#one k global concert

[dovesmelodyproject]

Among their demands, the multi-fandom HYBE divestment campaign calls for the removal of Braun and other figures associated with the company who express Zionist ideology, a commitment not to collaborate in the future with artists or companies who have expressed support of Zionist ideology, and a general commitment to take these concerns seriously and to do thorough research before future collaborations. They have communicated these demands through tactics such as email campaigns, sending protest trucks to HYBE office in Seoul, organizing an in-person protest at the HYBE America office and calling for a boycott of HYBE products and services until the divestment demands are met. Boycotts are one of many tools in the collective action toolkit, and they can take many forms. Often, they manifest in an organized commitment to not buy from a company as a way to communicate disapproval and/or to demand structural change. “History has proven to us that divestment and boycotting of entities that support and fund these ideologies plays a major role in dismantling apartheid and colonialism,” says Deeja, using the role boycotting played in the end of South Africa’s apartheid as an example. “This also goes for cultural boycotts.” This cultural boycott is an act of solidarity with those who are living amidst the injustices of a regime or state who is not adhering to international law and human rights. The BDS-affiliated Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) “urges international cultural workers and cultural organizations, including unions and associations, to boycott and/or work towards the cancellation of events, activities, agreements, or projects involving Israel, its lobby groups or its cultural institutions.” While a HYBE group has never performed in Israel, film projects put out by HYBE have been screened in the country. In April, when HYBE and theatrical film distribution company Trafalgar Releasing announced that D-Day: The Movie, a concert film of BTS rapper Suga’s 2023 tour, would include screenings in Israel, more than 12,000 people signed a petition asking them to reconsider. They did not. “We’re asking HYBE to take a stand and be on the right side of history because we are their long term fans and consumers, we have been loyal to their artists for years and have helped build the empire that HYBE has become,” says Deeja. “We want to consume art knowing we’re not giving money to a company that supports genocide and apartheid. We deserve to feel safe in our fandoms. HYBE is a globally influential company and they have the responsibility to respect human rights, to be on the right side of history, and to take proper measures to do so.”

[pinkscaped]

wait omg myah please please PLEASE tell us more abt myrah’s career after allume (and maybe during too 🤭) i js NEED to hear more abt her !

MYRAH YAMAZAKI is a Japanese K-pop idol and global icon based in South Korea. She made her initial debut in the rotational girl group ALLUME in 2005 as the group's leader and lead vocalist until her generation's graduation in 2010. Myrah is often credited for making ALLUME as popular as they are, achieving international stardom during this time for her strong attitude and natural star quality. Her run in Allume would be dubbed "Myrah and Friends" by fans due her popularity often overshadowing her groupmates.

Myrah would immediately begin a solo career after her 2010 graduation, destroying both the Korean charts and Japanese charts with the mini album HAUTE TOPIC. HAUTE TOPIC would break records for having all four tracks debut in the Top 10 on Melon. Moonlight, Chase Me, Starlight, and Kitty Kat would all break into the top ten and remain there for a solid five months. Myrah's solo career would be proflic and global, debuting in Japan shortly after her Korean solo debut where she would destroy the charts there as well. She would be the highest-performing Flowerbank soloist ever until the acquisition of Baebi's contract in 2023.

Myrah is still a high profile celebrity, starring in a handful of blockbuster films, critically acclaimed dramas, and becoming the face of many luxury brands through out the years. She is also the head of the creative board in Flowerbank Entertainment, owning an impressive amount of stocks in the company. She has been the host of the radio show AllTalkMe for over ten years now, keeping her and Allume relevant over the years.

ﾞ . ✩ . ' ۫           INFORMATION!

STAGE NAME :: MYRAH

BIRTH NAME :: Myrah Yamazaki

Birthday :: December 1st 1987

Zodiac :: Sagittarius 

Birthplace :: California

Hometown :: Osaka, Japan

Ethnicity :: Japanese

Nationality :: American-Japanese

Faceclaim :: Devon Aoki

Height :: 175 cm || 5′9

ﾞ . ✩ . ' ۫           VIRAL MOMENTS!

"I don't think people realize we haven't actually had sex...I wish but we're acting, guys." One of her first viral moments as an actress was in 2016 during the press tour for A Man and a Woman with her co-star Gong Yoo. Myrah and Gong Yoo would go on to have a public relationship that would often have them going viral for their cute and funny moments. To fans' dismay, the pair would split in late 2020.

