July 9 and July 10 saw London enter into an exciting world of all things K-Pop and Hallyu as various well-known K-Pop artists took to the stage of Wembley’s OVO Arena for HallyuPopFest London 2022. To celebrate the success and excitement of this event, here is a selection of B-sides from some of the artists who performed at HallyuPopFest. 

“To Be Honest” - KAI

Taken from KAI’s 2021 second mini-album Peaches, “To Be Honest” is a downbeat hip-hop track that is surprisingly the most upbeat track on the mini-album. With a smooth, electronic backtrack placed behind KAI’s sweet vocals, “To Be Honest” is a calming bop that will have you dancing and head-bobbing from the get-go. 

“Moonwalk” - ASTRO

ASTRO's “Moonwalk” is a track that gives off major ‘90s and early 2000s boy band sounds. The song’s choppy backing track and deep, robotic autotune effect at the beginning provide a sense of musical nostalgia. “Moonwalk” is such a fun pop song with a really pleasing high vocal range during the chorus. It is a song that I could also imagine as part of a children or family live-action film, adding to that sense of ‘90s and 2000s nostalgia. 

“Butterfly”  - P1Harmony

Taken from their 2020 debut album DISHARMONY: STAND OUT, P1Harmony's B-side "Butterfly" is a beautiful, downbeat R&B track that truly highlights both the group’s vocal and rap lines. The chorus is so catchy and gives us small snippets of the group’s amazing harmonizing abilities. 

“NO LIE” - EVERGLOW

"NO LIE" is an addictive song with a tropical beat that is quite different to the EVERGLOW tracks casual listeners, like myself, might be used to. While their other songs are quite edgy, "NO LIE" is more on the sweet, softer side, although the chorus and the beat do give off that EVERGLOW edge of their other songs. 

“Echo” - SF9

"Echo" is a song that was beautifully written and produced by Zuho, SF9's rap member, specifically for the group’s fandom, Fantasy. It’s a beautiful song that highlights the members’ vocals and raps, but on a softer side, while an electronic beat is layered behind them, adding a nice contrast to the song. SF9 also released a Japanese version of "Echo," which you can check out below.

“What You Wanted” - CIX

"What You Wanted" is a song that, to me, has one of the most interesting and captivating sounds in K-Pop, especially coming from a debut album. From the offset, the beat really pulls you into the song and prepares you for the unexpected, which continues into the verses and chorus with the low registered style of singing that the CIX members sing with. I particularly love the section that sounds as if it has been sung through a radio device, before the last chorus. 

Edited by Kelly Sipko