Music, music, music
Iโll be updating this page periodically to include music thatโs piquing my interest at the moment. Song of the day: โPretty Babyโ by Blondie.
Tag: BTS
Interviews (Celebrity Index)
David Bowie, Keanu Reeves, Britney Spears, PSY, Idris Elba, BTS, Matt Damon, Justin Timberlake, Venus Williamsโฆ Just a few of the notable folks Iโve interviewed. Click on the photo or the title to read my profiles. Enjoy!
What We Can Learn About Ourselves from โWorldwide Handsomeโ
Referring to himself as Worldwide Handsome isnโt about Jinโs ego. Itโs the affirmation that we all need.
The Making of Jinโs Sweeping โAnother Levelโ
Jinโs vocals on โAnother Levelโ (from his debut EP โHappyโ) blew away co-songwriter Ben Samama.
Big Ocean: Meet the Deaf K-Pop Group Thatโs Breaking Barriers
Big Oceanโs Hyunjin, Chanyeon, and Jiseok talk about their remarkable journey and what they want to do next. My latest exclusive for Rolling Stone.
Go Away With โฆ Kim Suhyun
Kim Suhyunโs bestselling book โI Decided to Live as Meโ (Penguin Life) reminds readers about the importance of self-care and self-love. The Seoul-based writer said that reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations piqued reader interest. And she also credits BTS member, Jungkook, for spiking interest in her book after the pop star was spotted reading it.
IUโs Evocative โLove Wins Allโ Music Video (featuring V) is Thought-Provoking
Itโs not easy for two well-known celebrities to immerse themselves in their roles so well that we donโt see them, but rather their characters. But watching IUโs music video for โLove Wins All,โ I didnโt see pop stars IU and V, but rather a pair of anguished characters who were trying desperately to survive in this post-apocalyptic inferno.
They Call Us K-Culture
I was the first guest of 2024 on Phil Yu and Jeff Yangโs podcast, โThey Call Us Bruce.โ We discussed K-dramas, BTS, Lee Sun-kyunโs tragic death and how annoying it is when non-Asian members of the media co-opt our stories.
โBTS Monuments: Beyond the Starโ
โBTS Monuments: Beyond the Starโ isnโt always easy to watch. Very real issues are discussed, including severe depression that hints at suicidal ideation. But what comes through is that itโs the groupโs hope, friendship, humor and love that binds them together.
The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music
What follows is not only the story of Korean popular music, and how it birthed the K-pop business, but also how a small peninsula nation learned how to make art in the face of colonialism and political change, culled sonics from all corners of the globe, and keeps striving to find new ways of distilling the purest, most thrilling aspects of the human experience into four-minute packages of pop revelation. For Rolling Stone.
As BTS Celebrates 10th Anniversary, Their Impact and Legacy Is Undeniable
In this essay, writer Jae-Ha Kim celebrates BTSโs 10th anniversary as a group by looking at the dreams they achieved on behalf of the Korean diaspora. They rose to the top and took us with them.
Sugaโs D-Day Concert Review: Agust D, Yoongi, and BTS Suga in One Glorious Fusion
In the final moments of the concert, the cameras seem to multiply, his cadence intensifies, the lights flash like paparazzi light bulbs. On the giant screen, surveillance-style footage captures him at a dozen different angles. Itโs all fury and flame and breathless swagger; Suga can dance, Agust D prefers to stalk. And the last image we see is Min Yoongi, his retreating back, the house lights already up, a person at the very end of it all.
โSuga: Road to D-Dayโ
โItโs my dream to travel around the world and play with local musicians playing their traditional instruments,โ Suga says in his documentary Suga: Road to D-Day. โItโs my dream to record them and make music based on that.โ But he has trepidation, too. โI worry that I wonโt have anything to talk about,โ Suga says. โI have fears that I have no more dreams to follow.โ
Epik Highโs Tablo on Trauma, Triumph, and the Truth
A year ago, Tablo wasnโt sure there would be another Epik High album. Now the Korean hip-hop star is ready to talk about it all โ from their new EP, โStrawberry,โ to the trauma he faced from an online troll campaign, to his next collaboration with BTSโ RM. My exclusive interview for Rolling Stone.
The 79 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022
The 79 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022, according to 79 journalists and pop culture writers โฆ including me! My pick of the year? Jinโs โThe Astronaut,โ which preceded the BTS memberโs military enlistment on Tuesday (December 13).
South Koreaโs Criteria for Military Exemption is Outdated
BTSโ Kim Seok-jin announced today that he is preparing to enlist in the Korean military, which is required of all able-bodied Korean males. There are exceptions for athletes, classical musicians, and some academics. So why didnโt the Korean government exempt BTS, whose global achievements are unparalleled?
Shout-outs!
These are some of the tweets that people Iโve interviewed have sent โฆ and also some feedback from readers.
What Makes BTS Standout?
Boy bands generally donโt get a lot of respect from journalists regardless of what language they speak. But if BTS was a white boy band singing in English, Iโm positive their songs would get more attention and radio play.
The Social Significance of BTS in the U.S.
Iโm most grateful that Asian American children today have pop culture role models who look like them. Itโs so important for children to see themselves represented. When I was my sonโs age, there were no famous artists in the U.S. who were talented, young, handsome, great role models AND Korean! Iโm so happy that he has BTS to listen to, laugh with and look up to.
Was BTS Just Lucky? Nope.
Did luck and timing play a part in BTSโ success. Itโs important to remember that luck isnโt just something that happens while youโre sitting around doing nothing. As Jungkook said in an episode of โBurn the Stage,โ โWeโve been lucky, but we worked hard for that luck.โ