Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
It is a stiflingly hot day in Seoul. But when Kim Jin-kwon – known professionally as Jinkwon – arrives for an interview at the Somerset Palace in the heart of the city, he appears cool in every sense of the word. The college student, 22, has a lot on his plate. Besides being the leader of the K-pop group Newkidd, he’s an actor who’s currently filming a new series.
After touring and playing guitar for Firefall for just shy of 50 years, founding member Jock Bartley knows a thing or two about making travel more pleasant: “Don’t fight what’s going on, accept and deal with whatever comes on the road and be polite and mild-mannered – but have good boundaries.”
Eric Nam graduated from Boston College, worked as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in New York, co-founded the platforms DIVE Studios and Mindset … and is set to embark on a 7-month world tour to promote his latest album “House on a Hill.”
“Entertainment Tonight” co-host Nischelle Turner said, “I don’t consider anywhere I go for work a vacation. When I’m off, I’m off!”
“It’s fun to write lyrics inspired by travel because I feel like the concept of travel is quite similar to life in terms of new challenges,” said “The Uncanny Counter” star Kim Sejeong. “I’ve written tracks for this album over the past two years, so I believe my trips have been blended into the lyrics.”
Carla Patullo’s latest album “So She Howls” was borne out of tragedy. Years ago, her mother died in a car accident after having dinner at her apartment. “I struggled with the guilt of her visiting me that night,” said Patullo. “It was very hard to process.”
Jose Llana is excited to reprise his role in the David Byrne and Fatboy Slim Broadway musical “Here Lies Love.” “I play President Ferdinand Marcos [who was] the husband of Imelda Marcos,” said Llana, who had previously earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his portrayal of Marcos during the show’s Off-Broadway run.
For viewers wondering whether Daniel Augustin’s “Rap Sh!t” character will show any growth in the second season of the HBO Max series, the actor himself offered his opinion in an interview conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
When the pandemic derailed Beth Bombara’s plans to tour, she took that time to concentrate on new music. It was then that she rediscovered a neglected guitar she had stored away, which became instrumental in her songwriting process. It was a classical guitar, “[which] means it looks like an acoustic guitar, but it has nylon strings and a nice warm tone,” she said
It is midnight in Seoul when Shownu and Hyungwon log on for our Zoom interview. Despite the late hour – which they chose, rather than asking western media to stay up late for them – the two members of the South Korean group Monsta X show no signs of fatigue. They are dressed in immaculate white T-shirts and easily riff off each other as they share their views about their music and life in general.