When she snatched Sooah's mic from her during a concert, singing her lines and high notes. "My mic wasn't working. It's not like she sings much anyways," Myrah would go on to say in an interview, fueling the fire of rumors about the two having a feud during their time in Allume. After this, Sooah would noticeably clutch her microphone whenever Myrah would walk by her.

"How could I not like her? I've never spoken to her. I love 2ne1. Shut up." Myrah would shut down rumors of her and CL of 2ne1 having beef, telling a fan to shut up when they spoke negatively of her. Shot in glorious 2009 iPhone quality, the video would make its round around the internet. A week later, Myrah would post a selfie with CL on her blog with the caption "My bestiiiiii~ ^-^ <3" and the two are still close to this day.

She put her hand up in Gdragon's face when he attempted to sing to her at the 2013 MAMA Awards. It was a lighthearted interaction, Myrah laughing the whole time, but the internet took it differently and deemed her "a rude bitch" and VIPS would begin to harass her. This would have very little effect on Myrah as she would go on to post a couple of photos of her with T.O.P and Gdragon in the studio with the caption: "I lovvveee rappers!! (*^^*)♡"

"She's a bitch! A hot one though!" Myrah would shout out her car window when she was escorted out of a club by Flowerbank CEO Kim Iseul. Myrah was a bit of a club-goer post-Allume, often having to be picked up by friends or, on rare occasions, her CEO. When asked by paparazzi about her thoughts on Iseul having to pick her up, prompting her to say her now most iconic line.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

FYI, if you're interested.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/arts/music/newjeans-kpop-hybe.html?searchResultPosition=1

"For almost as long as K-pop has been a global force, it has been an exemplar of the controversial virtues of top-down control. American pop labels essentially abandoned this mode more than a decade ago, following the boy band and Britney-Christina era. The influence of social media in creating bottom-up hits and stars has all but invalidated the label-knows-best mode of creation. But K-pop’s commitment to that ethic persists, and has made exactitude into an artistic virtue."

JUNGKOOK:

There is a glimpse of where all of this relentless work might lead in “Jung Kook: I Am Still,” a new documentary/performance supercut focusing on the youngest member of BTS, who last year became, in disorientingly short order, the most commercially successful K-pop solo star in American pop.

BTS is the ne plus ultra of Hybe plan — this film is one of several that has focused on the group or its members. It captures, sometimes just barely, the frantic eight-month stretch in which Jung Kook was thrust into solo stardom before enlisting in South Korea’s mandatory military service.

This is what all the hard work of being in BTS was for, ostensibly — a shot at extending his career beyond the very wide boundaries of the group’s accomplishments. Or put more plainly: more hard work.

To the extent that “Jung Kook: I Am Still” is a film at all — as opposed to a slapdash collection of casual moments, behind-the-scenes fan service clips and music and concert videos — it is a film about labor. Or more precisely, the inextricable relationship between labor and glamour.

Like “Pop Star Academy,” it is decidedly unromantic. Jung Kook is alternately enthused and depleted. Even his purported private moments are commoditized: At one point, he’s shown sleeping on a plane. He has a strikingly lithe and sweet voice that’s well-captured on his album “Golden,” a frothy debut that smoothly yanked Justin Timberlake’s comeback lane away from him.

But if Jung Kook is thrilled to be at the top of the charts, he does not show it. Instead, he doubts his vocal range and his natural dance instincts. If he celebrated his ample successes — including a No. 1 single and No. 2 album on U.S. charts — the cameras were not there. If he acted out or pushed back, we’ll never know.

Like many K-pop entertainment companies, Hybe is vertically integrated, and exerts a significant degree of control over its artists’ public presentation. It also builds the metanarratives that become fan manna.

But with success comes courage, or something like it. Not long after NewJeans posted the video about their label concerns, Jung Kook appeared to offer them a measure of support with a pair of cryptic koans: “Artists are not guilty” and “Don’t use them.” Sure, the words appeared on an Instagram account for his dog, but it was revealing — and perhaps indicative of table-turning to come — that they appeared anywhere at all.

Thanks for sharing this, @isaidnothankyou.

This was actually a better article than I was anticipating. The journalist is fair and he cleverly insinuates that k-pop idols don't have much control, if any, over their careers. You can tell he's not a fan of the k-pop model.

Here are some passages that stood out for me:

For almost as long as K-pop has been a global force, it has been an exemplar of the controversial virtues of top-down control. American pop labels essentially abandoned this mode more than a decade ago, following the boy band and Britney-Christina era. The influence of social media in creating bottom-up hits and stars has all but invalidated the label-knows-best mode of creation. But K-pop’s commitment to that ethic persists, and has made exactitude into an artistic virtue.

