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2022 was a year of amazing releases. Making a list of the best K-pop albums would not have been an easy task for Billboard. Nonetheless, their prolific group of journalists, including noted K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin, tallied twenty-five of their favorite albums released by K-pop artists last year.
The all-encompassing list of best K-pop albums includes fresh groups who debuted just last year (NewJeans), veteran K-pop idols (Max Changmin and Seulgi), established artists going solo (BTS' j-hope and RM), and several fourth-generation groups who are ruling the sales charts (ATEEZ and Stray Kids). Being subjective, one might find lesser-known artists on the list, giving admirers of K-pop music a chance to explore beyond the mainstream.
2022's best K-pop albums as tabulated by Billboard magazine
10) Daydream by HIGHLIGHT
Originally formed by CUBE Entertainment, HIGHLIGHT went through multiple rounds of rebranding before they got their current name. Daydream marks the group's first full-length studio album under this name. With 10 songs, the album showcases both HIGHLIGHT's experience and ability to have the kind of energy seen in recently debuted groups. According to Billboard's Jessica Oak,
"The standout title track single, "Daydream" lets Doojoon, Yoseob, Gikwang and Son Dongwoon mix the melodic R&B-pop production with a seductive vocal performance to mourn a love they’ll never see again."
9) The World EP.1: Movement by ATEEZ
Released bang in the middle of 2022, ATEEZ's The World EP.1: Movement finds itself on Billboard's list of the best K-pop albums. As is their style, the group pumps out addictive songs with major hip-hop undertones and influences of electronic and synth music, making it difficult to pinpoint any one song that serves as the highlight of the album. As Jeff Benjamin says of the album,
"[The album] sounds like it could soundtrack a futuristic action movie as the band sings about looking for truth and finding themselves through tracks that read like different chapters of an epic movie saga."
8) minisode 2: Thursday’s Child by TOMORROW X TOGETHER (or TXT)
TXT's follow-up to minisode 1: Blue Hour was highly anticipated. The fourth-generation K-pop group did not disappoint and released minisode 2: Thursday's Child, showing a whole new side to their previous albums and comfortably situating it as the eighth best K-pop album of 2022.
From participating in the album in different capacities (songwriting, production, or lyric-writing) to a noticeably darker concept of a Good Boy Gone Bad, because he was betrayed by love. The quintet aced their comeback, attracting the attention of fans and critics alike.
7) 28 Reasons by Seulgi (of Red Velvet)
Red Velvet's Seulgi debuted her first mini-album in 2022, and it became a bestseller, finding itself on this list of the best K-pop albums of the year. With six tracks that are diverse and special, spanning across genres, touching upon topics that explore how people appear in shades of gray and have both good and evil in them. This theme is evident in the title track, 28 Reasons, and echoes throughout the songs in the extended play album.
6) Sector 17 by SEVENTEEN
With tracks like Dar+ling, HOT, and fan favorite Don Quixote, the repackage of Face The Sun showcased the best of SEVENTEEN with intense choreographies, amazing vocals, and fierce raps. The self-producing group impressed fans with their range and won multiple awards for their performance of the song HOT. The critics over at Billboard agreed, and hence they placed Sector 17 among the best K-pop albums released in 2022.
5) Glitch Mode by NCT DREAM
The second full-length studio album by NCT DREAM boasts of tracks that allow the group to explore their typical "neo" concept along with softer singles that showcase their singing voices more. In the title track, Glitch Mode sets the tone for the album, the feeling of falling in love is compared to "buffering," a term anyone who uses the internet regularly will understand. Leader Mark wrote rap verses for many songs, while the other members have also participated in lyric writing.
Glitch Mode builds on the group's previous releases, thereby giving it a place in the top five of the best K-pop albums of 2022, according to Billboard.
4) Undo by HEIZE
Korean R&B stalwart HEIZE made a comeback in 2022 with her full-length album, Undo. Her long-awaited album features many big names from the K-pop industry, including (G)-IDLE's Minnie, MONSTA X's I.M, and Korean rapper Giriboy. Her iconic husky vocals draw listeners in, and the reflective lyrics of songs like Real LOVE and Supercar reveal the soul-searching quality of the album. No wonder the R&B album finds itself on Billboard's list of the best K-pop albums of 2022.
3) Error by Lee Chanhyuk
One half of established sibling K-pop duo AKMU, Lee Chanhyuk, explored the seemingly dreary theme of a coma and death on his first studio album, Error. For a debut album, the subject matter might seem surprising, but Chanhyuk's approach is both fresh and creative, with a feature by soloist Chungha on Goodbye, Stay Well. Billboard's Jeff Benjamin was impressed with the way Lee Chanhyuk revamped his image, placing Error among the best K-pop albums of 2022.
2) ODDINARY by Stray Kids
The fourth-generation K-pop group, Stray Kids, has been touching newer pinnacles of success with every album, and ODDINARY is no exception. With seven bangers on the EP, Stray Kids is able to deliver music that, while being quintessentially "Stray Kids," also shows their progress since their debut.
Maniac talks about embracing the individuality that comes with being "odd" and out of the "ordinary" with references to the monster created in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The album easily became one of the best K-pop albums released in 2022, as listed by Billboard.
1) Indigo by RM (of BTS)
Despite being released in the last month of 2022, RM's Indigo finds itself at the top of the list of best K-pop albums prepared by Billboard. The third BTS member to release an album after j-hope and Jin, Indigo is a tribute to his twenties. Although his twenties are vastly different from those of the average person, his succinct narrative within the album allows all those growing up to connect with the music.
With eight of the ten tracks having diverse collaborators from Western and Korean music, RM has created an exhibition of different genres and styles tied together by his pensive lyrics and rich baritone in Indigo.
2023 has already lined up multiple releases by celebrated K-pop artists in the industry, with Epik High having recently announced their comeback in February. Whether or not this year can produce better albums than 2022 is debatable, but the much-awaited releases by artists have the capacity to join the ranks of the best K-pop albums.
