Vaxxed Hot Girl Summer Playlist
This year has marked the reopening of much of the world, with people whipping out their sexiest bathing suits and escaping to beachside getaways to reclaim their lost summers of last year. While any K-Pop summer playlist is sure to include SISTAR’s “Touch My Body,” “Shake It,” and “Loving U,” here's a few more songs that should be added to your soundtrack for a Vaxxed Hot Girl Summer!
HyunA - “Bubble Pop!”
First on the list is HyunA’s “Bubble Pop!” Despite being released a decade ago this year, the song remains a Vaxxed Hot Girl Summer classic with lyrics well suited to the 2021 desire for freedom and fun! This song is perfect for belting out on carefree nights where you can’t help but yell, “What’s wrong with going out late at night? What’s wrong with not picking up your phone calls once in a while?”
HELLOVENUS - “I'm ill”
HELLOVENUS started out as a joint girl group project between Fantagio and Pledis Entertainment, but after their cuter releases failed to gain traction, the companies split and Fantagio went on to revamp the group with a much sexier concept. In 2015, “I’m ill” became a stand out success with lyrics that embrace the “I’m sexy and I know it” mantra. If you ever need a confidence boost before hitting the club, turn on this track, look in the mirror, and tell yourself, “I was always hot, you didn’t know? My skin is tight, my smile is big. It never changes, I’m pretty.”
Hyolyn and Kisum - “FRUITY”
With Hyolyn already cemented as a summer queen from her days in SISTAR and rapper Kisum enjoying new found popularity from her Unpretty Rapstar run, these ladies made a perfect team for the refreshing summer song “FRUITY.” Produced by the hitmaking duo GroovyRoom, this song is perfect for jamming to with a drink at a poolside party!
Wonder Girls - “I Feel You”
The ‘80s synth-pop-inspired track was the glimmering comeback of K-Pop’s pioneers the Wonder Girls. “I Feel You” is another sing-along hit to add to the group’s extensive roster that includes “Nobody,” “Tell Me,” “Be My Baby,” and “Like This.” The melody and style of “I Feel You” throws you into a feeling of fleeting youth and nostalgia. This song is for driving on the highway with the windows down, making memories on cool summer nights with your best friends!
Brown Eyed Girls - “Abracadabra”
For second generation K-Pop fans (and even newer fans), Brown Eyed Girls’s “Abracadabra” is easily one of the most iconic and nostalgic songs of the late 2000s. It was inescapable between boy groups and girl groups performing their own renditions of the hypnotizing hip dance on variety shows. Even PSY couldn’t resist incorporating the dance in his performance of “Gentleman” four years later.
AOA - “Heart Attack”
One of AOA’s many summer hits, “Heart Attack” is an upbeat, addictive track produced by BraveBrothers, the creator of the recent chart topper “Rollin’” by Brave Girls. Summer flings and hookups can be a tradition among vacationing college students and 20-somethings. With choreography that accentuates one’s curvaceous features, it makes for a flirty dance-along to show off in front of your crush.
EXID - “UP&DOWN”
This quirky song took about four months to gain traction, but after a mesmerizing fancam of Hani went viral, “UP&DOWN” was inescapable for the rest of 2014. Like “Abracadabra” before it, rookie and senior groups in the K-Pop industry couldn’t help but put their own spins on the sultry pelvis dance. If your summer fling becomes an on-again-off-again drama, this song about roller coaster relationships will help you dance off the stress.
SPICA - “I Did It”
“I Did It” was the first all English single by the vocal powerhouse group SPICA. It makes for the ultimate confidence booster and is sure to be another karaoke hit during girls’ night out. With lyrics like, “Choose how I live my life whether you like it or not,” and, “I don’t care what you want me to be...I did it for me,” this retro track embraces self-love, freedom, and sisters before misters!
Jessi - “Down”
The fierce rapper Jessi has become one of K-Pop’s favorite unapologetic and sexy queens. While many of her title tracks have strong hip-hop influences and dance beats like “NUNU NANA,” her 2018 single “Down” is a more relaxed tropical song well suited to the beaches of Bali (where the video was filmed). The steamy music video matches the summer heat and excitement of going on a private vacation with your new love.
Sunmi - “Gashina”
Lastly is “Gashina,” which could often be heard echoing through the streets of New York City’s Koreatown throughout the summer of 2017. It’s another synth-pop number for the previous Wonder Girls member Sunmi, but this time with a hint of dancehall. As with the summer hits before it, “Gashina” includes a sensual point dance where one uses finger guns and follows the curves of the body. It went semi-viral among fans and idols on TikTok, and is perfect for dancing along at a poolside festival (which is exactly where the song went viral again a year later after Sunmi and her eye-catching backup dancers gave a soaking wet performance).
Dominique has been drowning in the K-Pop wave for a decade ever since SHINee’s Taemin danced into her high schooler heart. These days she’s known in her local newsroom as the local K-Pop stan and loves to find stories about NYC fans bringing the community offline. Her favorite pastime is devouring the latest Hallyu updates on Twitter while enjoying a caramel macchiato.