It's a K-pop Thing

We have a special concert recap episode that's ALL about our recent K-pop travels, concerts experiences and even a special run-in with some K-pop idols after a concert! (No spoilers: You'll have to tune in to hear who it was!) In this episode we cover how Alexis recently traveled to Tokyo to catch NCT 127 before military enlistments for the members began and Theresa talks about how she flew to Las Vegas to catch TWICE on the last stop of their world tour. We get into the nitty gritty about Alexis's experience buying the SM Global package and what it was like watching a K-pop show without her phone. Plus, hear about Theresa's experience giving K-pop freebies for the first time and how VCHA opened for TWICE. It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

Lately, the general consensus seems to be: K-pop is bigger than ever before —and that's to be celebrated— but it's also ... different. The music trends are changing and, depending on who you ask, it's not always for the better. Especially among multi-stans, there seems to be a newfound sense of overwhelm and fatigue due to the relentless amount of content churned out by K-pop. All of this has us thinking: Are we entering a new era of K-pop? Is K-pop's rapid growth stalling? Dare we ask: Has K-pop Hit a Plateau? To help us understand where K-pop is today, we're joined in a roundtable discussion by friends of the pod, DJ Peter Lo of the Kpopcast podcast and Tamar Herman, a longtime K-pop journalist and author of the newsletter Notes On K-pop. We don't promise to have all the answers, but maybe we can share some good thought starters! Let us know what you think of the state of K-pop today by tagging Alexis and Theresa on Instagram @IKPTpod. Follow Tamar @Tamarwrites Follow Peter @DJPeterLo It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

This episode is PART 2 of our two-episode discussion on the latest K-pop and Latin music collab, "Amigos" by BIBI and Becky G. If you haven't checked out PART 1, go back to the feed and listen! In this portion of the discussion, we dive into our top K-pop and Latine song recommendations! We focus on K-pop songs that cater to a Latine audience, by either featuring a Latine artist, they're sung in Spanish or..they simply have a Latin vibe. EPISODE RUNDOWN: LISTEN TO OUR FULL SPOTIFY PLAYLIST! We've got more 25+ K-pop x Latin songs that highlight the growing crossover between Korea and Latin America. REMEZCLA ARTICLE on K-pop x Cumbia/Norteña LET US KNOW YOUR DREAM K-POP X LATINE COLLAB! Tag us on Instagram @IKPTPod to let us know! It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

Hey everyone! We're back in 2024 with an episode we recorded at the tail end of last year when BIBI and Becky G had just released their collab track, "Amigos." It's a chill, fun song that also serves as a good introduction to K-R&B and Latin music. Given this song bridges the broader worlds of K-pop and Latin music—two of our fav genres—we naturally have have a LOT of thoughts on the song! This episode is PART 1 of our two-episode discussion on the latest K-pop and Latin music collab, "Amigos" by BIBI and Becky G. Make sure to stay tuned for Part 2 of our discussion later in a future episode, where we give our top song recs for K-pop/Latine music collabs. EPISODE RUNDOWN: It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

For this edition of Play This! we’re discussing “Gento,” a song by Filipino-boy-group SB19. While it’s not K-pop, per se, the song has been making its way around the industry’s boy groups, thanks to numerous idols doing the “Gento” dance challenge. But, what is it about this song that has male idols flocking to it? Is the popularity of SB19’s “Gento," maybe due to changes in concepts for K-pop boy groups? Are male idols simply missing the hard-hitting choreography we once associated with “Beast Idols” in K-pop? More importantly—what actually happened to the “beastly idol,” or “beast idol,” or “beast-dol” boy group concepts from the 2010s? In this episode, we share our theories behind the popularity of "Gento" and we give you a brief history of "beast idols" in K-pop. Plus, we share other songs by some of our favorite "beast-dols" as well as our predictions for where boy groups go next. Buckle up—as MONSTA X says — "we are BEASTMODE!" LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: "SB19's Gento and Other Beast Idol K-pop Songs" EPISODE RUNDOWN (with timestamps): PART 1: SB19 & The History of Beast Idols PART 2: Other Beast-dol Songs We Recommend Special song mentions:FINAL THOUGHTS TAKE OUR POLL ON SPOTIFY: What’s your favorite “Beast-ly” Boy Group in K-pop? Do you think we should have more groups with this type of concept today? It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

