Oppa isn't really gay... How K-pop queer baiting leads to queer blindness

K-Pop, in general, has a problem with queerness. 

This is a bit of a loaded statement, but let me explain; K-Pop’s issue with queerness is that it toes the line of what is and isn’t acceptably queer all the time without ever fully addressing it. I…

[Interview] Zandari Festa returns to Hongdae with another great lineup

Korea’s top indie showcase festival Zandari Festa is back once again in Hongdae next weekend. This year 140 acts will be playing across 10 music venues between Friday 29th September and Sunday 1st October.

Established names in Korean music including Galaxy Express, Idiotape, 3rd Line Butterfly and Neon Bunny…

SM makes idols like Samsung makes phones: K-pop as culture technology

This is the second part in a series on the meaning of K-pop as a genre. Apologies to everyone for the huge delay.

Step 1: Casting

Step 2: Training

Step 3: Producing

Step 4: Marketing

This is the 4-step process founder Lee Soo-man laid out describing how…

DEAN is so popular in London they've put on a second date

Turns out R&B singer DEAN (or is it DΞΔN?) is so popular in the UK, concert organisers have put on a second date in London after the first one sold out.

Tickets are on sale for the gig at KOKO in Camden on Saturday the 24th June…

HIGHLIGHT and EXID to play London Korean Festival in July

UPDATE: There has been some confusion over the event because the KCCUK have deleted their initial Facebook post but according to event organisers Audience the event is still going ahead as announced.

Looks like this year’s London Korean Festival is back with a bigger K-pop lineup than ever…

Is K-pop a genre? Yes. Yes it is.

Ask a Korean recently wrote a blog post called K-Pop is Not a Genre in which he argues that K-pop is not a musical genre (as you may have guessed). (He has since also written another.)

As much respect as I have for the author, I have reservations…

Why do BTS fans care so much about that Billboard award? Of course they won.

Last night, the world shook on its axis as BTS won the Billboard Music Award for Best Social Artist. As the the first K-Pop group to ever even be nominated for the BBMAs, there was little to no chance that BTS would win.

Oh no, wait.

Last night BTS…

[Interview] Say Sue Me bring the Busan sunshine to chilly Glasgow

It was a fairly sunny and warm evening in Glasgow (at least for a early May evening in Scotland) when I headed over from Edinburgh to see Say Sue Me play their sole Scottish date in their UK tour. The venue chosen, the CCA in the city centre, is known…