Which Idol is the Best Singer-Songwriter?

In today’s K-Pop world, it’s not just the looks that matter – you have to be a complete package. You’re expected to be good-looking, well-built, a great singer, a skilled rapper, and a coordinated dancer.

But these days, we’re seeing more and more idols come out with another skill set – the ability to write songs.

Here’s a list of the top songwriting idols. Scroll through the list and don’t forget to let us know if we missed anyone!

(Click the arrow at the bottom right to see the full list!)

Big Bang’s G-Dragon

Big Bang’s leader can do it all, from rapping, singing, producing, writing lyrics, and even coming up with the choreography. He’s perhaps one of the highest-paid idol songwriters with over 120 songs registered in the Korea Music Copyright Association. Alongside Teddy, G-Dragon writes the most songs at YG Entertainment, and his long list of discography, which includes “Lies,” “Last Farewell,” Haru Haru,” and “Tonight,” just to name a few, is testament to his gifted talent.

CNBlue’s Jung Yonghwa

CNBlue’s Yonghwa was chosen as the #1 singer-songwriter among idol groups in a recent poll on “K-Star News.” His excellence in writing lyrics, composing and producing songs make him one of the brightest stars in K-Pop. He’s not just written songs for his own group CNBlue, but also given songs to Juniel and Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun.

BEAST’s Yong Jun Hyung

He might be better known for dating a hot girlfriend, but Yong Jun Hyung is the true mastermind behind most BEAST hit tracks. His work ranges from BEAST’s major hit singles, such as “Fiction,” “Shock,” “Breath,” and “Special,” to 4minute’s “HUH,” HyunA’s “A Bitter Day,” and Jang Woo Hyuk’s “The Day Time Stops.” When asked how much he makes from copyrights, he simply answered, “Let’s just say it’s hard for me to keep track.”

Jay Park

Because of his immensely talented vocals and rapping, not to mention his crazy break dancing skills, Jay Park’s songwriting often get overlooked. But Jay Park wrote and composed over 80% of the songs from his latest album, including the title track, “Know Your Name.” He once said one of the best things about not being a part of 2PM is the fact that he can write/sing whatever type of song he wants to. We’re all waiting for your English album Jay!

LEDApple’s Gun Woo

Gun Woo’s probably the least recognized idol on this list, but he may have the longest discography. It’s a well-known fact that he’s written over 1,000 songs prior to his debut, and he’s been heavily involved with all LEDApple songs. It probably runs in his blood, as his father is Park Gwang Hyun, the famed songwriter who’s previously worked on a number of OST albums. It’s sad to hear that he’s decided to withdraw from the group, to better focus on his music writing career, but we wish all the best in his future endeavors!

IU

The only female idol on this list, IU is slowly growing her ability as a songwriter. Her guitar playing skills and vocal talent are already well-known, but not too many people are aware of her songwriting ability. In fact, she wrote 6 out of the total 12 tracks on her second album, and she’s continuing to expand her horizon to writing lyrics and producing songs as well.

B.A.P’s Bang Yong Guk

This up-and-coming rapper has shown exceptional talent in writing lyrics. He wrote the lyrics of all the songs for B.A.P’s first debut album, and he’s also written the lyrics to “Goodbye” from their first mini album. Before his B.A.P debut, Bang Yong Guk made his name known through “I Remember,” a duet track with BEAST’s Yoseob, as he wrote and composed the song. He still needs to compose more songs to catch up to the rest of the top songwriting idols, but considering he’s only 22 years old, the sky’s the limit for this young man.