If you're a K-pop multi-stan like us in the USA, you might have noticed something lately: The number of K-pop acts on tour has grown by a LOT! But with that growth, we've also seen an increase in tour dates overlapping and fans ultimately having to choose between which of their favorite artists to support. We have to ask: Are we finally in the era of too many K-pop concerts? To help us talk through this dilemma, we invited our friends Carolina and Kat, each one-fourth of the women behind the podcast Not Your Average Fangirls. If you've ever listened to the show, you know NYAF are some of the biggest K-pop multi-stans around! On this episode we chat about how K-pop tours have changed, what improvements we'd like to see and—most importantly—their tips for how fans can pay for those concert tickets! EPISODE RUNDOWN (with Timestamps): Part 1: Overview of current K-pop tours (2:28) Part 2: Interview with NOT YOUR AVERAGE FANGIRLS (23:30) VOTE IN OUR SPOTIFY POLL—Let us know what YOU think! Are we in the age of too many K-pop concerts? CHECK OUT NOT YOUR AVERAGE FANGIRLS HERE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyafangirls/ X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/NYAFangirls It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

We're back with another edition of Play This! where we give you some song recommendations inspired by recent K-pop releases. On this episode, we discuss the latest collaboration between a K-pop group with a Western artist: "Do It Like That," by TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Jonas Brothers. "Do It Like That" is a bouncy, fun pop song that's perfect for summer and it got us thinking about how rare and special it is to have a collab happen between a K-pop group and a Western artist. Tune in as we travel back in time to bring you some of our favorite musical crossovers from years past. GET THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: Play This! Great K-pop Collabs (TXT, Jonas Brothers and More) EPISODE RUNDOWN (w/TIMESTAMPS) Do It Like That Other Great K-pop Collabs with Western Artists We Recommend (28:57) Don't Need Your LoveAll NightPut My Hands On YouFreal LuvTempleLet's Shut Up & DanceHonorable Song Mentions (73:49) Sour CandyUp To YouKiss and Make UpNILIRIALET US KNOW: What did you think of our song picks? What would you add to the list? Tag us on Instagram and Twitter with your thoughts OR leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

Today's episode features a special interview with K-pop idol and artist, AleXa! Recently we chatted with her about her latest digital-single, "Juliet," and the 6(!) different versions of the song, which include a bachata remix sung entirely in Spanish. In other episodes, we’ve touched on the globalization of K-pop and how artists have branched out to other markets to gain traction beyond Korea. But, AleXa is the latest K-pop idol to turn to the massive fandom in Latin America and recognize them with a special release for Spanish speakers. Tune in to hear AleXa talk about writing a ballad, what it was like winning American Song Contest, and her thoughts what makes K-pop so unique. Plus, stay tuned after the interview for our takeaways and discussion on the significance of K-pop catering to international fans. WATCH ALEXA PERFORM"JULIET" IN SPANISH HERE: https://youtu.be/R-5PnLajFn4 EPISODE RUNDOWN (w/TIME STAMPS) LET US KNOW: What do you think of AleXa and other K-pop idols singing in Spanish? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @IKPTPOD with your thoughts! ABOUT OUR GUEST ALEXA: AleXa (알렉사) is a K-pop singer, dancer and songwriter who grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2019, AleXa made her multilingual K-pop debut with “Bomb,” which hit #7 on Billboard’s “World Digital Song Sales” chart. After a breakthrough comeback with mid-tempo dance track “Tattoo” in 2022, her song “Wonderland” earned a resounding win on NBC’s American Song Contest, a remake of Europe’s hugely popular Eurovision Song Contest. “Wonderland” ranked #38 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, propelling AleXa to the 6th most played Korean artist on U.S. radio and the first female Korean act to present at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. KEEP UP WITH ALEXA: Official Site: https://www.alexazb.com YouTube: AleXa • ZB Label⁣⁣ Instagram: @Alexa_zbofficial It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

We're back with more K-pop song recommendations! For this episode of Play This! we take a very *serious* look at a very UN-serious song: (G)I-DLE's latest comeback and hit, "Queencard." Sometimes in K-pop we get wacky concepts, nonsensical lyrics and unserious music—but who cares if it WORKS? And "Queencard" works fantastically, thanks to the plenty of camp elements throughout. Tune in for our discussion on all things camp in K-pop (Hint: It's everywhere; you just have to know what you're looking for). Plus, don't miss our song recommendations in the second half of the episode! We dug into the K-pop archives for some oldies but goodies. GET THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: PLAY THIS: (G)I-DLE’s Queencard Plus Other Unserious & Camp K-Pop EPISODE RUNDOWN (w/TIME STAMPS) AllergyQueencardG)I-DLE's "Queencard"Other K-pop "Camp-y" and "Unserious" Songs We Recommend (30:05) BabyfacePower UpDumb Dumb30 SexyNerdyHonorable Song Mentions (46:11) BBoom BBoomI'm So HotWrap Me In PlasticBo Peep Bo Peep Bubble Pop!I'm Gonna Be a StarSuper DuperDESSERTBONUS: The K-pop groups we would like to see do a camp concept (51:29) LET US KNOW: What other camp-y, fun, and unserious K-pop songs would you add to this playlist? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter with your thoughts! It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

