Ask Me About Kpop

Ooops, it's a weird Friday episode! Last time we went 20 years into the past, and instead of coming all the way back to the present we're only gonna skip 10 and make a stop in an incredible year of Kpop, 2015. This is the full audio version with the video playing underneath. link to video for syncing: https://youtu.be/CLDGn4GXO3w?si=4CAvacUl2XQTZIja Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ooops, it's a weird Friday episode! Last time we went 20 years into the past, and instead of coming all the way back to the present we're only gonna skip 10 and make a stop in an incredible year of Kpop, 2015. This is the commentary only version, you will not hear the video underneath. link to video for syncing: https://youtu.be/CLDGn4GXO3w?si=4CAvacUl2XQTZIja Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're heading back 20 years ago once again, and this time it's a more barren landscape than we're used to. Rock bands and ballad singers are dominating the charts and the music shows, and the Soompi archive is broken so we're blind to any fun news stories, but Shannon still managed to find some things to talk about that feel close to the Kpop we're used to. The 2nd gen is almost here, but just not quite... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The construct of time and other realities of life are kicking our butts and we didn't make enough episodes in March. Shannon feels terrible so listen to her whine and then make a recommendation that ties so incredibly loosely to the episode ahead. When she's done yapping, there's a whole patreon episode from Halloween 2023 where Shannon parodied her favorite podcast and recapped the 2019 Korean horror film '0.0 MHz'! Which stars Eunji from APink and Sungyeol from INFINITE, so it's like, definitely Kpop related enough. Sorry sorry sorry.Korea.net article 'Passion for K-pop drives American podcasters to share genre's evolution' by Ayushi Kharayat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's movie club time, and this movie is our easiest to watch yet! Today's short film, 'Seoul Switch' stars friend of the podcast (who has no idea he is our friend) Kevin Woo as BOTH main characters! It's only 12 minutes long, and we really think you should watch it - but if you don't have time then we'll tell you about it anyway! Stay tuned to hear the random number generator laugh in the faces of our plans to try and make this episode not so short. Watch Seoul Switch: https://youtu.be/oGqxEJA9-7s?si=uiInfELdweH-VyCQ21 Kpop Fitness Challenge: https://youtu.be/paE2dYThMkU?si=p-iaCe9w4Xgnxa0t Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 4 long years we're finally reviving this episode topic!! We asked y'all for misheard lyrics and you delivered!! Warning: This episode gets verrrrryyyy giggily Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Classic format alert! We're starting off today's show by talking about recent Kpop things we feel we need to address, apologies that need to be made, returns that need to be celebrated, songs to yell about, and much more. And then, in a slightly flimsy tie-in to Valentine's Day, Shannon will give a crash course on how Kpop can be part of Korean weddings via the customary congratulatory song. Then, stay tuned and see if you can figure out why this week's random game group is maybe the most on the nose we've ever gotten (because we absolutely do not figure it out during this recording and it dawned on us too late). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're gonna start off 2025 and the official 7th year of AMAK with a good old fashioned deep dive! And the stars of our show today are a girl group that has existed almost exactly as long as the podcast, so fittingly today's ep is about the first 7 years of fromis_9! Listen to us TALK&TALK for probably too long about just how much FUN! it is to watch fromis_9 dance and how surprisingly emotional all their Feel Good music makes us. Good luck in the future to all 9 members, we cannot wait to see where you go from here! YouTube Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's already halfway through January, but we're still talking about 2024 one last time! This is the episode where we try to use loose math and nonsense reasoning to rank Kpop songs and pick the 15 best ones. And this year is fun because due to tallying reasons, we actually have 16 top songs!! Yaaay a bonus!! (Warning: We were emotionally fraught on this recording day and maybe we cry over a girl group song... just like, don't judge.) - !!Spoilers for the full episode!! - Top Songs Spotify Playlist Also, in case anyone actually reads the descriptions, we were in the paper in Korea last week! Please read this very nice article that is just so dang nice!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the 7th annual AMAK Awards! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merry Christmas Alikes! Here's a slightly early Christmas gift for you! We're starting up our wrap up of 2024 with the episode where we unearth some hidden gems from albums that we loved this year. As is tradition, we've got 30 songs for you to (hopefully) enjoy and for us to gush over. Check back with us in 2025 (wtf how is that a real year?) for the rest of our yearly wrap up episodes! Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1I5yLhyVSnMCpgTgK9MAXW?si=c599ab4cd8bc48dbYouTube Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-8Wdlv0O5P6pjKNDSJ2yfRpWArNHmzDE&si=c_2e6oBKqZFVphbn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're finally back (thank you for waiting)! And this week we're finally getting around to an episode we accidentally skipped 5 years ago. And so we're gonna watch the 2nd part of the 2009 Hit Stage video arranged by the diva known as Latte of course!!This is the version that has the video playing underneath. But here is a link to it if you wanna try and sync and watch it at the same time! https://youtu.be/zCwEY0Sk6Ns?si=aGX3pm_nAySfUWTS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're finally back (thank you for waiting)! And this week we're finally getting around to an episode we accidentally skipped 5 years ago. And so we're gonna watch the 2nd part of the 2009 Hit Stage video arranged by the diva known as Latte of course!!This is the version without the video playing. Here is a link to it so you can sync! https://youtu.be/zCwEY0Sk6Ns?si=aGX3pm_nAySfUWTS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is the 33rd birthday of the only boy in the world!! And he gave US presents this year!! So here is a special bonus episode wherein Shannon will gush for an hour about the Call Back album and the Mean: Of My First concert!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MINHO!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's almost time for Halloween! So our Patreon Patrons sent us in some Kpop videos to get you in the mood! In this episode we will tell you all about the videos which you can watch in the below playlist, or you can watch us watch them on Patreon! Thanks to everyone who submitted something! We couldn't do it without you!Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-8Wdlv0O5P6qv-T6UZzAHYIB_xnIlnl-&si=zQB2IIXJ1-hm0I55 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We literally haven't done a parlor game episode for 18 months!!! So let's change that. We're putting our spin on a classic board game and playing a little Guess Who! Get into it! Let us know if you were able to guess any of these from just the audio clues! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A yearly tradition is upon us! The time where we celebrate all the new girl groups and this is our BIGGEST year yet!!! We have THIRTY EIGHT groups to tell you about and there would have been more but we had to make cuts lol. Tune in to hear sooo many different songs and all about the tropes and trends we noticed this time around. Who was your favorite debut of this episode?PLAYLISTS!youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-8Wdlv0O5P4yKukOMjgW6a6Igy-lQe-w&si=ViHjEcV8B3OeBcQtspotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5mPhelz94P7NDTkrPvGEFq?si=62cab1c952b34073 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh? Is the current Kpop timeline hellish? Get in our time machine!! We're going to 2004!! Make sure you get a spray tan and a bellybutton ring on the way or else you won't fit in!!! link to the playlist; https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-8Wdlv0O5P4XUOiB286jmZtk4DgimQ1n&si=fLLOX8hYpmMv0gXp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Y'all always ask for these, so here's another episode where we just talk about random things that are currently on our Kpop minds. First we must start with a very important day, TAEMIN'S DAY! We're giving our first listen reactions to Taemin's new album and watching the music video for 'Sexy In The Air' for the very first time LIVE ON THE POD! Then, we give you some recommendations and simultaneously gush about comebacks we've been enjoying lately, and cautiously hope about upcoming Kpop happenings. And finally, we explain and play the random game because apparently it's been confusing new listeners, sorry about that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've got an extra KCON 2024 episode for you today! We spent our KCON Saturday asking passersby a Kpop question in exchange for an AMAK concert bag and people actually talked to us!! Tune in for nearly an hour of real fans telling us their favorite Kpop things and also lots of fun LA street noise! Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to chat with us, we really loved talking to all of you!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Sorry that this is a little late, post-con recovery takes awhile especially since this year involved plane travel for Shannon) BUT we're here to tell you all about our time at KCON 2024! We've got lots of new additions to the con to tell you about, and changes in general atmosphere to old lady complain about. Plus, tales of being SO FREAKING CLOSE to idols we never dreamed of seeing in maybe the most surreal moments of our Kpop lives. Stay tuned later this week for our special bonus man on the street KCON ep!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's finish out our yearly tradition and enjoy some stages from a truly amazing year of Kpop shall we?(This episode has the video playing underneath our commentary so you can hear it all at once, but we do as always recommend checking out the video for yourself)Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czfh6QGr8Q0&ab_channel=MBCkpop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's finish out our yearly tradition and enjoy some stages from a truly amazing year of Kpop shall we?