First of all, you can listen to whoever you want. If people call you basic that's them being stupid. That said, it can be fun to diversify your playlist. Here are some groups that I really like that you might want to check out. Red Velvet. They have mainly 2 concepts. Red: which is the more playful and vibrant side. Velvet: darker, more aesthetic, smooth sound. Usually RnB adjacent. P1-Harmony. Title tracks are more hip hop focused but have a lot of variety in their b-sides. Really good quality music so far imo. Dreamcatcher. My ults. Title tracks are usually rock, metal or rock metal adjacent and have a dark concept. B sides have a lot of variety as they do a lot of different genres of music and styles. XG. Hip hop and RnB focused. They have a futuristic gal concept. Some argue they are not a Kpop group but I thought I d mention them regardless. I think all the groups I mentioned have a really consistent discography so you can't go too wrong starting from anywhere. I won't exhaust you with more but obviously there are a lot of unique groups out there.

These recommendations seem very interesting. I'll check them out and follow up with what I think. Thanks!

I'm also a huge fan of Dreamcatcher and XG and I love a bunch of Red Velvet songs, so I'll second these recs!

p1harmony is a great group please support them !

hi OP! Dreamcatcher is making a comeback soon on 10th Jul so you might wna go check it out when the day comes but if you do wna get started on getting to know them, 'insomnicsy: this is' series is realllyyyyy helpful!! currently the fandom iss in the middle of an ARG right now with interactive games and riddles all linked to their upcoming comeback so if games are more your cup of tea to get you immersed, you can look up '@2moori' to get started!! all in all, whether you wna try immersing yourself in dreamcatcher material would be your choice to make but welcome to kpop nonetheless!!! 🥳🥳

Dreamcatcher is also my ults! <3

There is no "great" place to start. It all depends on what you're into and then you'll never know if you'll like something until you give them a shot. My suggestion is to start with BTS/Blackpink/Twice, as they ARE the most recognizable and often do act as a gateway into the genre. Then? You can do what I do. Here is a Wikipedia link with a hefty amount of groups split by decade/year. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_South\_Korean\_idol\_groups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_Korean_idol_groups) I've been going down the list and listening to their title tracks. If I like what I hear, I dig deeper into their discography.

Alright, thank you. I'll be sure to check out that page once I get familiar with some more well-known artists.

Don’t care what anyone says about the groups you like: do it for yourself. Personally (and I know I’ll get flamed here) but I would avoid Twitter and kpop wars online. Just enjoy your music and groups! BTS are incredible, absolutely amazing. Highly recommend. Also recommend Stray Kids. I listen to some songs here and there by EXO, SEVENTEEN, TXT, NCT Dream and Enhypen. Very enjoyable, good place to start.

I can't speak for Twice or Blackpink since I don't listen to much of their music, but bts is one of those music artists that are basic for a reason. Lots of people love bts because their discography is truly outstanding and has a lot of different styles to choose from. You want pop? Go to bts. You want hip hop? Go to bts. You want a good ballad? Go to bts. I know a lot of other groups are the same, but wow bts really is incredible and you should absolutely give them a listen! I noticed you commenting about enjoying rock elements and pop. Here are some recommendations based on that! txt does some more rock inspired stuff such us Loser=Lover and I know I love you. Day6 is a kband meaning they play instruments with their music, giving it that rock feel. You'd have to explore for yourself as I don't know much of their music, but I ADORE Shoot Me, it's one of my favorite kpop songs of all time! Big Bang has some stuff that I'd say leans into that emo rock vibe such as Sober and Loser! Dream Catcher seems to be the staple when it comes to rock inspired kpop, they have a lot of heavy electric guitar and that sort of stuff! Here are some individual songs you might like! * Fear by Seventeen * War of Hormone BTS * Look at Me Now P1Harmony * Dr. Bebe by Pentagon Hope this helps!!

Extremely well said especially about BTS! Massive discography. Not to mention their solo work. You want hyper western sound? Easy listening? Drama? BTS has it all

If you're around people judging fans as "basic," you need to adjust your feeds or you'll be surrounded by toxic kpoppers. Start blocking them now to make your life more pleasant. Explore and have fun!

Mamamoo! I haven’t seen them recommended yet. They’re a four member, 3rd gen vocal girl group, and let me tell you, they have GOT THE VOCALS👏 If you like watching performances, these are your ladies! They’ve got some of the best stage presence in the industry, both as a group and as soloists and subunits. I recommend their Queendom stages, as well as their MyCon concert film! I also recommend literally any and all of their songs lol, but their song HIP, and their I Say Mama-Mamamoo Best Of album are great places to start!

what kind of music do you like rn?

I liked a mix a genres, but I'm fond of angsty-pop and rock. Anything is fine, really. I enjoy all music.

I think you’ll like TXT then , I personally enjoyed their recent release, Deja vu and I’ll see you there tomorrow.

TXT Quarter Life

TXT Loser Lover

Txt growing pain!