FIFTY FIFTY's "Cupid" is still going strong on the charts, thanks to the popularity of its English "Twin" version. But where do you from there? What other K-pop songs do you queue up on your playlist? After all, you need at least a few good songs to get the algorithm to do its thing! Lucky for you, we've got four K-pop songs for you that are in the same vein as FIFTY FIFTY's "Cupid." Tune in to hear us break down what's helping "Cupid" chart so well plus our personal song recs for you to play next. EPISODE RUNDOWN: LET US KNOW: What other K-pop soft pop hits would you recommend? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter with your thoughts! It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

We're back with Part 2 of our mini-series examining the state of Girl Groups in K-pop today! We have a lot to discuss in this episode, including new releases by plenty of 4th-gen acts as well as our theories on why the spotlight is shining so brightly on girl groups. PLUS!! We share our TOP 10+ GIRL GROUPS (atm): With so many girl groups charting at the moment, we made our own list of the girl groups that have us excited for the rest of 2023! Plus, you'll hear which groups we're crossing our fingers make an epic comeback so they don't fade into the background. (Note: If you missed Part 1 of our discussion, go back to the feed and check out our interview with music journalist Lai Frances.) EPISODE RUNDOWN: LET US KNOW: WHAT GIRL GROUPS TOP YOUR LIST RIGHT NOW? Do you agree with our Top 10? What groups are you most excited about? Tag us on social and let us know! HELP THE SHOW GROW Share the show with a friend, a mutual or anyone curious about K-pop! Already done that? Tag us on IG & Twitter with a screenshot of the latest episode & what you thought about it! It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

Something major happened in K-pop last year: For the first time since the aughts, girl groups outshone their male group counterparts. Not only did girl groups deliver hit after hit, but 2022 also saw 4th generation girl groups consistently vie for the top spot in K-pop music charts and award shows. And if “Ditto” and “OMG” are any indication of how this year’s gonna pan out, it’s looking like girl groups are gonna have another winning season. ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This is PART ONE of a mini-series examining how girls groups are dominating K-pop at the moment. Be sure to follow and subscribe to the show so you don't miss Part 2 of our discussion! OUR GUEST: To help us make sense of why 2022 was such a pivotal year for K-pop girl groups, we spoke to journalist (and friend of the pod), Lai Frances. Lai Frances, has profiled acts like Le sserafim, Itzy, and Nayeon from Twice. She’s written for publications like MTV News, UPROXX, Tomorrow Magazine, among others. EPISODE RUNDOWN: 1- Intro:2- Guest Bio3- Interview Highlights:Overview of 2022's big wins Is it time for boy groups to ‘step back’? (Pun intended)How have girl group concepts evolved? Are labels pushing out girl groups more?Touring for GG in 2023 & beyond HOT TAKE: Are boy groups stuck, (sonically)?Will the market get saturated? What's next for girl groups? 4- Closing ThoughtsLET US KNOW: DO YOU THINK GIRL GROUPS ARE WINNING? What do you think about girl groups in K-pop right now? Do you agree that they're outshining the boy groups? Do you think they'll keep winning in 2023? Why/why not HELP THE SHOW GROW Share the show with a friend, a mutual or anyone curious about K-pop! Tag us on IG & Twitter with screenshots of you listening to the show. It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

We've tabled the reporting this week to bring you a special bonus episode in the form of a little game we're calling, "Battle of the B-sides." Now, before you get ahead of yourself—there is no singing OR actual "battle" taking place. Instead, we're taking a deep dive into the B-sides of one of our favorite K-pop artists to figure out which non-title-track is our favorite. Here’s how it works: To make this all happen, we've invited our friends over at the Kpopcast to join us for our inaugural Battle of the B-sides: HYUNA Edition! That's right—for this episode we’re starting off with none other than the remarkable, one-of-a-kind, and iconic HYUNA! EPISODE RUNDOWN: Team Intros: (3:24)First Impressions(5:53)Round 1: (17:28)Round 2: (30:01)THE BEST B-SIDE!(44:11)Hopes for HYUNA(53:31)HYUNA B-SIDE SONGS MENTIONED: Get Outta My HouseIce IceShow WindowFreakyCHECK OUT THE KPOPCAST HERE: Web: https://kpopcast.net/ Twitter: @thekpopcast WANT US TO FEATURE ANOTHER K-POP ARTIST? If you like this episode and want us to explore deep cuts from another artist, make sure to tag us on Instagram & Twitter @IKPTPOD or email us at info@kpoppod.com. It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

