Ranking all Produce 101 Debut Songs

The Produce franchise has been perhaps the most influential piece of reality TV music from the 2010s. The basic concept is simple; 101 contestants compete to join a K-Pop/J-Pop/C-Pop group that is guaranteed high success. The series was eventually derailed as it was discovered that much of the show was staged, and the final group pre-decided, but the franchise's influence still reigns high.

In Korea, contestants of the show are occasionally A-list celebrities, and the groups still hold records over the charts. In China, where the government banned the series in the midst of a crackdown on idol music, contestants from the show reign strong and successful in the show. Meanwhile, in Japan, the competition still continues.

For this ranking, I will rank all the debuts from the official Produce groups (spin-offs are excluded). All national variants count from Korea, Japan, and China. For China, I included the Chuang groups too. Finally, I included Girls Planet 999 (the new Korean MNet show), as despite it not using the Produce title, it basically is a Produce show.

11. INI - Rocketeer (Produce 101 Japan Season 2)

Due to their recent debut, it is hard to predict INI's eventual fate, but Rocketeer was certainly an inauspicious debut. Following a Noise Pop trend two years too outdated, the song has some strong productional flourishes but is much too loud and noisy to provide a substantial melody worth the members' talent.

10. R1SE - R.1.S.E (Produce Camp 2019)

The Chinese Produce debut tracks often kowtowed to trends more formulaically than their Korean counterparts, and R1SE's debut is no exception. R.1.S.E is an above-average piece of Noise Pop, but not unique enough to stand out from the crowd. At least the group would release better material later.

9. Rocket Girls 101 - Rocket Girls (Produce 101 China)

Female artists under the Produce franchise are often given material that does not challenge or innovate sonically, as to cater to both young teens and elder, often creepier, listeners. The basic formula for these releases was also followed by the franchise's entry into China. Rocket Girls has some fun moments, such as the rock-tinged post-chorus, but is let down by overly generic and cutesy hooks, such as the disastrous "On Rush" repetition.

8. BonBon Girls 303 - BonBon Girls (Produce Camp 2020)

Oh, my dear BonBon Girls, what happened? Living true to the expression "So bad it is good", BonBon Girls is the least forgettable of the Chinese Produce tracks, even if one of the messiest. If one can make it through that introduction without laughing, they have more self-control than me. The rest of the song keeps up the ridiculousness, leading to a wild chanted chorus. BonBon Girls may fail to artistically stimulate a listener, but holy moly is it fun. The girls would top this soon afterward though with Ahead of Super A Warning, which is just as fun but less embarrassing.

7. Kep1er - Wa Da Da (Girls Planet 999)

Despite not being titled 'Produce', Girls Planet 999 was another Produce show. I kid you not, this franchise is like a cockroach, it survives everything! Wa Da Da has its moments, such as the propulsive pre-chorus, the thumping chorus, and the ridiculous but fun post-chorus. The unfortunate thing is that none of these segments connect to each other well, with the ridiculous lyrics don't helping.

6. JO1 - Infinity  (Produce 101 Japan Season 1)

JO1 are the first permanent Produce group and the appropriately titled Infinity largely showcased their style. While the groovy electro-pop chorus was quite joyful, the song failed to fly with a few-too-many half-time instrumental breaks. Thankfully, JO1 followed it up with several superior tracks.

5. I.O.I - Dream Girls (Produce 101 Season 1)

Despite arguably being the most influential piece of reality television from Asia of the 2010s, Produce 101's launch, backstage events, and much more, were both controversial and underwhelming. Including this was I.O.I, the resulting group, combining some of K-Pop's most promising rookies and future stars for generic material. Dream Girls is probably the best track of their short and scattershot career, with a thumping, if generic, electric guitar-supported chorus. The rest of the track is quite forgettable, but at least you get to awkwardly look at Chungha trying to fit in the aegyo-infused choreography.

4. INTO1 - We Are INTO1 (Chuang 2021)

The final Chinese Produce group, INTO1's debut song is fine, driven by an anthemic, powerful beat, leading to a strong flying chorus. However, it does deserve some criticism for being quite generic. It does not set up a strong identity for INTO1, instead following a roughly generic template. Thankfully, INTO1 have been relatively strong within their pop structure so far.

3. Wanna One - Energetic (Produce 101 Season 2)

Okay, I know this is going where I am going to get the most hate.

Now we finally get into the really good stuff. Energetic is such an iconic track, perhaps the most influential and trendsetting piece of music to come from the Produce franchise. It set the anti-drop Deep House sound for K-Pop that remained in vogue till recently and continues to influence the K-Pop sound. It started the careers for many iconic K-Pop groups, while producer Hui would later apply his touch to many other groups, using the formula of Energetic.

Unfortunately, Energetic's greatness is also its Achilles' Heel. Its sound was so influential, that it became an art in the industry to create a redux of Energetic. The track's original co-producer Hui was one of the best at this and managed to create several improved clones of this song. Energetic's soundscape has become so overused by this point, that the song has lost some of its initial freshness. Nonetheless, it is hard not to groove your body when Kang Daniel comes in rapping, or with the iconic chorus. While not the best at what it does, it would be a great injustice to underrate Energetic.

2. IZ*ONE - La Vie En Rose (Produce 48)

While La Vie En Rose was always a success, it has improved further with time at its side. Several songs copied its basic electronic, melodic drop chorus style, but none could match the quality of this track. The light, spring guitar adds texture to the drop chorus, flying and rising smoothly. The song worked best when following its simple and sprinkled texture, rather than the heavier sound of the pre-chorus.

Additionally, La Vie En Rose does something no other Produce track has done, it created a definitive identity for IZ*ONE, one they roughly followed up to the day of their disbandment. A trendsetting song, La Vie En Rose, despite its occasional flaws, has become the definitive female K-Pop survival show track. The chorus' sprinkly guitar along with the extended filtered note has become iconic for a reason.

1. X1 - Flash (Produce X 101)

The killing blow of the Produce franchise, it is almost cathartic that the name Produce peaked and crashed when followed with the words 'X 101'. Taking every lesson from every previous installment of the Produce groups, X1 debuted with a highly talented cast of members, written and produced for by the now-acclaimed 13 production team. The result is a fantastic, tightly-produced, pop song that ticks all the boxes.

Part of this may be due to nostalgia; I credit this song for getting me once again into modern K-Pop and thus allowing this blog to exist, but Flash remains strong in its own right. The verses are quick but never distracting. The cleverly layered production hooks of whistles and snaps make a great choice to build into the pre-chorus. Then, the chorus drops, breaking all of the tension away in a mere moment's instance. It should not work, but it works fantastically, remaining a fantastic moment to this day.

Of course, this is assisted by a fantastic performance. Each of the members are talented, and they provide one crazy performance. It is interesting to see which members have forged successful careers from this one brief track, and which ones have yet to do so. Nonetheless, they all give their best here, knowing their career depends on this track. It is utterly fantastic and memorable.

The vote-tampering scandal deservedly halted the monolith of the Produce franchise, even if only temporarily. Despite that, it was tragic for the trainees who lost everything failing to make it into the groups, and the members of X1, who had no idea of the entire scandal. Given their premature disbandment, Flash remains a watershed "What-if?" moment in K-Pop. What if X1 survived, how would their success affect K-Pop? It is hard to know, but Flash showcased strong promise, promise that never received a chance to be fulfilled.

Image Source: Kpop Wiki