A few weeks ago, it became apparent that we’re witnessing a moment of history: there is a narrative change about how K-pop is discussed. For decades, The Dark Side of K-pop has dominated western media coverage of K-pop to the point that it has become a commonly used term
There are many variations on the fairytale of The Little Mermaid, but in the original one as relayed via Hans Christian Andersen, it ends in tragedy. Disney made the narrative famous by providing the aquatic princess her happy ending. Producer El Capitxn is not sure what the ending of his
BEFORE BTS has gone through many eras of their career. A new one begins at midnight tonight. ARIRANG, the first post-military enlistment hiatus album, truly marks the start of a new era for the group. It’s the era of expectations, of anticipation. It must be so exciting and stressful
2025 was a really weird year for K-pop, in that it felt like everyone in the U.S. was finally talking about K-pop between K-Pop Demon Hunters, Rosé's "APT.", Katseye and BTS's return, but generally it felt like interest in any other K-pop topics
On February 18, TWICE kicked off the first of their three New York City area shows at UBS Arena in Long Island. It was a Wednesday night concert that began after 8PM, and it ended close to 11pm. The crowds energy was honestly a bit off that night, likely due
One of the most ill-timed projects of my entire career came out on March 16, 2020: Merch Madness, a Billboard deep dive series into K-pop merchandise, arrived just as the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in the United States. It was a series of deep reporting into business and fan practices, the
If you've followed The Rose's career, there's no question that they're an act deserving a documentary. The Rose: Come Back to Me, in theaters now, was released over Valentine's Day weekend, and centers on the band's trials and
Thoughts, stories and ideas.
Happy Lunar New Year! 새해 복 많이 받으세요! I am hitting publish on this to go out on February 17, which means are we are well into 2026 as we're literally starting the Year of the Horse today, but I'm still sonically back in 2025. In
ENHYPEN released their new THE SIN: VANISH album today, January 16, in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese versions. A 23-minute long, 11-track album released in not only Korean but English, Japanese, and Chinese, it leans heavily into the immersive narrative surrounding ENHYPEN since day one: vampire romance. Already told through
Over the past twelve months, K-pop has been fascinating to witness for what it’s turning into and what it’s reacting to. I think this year truly belonged to rookie groups, with many rising acts really getting their presence known in a moment when many more senior acts didn’
I was in Korea last month, and spent a lot of my time running around to have coffee with industry friends. One journalist and I were talking about the success of K-pop Demon Hunters, and what 2026 would bring, and I keep thinking about something he said to me: "
Key's show at Kings Theater on December 10 felt like a celebration of himself, even in the moments when he had to catch his breath. Because, as he says, he's "not 18 anymore." But, as the night went on, it felt like the moments
It's December 2025, which feels like an impossibility, but this year is nearly over. We live in a period of immense darkness, and sorrow, and I am sending you all well-wishes for light. It was a weird year for K-pop in my opinion, though I'll get
I'm in Seoul at the moment, so a bit slower to write than I usually am, but have spent a lot of my time walking through shopping centers and outside of stores blasting music thinking about what K-pop sounds like in 2025. The answer, I feel, is unclear,
“How often do you see a concert?” a friend asked me on Saturday (Nov 1) after I mentioned I was going to RIIZE's show that night. I had seen him earlier in the week, and had mentioned I was going to DC to Seventeen. The week prior, I
The best time to interview a K-pop group is just around their second anniversary, in my opinion. They’re no longer so new that they stick to all their media training, but can relax a bit and answer questions off the cuff, but aren’t so daunted by chasing constant
If you exist even slightly in the realm of pop culture conversations online, one of the biggest topics for much of August and September was the idea that there was no singular Song of Summer, or even many great contenders, though there were some. Depending on who you asked, "
On Saturday night, November 6, Madison Square Garden had two of the hottest shows for the girls and the gays in NYC: Lady Gaga was playing the arena, and Kai was playing the theater. Both artists know how to play to the crowd, and Kai that evening put on a
This summer, it feels like all at once we saw live albums from across the industry: in July, BTS marked their return from hiatus with a several-year-old concert album from a date in Los Angeles in 2021. Then a few days later, Winner released a Best of Album featuring performances