We're back with a very special follow-up episode in our mini series on rookie K-pop groups that survived — and thrived— throughout the pandemic. For Episode 2 we're super excited to announce we have the podcast's ... FIRST ~ EXCLUSIVE ~ K-POP INTERVIEW! In this episode, we chat with TFN (formerly known as T1419)—a rookie K-pop group that quickly caught our attention because of the unique way they're promoting themselves in Latin America and Japan. Tune in to hear the members discuss what it was like to debut during a time when K-pop groups couldn't meet with fans in person—and what they make of their Latine fans. Plus, we spoke to one lucky TFN/T1419 super fan who met the group while they were in Puerto Rico last summer for the Latin Premios Juventud award show. Lastly, we dissect the group's performance at KAMP and where we hope the group goes next. EPISODE RUNDOWN: (4:09)(7:11)(8:44)(20:02)(42:07)(60:31)TAG US — Let us know if there's another rookie K-pop group that you think should be on our radar! Who would you like to see us interview next? SPECIAL THANKS to TFN & MLD ENTERTAINMENT for helping make this episode possible! REMEMBER TO KEEP AN EYE OUT ON SOCIAL FOR EXCLUSIVE TFN CLIPS! Follow us on @ikptpod on Instagram and Twitter for updates :) WATCH TFN'S SPANISH SONG "BEFORE SUNSET" HERE: https://youtu.be/oNnGFBl8LVs It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

Debuting a K-pop group under normal circumstances is, to say the least, no easy feat. So, what do we make of a rookie K-pop group from a smaller music label that not only debuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also decides to go on tour? Well, that's exactly what K-pop group GHOST9 did in 2022. In our very first episode of It's a K-pop Thing, we're kicking off a two-part series that looks at K-pop groups that debuted during the pandemic. In Episode 1, we go back in time to January 2022, when GHOST9 held their first concert in the U.S. We'll discuss the group's performance at the El Rey Theater in Hollywood, their collaboration with KOREOS, a dance cover group at UCLA, and lastly, their overall marketing and promotional strategy—and what we make of it! EPISODE RUNDOWN: (4:55)(6:30)janiewang_19@rin.ajin(18:30)(55:34)(67:51)Stay tuned for Part 2, where we look at another rookie K-pop group that's taken a very different approach to getting their name out there! WATCH GHOST9 & KOREOS COLLAB HERE: https://youtu.be/s60jrrIg1is It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

What happens when you bring together two journalists who are the go-to K-pop stan in their friend group? Well, apparently, they start a podcast about K-pop! Welcome to the debut of It's a K-pop Thing! "The show where we talk about all the things that make K-pop, distinctly K-pop." Hosted by Alexis Hodoyan-Gastélum and Theresa Avila, It's a K-pop Thing explores the fan culture that's helped grow K-pop into a global phenomenon. Because as longtime K-pop stans know, the world of K-pop is so much MORE more than just the music. (Though, let's be clear: The music IS incredible!) Each episode of It's a K-pop Thing dives into one aspect of the K-pop industry—whether it's fan signs, rookie debuts, PC trades, or something else—in order to spotlight the one-of-a-kind fan culture that's transformed the way we consume music. We're just getting started and hope you look forward to our "debut!" >>FIRST EPISODE DROPS FALL 2022>> STAY IN TOUCH ABOUT OUR HOSTS: Alexis is a longtime K-pop journalist who's interviewed K-pop acts like Monsta X, Red Velvet, BTS, Momoland and more. She's currently the music editor for Remezcla, a Latine music and culture publication. Alexis's ult group is Super Junior. FOLLOW ALEXIS: @hoe_doyan on Instagram and Twitter Theresa is a writer, editor and producer who has covered beauty, style and all things business and entrepreneurship for publications like Girlboss, The Cut, Mic and others. Her love of K-pop and podcasts means she's almost always wearing a pair of headphones. Theresa's ult groups is EXO. FOLLOW THERESA: @theresa_avila on Instagram. It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila. FOLLOW US: Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES? E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com