February 2022 Episode Guide
The Best New Music: February 2022
Stream the episode here!
Read the write-up here!
Read my full-length review of milet’s stellar new album, visions, here!
On 17 Carat K-Pop
Guess the K-Pop Song: Guess 50 K-pop songs by the English lyrics!
7Fates: CHAKHO Ep. 4, 5, and 6 Recap: The first half of this episode recaps episodes 4, 5, and 6 of 7Fates: CHAKHO. The second half runs through all of the latest K-pop headlines: tons of in-person and livestream concert announcements, what we know so far about Queendom season two, and much more!
The Global Impacts of K-Pop Fans: The power of K-pop fan mobilization is hard to overstate. K-pop fans have helped change the political tides in Chile, revived a dying facet of Thailand's tourism industry, organized flash mobs as a form of protest, founded grassroots organizations to work on all sorts of issues, lobbied for certain legislation, and even created some of the first-ever fan-run sites. This power to make tangible change has been used for bad as well as good: K-pop "anti-fans" have mobilized to manufacture conspiratorial theories, attack members of different fandoms, and spread misinformation, all of which have caused "real world" harm. The bottom line: the power of K-pop fans extends well beyond the internet. This episode covers stories from the nineties up to the present day, from countries all over the world, that are prime examples of K-pop fans' concrete impacts- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Epik High is Still Here: A close reading of the lyrics in Epik High Is Here 下, Pt. 2 and the parallels to the references, metaphors, and overall themes in Pt. 1!
B.A.P Forever: From thought-provoking messages to a unique blend of musical influences, B.A.P is a remarkable group worthy of its lasting legacy. This episode follows a timeline of B.A.P’s career highs and lows, explores the best B.A.P song lyrics and music video storylines, and overall shows how B.A.P impacted the world of K-pop in ways that are still felt today.
K-Pop x Artwork: ATEEZ, BTS, CLC, IZ*ONE, LOONA… so many K-pop artists have incorporated famous works of art into their song lyrics and/or music videos! This episode provides seventeen examples and tells the stories behind the sculptures, paintings, and art installations referenced in K-pop!
Let’s Play (Basket)ball: A recap of 7Fates: CHAKHO episodes two and three, HyunA and DAWN's engagement, Jimmy Kimmel's monologue criticism, a BTS version of Wordle, the surprising impact of BamBam's tweets, and even more K-pop headlines and commentary!
“STAY Tuned” Ep. 12: A new study confirming the most dangerous songs to listen to while driving, scrutiny over the When We Were Young Fest, and more of the latest headlines from the world of audio entertainment!
New K-Pop, J-Pop, & C-Pop: Best of January 2022: A ranking and review of the twenty best new music releases of January!
How to Stan is Back!
Episode 43 looks at the rumors and conspiracy theories surrounding Elvis’s life and death. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts!
This Month’s Writing
Rocking doll’s Unique World-Building
BTS and My Reinvigorated Love of Reading
The Week in Review: February 11th, 2022 (PAYWALL REMOVED)
NEWS: Republic Records Announces Expansion of Historic Alliance with JYP Entertainment
Teenage Penster Anna Sofia Faces Fears and Thought Confines in Her New Single “No.5”
NEWS: GROOVL1N x 17 Carat K-Pop!
“Teach me to dance for the next show!” Famous Producer and DJ Alan Walker Reacts to MCND’s Cover
The Best New K-Pop, J-Pop, and C-Pop: January 2022
A Guide to ATEEZ’s Music Video World (PAYWALL)
The Best Lyrics from Epik High Is Here 下, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 (PAYWALL)
A Guide to the LOONAverse (PAYWALL)
Sources and Further Reading
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Two
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Three
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Four
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Five
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Six
The series of BTS Vogue interviews discussed on the show: RM’s, Suga’s, Jungkook’s, J-Hope’s, Jin’s, V’s, and Jimin’s
The study on how stock market performance correlates with music-listening habits
The study that determined the most and least dangerous songs to listen to while driving
Woozi discussing his single “Ruby”
Reporting on K-pop fan activism
The concept of “subversive frivolity”
One in an ARMY’s official website
"Fan activism, cybervigilantism, and Othering mechanisms in K-pop fandom”
K-pop fans’ efforts to mobilize voters in Chile’s elections
A separate instance of K-pop fans being cited as a political force in Chile
K-pop fans’ efforts to support a struggling industry in Thailand
About the artists and works of art covered in “K-Pop x Artwork”
Salvador Dali’s work and other art referenced by T.O.P