Asian Pop Nation Podcast

After 31 episodes provided by a team of 10 young Asian folks who loved popping in every Tuesday to yap about everything under the sun, we have officially reached the end of Asian Pop Nation 2024 (and potentially forever)! Come join us one last time to not only talk about a concert that feels very on-brand for us to end our show on, but to also reflect on the year and the evolution of APN with some fun behind the scenes lore. No matter if you are a long-time or recent listener of our show, thank you so much for tuning in to our little corner here on SYN and for one last time... this is APN signing off!

Before we officially rip the band-aid off when it comes to reaching the end of APN 2024, our team members wanted to focus on more light-hearted moments that happened back in November (with an October sneak entry), such as the trio of concerts we got to see from girl groups' ARTMS & (G)I-DLE as well as from solo artist, tiffi. The fun times however do come to an end as we also say our early farewells to our newest team member, Annabella, by giving her the spotlight to yap all about the stuff she personally loved in 2024! (P.S. Listen to this episode to find out where you can continue to hear her on your airwaves)  (01:46) Annabella's Asian media faves of 2024 ❤️ (16:29) Ethan's SVIP experience at ARTMS's Moonshot World Tour in Melbourne (25:40) Tracy's experience at (G)I-DLE's i-DOL World Tour in Melbourne (39:56) Tracy's experience at tiffi's cold medicine tour in Melbourne Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the title of this episode suggest, we are doing a massive recap session on all of the major headlines that took the world by storm... maybe a while back, but we couldn't end off the year just yet without covering these topics at all! So tune in to the APN team discussing all of the chaos from the past while also switching the spotlight to our EP, Tracy, making her official return to the mic after her big overseas trip to Singapore and Taiwan for the first time! (01:24) RIIZE & Seunghan's controversy (17:36) The Vatican designing an anime-inspired mascot called Luce (20:17) Simu Liu vs Bobba in the TV show, 'Dragon's Den' (25:56) Why is a new Korean cooking show called 'Culinary Class Wars' so popular right now? (30:48) A solo traveller's guide to Singapore, brought to you by Tracy (43:19) A solo traveller's guide to Taiwan, brought to you by Tracy Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Entering the month of November reminds us of the fact that we have to start our countdown to the end of our 2024 APN run!

In a similar vein of bringing back a classic APN special that has been neglected for far too long, we are welcoming our Member Mixtape back to this year's APN rotation! If this is your first time seeing these words thrown around, it is an annual tradition in which each of our team members will have the spotlight to chat & play whatever they want; all rules are off the table! From casual catchup sessions with team members who have been MIA for a bit, to showering love & appreciation to some of our personal fave shows, this episode has it all.

Call this episode a little throwback to a topic that hasn't been getting as much love as usual here at APN, aka all things anime/manga related! Given how much talk there has been about a series of long-running manga's reaching their end in 2024, we wanted to take a look back at a large variety of endings that didn't really hit the mark for us personally. We will also take a slight detour this episode into discussing a certain VTuber announcing their retirement from the streaming scene, and what closing a chapter in their streaming journey means to a fan. Minor spoilers ahead...

If you are looking far and wide for an incredible Asian artist who was able to look at a real life ceramic bear, and make it the inspiration for one of our favourite new tracks of the week, look no further than the LA-based Singaporean singer-songwriter, Linying! She joins Tracy & Annabella in dissecting through the behind-of-scenes creation process of her latest single, "Donovan", as well as the many transitional phases in Linying's artistic journey, including moving overseas!

And the ball doesn't stop rolling here at APN as we have another exciting interview, this time from Los Angeles-based Singaporean artist, Linying, joining us for a chat about her latest single, "Donovan"! But if you also love to fall into deep rabbit holes into certain niche, but well-loved films & music, you are going to love the many movie retrospectives that are all occurring at once in little old Melbourne, from Godzilla to Akira Kurosawa. We'll also take a look into a disbanded Japanese girl group that has been having a bit of a revival moment due to the certain recent Emmy winning actress.

