I think if we look at 2022-2025, easy listening tracks for girl groups saw an upward trajectory that was headlined by groups like NewJeans. Nowadays, I feel like the floor has been raised in regards to people’s expectations on what constitutes as a good easy listening song in 2026. Liquid drum and bass and UK garage sounds admittedly isn’t met with the same immediate awe as it did a few years ago in kpop, imo.
If you look at ifeye’s Hazy Daisy for example, a track that constitutes as “easy listening,” it recieved a lot of criticism from listeners for sounding too by the numbers and phoned in. But I can’t help but think if that song was released say three years ago, people may change their tune about it.
While easy listening tracks in Korea still usually remains king, I feel like the west has moved on to expecting more from these kinds of songs to be considered good.
What I’m getting at is the question of has the meta changed for easy listening tracks for girl groups? Does an easy tracking track for you now have to do something really exceptional and unique before you dismiss it as “too vanilla” or lacking character?
submitted by /u/FanCaracal
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