Top 10 Dreamcatcher Songs

Feature Photo: SJ, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

This Top 10 Dreamcatcher Songs list presents the best Dreamcatcher songs including all their hits from a very popular and successful K-Pop group. Originally formed as MINX by Happyface Entertainment, the South Korean girl group now goes by the name of Dreamcatcher and by the company name of Dreamcatcher Company. The current roster features seven ladies, namely JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Handong, Yooheon, Dami, and Gahyeon. On January 13, 2017, Dreamcatcher released their first album, Nightmare, under this name.

The MINX Days

As MINX, there were five members in the all-girl group. They were JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, and Dami. They released their debut single, “Why Did You Come to My Home?” in September 2014. Later in the year, they released “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” as a collaborated performance with another girl group, Dal Shabet. In July 2015, they released an extended play (EP) called Love Shake. This was their final recording as MINX. It was announced in November 2016 MINX was no more as the group added Handong and Gahyeon to become Dreamcatcher.

Rebirth

Now as a seven-member group, Dreamcatcher brought forth their first album, Nightmare, along with the title track, “Chase Me,” in January 2017. Four months later they released another album, Fall Asleep in the Mirror, along with its title track, “Good Night.” Under this new identity, Dreamcatcher released an EP during the summer of 2017 titled, Prequel. On the Billboard World Albums chart the EP debuted at number five. On US iTunes it peaked straight to the top on its K-Pop Top 100 Chart. Also in the summer, Dreamcatcher embarked on their first world tour.

In 2018, Dreamcatcher held an anniversary fan meeting that was scheduled for January 13, 2018. As soon as the tickets went on sale on January 2, 2018, they were sold out in less than a minute. By the time 2018 was over, Dreamcatcher became known worldwide for their unique sound that mixed rock and metal music in a manner no other K-Pop artist had done before. Dreamcatcher also set another first as they became the first all-girl K-Pop group to complete a tour of major European cities to perform music and interact with the fans. The official nickname for the fandom of Dreamcatcher is “InSomnia.”

Global Influence

On April 28, 2018, Dreamcatcher became appointed as public relations ambassador for copyright protection for Microsoft’s Blockhain Security Technology campaign. Two weeks later, the group released another EP, Escape the Era. Just like the first EP, it was a huge success on the charts and commercially. From July 27, 2018 until August 5, 2018, Dreamcatcher embarked on its “Welcome to the Dream World in Latin America” tour that saw the first concert held in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the final concert in Panama City, Panama.

Shortly after returning home to South Korea, Dreamcatcher released its third EP, Alone in the City. In the fall, Dreamcatcher toured Japan. In 2019, after releasing their fourth EP, The End of Nightmare, Dreamcatcher toured several Asian cities before heading to Australia. There was a concert that was supposed to take place at Melbourne’s Russell Theater but a fire caused that to be cancelled.

In 2020, Dreamcatcher released their first Korean album, Dystopia: The Tree of Language. On May 1, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic put the world into lockdown, Dreamcatcher became involved with the Millenasia Project, promoting the importance of good hygiene. Although it seemed COVID slowed many artists down, this was not the case with Dreamcatcher. The most recent material the group released was summer of 2021 and are still recording and touring as one of the most prolific K-Pop artists in the business.

Dreamcatcher Discography

Excluding their time as MINX, Dreamcatcher has recorded and released two full-length studio albums, eight EPs, three single albums, two collaborations, a soundtrack appearance, twelve singles, and twelve music videos. As MINX, it was two music videos, two singles, an EP, and a single album.

Top 10 Dreamcatcher Songs

#10 – Breaking Out

Dreamcatcher quickly became one of those K-Pop acts that capitalized on Japanese success, thanks to the infusion of rock and metal pulled together in a manner that worked beautifully with J-pop’s aesthetics. Japan’s music tastes favor eclectic-style music that’s heavier than what the South Koreans are used to. In South Korea, the biggest influences behind its K-Pop genre has been a mix of disco, hip-hop, and pop-rock.

In Japan, there’s a preference for hard rock and heavy metal that can be fused with dance hits. In this regard, Dreamcatcher have established themselves as the masters of pulling this feat off. The start of “Breaking Out” started off as tropical pop before the metal sounds turn this dance number into something that could make mosh pits proud. “Breaking Out” came from the 2019 Japanese release, The End of Nightmare, as the first album from Dreamcatcher’s own label, Dreamcatcher Company.

