If January was the appetizer, February was the main dish as a lot of rookie groups as well as many favorite generation-two and three K-Pop artists, returned with new music. Notable comebacks include EPIK HIGH, Taeyeon, BSS, KEY, PURPLE KISS, STAYC, THE BOYZ, TNX, and the official debuts of tripleS, LIMELIGHT, HAWW, and n.SSign, to name a few.
Here are my top 10 favorite new releases of the month for February 2023! If you don’t have time to read it all, scroll to the end to see what my top 3 recommendations are.
EPIK HIGH - Catch
EPIK HIGH released their third mini album (CRAZY RIGHT?!), Strawberry, with the lead single “Catch,” on February 1. The album includes five tracks, including collabs with MAMAMOO’s Hwasa and GOT7’s Jackson Wang.
THE BOYZ - ROAR
Fan favorite third-generation boy group, THE BOYZ, returned with their eighth mini-album, BE AWAKE, and lead title track “ROAR” on February 20.
LIMELIGHT - HONESTLY
LIMELIGHT, a new girl group under 143 Entertainment, made their debut on February 17 with the release of their debut EP, LOVE & HAPPINESS, alongside their title track, “HONESTLY.”
BAND LUCY - UNBELIEVABLE
Underrated K-Band, BAND LUCY returned with their third EP, INSERT COIN, and lead title track “Unbelievable” on February 23.
PARK WOO JIN - Top Tier
AB6IX’s Park Woo Jin made his thrilling yet sultry solo debut on February 27 with his first EP, oWn, alongside the title track, “Top Tier.”
BSS - Fighting
After five long years, SEVENTEEN subunit BSS (Hoshi, DK, and Seungkwan), released their first single album, SECOND WIND, with the title track “FIGHTING.”
STAYC - TEDDY BEAR
Charming girl group STAYC released the single album, TEDDY BEAR, with the title track of the same name on February 14. The song has since made the rounds among fellow artists as a K-Pop dance challenge.
HAWW - How Are You
Biscuit Entertainment launched their newest seven-member boy group, HAWW, with the group’s debut mini-album, HOW R U, and title track of the same name on February 23.
TNX - LOVE OR DIE
P-Nation’s first boy group, TNX, returned with their highly anticipated second mini album, Love Never Dies, with the dual lead tracks “I Need U” and “Love or Die.”
FIFTY FIFTY - CUPID
Talented quadruplet rookie girl group FIFTY FIFTY released their first single album, THE BEGINNING, with the title track “CUPID.” The song has since charted on the Billboard Top 100 Songs list.
Be sure you listen to: THE BOYZ’s “ROAR,” LIMELIGHT’s “HONESTLY,” and PARK WOO JIN’s “Top Tier.”
I hope to “see” you next month for my March roundup of favorites.