The BBMA's, FORESTELLA & The New Podcast from Eric Nam

Hey Everyone!
I'm sorry that it has been forever since I posted anything.  Will try and do better from now on.  I promise!

There is so much going on that I want to talk about.  First up is the Billboard Music Awards. Let me start of by saying that I literally have not listened American pop music in ages, so I have had zero reason to pay attention to the award shows...UNTIL RECENTLY.  Since shows like the AMA's, BBMA's, and even the Grammy's are giving notice to the amazing talent that K-pop has to offer, I am so much more interested.  I even watch the red carpet shows now (which I never used to care about).  This year, what makes me most excited is the Top Social Artist Award.  There are 3 K-pop groups nominated.  GOT7, EXO, and BTS were nominated along with two other artists (Ariana Grande, Louis Tomlinson).  How fantastic is that?  The nominees for that category are literally a MAJORITY Korean.  That's huge for the USA.  As a whole, Non-English music is not always as popular here, but K-Pop is so addictive that we just can't get enough.  I'm so glad so many others are finding these groups and I hope EXO, GOT7 and many other K-pop groups get just as popular as BTS is here.

Side note:  I've never seen anything like the BTS phenomenon...and I was around when the insane popularity surrounding NSYNC was happening. This seems way bigger. Case in point:  I live in a very rural area.  In fact, though they are not the majority, there are tons of Amish people here. (Amish are a religious community that does not participate in many modern ways of life like electricity or motor vehicles...they travel mostly be foot, bicycle, or horse and buggy. They are known for their amazing wood craftsmanship, quilts, and incredible cooking among many other things). And yet even in this area, where it is as common to see a horse and buggy on the road as a semi truck, a high schooler told me that you could find BTS all over her school.  I was chatting with a teenager at a local hospital who turned out to be a BTS fan.  It's incredible how they seem to show up everywhere.  WOW!

Secondly, I recently came across a Crossover Group called FORESTELLA and they have changed my world.  Seriously...there are not words enough to express how incredible the voices are in this group.  There are four members, but somehow they blend as one.  I have heard a lot of quartets over the years (seriously...a lot), but I have never heard a blend like this.  It gives you goosebumps whether you understand the language or not.  And they are so versatile that they can sing an aria type song one minute and then turn around an do a version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that would make Queen proud (and maybe a bit jealous?)   I scoured the internet looking for their music and since iTunes only carries one of their songs, I bought the physical copy of their album "Evolution" (see photo). To say that it's a great album would be a massive understatement. They sing songs in English, Italian and Korean throughout the CD.  If you have not heard them, check out this video and then look up their "Bohemian Rhapsody on YouTube.  You won't regret it!   I played this video for an elderly lady who does not speak Korean and she was so impressed, she said, "How can there be a group like this?"  I totally understand her feeling. 

And finally, my week was made when I discovered that the amazing Eric Nam has started his own podcast called "K-Pop Daebak With Eric Nam" (you can find it listed as @DaebakShow on Twitter). I love listening to podcasts and even with only three episodes currently out, I think this one is going to be one of my favorites.  Why? Well, full disclosure, I've been a fan for awhile. The pic to the right is a peek at my iTunes collection.  But also, because this podcast is real.  Eric Nam is an incredibly talented and popular artist in his own right and he brings his love and knowledge of music as well as insider thoughts and stories that no other podcast I've found can compete with.  He's funny and he banters with two other people who seem like they are sitting in the background so not really always on the mic, but you can still easily hear them.  One of them is consistently asked to make up jingles on the spot...which he does. Seems like it should be awkward, but it totally works.  I highly recommend it!  You can find the podcast on iTunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k-pop-daebak-with-eric-nam/id1458858435  or it's available in other places too like Spotify and SoundCloud.

That's it for now people! If you want to follow my daily thoughts about Kdrama and K-pop, follow me on Twitter at kdramakpoptalkfest. I hope you have an amazing week and I'll be back soon!

Let's talk about Podcasts...

I tend to have to travel quite a bit as a part of my job.  There are often errands that need to be run that may include spending a few hours on the road.  I'm not a big fan of listening to the radio, but I love listening to podcasts.  And when I find one that is centered around K-Drama and K-Pop, I have found my happy place indeed.  There are basically three things I look for when I listen to a podcast:

1: The hosts are enjoying doing the podcast.  
When I find a podcast where it sounds like the hosts are laughing, having a good time and it seems like they have simply let us in on the conversation that they would have had even without the podcast, those are the best.

2: I can listen even if kids are in the room.
Anyone who has known me for very long would tell you that I am really not a fan of swearing.  It's something that makes me uncomfortable and really just bugs me.  So, the podcasts I enjoy the most are the ones that choose to be profanity free...at least for the most part. 

3: The Audio sounds good. 
Here's the thing, I have been involved with music my entire life, and was even a Music Business major in college.  I have used all sorts of microphones and recorded in studios.  That being said, there is nothing more annoying to me than someone who is talking (or singing) on a microphone and you can hear all the "popping" from their mouths or the audio is ringing because it's too loud or not mixed quite right.  I know that those might seem like little things, but I have turned off more than one podcast because I simply couldn't concentrate for all the "extra" noises like that heard through the microphone.  

Knowing that those are my three biggest draws for a podcast, here are a couple that I have been really enjoying as of late.  

Dramas Over Flowers - This podcast was until recently called "Stars in my Pocket" and is hosted by three women, Anisa, Saya, and Paroma, who are living in different parts of the world and come together to chat together during the show about all manner of things involving K-Drama and Korean Entertainment news. Sometimes when one of the hosts is "calling in" from somewhere outside the studio where the podcast is being recorded it can be difficult to understand all that is being said, but this podcast does a good job of making each person heard well.  These hosts don't focus solely on Korean drama though, they also discuss dramas from other countries. Since I am a fan of dramas and movies from China, Japan, and Taiwan as well as Korea, I enjoy hearing their thoughts on those shows as well.  These ladies are great fun to listen to and because they don't always have the same opinion of things, you get to hear different perspectives on shows and music. And it can be fun to hear them justify why one likes a drama the others don't or hear the parts of shows that they found especially good or bad. 




Noona Ya Business - First of all, I absolutely LOVE the play on words in the name of this podcast. The word "Noona" is a word in Korean that means older sister and would be used by a younger male. The hosts, Megan and Becca, are two women in their 30's and it is so much fun to listen to them talk to each other about K-Pop and K-Drama.  They crack each other up (often to the point of tears) and you can't help laughing along with them.  When I listen, I often feel like I am sitting with "my people" because I have a very similar sense of humor to these women.  It feels like we are friends even though we have never met...except through email.  They get excited about getting to see concerts and fangirl over all the things I would probably fangirl over if I had the opportunity.  And I get a kick out of the games they play on the show too.  Often times they involve the members of Got7 or BTS and they never fail to make me smile.  Games like "Got7 as days of the week" where they match up each member of the group with the day of the week they most remind them of.  If you are not a fan of the group, it probably doesn't sound funny, but trust me...these two women had me in stitches as they placed Mark on Sunday, Jinyoung is Monday, and so on. 

Information, Laughter, Friendships, K-Drama, K-Pop...these podcasts provide all that and more. in fact, with both of these podcasts I find myself watching for new episodes and looking forward to what they might say.  Listening to their discussions make my time spent traveling much more enjoyable and bring me many many smiles along the way.   You should check them out and let me know what you think!  

Until next time!