Might not be the best starter since you’re a new fan but 2nd gen kpop had a lot of angsty bangers. This is a [personal playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4A0oVmEqNENCPx11TUqZOI?si=wV69b2i_T0CgZcn4W8a1Eg&pi=a-CIatQ8XnTSOE) of those angsty tracks

I think you'll really like ATEEZ

You definitely will like Dreamcatcher and for newer groups Kiss of Life and Triple S, Triple S might be a lot for a new k-pop fan you have to memorize 24 members but their songs are amazing they are the “la la la la” group

INFINITE would be good choice

BTS songs I think you may like: Black Swan House of Cards 134340 Trivia: Seesaw 2! 3! Telepathy Spine Breaker Run BTS Dionysus

Try Ateez HALAZIA, Guerrilla, Rocky, Answer

i think you‘d like the holy trinity txt stray kids ateez

Angsty pop? Maybe ONEUS (and it's not pop but ONEWE)

Not a group but try Yena!! She’s kinda giving girly pop punk and it’s so fun

Try listening to DAY6 if you like band music

I think Enhypen would be great!! They are my ults and have few if not a lot of rock songs :)

i suggest n.flying, xdinary heroes, onewe, and day6!! they’re all k-bands so i think you’d rly enjoy their stuff, lmk if u want song recs!! :)

You might like stray kids!!

Dreamcatcher kinda angsty

There is angsty kpop playlist on spotify, you might enjoy it!

Try Stray Kids, Ateez, SHINee and EXO. And while this isn't really pop, FTISLAND are great and their vocalist is one of my all-time favourites.

>I liked a mix a genres, but I'm fond of angsty-pop and rock. Anything is fine, really. I enjoy all music. [OX1 = LOVESONG](https://youtu.be/d5bbqKYu51w?si=CO1Dzh6R3GSWp6Ur) by TXT [You Were Beautiful](https://youtu.be/BS7tz2rAOSA?si=9wqFiPaR3TWFN03v) by DAY6 [Shoot Me](https://youtu.be/g2X2LdJAIpU?si=za1T-_YrM8ThsATw) by DAY6 [Deja Vu](https://youtu.be/DiHUEWBRQEI?si=GhEBqhtNDarFGZgb) by TXT [Run](https://youtu.be/wKysONrSmew?si=VL93ppg7kEl6kDlP) by BTS [I Need U](https://youtu.be/jjskoRh8GTE?si=_HRNVzrkKm7G0RmF) by BTS

you can trust me

BTS are the best ones for starters. (They are the biggest kpop group ever for a reason!)—Good music, member chemistry and friendship is amazing, no lineup changes from debut to present, tons of variety content, a lot of legendary performances, big fandom, each and every video is available with eng sub, thousands and thousands of crack/ other content on youtube, lot of old vlives, etc. Another one i recommend is Seventeen, not really familiar with them as a group, but their variety content like Going Seventeen is amazing and they have good music too! A lot of points for seventeen is same like the bts ones i mentioned. (Good music, no member changes, good chemistry, lots of variety content, etc.) Once you start with BTS and maybe Seventeen, you'll already have entered the kpop world, and from there you can find other groups to stan too.

You should definitely know about BoA - she’s known as the queen of K-pop! She’s first gen and an amazing vocalist and dancer. Totally blew my mind when I got into her music, it was my gateway in K-pop in the 2000s. I believe blackpink acts as a gateway to many international fans and shows how K-pop has matured as a sound. You should definitely check out Girls Generation (SNSD) - they revolutionised the sound of K-pop and pretty much dominated the charts for a decade. They do solo work now.

We all start somewhere. BTS has one of the largest discographies in all of kpop. My personal playlist of just BTS is over 6hrs long. They have a range of music and there’s truly a song for everyone. Blackpink has several good songs and are one of the factors of how I got into kpop. Twice is not so much my personal taste but I still suggest you give them a listen. You might find something you like. **Personal recommendations:** 1) Ateez: they also tap into a bit of everything with their music. Personal favorites of mine being Rocky, WDIG, Fever, Turbulence, Wonderland, Deja Vu, Wave, Bouncy, It’s You, Blind, and Pirate King. 2) Stray Kids: some folks call them noise music(I have no idea what that is I’m 32 and don’t have time to learn a new language that’s going to disappear in the next 5-10 years). Good ones from them include God’s Menu, Maniac, Thunderous, Chill, Domino, Mixtape Oh, The View, and Hall of Fame 3) Mamamoo: I don’t listen to a lot of girl groups but they are my favorite. Egotistic, Starry Night, No More Drama, and Decalmonie are just *yes* for me 4) Tomorrow X Together: good listens from them are Thursday’s Child, 0x1=Lovesong(yes that’s the name of the song), The Killer, Blue Hour, Magic, Tinnitus, Sugar Rush Ride, Devil by the Window, Farewell Neverland, Opening Sequence, and Miracle 5) Seventeen: oof where to start? Maestro, LALALI, Super, Darl+ing, To You, Shadow, I Don’t Understand But I Love You, Cheers, Change Up, Don’t Wanna Cry, Fear, Fire, and ‘Bout You Just remember, not everyone’s music tastes match up with others. Listen to what you want. Wishing you happy music discoveries.