After releasing a joint collaboration album back in July titled, "AAA", indie powerhouses HYUKOH & Sunset Rollercoaster are ready to bring their album to life with their upcoming November tour across Australia! In preparation for an once-in-a-lifetime concert experience, Tracy sat down with frontmen Oh Hyuk from HYUKOH and Kuo Kuo from Sunset Rollercoaster to chat all about the work that went behind intertwining two creative visions from Korea and Taiwan together plus a little tale about taxes.

A brand new month also comes with a brand new season of APN! With the power of uploading episodes back to back, it probably doesn't feel like a big break for you, dear listeners, but over here in APN, we have been cooking up a bunch of surprises behind the scenes & are finally ready to reveal it now! Starting with our very special interview with both HYUKOH & Sunset Rollercoaster in the lead up to their upcoming tour in November, the up's and down's Asian folks have been facing on TV, the KATSEYE takeover and a certain comedian opening up a certain fried rice restaurant. Tune in to this episode to find out all of the details!

Once upon a time, the APN team sat all together in the SYN studios, to record the final episode of Season 3 back in September... and now you get to hear exactly what we chatted about on that faithful night! There will be plenty of tales about the concert experiences to come from both the Laufey & aespa shows last month, and for the anime enthusiasts out there, you will also get to hear our thoughts about the 2024 Animaga Expo, so gather around for our final Season 3 episode for the year!  (02:23) Annabella's POV experiencing A Very Laufey Day in Melbourne (11:44) Le and Liz's POV experiencing Laufey's Bewitched: The Goddess Tour at the Palais Theatre (22:24) Ethan and Lisha's POV experiencing aespa's SYNK: PARALLEL LINE at Rod Laver Arena (34:31) Le and Lisha's POV experiencing Animaga Expo 2024 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wanted all of the behind-the-scenes tea from being in a televised documentary about becoming a manga creator or maybe you wanted to relish the past "joyful" memories of being an Asian kid going to your daily Kumon class? Well, this episode of APN will have some special guests here & there, who are ready to spill on their personal experiences going through these core memories of their lives. You can watch the documentary through the official NHK website. Be sure to also check out the one-shot manga's by Enewald and Monotone Ink to see their finalized work in action! (02:23) NHK's Documentary "Discovering Tomorrow's Manga Masters" (31:26) The Kumon Experience

Some unfortunate technical issues in the past couple of weeks has led APN to have a few miscellaneous topics that might seem old news now as we reach the end of August. But please bare with us as we take a trip down memory lane to APN's collective first reactions to seeing the hit Thai film, 'How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies' in Australian cinemas, while also hearing some insane tales to come from IVE's first ever Melbourne show back in July & 3rd generation girl groups slowly fading away from us.

In classic APN fashion, we will be returning to our good old friend aka the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF for short), to highlight some of the films in their 2024 line-up that were done by Asian filmmakers across the globe!

There has been an influx of shows, movies, books & pop culture events that each of our team members have wanted to yap about on APN for AGES but it all kept being put into the backburner until now! So listen in to hear all about it, from some of our general thoughts about hit TV series, Shogun & The Sympathizer to books such as Yellowface by R.F. Kuang and even the phenomena of K-pop entering the Western market. (01:56) SM's new UK-focused boy group and the concept of "global groups" (13:35) TV series reviews: The Sympathizer and Shogun (24:04) Movie reviews: How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies and Ultraman: Rising (29:42) Asian rep on Masterchef Australia (Season 16) (34:28) Book review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (44:48) SEVENTEEN at Glastonbury Festival 2024 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a tiny little hibernation period of us here at APN, we are officially back for Season 3!

