July has been a month full of fun, dance, tropical, 100% summer vibe songs.
Honestly it’s taken me so long to figure out which songs will be my top five. In my mind they’re all tied! If you’ve seen my YouTube videos lately you’ll notice I’ve said, “This song will be stuck in my head” or “I’m already addicted to this song”. Yea, those statements are very true.
From start to finish July was full of high energy, positive songs. I think it’s important to look for things that bring us joy and to me music is one of them. I hope some of the songs listed here will bring you some happiness to your day.
Here are my honorable mentions:
(G)I-DLE – i’M THE TREND
I’m pretty sure (G)I-DLE had a great time recording this track. I think it’s clever how they mention the titles of their songs in this one. If you’re familiar with any of (G)I-DLE’s previous songs I’m sure you’ll love this one, I definitely did! It’s upbeat, fun, and lively. You can watch their MV Here.
Yoon Dujun – Save Me
Although this song isn’t part of the upbeat summer vibe songs I list on this post – I still had to add Dujun on the list. His solo debut album ‘Daybreak’ is calming. His song “Save Me” is a beautiful track and his smooth vocals are wonderful. I wrote a whole blog post on his album HERE. You can also check out the music video for his title track “Lonely Night” HERE. My reaction video to his song is HERE.
ATEEZ – Inception
This comeback marks the start to the next chapter of ATEEZ musical journey. “Inception” is an impeccable song. The music video is a top notch production, as expected from ATEEZ. The whole storyline ATEEZ has created is unique and it definitely keeps us viewers intrigued. Some of my favorite tracks on their album ‘ZERO: FEVER Part.1’ are “One Day At A Time” and “THANXX”. Overall I really enjoyed their entire album as well. You can watch their MV Here and my reaction to “Inception” HERE and my album reaction HERE.
Now here are my top 5!
5. Sehun – On Me
You can watch my reaction video to Sehun’s “On Me” MV here.
I would like to point out the entire album from EXO-SC ‘1 Billion Views’ is really good. Chanyeol was heavily involved in the production of this album and I think his hard work definitely paid off. His solo track “Nothin’” showed us a different side to him musically and as an artist. Some of my other favorite tracks are “Rodeo Station”, “Say It” which features PENOMECO, and “1 Billion Views”.
However, I catch myself replaying Sehun’s solo song “On Me” very often. This is (somewhat) his solo debut. His music video showcases how charismatic he is. Despite being surrounded by dancers he still manages to stand out and really own each scene. Sehun was also part of the process of creating this song, along with Chanyeol, and I think that shows they are growing as artists. If you want to see cool behind the scenes of this album I highly recommend checking out Chanyeol’s YouTube channel (in collaboration with MQ who also helped produce this album too) NNG.
4. Somi – What You Waiting For
You can watch my reaction video to Somi’s “What You Waiting For” MV here.
This is Somi’s first comeback (as a soloist). When I first heard “What You Waiting For” I thought it was really catchy. The more I listened to it the more I loved it. This song (along with the top three songs I list below) we’re stuck in my head many times. I think Somi’s vocals really shine on this track and she does a great job in the music video portraying different emotions. Although she only has two very different songs out, it’s hard to determine what exactly is Somi’s sound. But I think the more she releases music, experiments with different genres and concepts, she’ll find what suits her best. Personally, I think “What You Waiting For” fits Somi perfectly. I hope her company will allow her to continue releasing more music in the near future.
3. Kang Daniel – Waves (feat. Simon Dominic and Jamie)
You can watch my reaction video to Kang Daniel’s “Waves” MV here.
How does a perfect collab look like? You can find it in Kang Daniel’s song “Waves” which features Simon Dominic and Jamie. Simon’s deep voice along with Jamie’s vocals and Kang Daniel’s is a match made in music heaven. The music video is fun and it made me want to jump in and dance with them. I can’t count how many times I had this song on replay. The tropical, Latin vibes of the song pulls me in every time.
2. Eric Nam – Paradise
You can watch my reaction video to Eric Nam’s “Paradise” MV here.
Dance vibe? Yes please! Paradise not only sounds great but it has a great message too. “Paradise” is about feeling trapped and wanting be free to go to the place you always dreamed of. Day6’s Young K was a co-writer in most of the songs on Eric’s album (yes including “Paradise”). The whole album ‘The Other Side’, is filled with great songs and it’s definitely worth listening to.
1. Zico – Summer Hate (feat. Rain)
You can watch my reaction video to Zico’s “Summer Hate” MV here.
Is anyone surprised I chose Zico’s “Summer Hate”? Back in January “Any song” was my number one pick and I think it was a great song to start 2020. “Summer Hate” is a fun song with some tropical vibes. His collaboration with Rain was perfect. They don’t take themselves too seriously and watching them perform this song is a treat. “Summer Hate” is refreshing and yes… the lyrics are relatable as well. Zico’s album ‘Random Box’ is also full of summer vibes. I wrote a separate blog post on his album HERE.
You can check out more of my favorite Kpop songs (that were released) in the month of July on my playlist HERE.
-EliMarie
I talk more about KPOP on my channel YouTube.com/elimariereacts
You can follow my Twitter HERE and my Instagram HERE.
