2022 has been an eventful one. A lot has gone down, from the return of live music to farewell albums to long waited comebacks to exciting new artist debuts—it's been quite the year.

Whether it was yet another concert announcement or a new J-pop group to keep on your radar or even the historic reunion of the Philippines' biggest band, you guys were here reading all about it on Bandwagon. Throughout the year, we shared stories on music from all across the region, spotlighting all kinds of artists both on and off the stage. 

BEST OF 2022

So, to celebrate the year that has passed and all the stories that came along with it, here are the most-read stories of 2022 on Bandwagon. 

Spotify Pie

If there's anything we've learned about our readers last year, it's that they love knowing and sharing their listening habits. In 2022, we saw thousands of people come together to share, rave, complain, and explain their Spotify Pie, a pie chart that lists out all the artists and genres they had on repeat. Like our favourite time of the year: Spotify Wrapped, it was a chance for all of us to brag about (or maybe even defend) the music that we listen to. 

Concert Comeback

2022 was comeback season for the live music scene. We were dusting off our concert gear and making our way back back to our local concert venues as tour announcements came one after another. From Korean acts like BLACKPINK, DPR, Stray Kids, TXT, ENHYPEN, SEVENTEEN, and (G)I-DLE to pop and rock acts like Harry Styles, Arctic Monkeys, Cigarettes After Sex, The 1975, and SB19, everyone had a show and tour to announce. And even though it was hectic planning our calendars, it was great to see live music back and running. 

BTS updates

Like previous years, BTS had an incredibly busy 2022. Their year kicked off with their Permission To Dance on Stage concert series in Seoul and Las Vegas, which was also shown live in cinemas across the world. 

The year continued with the announcement of their anthology album, PROOF which includes their sentimental track 'Yet To Come'. The award-winning pop group also held their monumental Yet To Come in Busan concert that brought together millions of ARMY all over the world, solidifying their legacy. 

2022 was also when BTS announced a new era in their careers. Dubbed as the group's "chapter 2", this new phase sees the members embarking on their own solo projects, from collaborations to their own albums. j-hope kicked things off with the release of his highly acclaimed album, Jack In The Box. The 'MORE' hitmaker also made his historic festival debut as a solo act at Lollapalooza (referred to as HOBIPALOOZA) as one of their major headliners. 

Jin followed suit with the release of his first official single 'The Astronaut', which was made in collaboration with Coldplay, as he bid farewell to ARMY as he goes on to fulfil his military enlistment. As his final send-off, the singer joined Coldplay at the Argentina stop of their tour to perform the pop track live for the very first time.

RM also released his album, Indigo last year. Described as the last documentation of the multihyphenate's youth, the critically acclaimed record featured the likes of Erykah Baduh, Anderson .Paak, Tablo of Epik High, DOCSKIM, HONNE, john eun, Paul Blanco, Mahalia, and more.

The members also had their own series of collaborations, with Jungkook joining forces with Charlie Puth for the ever-catchy pop track 'Left & Right', SUGA performing and producing PSY's 'That That', j-hope collaborating with Crush for 'Rush Hour', and RM and Balming Tiger coming together for the effortlessly cool hit 'Sexy NUKIM'. 

Beyond music, BTS also unveiled their HYBE IP-powered mobile game, IN THE SEOM which follows the members as they find themselves on a deserted island. Full of hidden gems and adorable moments, ARMY (and even the BTS members themselves) were dialled into their island, unlocking one puzzle at a time. 

4*Town

Boybands, you got to love them. So, when the Pixar animated film Turning Red combined all of our favourite boyband archetypes into 4*Town, we couldn't help but fall head over heels. 

Inspired by the likes of Jonas Brothers, BTS, and One Direction, 4*Town are a fictional boyband from Turning Red comprising the all-rounder Robaire (voiced by Jordan Fisher), the mood-maker Aaron T. (voiced by Topher Ngo), the heartthrob Jesse (voiced by FINNEAS—who also wrote all of 4*Town's songs alongside sibling and pop star Billie Eilish), the sweetheart Tae Young (voiced by Grayson Villaneuva), and the mysterious one Aaron Z (voiced by Josh Levi). 