And here's the description of the making of Katseye:

But the NewJeans conundrum makes this a curious and perhaps not totally fortuitous time for Hybe to loudly demonstrate its micromanaging methods. That’s the intent of “Pop Star Academy: Katseye,” a Netflix series about the making of an English-language global girl group that’s part behind-the-scenes documentary, part elimination competition. (The show, and the group, are part of a joint venture between Hybe and the American label Geffen.) Directed with nervy patience by Nadia Hallgren, “Pop Star Academy” is far more in thrall to the labor being learned and performed than about the art it will be put in service of making. The first batch of trainee competitors practice for over a year: dance classes, vocal lessons, style makeovers, media training. What the show renders explicit is the extent to which a pop star can be constructed from almost whole cloth — the star is the training regimen. Even the contestants with ample social media following and defined personalities before joining the competition are slowly broken and tamed.

At one point the Hybe chairman, Bang Si-hyuk — one of the most powerful figures in K-pop — decides to accelerate the group’s rollout, combining strategy and mischief: “When they wait too long to debut, they get frustrated and lose their spark, which shows in their eyes,” he says, speaking Korean, with a glint in his eye. Critique is offered up like air — cheap and ubiquitous. “I didn’t believe it at all. It felt like nothing, honestly,” says one dance instructor; “Are you aware that you’re singing out of tune?” asks a mentor with clear exasperation. Competitors are derided for flat facial expressions, for failing to live up to K-pop beauty standards, for having private Instagram accounts. Those who chomp at the bit, or otherwise push back, are largely dismissed (except TikTok-popular Manon, whom the label contrives to make a part of the group despite her seeming lack of vigor for the idea). One of the more emotionally sophisticated contestants leaves the show once it shifts from training to competition, which the participants hadn’t been fully informed would happen.

The bold and italicized section stood out to me.

There is a glimpse of where all of this relentless work might lead in “Jung Kook: I Am Still,” a new documentary/performance supercut focusing on the youngest member of BTS, who last year became, in disorientingly short order, the most commercially successful K-pop solo star in American pop.

Jon Caramanica knows Jungkook's meteoric rise to fame and unbelievable records were just that - unbelievable and entirely manufactured. But nobody in western media, or Korean media, for that matter, is willing to call out HYBE's fraudulence. It drives me crazy.

Anyway, I am grateful to see a music journalist also questioning the ethics and appeal of the Korean k-pop idol model. It's just bizarre that Bang PD thinks western artists are clamoring for complete label control, being overworked and underpaid, and almost zero creative control over one's music.

[ravenbloodshot]

can you do readings on what different groups think of social media along with their fan bases? id love to chat to them in person about it but i will never be in sniffing distance of them sadly i dont do anything musicy enough. mainly bc i find it interesting how it boost the groups popularity but even their own fans can turn against an idol for stepping out of line even if they didnt do anything remotely wrong. would you be able to start with skz? thank you!

Alright, Let's see what Stray Kidz think...

Social Media

They view social media as a give and take system. The members post pictures, go on live, and just plainly show themselves off and in return the fans buy their albums, buy tickets to their concerts and give them love. Also, the members see it as a tool to feel the love from their fans. To actually read posts/comments from real ppl instead of looking at their fans as just numbers (number of album sales, streaming numbers, etc...)

I feel a humbleness in this energy, so I don't think stray kids take for granted the amount of support they get online. I also think they feel a huge responsibility to show good things to the public and inspire others to do good. (They don't want to promote negativity or anything evil)

The members also wish to inspire change in society through social media. They may think that K-pop is as big as it is due to social media as well, and it's popularity has made the world more open-minded. The group wants that to continue, wants to be the reason K-pop gets more global

Fans

Lol.....Okay. The members view their fans as kind of corny. The type of ppl to always say dad jokes (its the vibes of a clown or jester, like how they're so over the top and dramatic in how they entertain others, trying to be funny that at times you laugh but other times you think it's quite pathetic). I'm not saying they think their fans are clowns , but when it comes to how their fans joke, they think of them how I described it above.

They may think their fans are quite young and childlike. Also, a lot of them need guidance or a self-esteem boost. I don't think the members mind giving their fans advice or reassurance, but they do worry for how much they could actually be of help.

