Idols' Music: 'Summer Song' Battle to Beat the Sweltering Heat

A ‘Summer Song Battle’ is taking place between singers vying to heat up the music industry in midsummer. This season, many dance songs feature lively melodies and point choreography. Cultural critic Ha Jae-geun explains, “Seasonal songs that establish themselves in the market have the advantage of recurring annual sales. Summer songs with a refreshing feel will get particularly diverse.”

Kiss of Life, recently celebrating their first debut anniversary, is receiving positive responses for their song "Sticky." After winning first place on music shows, "Sticky" entered the top 10 on major music charts, including Melon, Bugs, and Genie. Some even call them “the next-generation summer queens.” Kiss of Life belongs to S2 Entertainment, a new agency founded in 2020. Their success is notable in an industry where idols from large entertainment companies typically dominate.

Girl group (G)I-DLE is attracting attention with the title song "Klaxon" from their mini-album "I Sway," released on the 8th. This is their first summer song since "Dumdi Dumdi" in 2020. Unlike their recent charismatic hits like "Queencard" and "Superlady," "Klaxon" features refreshingly popping strings and rhythmic guitar sounds, with the easy-to-follow ‘Crayon Shinchan Dance’ as the point choreography. The mini-album "I Sway" marks their third consecutive million-seller.

Performance-type songs that stand out at summer festivals, like ‘Water Bomb,’ are also popular. A notable example is "Underwater," performed by Kwon Eun-bi, a former member of IZ*ONE, at last year's Water Bomb festival. Although released in January 2022, the song gained popularity after a fancam of the performance went viral. Famous music critic Jeong Min-jae notes, “K-pop idols, for whom performance is crucial, consistently release summer songs to showcase a refreshing and sporty image.”


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