SEVENTEEN's Be The Sun Manila concert

SEVENTEEN embarked on their Be The Sun world tour in 2022. The tour, which followed the release of their album Face The Sun, saw stops all around the world including Manila. The 'HOT' hitmakers performed had a blast dancing, singing, and 'Aju Nice'-ing with their Filipino CARATs for the first-time since their 2019 Ode To You Tour. In fact, SEVENTEEN loved their Manila concert so much, they came back for another round last December, but this time taking over the world's largest indoor arena, Philippine Arena in Bulacan. 

Getting to know BE:FIRST

J-pop has no shortage of talented groups and this year, we got to know one of the brightest stars the genre has to offer: BE:FIRST. 

The BMSG act—comprising Junon, Leo, Ryoki, Sota, Manato, Shunto, and Ryuhei—had a tremendous year, releasing their debut album BE:1 and continuing their rise through the ranks of music. Alongside their BESTYs (BE:FIRST fanclub), the 'Scream' act introduced the world to their intricate and dynamic musicality. While BE:FIRST have only been for a little over a year, they've proven that they're ready to dominate the music world.

Eraserheads reunion

While a lot of exciting things have come from the Filipino music scene this year, the most notable is without a doubt the historic reunion of the country's most iconic rock band, the Eraserheads. We all probably remember exactly where we were when the band's Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, and Marcus Adoro posted that cryptic 'E' online. Phone calls were made, group chats were set a buzz, and anticipation began to rise while we all had one question in mind: what was going on?

The Eraserheads were having a reunion. For the first time in a very long while, the members were set to reunite on one stage for their monumental Huling El Bimbo concert. It was a rocky journey to put together, as Marasigan revealed to us in a casual conversation, but it was happening. 

The show was set to be the biggest production we would see this year and from the rehearsals alone, we already knew that we were in for a spectacle. And boy, we were right. The concert, which happened on 22 December, drew in a crowd of 75,000 people as the Eraserheads ran through the classic hits, fan favourites, and deep cuts that have defined their legendary career. 

Disney+ in the Philippines

They say patience is a virtue and it certainly was for the arrival of Disney+ to the Philippines. In November 2022, the streaming service finally landed in the country after months of waiting, giving viewers access to a wide selection of titles from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic.

F1 Night Race

After two years, the F1 Singapore Grand Prix made its highly anticipated return this year—which also meant the Night Concerts were back too! Despite rainy days, F1 saw exhilarating races—where Red Bull Racing's Sergio Pérez won—and unbelievable performances from Green Day, Marshmello, Black Eyed Peas, TLC, Westlife, and more. 

Snow Man on Takizawa Kabuki

There's a lot of pressure carrying on a legacy, but Snow Man has been doing so exceptionally well. The J-pop group, helmed under Johnny & Associates, has been performing the production Takizawa Kabuki, which puts together traditional and modern performing arts in the most captivating and extravagant way possible. Originally starring former singer and actor Hideaki Takizawa, the members of Snow Man have taken over and are hoping to share the show with audiences outside of Japan. 

Street Dance of China Season 5

Street Dance of China returned for its 5th season this year and everyone was understandably excited. Returning judges Han Geng and Wang Yibo returned to the Chinese dance competition show as captains, alongside THE9's Xin Liu and former K-pop idol Nathan Lee. 

NCT x Sanrio collab

We saw a lot of collaborations this year, but NCT x Sanrio still holds a special place in our hearts. As part of the collaboration, Sanrio has designated one character to each of the NCT members, matching up their personalities and likeness. It's as adorable as it sounds. 

NewJeans debut

NewJeans took the entire world of K-pop by storm this 2022. Deciding to stray away from the meticulously planned debut and teasers, the ADOR act took everyone by surprise—literally—by suddenly releasing their debut single 'Attention' in July. Since then, the group have continued to carve their own space in K-pop with the global success of their viral hit 'Hype Boy' and the rest of the self-titled debut EP. 

2022 MAMA Awards

Awards seasons have come and gone yet again in 2022. Winners were crowned, awards were given away, and music and artists we're celebrated. Like every year, we've always looked forward to the MAMA Awards (which were previously referred to as the Mnet Asian Music Awards). 

This year, the coveted awards show awarded the likes of BTS, IVE, BLACKPINK, Xdinary Heroes, (G)I-DLE, Stray Kids, NAYEON of TWICE, PSY, SEVENTEEN, BIG BANG, and more. 

Check our Best of 2022 lists, where we share our top songs, albums and EPs, music videos, and collaborations of the year.