The word dramatic keeps showing up, so that's prevalent in how they feel about fans. I'm seeing some harrassment and lack of personal space. Like when fans crowd idols at airports, but also, it's quite possible that fans touch them inappropriately at concerts and such. (Reminds me of when Jae from Day 6 talked about the physical harrassment he faced by fans. Also, when a TeenTop member talked about being sexually harrassed). Common things idols may have to face, unfortunately.

Teen Top Article:

https://www.ibtimes.com/ex-idol-reveals-how-fans-sexually-harass-male-stars-during-shows-3708600

Jae Day6 article:

https://www.koreaboo.com/news/day6-jae-reveals-one-harsh-realities-behind-idol/

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Why did Joon posting that song blow up to such an insane degree, but Taehyung mouthing the n-word seems to have made no noise? I’m absolutely not saying I wanted Taehyung to be at the center of a hate campaign, but I’m kind of surprised? If I understood the meaning of the song correctly, Joon really didn’t do anything wrong or offensive at all, but it blew up and was everywhere for days. I saw so many discussions about it on different platforms. But then Taehyung actually DID do something wrong. But it’s just… crickets. I guess I’m just confused? Why did Joon’s thing turn out like it did, but Taehyung seems to have gotten away unscathed?

***

I just want to say, first of all, that I abhor this sort of ask for two reasons: (1) because it ultimately taps into the incredibly toxic hyper-competitiveness in k-pop, where everything is seen within the lens of comparison and competition - nothing is sacred; and (2) because I'm Black and Korean, and having to explain the intricacies of how this space creates and engages in the sort of prejudice cocktail one uniquely finds here, especially since I've been into k-pop for this long, is annoying and borderline dehumanizing to experience.

But I understand why you asked it. I know you likely bore no malice in asking it and I can see why the stark difference in reactions could be confusing, so I'll use your ask to make a general comment about general fandom dynamics. It's something I've talked about before, when discussing hate and how Jimin doesn't actually get as much hate as a lot of people think, but that he does get huge amounts of certain kinds of hate. I suggest you read that post with this one please, because I won't repeat all I said there, here.

I often talk about the different players in k-pop fandom, how hate can be manufactured, and that various things have influenced previous scandals blowing up. It can get confusing to fully explain, but I'll try not to ramble and will try to outline this methodically somehow, splitting up the factors I think are important into sub-headings.

The Background/Setting

This might not seem obvious at first, but it's important to know what else is happening in k-pop fandom at the time.

In the case of Namjoon's artificial scandal of recommending a Frank Ocean song about Black queer experience, and unrequited love related to religious truama - a song 10s of idols and people had shared before to zero controversy, and a scandal started in a Blinks GC including BTS akgaes (who were Blinks) - the background context was Lisa getting dragged by most of stan twt for an unflattering picture posted on Popbase, Blackpink getting flayed by several k-pop fandoms for not selling out their latest concert venue, and simultaneously NewJeans taking yet another record from Blackpink. This wasn't the catalyst for the hate on Namjoon, but it provided the background noise for why Blinks were so angsty and pissed. All that happened in one day.

You see, before Blinks came after Namjoon, they'd actually gone after NewJeans' fandom in retaliation. A blink hacked the NewJeans Global fanbase following the achievement announcement. Look at the date of that tweet. If you were on Twitter you would've seen "APOLOGIZE TO LISA" trending globally. Well, that's what happened. Bunnies are a much smaller fandom but their group is the top girl group, meaning that fandom dynamics make them an easy target to overwhelm that nobody would care to defend and so their pleas that their fanbase was hacked fell on deaf ears, Blinks easily overran them and practically everything that happened to Namjoon two days later, happened first to NewJeans and their fanbase. But the scandal didn't gain much traction and Blinks were like, raging pissed. I'm talking people screaming in various Twitter spaces mad. Just insane any way you look at it.

Then a day later Namjoon said in a magazine interview that BTS would be returning around 2025. That was the catalyst for the hate. Aside from the additional annoyance for Blinks of BTS, well, BTS-ing, BTS akgaes who were also Blinks, absolutely lost their shit. It might seem like such an innocuous thing, but one thing you'll realize is, a lot of people here are frankly insane. I know I use that word a lot but I actually mean it. Much of what passes for 'discourse' here, is actually fueled by people who are very unstable and cannot manage their emotional reactions to facts outside their control. Such is the perpetual plight of BTS akgaes and one such fact is BTS all saying they intend to return in a few years, and so their attention turned to him and he would've had a hate train sooner or later. It was only blind luck that he shared Bad Religion on Instagram the next day.

