The Top 10 Music Videos of 2021

2021 opened the year with some fantastic music videos, setting the stage for the entire year. There were many memorable entries making this list. However, let us first get into some rules.

• Any music video released between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 is included.

• Choreography and performance videos are included, but only if an official MV does not exist.

• Old songs receiving an MV are included.

With that, let the list begin!

Honorable Mentions

ONEWE - Rain to Be

Oneus - Black Mirror

WOODZ - Waiting

FROMIS_9 - We Go

TRASH - Love

10. Akdong Musician - Hey Kid, Close Your Eyes

A criticism of education systems? An analogy for growing up beyond adolescence? An attack at war as a concept? AKMU's Hey Kid, Close Your Eyes acts as all three, and the music video plays a big part in this. From the black-and-white color palette to the child actors, it is instantly memorable.

9. Brave Girls - After We Ride

Paying tribute to Brave Girls' We Ride and acting as a successor to the music video of Pool Party, After We Ride thrives on its well-shot scenes, along with a set color theme. The members of Brave Girls also put out a strong performance, perfectly working with the song's theme.

8. Monsta X - Gambler

Gambler pays high tribute to the heist movies of Hollywood. The plot is nothing original, shut off the lights in a heated auction and steal everything. However, Monsta X provide an over-the-top performance, while the video fundamentally matches the audio to great success.

7. Ninety One - Qiyalman

Vertical music videos continued to grow in popularity this year, but few felt as quintessentially generation-z as this Kazakh track. The transitions from scene to scene were perfectly executed, feeling like a moving painting. The quartet also seem to enjoy jamming through the MV, with a mix of controlled shots and semi-improvised chaos.

6. Golden Child - Burn It

Admittedly, Burn It does not aid its music as well, nor is it shot as well, like many other music videos on this list (hence the number five spot). However, it is perhaps the best acted, and most heartbreaking, piece of visual media this year. Zombies serve best in pop culture, when they provide introspective questions, about the survival of humanity, even at the threat of humankind. Burn It answers this with the characters' actions, where they put their lives to believe in humanity. The incredible finale, after the music ends, remains intensely memorable. Bomin and the girl with him perform their roles fantastically, while the music video ends on a hopeful, yet somber, note.

5. ALAMAT - Kasmala

Decades after the fact, global colonialism still holds a heavy shadow over the world, one that many are afraid to talk about. ALAMAT are not among that many though. Kasmala's music video is brutally honest about the evils of the colonial powers, which was well summed up by this article for the Parcinq.

4. Akdong Musician - Nakka Ft. IU

AKMU have always been known for their fantastic music videos, but Nakka pushed the bar far. A piece of surrealist art, Nakka knows how to handle scaling with gravity-defying moments. From inverted houses to the scene where Suhyun grabs Chanhyuk, the ambitious green screen is properly used throughout the entire track. Clearly telling a story of acceptance and getting saved by those who you love, the shots of Chanhyuk being lonely while his friends enjoy, and the final shot where he stands with them, looking forward to the future, have become instantly iconic.

3. Dhee - Enjoy Enjaami Ft. Arivu

At their very heart, a music video should act as an aide to the song. Enjoy Enjaami does this with its sweeping cinematographic shots. From the forest to the fields, everything feels like a maximalist interpretation of the folklife of South Asian farmers. Dhee proves to be an instant camera magnet, performing within each scene with charisma. However, it is the clever placement of the background figures that makes this music video fantastic.

2. U-Know - Thank U

A gritty, bloody, gangster thriller, Thank U's MV stood as a total reinvention for Yunho, who was at one point infamous for his lack of acting skills! However, the editing and camera angles throughout the entire music video stood out for a reason. A clear knowledge of space was used by the music video, leading to many instantly memorable scenes (U-Know getting up in front of the 'hei' sign, the sole running man at 2:19, etc). However, few moments remain as memorable as the elevator fight (2:25) and the fantastic, single-shot gun fight (3:34).

1. Jackson Wang - LMLY

A loving homage to '90s Hong Kong and Hong Kong cinema, Jackson Wang's LMLY is far and away the best music video this year. With Jackson at the helm (along with Mamesjao), LMLY looks to pay tribute to its predecessors. Indeed, the storyline is hardly revolutionary, but the startling yet simple cinematography more than does its part.

Rotating cameras and long-shots are the camera work of choice, but each and every scene is a work of art, carefully curated with lots of love. One of my favorite shots is at 2:52, right at the reveal that the entire MV is Jackson's fantasy. The camera moves around to showcase the empty seat opposite to Jackson, while the camera slowly moves so we can see his face, joyful in utter denial. Combine this with a strong acting performance, and we get a runaway winner for the music video of the year.