Studying for finals and powering through those last assignments can be challenging at times when there is nothing keeping you in the zone. If you are like me when it comes to being productive, a great playlist is key.  

To me, music is music no matter the language, which is why Korean music (K-music) is regularly mixed in to my daily music.  

We all have differing tastes in music and when it comes to studying especially, what might motivate one might not for someone else. 

I bring to you fellow listeners and anyone interested in discovering K-music a mix of my go-to albums and tracks fit for academic productivity. I have selected various urban and underground tracks from trending artists and hidden talents.  

The mix is composed of relaxing and chill underground R&B, rap, indie tunes, acoustic, modern mixes, downtempo, ballads jazz, original sound tracks and more.  

I hope you find some tracks and albums in this playlist to your taste as you study for finals. Best wishes to you in completing the semester on a positive note.   

K-Pop

Tracks: 

• BTS — “Coffee,” “Converse High,” “I Like It”  
• iKON — “#WYD,” “My Type” 
• Seventeen — “Healing”

K-Indie/Alternative/Soft Rock

Albums:  

• Busker Busker — “Busker Busker 1st Album,” “Busker Busker 2nd Album” (literal titles) 
• Standing Egg — “Young”
• Sam Kim – “I AM SAM”
• The Black Skirts — “Team Baby” 
• NELL — “Healing Process,” “Newton’s Apple,” “Separation Anxiety,” “Slip Away”
• Hyukoh — “20,” “22”
• 10cm — “3.0,” “4.0” 
• Eddy Kim — “The Manual” 
• Kim Feel — “From Feel,” “Feel Free” 
• Roy Kim — “Home” 
• 20 Years of Age — “The Glitter of the Moment”  

Tracks: 

• Standing Egg — “In My Dream”
• Fromm with Giriboy — “Pieces of You and Me”
• The Black Skirts — “Hollywood” 
• Day6 — “Goodbye Winter,” “You Were Beautiful,” “Colors” 
• Sandeul — “Stay As You Are”
• Kim Feel — “Bye December”
• Saltnpaper — “Perfect,” “Choices,” “Goodnight”
• Cokejazz & Hoody — “Blue Horizon”
• Park Won & Suzy — “Don’t Wait For Your Love”
• Soyou & Kwon Jeong Yeol of 10cm — “Lean on Me”

K-Hip-Hop/R&B

Albums:  

• Beenzino — “24:26,” “Up All Night”
• Epic High — “Shoebox”
• Code Kunst — “Muggles’ Mansion” 

Tracks: 

• Beenzino — “Dali, Van, Picasso”
• BTS — “Where Did You Come From?,” “Tomorrow,” “Whalien 52”
• ZICO — “Well Done,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Anti” 
• Simon Dominic feat. Zion. T — “Stay Cool” 
• Mad Clown feat. Jooyoung — “Hide and Seek” 
• Taeyang feat. G-Dragon — “Stay With Me”
• Sam Kim & Loco — “Think About’ Chu”
• Gaeko feat. Zion.T — “No Make Up”
• Block B — “A Few Years Later”

K-R&B/ Soul

Albums:  

• Shin Hyesung of Shinhwa — “Delight”
• Jonghyun — “Story Op.2”
• Zion. T  — “Red Light,” “OO” 
• KREAM — “Talking to the Moon” 

Tracks: 

• Ailee — “Reminiscing”
• Jaehyun of NCT 127 — “Try Again”
• BTS — “House of Cards,” “Love is Not Over”
• SunnyHill — “Crossroads”
• Dean feat. Crush & Jeff Bernat — “what2do” 
• Dean — “Half Moon” 
• Taeil of Block B — “Inspiring”  
• Kwon Jin Ah — “Fly Away,” “The End”
• Taeyoon — “No Name” and “I Always” 
• Verbal Jint feat. Eddy Kim — “I Smell Autumn” 
• Kassy — “Dream” and “Rain”
• Crush — “Sometimes” “Just,” “Don’t Forget”
• Hoody feat. Jay Park — “Your Eyes”  
• Gain & Jeff Bernat — “Pray” 
• MBLAQ — “Mirror”
• Seo In Young feat. Zion. T – “Thinking of You”
• Heize —  “You, Clouds, and Rain,” “In the Time Spent with You,” “Don’t Know You” 
• Junggigo — “27/7,” “Across the Universe’ 
• Highlight (formally known as BEAST) — “It’s Still Beautiful,” “Not Anymore”

 K-Jazz/Blues

Albums:  

• Primary — “Primary and the Messengers,” “Lucky You!,” “2”
• IU — “Modern Times” 
• Park Won — “OM”
• Yoon Hyun Sang — “Pianoforte,” “Blue:Wave,” “Attitude” 
• Baek Yerin — “FRANK,” “Bye Bye My Blue” 

K-Ballad 

Albums: 

• IU — “Palette”
• Park Hyo Shin — “I am A Dreamer”
• Jung Seung Hwan — “His Voice” 
• Davichi — “50 X HALF,” “Mystic Ballad,” “Davichi Hug” 

Tracks: 

• Buzz — “Tree”
• Han Dong Geun — “Amazing You”
• Huhgak — “Memory of Your Scent”
• Taeyeon — “Set Me Free,” “Rain,” “Secret” 
• Joo Hyo & HA:TFELT — “There Must Be”

Original Sound Track (OST)

Full Drama OST: 

• “Cheese in the Trap OST”
• “Chicago Typewriter OST”
• “Because It’s the First Time OST”

Tracks: 

• SE O (Jellycookie) — “Sunflower” from “Doctors OST”
• Suran — “Step Step” from “Jealousy Incarnate OST”
• Lyn — “With You” from “Descendants of the Sun OST” 
• Kassy — “Good Morning” from “Fight My Way OST” 
• Taeil — “A Doll’s Dream” from “Woman with a Suitcase OST”
• Kim E-Z — “Closer” from “Woman with a Suitcase OST” 
• 10cm — “If You Come” from “Woman with a Suitcase OST”
• NELL — “Breath” from “The Good Wife OST” 

Find these tracks on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play and more.