To contrast with Tae's situation, Blinks were celebrating various achievements yesterday and today. And so, silly as this might be to say, they were less pissed than they were in the lead up to Namjoon's situation. Also, Blinks and most other shooters were pre-occupied with much juicier drama today, which was the blow-up around Bang Chan's room being suspended. Dives and Stays have been going at it, with Blinks and shooters well in the mix. Scandals sometimes never happen the day of the incident. In fact it's more common for something to happen which an anti or rival fandom notices, keeps away, and then blows up at a more opportune moment - such as during the actual comeback. So it's not like Tae's even in the clear. This could still come back to hurt him (and BTS, because that's how these things always play out), though I doubt it, because of the players.

The Players

The fact is that since Tae started dating Jennie, he has less natural predators within the Blink fandom. He's still hated, just not to same degree he was by that fandom when he accidentally followed Jennie on Instagram a year ago. Also, many Blinks are BTS maknae-line akgaes meaning many Blinks are also taekookers and KTHs. In case anyone was unaware. So Tae is likely never going to get as much umbrage from Blinks as he would from Orbits, for example. But just by being in BTS, he's hated by that fandom.

Rival BTS akgaes are also players here who tried to get the ball rolling on the hate train, but in recent weeks I'd seen sympathy from PJMs towards Tae for his abysmal performance numbers, so not many of them joined in right away. JJKs on the other hand, who have been dealing with a lot of flack for Seven's versions/performance, saw an opportunity to use Tae's gaffe to play off his akgaes and the fandom against other akgaes. ARMYs are a bit stupid, as I've said before, and PJMs are careless, loud, and moronic - they've earned a reputation that makes them easy scapeoats, as I've said before too, so playing those factions off each other was very easy to do.

This all left Black ARMYs, who knew that if this blows up, every BTS member would become a target because of k-pop fandom dynamics, whether that was fair or not, especially for a gaffe like this, to contain this somewhat.

Namjoon does not have the benefit (if I can even call it that) of dating Jennie, his akgaes do overlap with some other fandoms but not Blinks, and his crime was not the sort that was very contagious to other members, so it allowed more akgaes to zero in on him and Blinks to let loose on him.

The Crime

There's no pretty way of saying this, but identity 'crimes' in k-pop fandoms are kind of a bitch and can be tricky to understand. In Tae's case, the fact is that the clips do offer him plausible deniability. I can see how someone could persuade others to think he never mouthed it, though I personally don't buy it. But given the fact that racist charges in particular are very sticky and will be used to target every member, from Jimin to Namjoon even if Tae was the culprit, I can see why the fandom approached it this way.

There's also the very simple fact that a lot of people didn't actually notice that Tae mouthed "nigga". I know the song he was listening to so I know what he said, but I could bet you 40 quid that 80% of the fandom is actually blissfully oblivious. And that's how it usually is with these things. Unless an anti or rival fandom blows it up, it might as well have never happened because few people would've registered that it happened in the first place. And because of (1) the background and (2) the players, it was always unlikely that this could turn into a shit storm today. It could still happen for Tae, but it happening today, in my view at least, was always unlikely.

Namjoon by contrast, had a crime that wasn't even one, but religious sensitivities can be very volatile, and the people who eventually believed he was in error and were fanning the flames, were primarily homophobes and misogynists who justify those beliefs with their religion - in addition to some Muslim fans who perhaps felt genuinely hurt. Not Black ARMYs or Black k-pop stans who have likely dealt with exactly this sort of crime before. I mean, this is k-pop, Shinee and Mamamoo for example, well loved k-pop groups still haven't apologized for doing Blackface and Brownface, they've never even acknowledged it, and yet nobody cares. And so many Black fans unfortunately have a sort of resignation or racism fatigue. In a sense.

One other reason is that, for racist or anti-Black accusations, sometimes other k-pop fandoms could be hesitant to join in and blow up the scandal because they’re aware of their own idols being guilty of the same or much worse, and they know explicitly going after BTS will get ARMYs to drag their faves to filth. It would be something akin to mutually assured destruction but ARMYs would possibly overwhelm with share numbers. Comparatively, accusations around Islamophobia aren’t as common, and so more k-pop fandoms could join in to virtue signal on that basis, and blow it up further knowing ARMYs wouldn’t have equal basis to retaliate towards certain fandoms.