In honour of our last episode for Season 2, we are going to look back into some of the most memorable music videos that shaped us! From the ones that made us cry when we were kids to the ones that made us scratch our heads a bit, we will be taking a trip down memory lane to revisit some of our personal faves and maybe some of yours as well!  (01:09) Angsty 2nd-gen K-pop MV's (K.Will, Big Bang, JYJ & F.T. Island) (13:04) An MV filled with pure nostalgia (BTS) (15:58) Silly & Goofy MVs (SHINee, AOA & EXO) (25:20) MV's with the most convoluted plots of all time (B.A.P, MBLAQ & 2NE1) (33:50) Aesthetically memorable MV's (Jus2, TWICE, Red Velvet, T-ARA, VIXX, U-KISS) (38:30) Non-kpop related music videos shoutout! (RAN, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, NIKI) (45:05) Recent memorable K-pop MV's (IVE & ARTMS) Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the weather getting colder every single day, you might need a little remedy for the sickness you might have caught and what's a better cure than the brand new single titled 'cold medicine' released by the Western Sydney bedroom pop artist herself, tiffi! She joins Le & Lisha to chat all about the inspiration behind her latest tracks as well digging into what made tiffi the young musical gem she is today!

I wonder what has been the talk of the town lately? Would it be our full interview with the Australian singer-songwriter, tiffi or Tokyo's local government creating their own dating app or Chinese video games that has recently piqued the interest of some of our team members aka JP & Le? Guess you have to listen to this episode to hear all of the goss...  (01:56) APN's interview with tiffi! (38:32) Tokyo's government-created dating app (and why dating apps are a nightmare) (49:50) Upcoming & recent Chinese video games Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There seems to be two very specific topics that the APN team can't seem to stop thinking about these last couple of weeks: sports anime and why Haikyuu reigns supreme (allegedly) & the first studio album release to come from South Korean girl group, aespa. So, it only makes sense that we yap all about it on this episode! (01:46) Mini deep dive into the genre of sports anime  (22:24) Aespa title tracks (Supernova & Armageddon) thoughts (32:18) Aespa first full-length album, Armageddon, thoughts Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you been feeling like there are a million concerts happening in Australia all at once? Well the APN team can definitely relate heavily to this sentiment as this week, we will be going through the long list of Asian acts heading down under very shortly and who you should keep tabs on! Sticking to things locally happening in our part of town, Jessie & Ethan gives us all the details from this year's Japan Festival in Box Hill plus some conversations about a certain wicked tale.

If this seems like we are slightly late to the game when it comes to chatting all about the Asian celebrities who attended this year's Met Gala... you would be right as this week, we are bringing you an episode that was semi-late to the party!

Are you looking for the insider scoop into the latest feud between the Korean entertainment companies, HYBE & ADOR or what might have happened during this year's DreamHack? Or maybe you just wanted to hear the APN team chat about an old but beloved topic aka Asian food? Well, this episode will definitely serve up all of those dishes straight to you! (01:43) The HYBE vs. ADOR controversy (24:01) DreamHack Melbourne 2024 (38:13) We miss food from the motherland

It's time to relive the sadness that certain anime fans might have experienced in the month of April, especially if you were a fan of shows such as, Yuri!!! On Ice and Jujutsu Kaisen. But if you are someone who is looking for a humorous cure to this devastating blow, maybe APN's review of the latest ABC TV series, White Fever, might just help you out.

Coming to you semi-live from the SYN studios, the APN team has returned with an all new season alongside an all new member! Not only will you meet Annabella, but you also get to hear us go bananas over Dev Patel's directorial debut film, Monkey Man, the madness of Coachella 2024 and the Melbourne pop-up shop takeover. (02:08) Hi Annabella!

And just like that, we have reached the end of our first season of APN 2024!