(This episode will only have our audio and is meant to be synced with the youtube video for a proper commentary experience) Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czfh6QGr8Q0&ab_channel=MBCkpop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a Kpop tale as old as time, and now it has hit us very close to home. A girl group that should have been huge and deserved better has been unceremoniously disbanded. So we have to make an episode about them to process our grief. Weki Meki, you were so special to us, and we wish you had been special to Fantagio. Thank you for everything. You will live on in our hearts and our playlists for always!! Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0khiwDzVkDGcQefeezi53r?si=4726894cdf624c12 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with yet another Patreon chosen deep dive! And this week the group in the spotlight is Highlight, formerly known as B2ST! Tune in for 15 years of Kpop history that span from the most 2nd gen anything could possibly be, all the way to like...a month ago. Filled with a ton of really great music, drama between members and their company, crazy haircuts and shirt ripping, serious scandal, and persevering through all of it! Happy almost 15th anniversary Highlight! We're proud of you for sticking to it!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time once again to go back and look at the Korean music scene 20 years ago. And after doing these for 5 years, 2004 might be the oddest year yet? And not because the music is super crazy... but because there's barely any Kpop or Kpop adjacent songs! So come with us to explore this strange vast desert of a time when the 1st gen was solidly over, but the 2nd gen hadn't even really started. Don't worry, there's still plenty of weird hairstyles to look at. Playlist of MVs and Stages: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-8Wdlv0O5P7D3XonLtC3V1Yo3Ca1ZqHI&si=1zkjPJcDq3uur6bn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2021, when Brave Girls shot onto the charts, a phenomenon known as 'The Millboard Chart' came into public consciousness. So today, we're going to explore the Korean military's effect on Kpop girl groups and soloists. Tune in to learn all about 'Military Presidents' from all throughout history, starting in the 1960s and on. We'll learn about the types of groups and songs that soldiers go crazy for, and how they have helped push more unknown groups into the spotlight! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Y'all know we love any excuse to make a SHINee ep, and this is a really good one!!!! The SHINee 15th anniversary movie is now available with English subtitles so you know we had to watch it (several times)!!! Tune in for a full recap of the movie, including a key for figuring out which SHINee World concerts each stage is from, getting teary eyed over displays of old technology, reveling in the honest and funny stories that SHINee tells, and of course enjoying flawless concert performances that we've never seen in HD before. Then, we get a little in our feels about some uncomfy omissions and feelings that got brought up in the aftermath of watching, and hear a voicemail from one of our listeners! If you watch the movie, please tell us what you think!! We really truly want to know!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you thank the person responsible for writing the song that changed your life as a fangirl forever? That's what we had to figure out this week as we welcomed the one and only Chikk to the podcast!! Chikk has written dozens of Kpop mega hits including SHINee's 'Don't Call Me', NCT127's 'Kick It' and of course our EXO gateway, 'Monster'!!!! We ask her all about her career in Kpop starting with getting thrown right into the deep end of an SM writing camp, creative perseverance, the freedom that is making music, and wait til you find out her EXO bias (Shannon actually screamed). Thank you so much Chikk for coming on the podcast and sharing your stories with us! We were truly geeking out to the highest degree. Chikk's Credits Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PrBVodchfY5uUDVwrvflh?si=ca3f957d319048f5 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, AMAK is proud to welcome the incredibly talented and unbearably adorable girl group, Weeekly!!! We'll start out with an infamous AMAK group "snorkel" into their career with member intros and a quick timeline rundown. Then it's time to hear from Weeekly themselves! We discuss our incredibly similar music tastes, skateboard lessons, stage fright, communicating without actually talking, and a very special announcement! Thank you thank you to the lovely ladies of Weeekly for being the first girl group to come on the pod! Also big thank yous to IST, Lobeline, our in room translator Aiden, our post translator Kate, and Dana Wickens for being the voice of our audio subtitles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's flashback time again and the time machine is taking us to the year 2014, which might have been huge for Kpop drama, but it was also huge for GREAT FRIGGIN SONGS! Listen along as we freak out exponentially from stage to stage because this one is ALL BOPS OKAY?!?!(This episode has the video playing underneath so you don't have to watch at the same time, but you might want to!!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's flashback time again and the time machine is taking us to the year 2014, which might have been huge for Kpop drama, but it was also huge for GREAT FRIGGIN SONGS! Listen along as we freak out exponentially from stage to stage because this one is ALL BOPS OKAY?!?!