17 Carat K-Pop

D.B. Cooper, who committed the only unsolved hijacking in commercial airline history, has become something akin to a folk legend among citizen sleuths. “Cooperites” and other true-crime enthusiasts still pour over theories and potential suspects to this day, both in online forums and at in-person meet-ups like CooperCon. Part of the enduring fascination with D.B. Cooper’s story is the amount of un...

Singer-songwriter Jenny Lyric talks about the passion that goes into her work, how she's changed since being a member of CoCo Avenue, her future plans, the dream collaboration, and more! The video version of this episode can be viewed at howtostan.substack.com!

An overview of the latest music-related news and studies: an underwater festival, a sports team's bizarre attempt to break a losing streak, a link discovered between music tastes and personality types, research on festival attendance changing the odds of helping a stranger, and much more!

What to expect from KCON 2022, what happened to an idol caught in a voice-phishing scam, what the BTS-themed Airbnb experience entails, thoughts on the VMA nominations, and more of the latest K-pop news and commentary!

A ranking and review of the twenty best new releases, including K-pop, J-rock, J-pop, T-pop, and more!

A guide to ATEEZ's new album, THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT! From revisiting certain themes in their song lyrics to bringing back certain symbols in their new music video, this episode looks at the many ways ATEEZ's newest chapter seamlessly expands on the previous ones - and introduces new clues about what comes next!

This episode summarizes the origin story of American Girl and explores the sociocultural and economic factors that have shaped the brand’s evolution and lasting relevancy.

Nody Cika talks about songs that mean a lot to her, her time on The Voice of Korea, the pros and cons of being so hands-on in the making of her own music, and more! This episode will also be available as a video, and the transcript will be released, at howtostan.substack.com!

This guide to P1Harmony goes over the reasons for their popularity, the characters each member plays in their music videos, the messages their music has included since day one, the recurring symbols in their videos, and things to look out for as the "Harmony Era" story continues to unfold!

After sharing some stories from TXT’s Chicago concert, Hope breaks down the latest K-pop headlines, including what Jessi’s departure from P NATION is really all about, why aespa continue to be ones to watch, what to make of metaverse-related group SUPERKIND, and more!

A ranking and review of the twenty best K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop releases of June 2022!

Given the new context and clarity provided by aespa's new "Next Level" short film and "Girls" music video, this episode includes an updated, comprehensive glossary to all things KWANGYA and the SMCU, a revised character and setting guide, and new theories about the ways SM Entertainment artists' stories are intertwined!

A ranking and review of the fifty best K-pop and J-pop albums released in the first half of 2022!

The best lyrics on ENHYPEN's new album, details from this comeback's teaser videos and new music video that are easy to miss but important not to, the greater context behind the David and Goliath reference in "WALK THE LINE," and an overall breakdown of the messages ENHYPEN's musical world has sent and continues to send.

In honor of Lee Taeyong's birthday, here is a guide to his solo music, both official and unofficial (released on just YouTube or SoundCloud), a roundup of his most profound quotes, a brief reminder of his role in the SMCU, and more talk about all things Taeyong!

After reacting to and reviewing AB6IX’s Chicago show, Hope runs through the latest K-pop headlines: new tour announcements, the introduction of Namjoon into the Rick Riordan universe, the surprise KCON 2022 guest, the problem with some recent comments made about BTS’s hiatus, and more.

The 100 best K-pop, J-pop, C-pop, and T-pop songs of 2022 so far, in no particular order!

Hope breaks down seventeen noteworthy details about LOONA's new album, Summer Special [Flip That], from potential hints about the future of the LOONAverse to the ways the new album and music video nod back to LOONA's previous eras!

A ranking of the top fifty best K-pop, J-pop, C-pop, and T-pop music videos of the year so far, described in the form of a guessing game!

A rapid-fire rundown of all the major headlines from the past few weeks in the world of K-pop: BTS announcing a break to focus on solo pursuits, Jisoo’s candid confession, big changes to the company behind LOONA’s world tour, Grammy Award changes, and much more.

In honor of their comeback and approaching anniversary, Hope makes the case for the ten most definitive BTS songs of all time, shares her favorite quotes from BTS members, and much more!

Those who closely follow celebrity trials fall into two main categories: diehard fans of the person on trial and opportunists who seek to make social media posts and/or merchandise using content from the proceedings. This episode looks at examples of how both types of spectators have made a scene outside of courtrooms, gained money and/or fame from their public support of stars on trial, and have...

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

A quick Q&A with Luvabstract about his new music, his stage name, music video concepts, and more! This interview can also be watched as a video at howtostan.substack.com!

A quick Q&A with Hamingu about his new single with Luvabstract, "SELECT," as well as the B-side, "Hint of Yellow"! A transcript for this interview will be published at howtostan.substack.com later this week, and stay tuned for Luvabstract's interview, coming soon! This episode is also available as a video at howtostan.substack.com!