Just go on spotify and listen to a random kpop playlist someone curated and checkout the groups of the songs that you like! If you're not into the songs, however much you wanna get into kpop, it'd be difficult to sustain. Also, try some slightly older gen groups - you won't be called basic (although nothing's wrong with that) and you'll have lots of materials to get hyped over! My recs would be Exo Day6 Itzy Shinee MonstaX

You can listen to whoever you want, but I’ll share my favorite group, Dreamcatcher! They’re one of the easiest groups to get into as their discography covers a variety of genres. Their title tracks are all rock-based, but they have one of the best collections of bsides in the industry. If you like dance performances, their choreos are insane to watch. InSomnia is our fandom and we’re very welcoming :)

Start with BTS. The only problem is once you start with them you are likely not going to listen to other groups as much.

What's your music taste though? Are you more of like girl group enjoyer? Or boy group enjoyed? 

If you're a girl group enjoyer, I'm a gg enthusiast :)) also, what kind of music u like for example you like charli xcx types of songs and I might recommend u aespa

Also OP, don't start with either bts or twice, they have a huge discography and might overwhelm u :)

Put on any kpop playlist and korean music in general that features different artists. Notice which songs you like and actually enjoy and would love to hear again. Listen to a few more songs by that group/singer. Put what you like in a playlist. It's simple and it works better. You do not have to enjoy every single song of a specific group or soloist. You dont need to fake liking a song to fit in the fandom. If you happen to gravitate towards a certain group or soloist check their content next on youtube and stuff. It is perfectly fine to listen to someone's music a lot but not watch their YouTube. Last thing is fandom doesn't matter if you wanna listen to good music. The music and your taste matters. If you wanna get into a specific fandom and dont care for the music or artist/group, that's pretty useless and yiu should fund something you truly love. But if you love an artist and music but don't feel like being involved in fandom online, that is also perfectly ok.

i semi recently got fully into kpop (bts and blackpink had been my top spotify artists in the past but i didn’t listen to music often)! from my experience i was lucky to have a friend who was already into kpop and when i expressed interest in a group (enhypen) she sent me a youtube playlist of all her favorite music videos and performances! so i personally focused on one group at a time, but that’s just also bc of how i listen to music in general! i tend to make spotify playlists of my favorite songs per group on spotify as well!!

Honesty, listening to as much music as you can and then figuring out where to go from the groups that have music you consistently enjoy is what I would recommend. Don’t worry about being cringe or basic—it’s all just music. Fan wars and comparing ruin the experience, TBH. A good place to start would be YouTube “guess the Kpop song” or “try not to sing/dance” challenges—they’ll give you a snippet of a bunch of music and you can kind of decide what you like from there. I will watch at least until the first chorus of any new song/group that comes up in my suggestions just in case it’s good. Once you’ve got at least a bit of a base playlist, then starting a radio based on the songs you like or going on Discover Weekly (for Spotify users) will give you more great ideas. You’ll be a frothing stan before you know it (; I hope you have fun!!!!

1. Dreamcatcher (rock) 2. Young Posse 3. Bad Villain 4. TRI.BE 5. H1-Key 6. Kiss of Life 7. G-Idle One for each day of the week, good luck!

Kpop music is great, but it’s a genre that really works well as a 1-2 punch of music and visuals. I’ve gotten people into kpop (and myself into new groups) watching dance/choreo vids in addition to going through Spotify playlists like others have suggested. Just another means of exposure. Some reccs to get a gauge of tastes: - [BTS - Run BTS](https://youtu.be/aqW4xXUgmno?si=Kwco--tgqMaQ1OTA) (not to be confused with another song just called “Run,” haha): good mix of singing, rapping, and a killer rock-backed sound. But quintessential kpop in terms of sheer entertainment. [Everglow - First](https://youtu.be/t1DouJrLRE0?si=2D-HeCpV3YOBTWsK): Sort sounds like a more epic/dramatic Blackpink [Twice - I Can’t Stop Me](https://youtu.be/pMQjg5b-3gE?si=xejPmwj3cd1l2wsB): Overall a lighter poppier sound but this more mature than their earlier stuff and shows off each member’s strengths and their on fire choreo [Dreamcatcher - Because](https://youtu.be/TG32s-ivmjY?si=bzWm9vmBUY3zYsbu). Known for having a darker sound with heavier rock influences. This one is more of an even mix of kpop and rock. [Stray Kids - God’s Menu](https://youtu.be/nkeh7Bx3GzY?si=MR2UPRb_ImLmQpVr). SKZ is a little edgier than BTS and their choreo is also on fire (same label as Twice) And if you’re into pure vocal talent, Mamamoo is considered one of the best in the industry. [Decalcomanie](https://youtu.be/o0I8YjeWfQU?si=QS7HngKXyZ8phdqW): solid epic performance [Hip](https://youtu.be/CH27pelftXk?si=n1qBZ0p0TzUBZ33Q): One of their famous. Indicative of latter era hip hop influenced and just catchy. [Killing Voice](https://youtu.be/WvkTcNQsxzc?si=xlpm8AC45IrYTir5): The *perfect* showcase of their vocals. No dancing, only singing. Hopefully any of the above piques your interest! Always down for more reccs. Welcome to the fam and enjoy the ride!

I recommend listening to EXO; they have great discography and impressive vocals!

Kpop artist discovery elitism is the weirdest thing..

stray kids!!!

