Older K-pop fans might remember the dearth of variety in K-pop back in 2010-2012 where the general musical output was uninspired and vapid. Beginning from 2012, there have been a gradual increase in a throwback sound, with title songs spanning across more genres than just hip hop and pop. This article is dedicated to a genre close to my heart as a 90s kid: New Jack Swing. New Jack Swing as a genre is experiencing a lull in Western music currently, despite its origins and fame from the American music scene. The current revival of retro musical styles in the Korean music scene is tossing up some great tributes to this genre. While still far from mainstream popularity in the ever-changing K-pop music industry, there have been a few great releases in recent years to satiate the swing beat fan’s hunger. This list will be updated as more songs come up!
WOW – BTOB (2012)
Possibly one of the best quoted example of New Jack Swing in K-pop, WOW is a fine specimen of the genre in its purest form indeed, garnering the praise of Teddy Riley, the father of the genre himself:
Annie – ToppDogg (2014)
ToppDogg has some of the most unique and varied musical concepts – dabbling in classical music in TopDog, incorporating Korean traditional instruments in Arario, and going for the New Jack Swing in Annie. This is a catchy song with some interesting chord progressions, coupled with a creative scrolling music video.
Mamacita – Super Junior (2014)
Teddy Riley was involved in this track together with Jason L. Lopez and Yoo Young Jin to create an updated fusion style, which SM coined “urban new jack swing”, coupled “with an Indian percussion base and piano melody that is reminiscent of a DJ remix.”
Jam – 기린 (Kirin)
An artiste who desires to keep New Jack Swing, and pretty much 80s-90s music, alive in South Korea, you can find many NJS songs under Kirin’s repertoire, such as JAM, Summer Holiday (’97 in Love). Even his MVs evoke the aesthetic of that era.
Hey Baby – Crush (feat. Zion T) (2014)
It’s not just the beat – the entire instrumental of Hey Baby is sure to send you back to the early ’90s. The groove in the vocals is also reminiscent of the K-pop singers in that era. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop and a respected New Jack Swing artiste, is even referenced in the lyrics “MJ baby”.
Call Me Baby – EXO (2015)
Did you hear that N’Sync influence? ‘Cause I sure do. A tight, yet modern, tribute to the late ’90s boyband sound, accompanied by a wicked choreography.
친구의 여자친구 (My Friend’s Girl) – BTOB (2015)
BtoB executes New Jack Swing so well that this might as well have been their title track. A pity that this was not promoted, seeing the popularity of WOW and how K-pop fans remember BtoB fondly because of it. The members themselves have said that they love this style, so here’s hoping for a NJS title track in future!
1 of 1 – SHINee (2016)
Nostalgia alert! From music, dance moves, and down to the colour palette, SHINee’s 1 of 1 is the latest, and a sterling, addition to the ’90s revival happening in the K-pop scene. They’ve got this down pat.
Do you know of any other New Jack Swing songs in Korean music? Contribute to this list by commenting below!
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