The group NMIXX is receiving praise from foreign media for the music released this year.
On the 18th (local time), Billboard in the United States released on its official website the lists '2025 best K-pop albums: staff picks' (The 25 Best K-Pop Albums of 2025: Staff Picks) and '2025 best K-pop 25: staff picks' (The 25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2025: Staff Picks), in which NMIXX's first full-length album Blue Valentine and the title track of the same name ranked No. 2 and No. 1 respectively.
Billboard noted, "From the start, the attitude of sticking to a single direction ultimately proved that it can bear fruit. It is rare for a team to be able to complete a widened skill set, style and sound at the important milestone of a first full-length record, but that talent is abundantly present in NMIXX. The song 'Blue Valentine,' which showcased the members' obvious abilities in a more emotional way while not abandoning their distinctive experimentalism, showed that group musical continuity and artistic adventure can coexist and is a defining song that shapes a career."
The first full-length album Blue Valentine also made Teen VOGUE's list of '15 best non-English albums of 2025' on the 16th. Teen VOGUE said, "LILY, Haewon, Seolyun, BAE, Jiwoo and Gyujin have rendered their own sound in the K-pop scene even more clearly. Each element of the album carries its own texture, and by moving across genres and eras it expands NMIXX's spectrum."
The song 'Papillon' from NMIXX's fourth mini album Fe3O4: FORWARD was selected on the 16th by the British magazine DAZED as one of 'The 30 Best K-pop Tracks of 2025.' DAZED introduced, "NMIXX made their presence felt with 'MIXX POP' music that fuses contrasting genres into a single song to deliver diverse appeal. 'Papillon' completed itself as a coherent work while crossing dreamlike alternative R&B layers, hyperpop elements and sharp electronica. The vocals, which cut sharply and then stretch deeply, create contrast and that tension runs through the whole track."
Earlier, the song 'SPINNIN' ON IT' from the first full-length album Blue Valentine was highlighted in British music magazine NME's 'The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2025' and 'The 50 Best Songs of 2025,' and the mini album track 'High Horse' was also noted on NME's 'The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2025.' With the songs released this year receiving positive evaluations from overseas media at year-end, NMIXX's musicality shone once again.
NMIXX swept domestic music charts this year with Blue Valentine and received great love. Riding that momentum, they will embark on their first world tour in 2026, 'EPISODE 1: ZERO FRONTIER,' and expand their global activities.
[Photo] Provided by JYP Entertainment.
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