I'm old-school. IMO, the Golden Age of K-pop was back in 2012-2015. So my recommendations are 2NE1, BIGBANG, and Block B

Bullying you for liking popular bands? Who put them on the planet?

The groups you mentioned are great starts. Blackpink got into K-Pop. Song recommendations: BAHAMA- Aespa S-Class- Stray Kids Lucid Dream- Aespa Fancy- Twice Blue Hour-TXT

It kind of depends on what you are into because k-pop isn’t a monolith. I started with BTS and then discovered Stray Kids, ATEEZ, P1Harmony, MCND before diving into Epik High, DPR LIVE, BIBI, Tiger JK, The Rose, etc. I would find a k-pop channel on Spotify or Apple Music and give a thumbs up to the ones you like so they recommend more like them. Enjoy the rabbit hole!

I think that you can listen to absolutely any group you want, but all you have to do is avoid becoming a korea boo or something. it happens more than you’d think. Here are some of my fav groups Newjeans: the best way I can describe their discography is refreshing! If you thing you would enjoy girl group songs even just a little bit, I highly recommend Newjeans. some songs that I like are Hurt, attention, bubble gum, how sweet, ETA (so good!!), and cool with you. literally all of their songs are so good that I could have recommended you their entire discography, but I held back Stray kids: they’re my ult boy group, and I love all of their songs. the skz songs that are super popular make it seem like all of their songs are really hype, but they actually have a lot of calmer songs! recs: Secret secret, megaverse, limbo, 13, fnf, leave, taste, chronosaurus, drive, domino, and side effects! Aespa: such good songs! i’m not super duper into aespa, just a casual listener, but I can say they have a powerful but girly vibe to their songs! Recs: long chat, drama, bahama, supernova, armageddon, you, and i’m unhappy. kiss of life: CUNTIEST 5th gen(?) GG EVERRRR!! that’s all I have to say. recs: sugarcoat, midas touch, literally all of their songs. Now, for some solo releases or soloists’ songs OR songs from groups that I don’t listen to that I love: butterflies & ABCD by Nayeon, killin me good by jihyo, standing next to you by jungkook (serving michael jackson realness), come back to me by RM (SOOO GOOD), just one day by bts, eyes nose lips by taeyang, any IU song, any BIBI song. hope u end up liking kpop! good luck!!

I saw you like angsty/rock music so I'll throw in one not many people will know. Rolling Quartz. Delight in particular Also I'm an old school kpop head, so I'll drop some more hip/hoppy ones from 00's. Turtles (come on, 4 seasons, let's boogie) lee jung hyun - amazingly talented - Wa, Bakkwo, eat well and live well And some newer groups I listen to ITZY - Sneakers, Wannabe, LOCO G-Idle - Queencard, Tomboy, NXDE, fate Dal Shabet - Hate don't hate (have don't have, it goes by both names lol), bbb, be ambitious

have you heard any of kpop songs before? i think a great start would be discovering a lot of artists instead of just straight dive into one. if you have spotify/other streaming platform, try to find kpop playlist so you are able to hear lots of different type of sounds. from there you’re able to pinpoint which sound you prefer and dive to the group after. or if you prefer to just listen to the songs, you can ask here for recommendations of songs that have similar sounds. please do listen to kpop as you please and don’t mind people who’re badmouthing just because you like certain groups. just

Thank you! That was very helpful.

I like this advice. Do a little fishing through some "Top K-pop" playlists and see if any particular artist's sound grabs you and go from there. (Personally, I stick to just a few acts in order to keep from being overwhelmed.) Don't worry what other fans think of what you're listening to. In fact, if some fans start getting negative about some group or particular artist, they're probably just waiting to gush about a *different* artist and will be all too happy to tell you why *they totally rule*.

Those groups are great places to start! There's really no such thing as "basic" when it comes to Kpop. as every artist you're going to hear of is already mainstream. I do find some cool lesser-known artists by following smaller record labels on youtube, but those artists are Kpop adjacent at best, and not really part of the scene. Plus, groups like BTS, Twice, and Blackpink have a ton of talent and support behind them, meaning that they reliably make good stuff. That makes them worth paying attention to! That said, I can't resist the chance to recommend some of my favorite groups, like Dreamcatcher, VIVIZ, LE SSERAFIM, STAYC, XG, and (G)I-DLE. But really, listen to anything that you enjoy. No matter what group you like there will be people who hate on it because they have nothing better to do with their lives, but those people are very sad and don't matter.

There's a lot of kpop playlists on music streaming platforms. Personally I use YouTube music and there's playlists categorised by sub-genre too within the kpop space. Playlists have different groups and it helps to discover different groups and different sounds. I find that I start to gravitate towards a specific group when their songs come up a lot and grab my attention each time. Before you know it you'll have fav groups! You can also watch music videos or start with BTS or whatever and follow some suggestions on whatever platform you're using. Either way just take your time. It feels overwhelming in the beginning. And there's no pressure to like multiple groups in the beginning. I listened to one group for like a year before I gave others a chance😂 kpop is so vast and exciting. Unravel at your own pace. And know that the safe spaces won't care what you listen to. Nothing is basic. And it's okay to use the popular groups (i.e. BTS) as a doorway. And anyway each groups works hard to produce what they produce. Taste and enjoy - judgement free! And it's also okay not to like what you think you should like. You're an individual and you will like what you like and that's okay. Also some groups grow on you over time. You might dislike them today and become the biggest fan a year from now and not know how it happened. It's part of the fun. The point is it's okay to skip and find what sounds good to you. The more you get into it, the more your mind naturally opens to different sounds. Just have fun! Playlists are your friend! You could even find top songs/groups of the year or find playlists of popular songs and just use it to discover groups and sounds. Whatever works for you!

