February 2025 pop reviews: Which artist won worst release of February?

LISA

Oop — we can already hear the Blinks, Lisa stans, and YG defenders warming up their Twitter fingers. And guess what? We said what we said. Come at us, babes!

Look, tossing an F-bomb over a TikTok-friendly beat does not automatically give you a hit — it gives you noise. Where’s the artistry? Where’s the originality? Hell, where’s the effort??

Lisa is THAT girl when it comes to visuals, fashion, dancing! But rapper? Vocalist? Sis, be serious. YG throwing her into this “rap superstar” narrative is the real crime here. They set her up! And for what? Clout in the Western market? The U.S. rap scene eats industry plants for breakfast — and right now, Lisa’s on the menu.

Breaking into the global scene ain’t just about a pretty face and Fendi deals. It’s about substance. It’s about authenticity. This ain’t shade — this is tough love, sugar-coated in truth. And let’s not act brand new — fans and critics alike have been whispering this for a minute… we’re just saying it out loud.

Final Verdict?
Lisa stays booked, busy, and beautiful — but this track? Unbook it. Delete it. Next.

JISOO

Alright, we know the hardcore BLACKPINK and YG stans are about to come for us, but guess what? We’re ready—bring it on! Phenomenal actress? Absolutely. Singer? Mmm… not quite there yet.

ZEROBASEONE

EVNNE

KIIKII

Whew, KIIKII… babes… who approved this?

Let’s just call a spade a spade — this debut lowkey (highkey) sounds like a bootleg I’VE demo that accidentally made it to streaming. Cute? Sure. But also… not really?? It’s giving “copy her homework but change a few words” energy — and not even in a slick way.

Final Verdict:
Cute gowns, nice gowns… but originality left the chat.

PLAVE

Alright, let’s just go ahead and say it louder for the people in the back: WE. ARE. NOT. HERE. FOR. THIS. AI. MESS.

Like… respectfully (but also not really), this whole “AI in K-pop” thing? Yawn. Delete it. Archive it. Send it back to whatever futuristic brainstorm board it crawled out of.

We weren’t vibing when aespa tried it in their debut — and guess what? We’re still not vibing now with PLAVE. No shade to the vocals (they snapped), no hate to the outfits (they served), but this AI gimmick? BABY BE SERIOUS.

Music is about connection, energy, feeling real — not watching digital avatars glitch their way through choreography like we’re in some Sims expansion pack gone rogue.