of summer sitting around the campfire” vibe, though the video doesn’t really have that vibe but just the song itself can really get you feeling like going on an end of summer trip with your friends for your last hurrah before the school year starts.

The Wonder Girls always release good music, but sadly, they’ve disbanded. But we’re still left with their wonderful (pun intended) music. They always switch up their style of music and this time it fits the summer vibe perfectly with a cool island beat, So enjoy their smooth reggae jam “Why So Lonely.” The music video shows the story of the girls getting back at their abusive boyfriend all set in an island backdrop which kind of gives it an eerie feel but still light enough to be a great summer jam!

SHINee’s “View” is a great song and video, it really just feels like a few friends hanging out over the summer without a care in the world. With its mid-tempo beat and soothing vocals, I’d say it perfect for a summer drive with your fam, which is why I think it fits perfectly on this list what do you think?

It seems that the island reggae beat is becoming more popular lately and I’m not complaining, because that’s how we end up with jams like “REALLY, REALLY” by WINNER. Yet another reggae dancehall song and video and I’m loving it! The video is just a simple black and white dance video, but there’s something about it that makes you want to keep watching.

The next artist is a pretty unknown but AMAZING one, The Barberettes, they’re an all-female barbershop trio, which is already is pretty hard to find in general but even more so in K-pop. The song I picked is “Summer Love.” This song is beautiful and their vocals are no joke, they can hit literally every note. The video is very chill, it has some scenes of the girls singing and also some scenes of cute summer lovin'.

This one is an oldie but a goodie. “Tonight” by Spica is such a great song and video, it feels like K-pop and Coachella had a child. Spica was a very underrated group but their vocals are top-notch, I recommend even going back and checking out some of their other songs too, but for now, listen to "Tonight" by Spica.

Red Velvet is staying true to their name and giving us an upbeat “Red” song as smooth as “Velvet” with “Red Flavor.” I instantly loved this song when I heard it, it's so bouncy and free, perfect for summer. The music video is just as bouncy and free with tons of color and some delicious summer fruits.

BIGBANG caught me off guard, for a group who usually makes songs about partying that could suit any club their song “We Like 2 Party” was ironically nothing like that. It was a soft acoustic jam that has that "singing on the beach with your friends at night” vibe. The video is really fun! It’s a very chill video with the guys fooling, doing summer things, it felt more like a vlog than a music video (and I mean that in a good way).

And there you have it, ten summer K-pop jams to keep you partying all summer!