#9 – Good Night

After Dreamcatcher rebranded themselves in 2017, this meant a goodbye to the standard K-Pop style these ladies started out with and hello to a considerably edgier version of themselves. “Good Night” was the first single to appear on the music charts since the re-inventing themselves as it peaked as high as number twenty-three on the World Digital Song Sales List. This song was a defining moment for Dreamcatcher as the blast of the electric guitar at the beginning of the song made a dramatic impact before giving way to the lyrics. The heavy metal riffs was a potent blast and the entire song was an enjoyable ride on the wild side, hard-rock K-Pop style.

#8 – You and I

On the World Digital Song Sales chart, “You and I” was a 2018 hit that saw Dreamcatcher crack into the top ten for the first time on this chart as it peaked at number nine. The hybrid of hard rock meeting dance pop was an experiment Dreamcatcher embarked on and pulled off beautifully. The darkness of goth definitely lingered in “You and I” that had an awesome build of power before going into a dramatic wave before bursting into a guitar solo that could make Jimi Hendrix jealous.

#7 – Chase Me

What has set Dreamcatcher apart from the rest of the K-Pop all-girl groups is its edgier style that has continually danced on the fine line between standard K-Pop and heavy metal. Instead of the cutesy approach, Dreamcatcher is edgier. It showed with “Catch Me” as much as the rest of the group’s best singles. The haunting piano mixed with electro synths and guitar had a gothic dance rock theme that understandably made this a cult favorite among their fans. This song did not appear on any of the music charts when it was released in 2017, which was the year Dreamcatcher hatched itself away from the MINX persona they had previously.

#6 – Deja Vu

“Deja Vu” started off as a dramatic ballad that beautifully illustrated the softer side of Dreamcatcher, which served as a stark contrast from the heavier sounds these ladies are best known for. However, the ladies still burst into hard rock, adding even more thrill to an otherwise operatic drama. “Deja Vu” felt like a roller coaster ride, and an enjoyable one at that. On the World Digital Song Sales List, it peaked at number twelve and was a number ninety-six hit on the K-Pop Hot 100. On YouTube, there were over twenty-seven million views with more than enough likes by fans that seem to be in agreement this is a favorite hit.

#5 – What

2018’s “What” was a number eight hit on the World Digital Song Sales List, a number twelve hit on Japan’s Oricon Singles Chart, and a number fifty-five hit on Billboard Japan Hot 100. This heavy-hitter once again had Dreamcatcher set apart from the rest of the K-Pop pack as its metal riffs was met with an intense instrumental performance that saw South Korean hard rock and heavy metal at its finest.

#4 – Piri

“Piri” was the classic example of diversity with the opening siren call by distorted guitar and the instrumental rush of electrified synths as they met with rap-heavy pops and melodic moments. Released in 2019 as a song to cater to the Japanese market, not only did “Piri” peak at number thirteen on its Oricon Singles chart but it also peaked at number eighty-seven on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. On the World Digital Song Sales List, “Piri” peaked at number twelve.

#3 – Scream

“Scream” was the first of a three-song run that started this trilogy off with a powerful blast of heavy-hitting pops that was the edgiest of the three. It was also one of the group’s biggest hits as it peaked at number six on the World Digital Song Sales List. From the group’s second full-length album, Dystopia: The Tree of Language, “Scream” may have only charted at ninety-nine on the K-Pop Hot 100 but with over thirty-nine million views on YouTube it appears on a global scale this song was definitely a big hit. It also remains as a solid fan favorite, nation for nation.

#2 – Boca

The second song of the trilogy song series was “Boca.” From second studio album, Dystopia: The Tree of Language, “Boca” came in as a follow-up behind “Scream” before “Odd Eye” finished this heavy-hitting tale off. There were over fifty-four million views on YouTube that have enjoyed this somewhat gentler chapter of the three-song series. It wasn’t gentle by much as it still packed a mighty punch. In 2020, on the World Digital Song Sales List, “Boca” peaked at number eleven. On the K-Pop Hot 100 it peaked at number ninety-four.

#1 – Odd Eye

In 2021, “Odd Eye” peaked at number five on the World Digital Songs Sales List, which was the third song of a three-song series that began with “Scream,” then “Boca.” The first two were released just before “Odd Eye” and was already on the charts in 2020 by the time “Odd Eye” made its appearance. Unlike the first two singles in this trilogy, Odd Eye did not chart on the K-Pop Hot 100 but it did earn over forty-five million views on YouTube. “Odd Eye” served as a song at the tail end of a dream that finished just as powerfully as it started.

Feature Photo: Explicit, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons