It's a K-pop Thing

(Crosspost from Kpopcast) Dive into this episode with special guest Theresa from It's a Kpop Thing Podcast where we unpack the latest comeback BAD from ATEEZ, including discussion about whether the use of Latin culture and Spanish language are more cultural appropriation or celebration. In addition, we explore their narrative universe, cultural influences, and fan engagement. In this episode:...

This was a big year for fans of K-pop at Coachella, especially because we had a younger group and two Second-Gen icons perform at the festival. First up we had KATSEYE, who made headlines following the will-she-or-won't-she-appear speculation regarding Manon. Then we had TAEMIN, who made headlines as the first K-pop soloist to play at the festival. Following that, we had the one and only BIGB...

*This is Part 1 of a mini-series on the Return of BTS* We're trying something new on the pod ... a mini-series! It's been nearly 4 years since the 7 members of BTS released new music as a group and there's plenty to talk about. To mark the occasion we're taking a close look at what this moment means for BTS and for the industry as a whole. To kick off this mini-series, we'...

"NCity is on fire." That's what it seems like for NCTzens everywhere who, in the last few days have faced the unexpected bombshell news of Mark Lee saying goodbye to NCT and SM Entertainment. As if that wasn't bad enough news, days later, TEN also announced that he was leaving the company. But, crucially, TEN clarified that he would remain a part of NCT and WayV.  Still, it&apo...

We finally have BLACKPINK 's first EP since 2022, the highly-anticipated Deadline , a five-track release that includes " JUMP " and " GO ." But does the EP live up to the hype? In the weeks since its release, the reaction from critics and fans alike has been mixed. That tepid response contrasts to the praise for the member's recent solo music — which includes a Grammy...

ZEROBASEONE 's time as a 9-member group has come to a close after more than two and half years. What started as a temporary, project group from the survival show BOYS PLANET (Season 1) will now continue as a 5-member boy group managed under WAKEONE Entertainment, a subsidiary of CJ ENM.  The group will continue as a quintent consisting of Sung Han-bin, Kim Ji-woong , Seok Matthew , Kim Tae-ra...

What started as perhaps a run-of-the-mill corporate statement about KATSEYE 's Manon taking a hiatus from group activities has turned into a PR disaster for HYBE x Geffen . In the days following the announcement, there's been a flurry of "read between the lines" speculation that's flooded the internet as fans try to make sense of what might be going on behind the scenes. A...

ATEEZ's latest comeback has proven to be their most successful to date so far and that's thanks in large part to high album sales and streaming that led to a Triple Crown victory on the music shows in Korea and a #3 debut on the Billboard TOP 200. Their MV for "Adrenaline," the title track off of their 13th mini album, "Golden Hour: Part 4" achieved 10 million views w...

The start of 2026 had seemingly everyone online reminiscing about what life was life back in 2016. Back when times were simpler, more fun and, dare we say, when K-pop music was ... better? Before you come for our necks, let us take a trip down memory lane as we reminisce about how great K-pop was in the 2010s. In this episode, Alexis and Theresa ask themselves: Did K-pop already peak or is nostalg...

Put simply: We have big and complex feelings about EXO's highly anticipated comeback following the return of all members from their military enlistment.  When news of an EXO reunion first broke, we were just as excited as any diehard EXO-L. Unfortunately, as time went on and it became evident that CBX would NOT be included in the comeback due to their ongoing legal troubles with SM Entertainm...

After analyzing all of the year-in-review K-pop content over the holidays, we've come to one conclusion: 2025 was *rough* and left us wanting a lot more. So, as we kick off the brand new year in 2026, we're hoping our collective positive thinking can help us manifest the best possible year yet in K-pop! Tune in as we chit chat about: Our standout releases from 2025 What we're each m...

We're kicking off 2026 with an episode we recorded at the tail end of last year that's all about Santos Bravos! Following HYBE's big experiment with KATSEYE, HYBE Latin America focused its efforts in 2025 on debuting a Latino pop boy group using the K-pop industry model.  Though the group is most definitely NOT K-pop sonically (more on that later), its creation via a music survival...

Kpop Demon Hunters arguably gave us not just the song of the summer, but the soundtrack of the year. Sound like hyperbole? It's been months since the animated musical was released this summer and it shows no signs of slowing down. Thanks to word-of-mouth and some early guerrilla-style marketing, viewership for the film snowballed so unexpectedly and so quickly that it now holds the distinctio...

After taking a break in 2025 we are BACK with a fresh season of It's a K-pop Thing! It's been a long 9 months — we could have had a baby! — and we've missed talking all things K-pop. There's tons of new things we want to try for this upcoming season so stay tuned for updates on that on our Instagram account (@IKPTPOD).  To kick things off this season, Alexis and Theresa are foc...

We're back with a fresh season for 2025 and to kick things right off we're bringing you a conversation we recorded at the end of last year when Stray Kids announced their upcoming stadium tour! There's no doubt that K-pop has grown, and with it, the size of venues artists perform has grown as well. So many K-pop acts have made headlines selling out shows at stadiums across the Unite...

We are back after our summer break for a brand new season of It's a K-pop Thing! In this episode, we catch up and discuss what it was like traveling to Mexico this summer to see NCT Dream and Cha Eun Woo . Then, you don't want our advice and tips in the second half of the show! If you've ever thought about traveling to see a K-pop show in Mexico (or maybe greater Latin America), thi...

In this edition of Play This! we bring you a previously unreleased episode that almost didn't air. Shortly after recording our discussion about ILLIT 's debut hit single, " Magnetic ," news broke of the corporate turmoil and fallout going on at HYBE and ADOR regarding allegations of plagiarism. In this episode — recorded prior to the allegations surfaced by ADOR 's CEO Min...

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 f...

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...

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, t...

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 thoug...

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-po...

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 t...

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...

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 tractio...