(This episode does not contain video audio as it is meant to sync up with the video commentary style!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you just get deja vu? Cause it's time again to battle some songs! Along with our seasoned fan tier patreon patrons, we're ranking 10 different songs that are all titled 'Deja Vu'. This list was pretty diverse, and the listeners opinions were as well! Listen to hear the songs and discussions around their common themes, and find out which song reigns supreme! Then, weigh in on whether our random game group is facing forward or away at the beginning of the music video. It's the greatest debate of the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is based off a joke we've been making to ourselves for years and though the title isn't actually accurate, we're keeping it anyway. But before we get to talking about some SM singers from the past you may not know about, Shannon has to get some fangirl heartbreak off her chest. (If you don't want to hear this, the real episode starts at 34:07) And once that's taken care of, it's time to learn about 1 boy group and 8 soloists, who are mostly just regular guys with glasses. Be honest, how many of them had you actually heard of before? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been 20 glorious years since TVXQ first graced the kpop world with their incredible vocals and we couldn't think of a better way to kick off this new year than to celebrate them!! So we're giving you a full episode all about their 20th anniversary album '20&2'. Starting off with the teaser images that felt like a punch in the face, then on to a track by track listen of a great new album, and finishing with a discussion of the greatest episode of Killing Voice ever recorded. Thank you for coming back to us TVXQ, we missed you so very much!!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time to put a little bow on 2023 and pick our favorite title tracks of the year! If you've listened to the last couple episodes (or just the podcast at any point), a lot of this will not be a surprise. But there are a few outliers! We contain multitudes after all!!! Thanks for being with us for another fun year of Kpop! We love you all! See you next year! AND LISTEN TO THE NEW TVXQ ALBUM!!!!!!Top 15 Playlist (Spotify) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get on your red carpet best, because it's another star studded evening at the 6th annual AMAK Awards!! We have 18 trophies to hand out all our traditional categories like Best Rookie, Best MV, Best English Song, and of course the prestigious Swim Good Honorary Achievement in Performance Award! Some of the choices were incredibly easy, some unanimous, and others were decided live on the air. Who will win this year? Listen to find out!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's that time of year again!! And it's time for us to try and pick our top 15 favorite b-sides of the year (emphasis on the word try). As always, these episodes are our personal favorites, so therefore they will be biased choices that might not match up with your own tastes or what is actually most popular. But we hope that you come away with some new songs for your playlists! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WE'RE BACK!!!!! Brace yourselves because there's OPINIONS INCOMING!!! Before we get into our traditional end of year episodes, we have some comebacks and news to discuss first! Tune in for our thoughts on tons of stuff like, Dawn, Sunmi, Taemin, Seventeen, VIVIZ, Red Velvet, The Boyz, JYP, MAMA and MMA awards and so many other things. Thanks for waiting so patiently for us! We missed y'all!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our first ever Patreon Patron chosen deep dive! And the patrons wanted to learn all about AOA! We're talking all about one of the last ultra sexy girl groups loved by soldiers and netizens alike. Start with an explanation of a 'transformer' concept that didn't last too long, meet all the members, hear all of their incredible songs, and look at a whole lot of butts. This story does not end very nicely, but it's a fun ride getting there. Trigger Warning: Discussion of self-harm and other disturbing displays of poor mental health (1:13:57 - 1:31:59) if you want to skip and come back for the mv viewing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the 6th annual #supportgirlgroups spectacular! We're telling you all about all the girl groups we could find that debuted between September 2022 and today! As always, there's already some disbandments and huge disappointments, but there's also so much to be excited about! Listen in as we discuss ambitious concepts, great music, trends in fashion and the new version of 'girl crush' dominating the scene. Who is your favorite girl group of the class of 2023? