For Asian-American Artists, K-Pop Is A Homecoming

October 16, 2019 9:31 AM

A history of Americans in K-pop and K-pop in America and a video series featuring three former K-pop stars making their American debuts.

Episode 1 is about Tiffany Young from Girls' Generation, one of Korea's most popular girl groups. Her latest single is Magnetic Moon. Episode 2 is about Jay Park, formerly of 2PM and now signed to Roc Nation. His most prominent song in the US is probably Soju. Episode 3 is about Amber Liu, formerly of f(x) and known for her androgynous style. Her latest mixtape, ROGUEROUGE, is free on Youtube.

posted by storytam (3 comments total)

Thanks, storytam! This is a nice update on the K-pop scene. I've fallen behind since a few years ago, when the Wonder Girls were starting to have some hits in the US market with their retro themed music videos. I've always loved the view into Korean culture from K-pop artists and I find it so impressive how they reach out to different countries and release songs in multiple languages.
posted by Pfardentrott at 12:38 PM on October 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

I forgot to mention, it's super interesting to see how Korean-American artists in particular are now making their own statement in this market too.
posted by Pfardentrott at 12:45 PM on October 16, 2019

K-pop changed my kid’s life. She got into it right before she switched high schools. Her BTS jacket helped her make friends (one of those new friends later took my kid as a plus-one to a BTS concert in NJ as part of her Make a Wish wish, all expenses paid). She joined her new school’s dance troupe and eventually became co-captain because of her new hobby of learning the choreography in music videos. Her sudden interest in Korean food developed into a love of cooking in general. And she’s taught herself a fair amount of Korean so she can sing along accurately and know what she’s singing, and then some. My childhood love of New Kids on the Block didn’t lead to me learning any life skills, that’s for sure.
posted by Ruki at 1:27 PM on October 16, 2019 [6 favorites]