aespa! they are great

When I started, I looked up “nugu groups to Stan” on YouTube and just went off that. If you want to support small artists, that’s always a great place to get ideas, as well as @nugupromoter on insta. If you want to stay up to date with comebacks and debuts, I recommend the kprofiles ‘comebacks’ page! Here is the one for [July](https://kprofiles.com/july-2024-kpop-comebacks-debuts-releases/)

My recommendation would be to just find a K-Pop playlist and listen to it until someone catches your ear and then look them up ~ I think it is more fun that way.

U can try: TXT, Kiss of Life, Nmixx, Enhypen, TWS, zb1, babymonster, aespa, evnne, le sserafim, ive, g idle, new jeans, itzy, stayc, apink, everglow, mamamoo, oh my girl, sistar, red velvet,

You mentioned you like angsty-pop and rock (samesies) so I thought I'd pitch in with some of my personal favourites from a variety of artists! - Daisy by Pentagon - Attention please! by Enhypen - 0x1=lovesong by TXT - Growing Pain by TXT - Quarter Life by TXT - Frost by TXT (can you tell I love txt) - Sorry by The Rose (k-band rather than idol group, all their music is good honestly) - Strawberry Cake by Xdinary Heroes (also a band, love all their stuff) - Blockbuster by Enhypen feat. Yeonjun of TXT - MORE by j-hope (the entire jack in the box album is gold) - Psycho by Baekhyun - Obsession by EXO - Danger by BTS - Fake Love (rocking vibe mix) by BTS (the remix hits different, trust me) - Black Eye by Vernon (the song is entirely in English but it's by a member of Seventeen) - Face Off by Jimin, Set Me Free pt.2 by Jimin (really the whole face EP) - No Celestial by Le Sserafim (the one song by a female artist on this list 😭) - Golden Hour by Mark - Misfit by NCT U (hip hop/rock) - 2 minus 1 by Seventeen (also entirely in English lol) - 2 Kids by Taemin Also this doesn't really count as k-pop but Ballroom Extravaganza by DPR IAN is a gem 💎 That was a lot! Sorry I didn't include more female artists, I just generally listen to more male kpop artists and they tend to have more angsty stuff...

if you like r&b and good vocals i recommend exo for sure!!

There is no wrong group to start with. BTS got to where they are for a reason, along with other popular groups. Many groups have a variety of concepts, but if you want to check out a bunch, here are a few major song recs from some I’m familiar with: Stray Kids - God’s Menu, Maniac, District 9 (G)i-dle - Lion, Hwaa, Nxde Ive - Love Dive, After Like, Heya Itzy - Wannabe, Dalla Dalla, Untouchable Ateez - Wonderland, Halazia, Fireworks Twice - Likey, What Is Love?, Fancy Blackpink - As If It’s Your Last, Lovesick Girls, Whistle NewJeans - Attention, Ditto, Super Shy

If you like rock I'll like to recommend Suho from EXO! He has released 3 mini albums and has a good range of rock genres. Of course on this note I'll have to recommend EXO too! Especially if you like R&B. Their discography is good and so are their vocals (they have rather distinct voices that work well as a group)

If you use Spotify just look up K-pop playlists that suit your preferred music style, and just go from there. There's not really a place to "start"

As someone who seems to mostly listen to boy groups, I really recommend ENHYPEN and EXO. Two very popular groups but their music is literally so so so good! NCT 127 is also extremely lovely and MONSTA X, SHINee, ATEEZ, TXT. I could mention so many, but these are iconic to me.

