17 Carat K-Pop

Part one of this episode goes over the twists and turns in the HYBE/SM Entertainment saga since the release of the episode called “HYBEs and Lows." Hope then summarizes what big plans SM Entertainment revealed in their "SM 3.0" video presentations. Part two is a rapid-fire roundup of miscellaneous K-pop news from throughout February!

Same game as last time, different K-pop songs to guess by the English lyrics! Give yourself one half point every time you guess an artist's name or the song title correctly and one full point if you guess both correctly. If you play in a group, the winner is the person with the highest score at the end of the fifty rounds. No artist appears in this game more than once. Good luck!

After finishing up the “Best of January” countdown with numbers 5 - 1, Hope shares over 70 MORE K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop recommendations released within the past few months!

A LOT of massive business decisions were just made by the biggest K-pop companies! Why has there been so much confusion surrounding SM Entertainment’s leadership shake-up? Why did HYBE recently acquire Quality Control and become one of SM Entertainment’s largest shareholders? What do recent trends in the broader music industry, such as artists selling their catalogs, have to do with HYBE’s and SM...

A ranking and review of the twenty best releases from December 2022, followed by a separate ranking and review of the twenty best releases from January 2023!

Upon closer look, the album Strawberry offers much more substance and insight than it first appears to; it is another remarkable addition to Epik High's discography. This episode covers seventeen details worth reflecting on and pausing to appreciate about it, from the album cover's meaning to the most poetic lyrics!

While the episode called "The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION Study Guide" breaks down the Easter eggs in TXT's teaser content and sources of literary inspiration for their latest comeback, this episode analyzes the album itself. The most insightful lyrics in each song, the stories told by the album as a whole, hidden symbols in the "Sugar Rush Ride" music video, and much more is covered! 

After recapping the highs and lows of P1Harmony’s Chicago concert, Hope recaps the month in K-pop news: are HyunA and DAWN really back together? What is and is not known about BLACKPINK’s contract statuses? What changes now that Scooter Braun is the sole CEO of HYBE America? Plus: a LOONA court case update, new TV programs to watch, Fashion Week sightings, and even more updates!

The original story about “making a deal with the devil,” the adventures of a boy who could never grow up, and TXT’s music video storyline have MUCH more in common than it sounds! From specific symbols to abstract themes, these three stories share surprisingly similar messages about temptation, maturity, the messy process of finding oneself, struggling to see in shades of gray, and so much more. Wh...

In the first half of this episode, Hope reveals the survey results from the show’s newsletter (17caratkpop.substack.com) about the best in K-pop in 2022! In the second half, she shares 27 predictions about the K-pop industry in 2023 - and throws in some “manifesting into existence,” less-likely predictions too!

Hope breaks down the ten reasons why K-pop girl group NewJeans has become such a massive success already, predicts how they will inspire new K-pop trends, and shares her theories about the meaning of their music videos!

After sharing the highs and lows of NCT 127's Chicago concert, Hope opens up about the unique ways she processes music as an autistic listener, how NCT 127's music affects her on a deeply personal level, and what it felt like to finally see this meaningful discography to her come to life! For even more concert coverage, check out a highlight reel and write-up on 17caratkpop.substack.com and 17cara...

After going over seventeen buzz-worthy aspects of the SM Entertainment New Year's Eve concert, Hope compares and contrasts the show to those of previous years and reads between the lines regarding what message the company sends with this show every year. Looking closely at the pre-show forum's content reveals much more about SM Entertainment's intended brand image than what meets the eye...

After highlighting some things to look forward to in 2023, from tours to TV shows, Hope revisits her 2022 K-pop predictions and makes some guesses about 2023!

Elvis, reality television, conspiracy theories, Elon Musk, famous scams, armchair detectives, American Girl... Enthusiasts (formerly called How to Stan) covered a BROAD variety of topics this year! In addition to summarizing every episode of Enthusiasts that came out in 2022, this episode includes status updates on previously-covered stories and not-yet-told stories related to these episode topics...

A year’s worth of K-pop news, broken down into seventeen categories! From the K-pop stars who rocked Fashion Month to the most buzzed-about legal cases, this episode recaps the best, worst, and overall most memorable moments in K-pop in 2022!

From the cutest to the weirdest, these are the can't-miss K-pop music videos of 2022!

The first part of this episode recaps all the major changes to Twitter since Elon Musk bought it and dives into the now-public text exchanges Musk had with famous friends in the lead-up to the acquisition. The second part looks at the backstories of the Silicon Valley types who have Musk's ear, what they believe, and how their views and goals might be shaping Musk's own. Lastly, this episode expla...

From the cutest to the weirdest, these are the can't-miss K-pop music videos of 2022! Stay tuned for part two!

A guide to the 100 best K-pop/K-rock, J-pop/J-rock, and C-pop/C-rock albums of the year!

Over 150 of the best songs of 2022, revealed in the form of a guessing game!

In today's roundup of music news: what led up to the Taylor Swift ticket fiasco, the strange circumstances that allowed Ticketmaster to become such a superior force in the concert industry in the first place, a study about dancing rats, agencies changing their tune on TikTok, and more. 

A ranking and review of the twenty best new K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop releases!

After going over what happened before and after the decision to remove Chuu from LOONA, Hope shares the latest on a variety of other stories: Hook Entertainment's alleged wage theft, two recent disbandments, an incredible piece of Lisa fan art, the girl group trying out a "silent mosh pit" concept, and more.

After a recap of all the biggest SEVENTEEN moments of 2022, Hope shares her theories about the hidden details in the "DREAM" music video (starting around the 7:28 mark), plus the ways the video perfectly concludes the "Be the Sun" era!