If you want to hear our thoughts about the latest Netflix show, based on an award-winning Chinese novel, called 3 Body Problem, the ITZY concert in Melbourne & us revisiting an old friend known as the 2024 live-action Avatar series... you better listen to this episode!  (01:42) 3 Body Problem (28:40) Revisiting Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender (39:50) ITZY "Born To Be" Tour in Melbourne Follow us on Instagram @asianpopnationsyn, or on Facebook and Twitter @asianpopnation Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before we officially say goodbye to the month of March, the APN team gather around to pay our respects to Akira Toriyama, the iconic creator behind Dragon Ball, while also highlighting some of the small Asian wins from this year's Oscars ceremony & some of our favourite recent music!  Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @asianpopnationsynSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are diving deep into all things fictional-related on this episode of APN as we not only chat about 3 shows (Marry My Husband, A Sign of Affection & Frieren) all in one go but also take a look into all the fictional/real people that we might have accidentally thought were Asian when we were younger... Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @asianpopnationsynSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It truly feels like a blast from the past to once again have the one and only Amber Liu, revisiting the APN virtual studios in 2024 after making her appearance back on our first ever episode of 2023! The global pop artist, hailing from California, joins Tracy & Le to chat all about her current "No More Sad Songs" tour as Amber makes her way cross to Australia & New Zealand this month. Touring isn't the only thing keeping Amber booked and busy though as we also take a trip down memory lane through her time last year on various Chinese TV shows!  You can find out more about the "No More Sad Songs" Tour through here. You can also follow Amber Liu on Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to hear about all her future releases and projects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March is already proving itself to be an insanely jam-packed month here at APN as we kick off our first ever interview of the year with a familiar face aka Amber Liu in the lead up to her first solo headline shows in AUS & NZ! The excitement only continues with some of the APN team members sharing their early thoughts of the 2024 live action Avatar: The Last Airbender series plus some travelling stories coming from Le & Ethan. Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @asianpopnationsynSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To finish off the month of love, we take a deep dive into one of the most influential rom-com movies, that clearly still has a special place in our hearts (for several opposing reasons) called Crazy Rich Asians. If you ever wondered what the APN team had personally thought of the 2018 hit Hollywood film plus the general evolution of Asian representation in the big screen, then you definitely want to listen in!

While we continue on our little February love train discussing fictional ships we could spend countless of hours debating on, if you also want a hefty conversation into some of the complexities regarding Asian fetishization, as discussed by Xenia & Liz... then you have come to the right place here on APN! Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @asianpopnationsynSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Only in APN will you hear the perfect mashup of romance & prosperity as we bring you into our Valentine's and Lunar New Year special episode! ❤️

You thought you saw the last of us?

It's officially a wrap for APN 2023!

As we start counting down to the end of APN's run for 2023, the team decided to take this as an opportunity to gush over some of our new favourite content like Red Velvet 3rd studio album, Chill Kill, and the latest animated series from Netflix called Blue Eye Samurai. Plus you might hear some fun stories associated with this year's Animaga Expo so listen in to some pure chaos! Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @asianpopnationsynSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our second-last show of the year, the team gets behind the mic to spill the tea about TWICE's second visit Down Under, the flicks we saw at this year's Japanese Film Festival, and an update on the goings-ons in the world of K-Pop.

Get into the APN groove with not one but TWO interviews with Meaningful Stone and Jacqui! The team also deep dives into the latest controversial ‘Australian-style' sushi restaurant in New York and two ✨ interesting ✨ League of Legends and Overwatch K-pop collabs that are making rounds. Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm for all the wonderful tunes. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @asianpopnation  If you're able, please donate at givenow.com.au/savesyn so APN can stay alive for another 20 more years! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With songs that ooze sass and confidence, weaving together nu jazz, neo-soul, RnB, and pop, Jacqui's music, including her EP, 'Birthday' are products of a deeply spiritual process of self-actualisation and fulfilment, and has made her a force to be reckoned with that grows stronger with each release. APN had the pleasure of chatting with her about what it was like to perform at SXSW in Sydney and the poignant meaning behind some of her songs. You can follow Jacqui on YouTube and Instagram to hear all about their future releases and updates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She is a musician who seeks and sings about the meaning of life. From her first full-length album, 'A Call From My Dream', which won her rookie of the year at the Korean Music Awards in 2021, to the more dreamy garage guitar sound of her latest EP, listen to Meaningful Stone (Kim Jimin) talk about their music and what it was like to perform in Australia for the first time. You can follow Meaningful Stone on Instagram to hear all about their future releases and updates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover the Indonesian powerhouse trio GAC (Gamaliél Audrey Cantika) known for blending R&B and dynamic pop in their music. After a decade-long journey and solo projects, they're making a highly anticipated comeback at SXSW. Tune in to hear Noah and Marzi speak to them about their music, their comeback as a group and what to expect from them in the future!  You can follow GAC on Youtube, Instagram and TikTok to hear all about their future releases and updates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.