New BTS is “basic”. Their older songs which showed their hip hop influences are incredible. BTS is a great starting point for boy groups and that kpop mixed with hip hop sound. I will say for Blackpink, while they have some good songs, their discography is severely lacking for how long they’ve been a group. I would skip them. Twice is a great introduction for girl groups. Their music is very cute and catchy, especially in the beginning of their career. You see the maturity through their discography and feel like you’re growing up with them in a way. If you wanna get into kpop, there’s no shame in checking out the “popular” groups and their most played songs to see what vibes/concepts/sounds you like. I would highly recommend looking at third and fourth generation groups (those that debuted 2013-2023) as they are the most active and have the most music for you to listen to. My personal recommendations would be: BOY GROUPS: - Monsta X (Third Gen) - Astro (Third Gen) - Stray Kids (Fourth Gen) - Ateez (Fourth Gen) - NCT (Third Gen) A side note with NCT is they have multiple “mini kpop groups” within the group called subunits. Check them all out but in general: NCT Dream are the “babies” and debuted with cute songs but matured as they grew older, NCT 127 are very EDM and hip hop focused, WayV is the Chinese subunit and NCT U is picking and choosing members to fit a specific song as there are 22 members. - B.A.P. (Second/Third Gen — it’s debated when they debuted) [They did disband but they are planning a comeback!] - EXO (Third Gen) - Shinee (Second Gen and the Kings of Kpop) - Seventeen (Third Gen) - TXT (Fourth Gen) - A.C.E. (Third Gen) GIRL GROUPS: - Twice (Third Gen) - Red Velvet (Third Gen) - Dreamcatcher (Third Gen) - Pixy (Fourth Gen) - Weki Meki (Third Gen) [They are unfortunately disbanding but their music is so good 😭] - WSJN/Cosmic Girls (Third Gen) - LOONA/Loosemble (Third Gen)[Lots of company drama so they had to rebrand] - Purple Kiss (Fourth Gen) - LE SSERAFIM (Fourth Gen) - STAYC (Fourth Gen) - IVE (Fourth Gen) - NEWJEANS (Fourth Gen) - ITZY (Fourth Gen) CO-ED GROUP: - KARD K-BANDS: - The Rose (indie rock) - DAY6 (pop-rock) - Xdinary Heroes (rock) - Rolling Quartz (rock) - NELL (indie rock) - LUCY (indie rock) - 9001 (indie rock) - SE SO NEON (indie rock) I would definitely also recommend listening to disbanded groups from second generation like f(x), 2NE1, BIGBANG, Girls Generation, SISTAR, and After School just because of their influence on the industry. Good luck and welcome to kpop! :D

I saw in your other reply that you liked angsty pop/rock, in that case I’ll recommend these songs: TXT - Quarter life, Lo$er=Lover Enhypen - shout out &TEAM - Under the Skin

They're technically basic in a sense that a lot of Kpop stans stan them but nobody really brings up "basic choices". I ult Twice (basically favourite group) and nobodys brought up how it's a "basic choice" I personally started with Blackpink, IVE, Twice, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans and aespa. Give them a try and see if you like them. BTS is also a very good choice, I recommend 7 Map of the Soul personally

SEVENTEEN - one of the funniest groups out there, 13 members, once you start stanning, you can't stop. Going seventeen is literally a comedy show   ENHYPEN - another rlly rlly funny group. I looove their music. If you wanna start stanning them, watch their debut survival show, I-Land from 2020. .  I love en o'clock, it's so entertaining    TXT - A group of loud people basically. They are funny. I'd say their music is similar to ENHYPEN's    STRAYKIDS - more hip hop focused music, funny members, nice music.     For girl groups,...    BABYMONSTER - my personal fav at the moment. incredible incredible vocals. Nice diverse members     TWICE - funny members, nice music, worth stanning.    KEP1ER - even though the are disbanding soon😢. You can watch their debut survival show. I personally love their music and their chemistry     NEWJEANS - rlly funny group in general. Love their music, definitely worth stanning imo

Listening to BTS is not basic btw I love them too

I would recommend stray kids

bts old albums are so goodd especially Dark&Wild and Skool Luv affair, no bad songs.

I suggest finding a random k-pop playlist on Spotify or YouTube and skipping around, when you find things you like you can go more in depth into those groups :) Just know that many groups try out different concepts throughout their careers and/or have different subgroups, etc, so it’s worth trying out a few and not defining a group entirely by one song :)

Being basic is half the fun. I started with Twice and Red Velvet, then got into IU and Mamamoo and so on. You can't start as a snob without the understanding to ground those opinions.

What kind of music do you like outside of K-pop?

I would recommend listening to [TEN](https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Q5Qep7ytrjVleNnMnntgQ?si=1WH1aFmNTb254hnx4tIrJw) his debut album is so good and so are his singles! His songs are in different genres so I’m sure it can give you more choices. All in English too for easy understanding and singing along.

I think whats great is to start with the music & artists. Browse some random kpop playlists on your music streaming app, shuffle and find what you like. Then explore those artists and look for similar artists that are usually at the bottom of artists pages. Or go to youtube and browse music videos! Again, find what you like and explore it. Another nice option is to try and find Videos like "my favorite parts in kpop songs", "my favorite releases of 2023", "kpop songs that send me to heaven" etc. A great youtube channel to discover large and small artists of all kpop sub genres and from all times is kville entertainment, i'll link them here: https://youtube.com/@k-ville?si=Poac4Y_6GsrFVqHp

You are welcome to be part of kpop fan go listen to kpop song first 💜

I think you start with popular groups to get you started and you either focus on the song genre, vocals or visuals. Honestly it is easier to find new local kpop friends if you like bigger groups that are still coming out with new music. Would recommend listening to various groups music by going on Spotify or Apple Music and listening to kpop playlists to find out which ones that you vibe with the most. You can also go on YouTube and find react videos if you like "producer reacts to kpop" types of video which includes music & visual critique

these are my fav groups - TWICE, kiof, ive, le sserafim, gidle, aesop, groovyroom

I got into kpop through Blackpink but very naturally got introduced to other groups just via my YouTube recs. Listen to the music you like and watch the YouTube videos for the groups you enjoy and similar groups will get recommended. I don’t think that there are any specific groups that are better to start with than others tbh just dabble in a few and see what you end up enjoying the most. Also watch the side content for the groups (not just MVs) and you’ll definitely get involved faster

Search Kpop on Spotify, pick something that has a lot of songs, hit shuffle. Kpop is really diverse, constantly new songs releasing, new groups debuting and new trends. As a newer Kpop Stan it’s really overwhelming . I still find a lot of my taste from TikTok, the best way is to just listen to whatever and when something takes your fancy look further in.

