2022 Boy Group MVs I enjoyed

As I’ve done the past two years (2021 and 2020), here are my favorite boy group MVs of 2022! This isn’t a comprehensive “best of” list, it’s just songs I enjoyed.

Without further ado, let’s hit it!

Starting with Johnny’s & Associates who had kind of a tumultuous year. King & Prince shocked everyone by announcing three of the members were leaving, with King & Prince continuing to function as something of a Japanese TVXQ. Then Vice President (and former idol) Takizawa Hideaki announced his leaving the company. Takizawa had been credited with bringing Johnny’s into the modern computer age, as well as revitalizing the company’s image thanks to the successful debut of SixTones and (especially) Snow Man. Anyways, let’s check the songs!

A.B.C.Z. “Graceful Runner”

“Graceful Runner” has quickly become one of my favorite A.B.C-Z singles. It’s a great example of the Johnny’s quasi-metal genre. Intense, moody, and with a fantastic hook the song just keeps pushing you forward until you reach the finish line. The video is pretty simple but when you have A.B.C-Z dancing, who needs gimmicks?

(Also for NPR asking where all the classic key changes went? They’re in Japan at Johnny’s & Associates.)

SNOW MAN “Juicy”

SNOW MAN had another banner year in Japan in 2022 both with group and members individual activities. While Snow Man are probably best known for the kind of EDMy sound of their debut song “D.D.” (see this year’s “Refresh”), the group showed they were flexible enough to handle what I call the romancey Arashi theme song genre (“Orange Kiss”) as well as the goofy Kanjani8 theme song genre (“Brother Beat”). 

But for my money, it was all about “Juicy,” the title track of their hit album LABO. The song is a slinky disco track with a funky whistled chorus accompanied by some quality Girls Generation-esque leg work. Instant classic! The MV is a lot of fun with it’s Chinese restaurant theme but for my money it’s all about the dance practice!

SEXY ZONE “The Finest”

Taken from Sexy Zone’s excellent album The Highlight (worth a blind purchase, you have my seal of approval to go for it), “The Finest” is a retro city pop pastiche done by a boy group at the top of their musical game. One thing that separates Sexy Zone from other Johnny’s groups is that the members are genuinely interested in music in a way that other groups aren’t. This means that as Sexy Zone has gained more control of their musical output, they’re making music that’s a lot more contemporary and more aware of what’s trendy outside of the insular Johnny’s & Associates world than other groups. (Not that I don’t love a Prince of Romance Toothpaste Commercial Smile concept because I genuinely do.)

Honorable Johnny’s mention: HiHi Jets “FRONTLINE”

Honorable mention for not being a single or title track or a new song from 2022 but according to the YouTube wrapped feature, this video (posted January 9, 2022) was my most watched video of the year. To be fair, it’s an extremely good performance video. I am one hundred percent Team HiHi Jets! To quote Mizuki’s iconic line: “Buddy, go nuts go nuts.” I will, Mizuki. I will. 

Moving on!

BE:FIRST “Bye-Good-bye”

BE:FIRST is a recent entry to Japan’s boy group scene, formed from an idol audition show in 2021 they’ve really hit big in 2022, even snagging a spot on the prestigious NHK New Year’s Eve extravaganza Kouhaku Utagasen. I really enjoyed “Bye-Good-Bye” for its easy-breezy pastel pop landscape. It’s a pleasant song and MV and one I found myself returning to.

PSYCHIC FEVER from Exile Tribe “Choose One” 

Exile Tribe never fails to deliver the Urban-flavored pop goods and rookie group PSYCHIC FEVER makes a good case for themselves in the absolutely delightful “Choose One”. The song and MV are firmly in the “bros hanging out” genre, which I happen to really enjoy. The group is apparently aiming at a global market and I wish them the best of luck!!!! I’ll definitely be in the audience if they make it to America.

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There was only one story in K-Pop boy groups this year and it was THE RETURN OF BIGBANG! 

BIGBANG “Still Life”

BigBang essentially dropped “Still Life” on us and then went silent again but it absolutely crushed it in the Korean charts, becoming one of the years top streamed songs and the top streamed song from any boy group by a big margin. And well deserved too. It’s a lovely song and I fully admit to crying the first couple of times I watched it. I don’t know if or when we’ll get more group music (especially since TOP will be visiting the moon) but I’m happy we got to see them again.  

Some other favorites of mine this year: 

NCT 127 “2 Baddies”

From SM Entertainment’s Pots & Pans division came “2 Baddies”, a fine addition to the NCT hoe song canon and the title track to a really great album. Pots & Pans generally had a pretty good year in 2022 with MCND’s “#MOOD” (which is a whole mood), Treasure’s “JikJin”, TNX’s “Move”, and Stray Kids “Maniac” but if I’m only highlighting one, I had to go with the unhinged hoe energy of “2 Baddies.” 

WINNER “I Love You”

Winner reunited for a really fun comeback cycle that delivered this charming song, as well a bunch of fun performances. Mino and Yoon still have to perform their mandatory military service so it may be another two years before the next one… luckily this song holds up very well to repeat listens!

ASTRO “Candy Sugar Pop”

This is probably one of the songs I listened to the most this year. Absolute pure pop goodness! MJ has since enlisted in the military so it may be a while before we get another OT6 Astro release but I, for one, will be ready for whatever they do next! (Bonus shoutout to Rocky and Jinjin’s “Just Breathe” for some fun MOBB-style shenanigans!)

And a few solo songs from K-Pop boy group members:

ONEW “DICE”

“Dice” is the title track from Dice, Onew’s second solo album. Both the track and the album are excellent! It’s just a very pleasant city pop-adjacent listen. I highly recommend both. Plus, fun Onew fancams! This man has never heard the words “lip sync” in his life.

KEY “Gasoline”

Gasoline is probably as close to opposite of the relaxed city pop vibe of Dice as you can get but Key’s bombastic Art Pop style manifesto is equally as enjoyable. Just a fun, fun listen. This man has a vision and I’m here for it! 

(And shout out to Minho’s Chase sliding in under the wire for 2022 although I haven’t had a chance to really dig into it.)

B.I. x Soulja Boy feat. Devita “BTBT”

“BTBT” from ex-iKon member B.I. was another track I had on repeat this year.

I’m sure I’ve missed things but these were the ones that stood out to me looking back at 2022.

Let’s all have a great Christmas and New Year’s! 

See you in 2023, friends!