The holiday season may have been in full swing, but that didn’t stop K-Pop artists from releasing new music. From long-anticipated singles to EPs and more, December was a great month. Notable comebacks include SUPER JUNIOR, WayV, RM, Minho, GEMINI, NCT DREAM, ATEEZ, and the official debuts of XEED, and Denise Kim, to name a few.
Here are my top 10 favorite new releases of the month for December 2022! If you don’t have time to read it all, scroll to the end to see what my top 3 recommendations are.
Minho - CHASE
SHINee’s Minho has entered the chat. After years of waiting (and hoping by SHAWOLs), Minho, the talented Main rapper and visual of SHINee, made his solo debut with the mini-album CHASE on December 12.
GEMINI - Rollercoaster
Talented rapper and producer GEMINI released his dreamy EP, STILL BLUE, and the title track “Rollercoaster” on December 22.
NCT DREAM - CANDY
NCT’s subunit NCT DREAM released the special winter album, CANDY, alongside the title track of the same name on December 16.
WayV - Phantom
After twenty-one months, WayV finally returned with their fourth mini album, Phantom, and the title track of the same name on December 28. The album peaked at number five on the Circle Album Chart shortly after it’s release.
SUPER JUNIOR - Celebrate
Beloved second-generation boy group SUPER JUNIOR released volume two of their eleventh album, titled The Road: Celebration, on December 15. The MV for the title track, “Celebrate,” highlights the members having fun and celebrating the holiday season.
ZENE THE ZILLA - River Boy
Rapper ZENE THE ZILLA returned with his second mini album of 2022 and the seventh mini album overall, River Boy, on December 10.
Solar - Paradise
While it may not have been Solar’s next solo album project, we still got a new release from the talented leader of MAMAMOO. She dropped “Paradise,” the theme song of the DJ reality competition series WET!: World EDM Trend, on December 29.
ATEEZ - HALAZIA
Hot off their 2nd World Tour, ATEEZ was back with new music on December 30 with the release of their first single album, SPIN OFF: FROM THE WITNESS, and the title track “HALAZIA.”
AB6IX x BDC x YOUNITE - HUGS
Brand New Music boy groups AB6IX, BDC, and YOUNITE collaborated for the special holiday single, “HUGS,” released on December 17
RM - Wild Flower
BTS’ fearless leader, RM, officially released his first solo album (previous works were mixtapes), Indigo, with the title track “Wild Flower (with youjeen)” on December 2.
Be sure you listen to: Minho’s “CHASE,” WayV’s “Phantom,” and ATEEZ’s “HALAZIA.” I hope to “see” you next month for my January roundup of favorites.