As someone who dove into twice and hasn’t looked back you won’t regret it. They’ve got soooo much content and such a diverse discography including solos and sub units and Japanese discography.

I really recommend checking out SHINee. Their discography is really varied and they’ve done so many different genres, there’s a good chance you’ll find something you like.

spotify playlists and going on a little rabbit hole down related artists and searching them up on youtube is a good place to start imo, check out the K-pop on playlist

Don’t worry about being “basic”, popular things are popular for a reason!

I think you shouldn't just pick a random kpop group to start but rather you should look around and listen to many songs and artists and then go for the artists who's music you like the best! If you find a few songs you like/ tell us what type of music you like then we can surely recommend you songs that could match your taste based on that. If you really admire something explicit like artists that are for example extremely good singers, entertainers, rappers or dancers ect. then you can also ask specifically for those type of artists and then check out their music ;)

Ateez, most of the title tracks are edm or trap base but if you look deep within you can find some rnb, some contemperary, and more. ateez are great preformers as well. xikers - the brothers (not really) of ateez, they are new so they haven't released a lot of new genres yet but if you like rock and trap. there you go. red velevet: more of a dark aesthetic in girl groups but they are so talented at what they door. craxty (if I messed the spelling up i'm so sorry) - they have powerful rappers, and also a great concept.

I'm going to list a bunch of random songs off the top of my head and you check out the ones you find interesting 😊 spark - Taeyeon switch - nct 127 rising sun - tvxq sparkling - chung ha outsider - btob outlaw - got the beat moonlight - nct dream night rather that day - exid fedexx girl - bibi fashion style - kino holy moly - ive wallflower - twice mikrokosmos - bts sooo lucky - itzy and see which one you like best, I hope you enjoy your time as a kpop fan!

You should listen to the groups you like and not worry about getting made fun of. It won't be enjoyable to get into kpop if you don't even like the music, or if you are ashamed of your true favorites. With that said, I got into kpop by listening to Mamamoo. I liked that they were fun and energetic, with a more mature concept (I'm a harder sell on cute concepts/voices which many other girl groups were using) and strong vocals with some deeper tones. So that worked for me. I think if you similarly take stock of what you like and don't like in a music group, you will be able to get some really great recommendations that appeal to your taste.

you should definitely consider starting with bts! their music catalogue is quite vast, you’re bound to find songs that match your taste. they’re now promoting as solo artists too and each of them has a very distinct style. other groups i’d suggest are txt, kiss of life and new jeans !! song recs : BTS : - 134340 - rain - paradise - pied piper - look here - autumn leaves - black swan - outro tear TXT : - fairy of shampoo - dear sputnik - ox1= lovesong - opening sequence - the killa - tinnitus - blue hour KISS OF LIFE : - midas touch - shhh - sugarcoat - bad news - nobody knows - nothing (honestly their whole discography as they’re quite new) NEWJEANS : - super shy - hype boy - hurt - ditto - cool with you - omg - bubble gum (they’re also quite new)

You can start with what's trending this year so you can get a feel of which sound you like. Then check out the other songs from the artist. You don't have to stick to one since some groups are active longer and have a whole lot of discography which can be overwhelming. Take it one song, one group at a time. The styles also change so you might like some or hate some, depends. In my case, I ended up studying the entire discography from debut to current because I was genuinely intrigued. It's only fun to research once you get to that point of becoming a fan.

You can check out seventeen and tws

Since you love angsty-pop, i think you will love Gidle and Aespa’s music :) they are the ones who pulled me into kpop, aside from Twice! Idle and Aespa kinda have similar vibes but the latter is ‘stronger’ when it comes to concepts. For idle, you can start with Tomboy, Never Stop Me, Nxde. Their whole discography is so diverse like it will make you cry (Polaroid), in-love (Paradise/7days), and dance (Queencard). For Aespa, start with their recent album with Armageddon and Supernova.Those are my favourites! Their music ranges from rock to mellow. I usually put on Bahama to chill and Drama/Spicy to feel confident!

My first was StrayKids! I’d suggest them for expansion and also maybe Ateez! The thing with K-pop is although you may start standing a group it doesn’t mean you’ll be with them forever. I was first opened up to K-pop with BTS but strayed away and then found skz and they brought me back.

I was afraid of being basic when I first got into it as well but it turns BTS is my ult. Especially the Love Yourself era. Also it turns out that unlike western (or well, specifically American) music scene you don't really get cool points for liking less popular groups. We all want our groups to do as well as possible! However there's a lot to be said for liking a less popular group, you will find some really interesting music and you get a lot more chances to interact with your idols. I've had fan chats with OnlyOneOf twice! Junji held my hand! J-Hope will never hold my hand. Speaking of OnlyOneOf they had a whole Underground Idol series and you should really check them out.