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Step into my time machine" and let's find out all about the Kpop music and news that came out July-December of 2003! Everyone is really tan and blonde and the jeans are so so so incredibly low. We've got rival debuts of solo gals breaking away from their girl group days, solo guys trying to out sexy each other with their dancing and crooning, Moon Hee Jun still doing his screamo metal thing somehow, project groups, co-ed groups, the 'worst album of the year' and so very much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As if Kpop wasn't an expensive enough hobby already, there's side hobbies that cost even more! Today on the pod, a small starter guide for navigating the world of album and photocard collecting! We've got tips and tricks on where to find things, vocabulary you need to be 'in the know' in the trading community, and best practices to avoid getting swindled and how keep your collection in good shape. What Kpop things do you like to collect?Kpop PC Trading & Selling Guide - as referenced in the ep, and lovingly assembled by Jaime and other friends in the #pc-trades channel on our discord Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh boy! A whole extra episode to talk about our THREE nights IN A ROW of KCON concerts wherein we saw: (g)i-dle, 8TURN, ATEEZ, CRAVITY, CRAXY, EsNa, EVERGLOW, George, INI, ITZY, IVE, JO1, justB, Kep1er, Kevin Woo, LAPILLUS, Limelight, NMIXX, Rain, RIIZE, Shownu x Hyungwon, Stray Kids, Taemin, Taeyong, The Boyz, VeriVery, WayV, XG, Xikers, and Zerobaseone!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the most Kpop-y tiiiiime of the year! We have pulled our ravaged bodies and broken brains together just long enough to tell y'all all about our experience at this year's KCON LA! Hear all about what we did day by day, including Alikes we met, idols we saw, day drinking we did, and lines we refused to stand in. We've even got just a few man on the street interviews of attendees we were brave enough to accost, and audio from an incredible panel with Kevin Woo from U-KISS and Min from Miss A! Stay tuned for a separate episode about the THREE concerts we went to over the weekend. If you'll excuse us, we need to go sleep for a week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for an extra long deep dive, because this group's discography and drama is extra long! This week, we're learning all about 2nd gen boy group U-KISS on the heels of their special 15th Anniversary comeback. Meet all 10 members of U-KISS from throughout time and try to keep track of who was in the group at which time. Then, listen to a pretty extensive discography of a group that was never as popular at home in Korea as they were in other parts of Asia and Latin America. Finishing it out with a ceremonial burying of the hatchet in the name of celebrating their together time as idols. With plenty of stops to discuss messy personal lives and troubles between the members along the way. Thanks for sticking it out U-KISS! We hope you continue this new chapter in your 30s, and it's better than it was in your teens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's an age old question, and we're not really going to definitively answer it lol. But we ARE going to talk about 10 different idol groups and soloists that are not of Korean descent who tried to take a shot at being Kpop idols. What did their music sound like and how were they received by the public? Is this a trend that will continue to grow? Or will people always want their idol groups to be majority Koreans? We're not sure! But let's talk about it anyway!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is the official TEN YEAR anniversary of the day that Shannon first discovered Kpop. So we're celebrating with a super specific time machine episode looking at this exact week of Kpop in 2013. We'll take a look at the top songs on the Gaon chart, who won the music shows, what idol variety was airing on tv, the week in news and gossipy rumors, as well as a general look at where Kpop fans hung out on the internet during this time. So much has changed since then, and we've heard so many great songs and had so many once in a lifetime experiences. Cheers to 10 more years! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shawol has waited two long years, and Alikes have waited another week longer to hear all about SHINee's incredible 8th album, HARD! So this week we're running down all the best parts of this excellent comeback so far! We're starting with thoughts about the SHINee World VI concert, going into the excellent JTBC comeback special. And then it's time to talk about the album track by track without gushing too long (stay tuned for an upcoming listening party patreon ep for more!). And finally, more SHINee content to add to your watchlist and some thoughts from other Shawol Alikes! Thank you to our beautiful SHINee boys for working extra hard to make this comeback special, and for making a perfect album and making our lives joyous and musical always! Love to our Jinki whom we miss and hope gets well soon! Jonghyun, we miss you for always

It's time again to finish out MBC's hit stage flashback from 10 years ago! The 2013 Kpop fashion reigns strong in these stages, and we get a little bit of whiplash from some of Latte's ordering choices. What was your favorite song from this stage compilation?This is the full version with the video already playing underneath, but if you want to still watch along with the video, it can be found here: https://youtu.be/qQ3HtE-rSeQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time again to finish out MBC's hit stage flashback from 10 years ago! The 2013 Kpop fashion reigns strong in these stages, and we get a little bit of whiplash from some of Latte's ordering choices. What was your favorite song from this stage compilation?This is the full version without the playing underneath, so you can watch along with the video found here: https://youtu.be/qQ3HtE-rSeQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.