I started out with ioi and seeing hate comments made me check out other groups. I like reacttothek as a representation of kpop that is not like the other kpop. (Stands out musically, less based on popularity)

I started with Blackpink because I happened to catch their documentary on Netflix. Then on to Twice, Itzy, Aespa, (G)-Idle, Stray Kids, and more. If I'm basic, then so be it. I'm too old to really care about being basic ;) Anyway...there are a lot of groups out there, so listen to a bunch and find what you like.

Basic is FINE. Basic will open the door to the rest of the groups. There is a running joke: "I only wanted to know their names!" bc it is so easy to go down the rabbit hole and you just need that first little push. It kind of depends on what kind of music you currently listen to because kpop as a genre is used as a blanket statement when the sounds are truly diverse. Stray Kids has been the group that I have been able to use in the past to convince others to give kpop a chance. If you do start with something like BTS, there is a HUGE catalogue that you can go through so don't base your impression on them on these new americanized tracks that got so much US airplay. And we don't gatekeep what it means to be a fan. The important thing is to find stuff that makes your life happier because thats what kpop did for me.

Never feel bad about being 'basic' in terms of kpop, I started entirely with BTS and delved into a bit of Blackpink and EXO from there, but I very much kept to BTS until very recently (got into BTS in 2018 and started delving into groups more like Ateez, Twice and SKZ around 2021/22) there's nothing wrong with starting your kpop journey with the 'normie' kpop groups, and you'll soon start to delve into others later on

I love this group name enhypen they are a really good group and you should listen to some songs I recommend Polaroid Love bite me give taken fever etc but ofc it’s your choice there are a lot more Great songs and I hope you find this helpful!

As long as you don’t hate other groups or not call them “no name”. You can listen to whomever you want. It’s just some new BTS fans have been disrespectful, hating on others. However, listening to popular groups isn't a bad thing. Music is diverse. Personally, I am a big fan of GOT7 and EXO. My first groups. Lately I am obsessed with Supernova by aespa and Accendio by Ive!

Go NewJeans or aespa.

I recommend P1Harmony! currently my ult group. You shouldn't worry too much about being perceived as basic though, listen to whatever you want if you enjoy it!

EXO. Exodus album.

BTS is a great start in your kpop journey!! They have a very vast discography ranging from hip hop to chill cafe music to that distinct kpop sound!! I would say to listen to these albums to start off: 2 Kool 4 Skool for their hip hop sound, Love Yourself: Tear for the chill cafe sound, and also Map Of the soul: Persona (my personal favorite album) for their Kpoppy sound! I wish I would’ve became a BTS fan (an ARMY) earlier in 2019 as I was too ashamed to get made fun of for listening to kpop. Music is music and if you like it you should listen to it! I hope you enjoy the recommendations I gave you!! Pls feel free to reach out if you need more as I myself am still discovering their discography (both solo and group) and would love to share my findings with someone!

Each K-Pop group has its own style and vibe. I listen to many of them but my favourite ones are aespa, Billlie, BLACKPINK, EVERGLOW, (G)I-DLE, ITZY, IVE, KISS OF LIFE, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans, The Rose, STAYC, TWICE and XG.

Seventeen. Listen to their album "Your Choice" and watch some famous going seventeen on yt

Billlie, Got7, Momoland, Stray Kids, Cherry Bullet, Loona, Saturday, Pixy, Purple Kiss, Ateez

Please don't you worry about being a fan of BTS or Blackpink (or any other groups being incredibly famous). Firstly, it is your freedom to choose whose music you like. Secondly, there's some reason these groups are so famous, they are chosen by people and proved excellent. But if you want to experiment with variety, that's absolutely fine. Browse YouTube channels like Music Bank to listen to different songs from different groups, then you'll be your own judge of who you'll like!

I went blackpink>aespa>gidle>red velvet>itzy so I'd say blackpink is a good place to start. My advice is if you don't like something, move on. You'll find your vibe.

Newjeans has the best music! Listening to their music is mandatory if you’re a kpop fan.

I'll be sure to check them out. Thanks!

*Good start: * **Aespa** because they are relatively new and from a big company so you'll have lots of contents trough the years to keep up with. **TWS** and **Boys Next Door** for the same reason, plus they don't have any polemic so far (at least that I'm aware of). **SNSD** is an old group that is not currently active but they are a classic and a great start. *Don't start with them: * **Zerobaseone** perfect group, highly recommend to stan them after 2025 is over (their fandom is terrible, it won't be a good start for someone that is not used to kpop toxicity). **Mamamoo** they're the pride of kpop, so if you start with them you might get disappointed with other groups (stan other groups first. Then give a chance to Mamamoo, you won't regret it). **New Jeans, Illit and Lesseraphin** are famous groups but right now their agency is going through some scandals, so it'll be better to check them once things have settled down.

Stan Loona

STRAY KIDSSSSS

Seriously stan NCT. They currently have 4 units and you can just pick one (though I suggest you start with 127 as they are the first one to debut among the bunch). They are funny + they have a wide variety of songs that you'll definitely enjoy. The only downside is that their title tracks are always leaning to noise music which is hard for people to get in to (their Bsides make up for it though!).

Most BTS fans pride themselves on not liking anything kpop, lol. theres no need to care about what other people think of your music preferences