**

I took my time writing all this for a few reasons. One is because I'm very well aware that there's a narrative in some parts of the fandom that Jimin is hated the most and Tae is hated the least. Again as though this is some kind of competition. And that it's very likely for this to be the talking point in this space filled with Jimin biases, jikook shippers, and Jimin akgaes. Not to call y'all out exactly, it's just the reality as I see it. But like I keep saying, if you're listening to akgaes for most anything, you're being quite stupid because you're guaranteed to be misled. In my opinion. There's a lot more things that influence how things play out here, there's so much more nuance into how various patterns develop, that the simplistic and victimizing arguments offered by that point of view, aren't all that helpful if what you want is to actually understand what's happening here.

*

And while I'm on the subject since this post is already too long and I've gotten asks about how to feel about this, I'll copy-paste here what I already told someone else privately:

I don't hate Tae, and as a Black person, much less a Black person who has lived in Korea with family there, this sort of anti-Blackness, while disappointing no matter where its encountered, even more so since it's from a BTS member in this case, is something many Black people live with.

I understand what you mean I think, and though you say you don't know how to feel right now, I know how I feel: I feel disappointed. Tae mouthing the word on camera, not bothering to show more care around how it could look, indicates to me that it's possible he shows even less care in private i.e. he's possibly comfortable saying the word in private. This could be true or false. And while not the worst thing in the world (I don't for a second think any of the guys are perfect people - it's possible there's a high chance they'd behave like typical Korean men in various situations with all the cultural prejudices and ignorance), it's disappointing that this could still happen in 2023. As you've said, it seemed very unlikely. But then again, unlike some other members, Taehyung himself has never come under fire for this sort of gaffe. Where Joon, Hobi, and Yoongi have been forced to grow in their engagement with Black culture as they're the members that have worked very deeply on hiphop, Tae's always had a bit of a peripheral view. He's never been personally impacted by any of that particular scrutiny, and given what I think his personality is like, I won't be surprised if it never really registered in his mind as something to be cautious about, since he'd never been personally really affected by it. Hence one reason I started out that post by calling him stupid, as harsh as that might sound.

Personally, I never expect perfection from BTS, so while this is disappointing, it does not dramatically impact how I feel about Tae or BTS or Layover a week from now. I listen to a lot of music and a lot of hiphop made by artists who have very likely killed before, so my personal tolerance for 'problematic' artists or things like this could be very different from yours. It's unfortunate that Tae's actions could bring very negative attention to the whole group, and people will have feelings - some people being hurt and other people re-offending in a bid to defend or antagonize him, so I'd suggest trying not to get caught in the crossfire. If you still want to support Tae, that's okay. Personally, I'll be checking out his album and plan to support it with streams and some sales. If you're hurt and want to say that, that's okay too. If you don't feel like supporting his project, that's okay too. Process this in a way where you honour your feelings and beliefs first, based on the facts as you have them. And anyone who tries to make your life difficult about it either way, fuck them. In my opinion.

[usedpidemo]

so i went to my first ever concert and...(storytime!)

Generally speaking, I don't like the concept of concerts. For the longest time, I've never had any interest in attending one. I've been disillusioned by the idea of them as a whole, with no disrespect to people who attend them. Even before the global pandemic that shut down live events, ironically, despite being on my headphones/speakers 90% of the time, I don't like crowds and extremely loud audiences. It also doesn't help that many live artists nowadays are just not good stage performers or lipsync or in some cases, aren't as pleasing to hear as the studio mix that I could easily play on Spotify. My mantra, which has always been my mother's as well, was "Just listen to the CD." This also explains why I don't really buy CDs anymore and stick to streaming instead.

It's now 2023, and as the old adage goes, things change. I've become a K-pop fan, live events are back, and there's this push to have me leave my house a lot more than I should. I'm no recluse like Bruce Wayne, but I certainly don't like going out when I could be relaxing and playing video games in my spare time even as an adult. Growing up made me realize that there's plenty of things that I should do, even at least once. I'm nowhere close to dying—I think so at least—but I definitely felt the need add some spice into my life and have some fresh memories to keep now that the pandemic's over.

Anyway—I've never been to a concert, and my older sister's only concert experience was seeing Fall Out Boy when she was in her teens that she desperately begged mom to see, and she was all the way up into the nosebleeds. Now obviously I can't go and see IZ*ONE anymore (sadblob) and every big act carries extremely large demand for them. My sister failed to secure Blackpink tickets for their tour even with the membership presale, and the experience was so frustrating and damning that she stopped listening to the group for a while. There's so many things that can go wrong even as early as ticket sales, so I understood that any concert I wanted to go to should be absolutely worth it.

It was during our vacation back in February when IVE announced that they would be bringing their fan concert around Asia, with June as the set date. I can remember seeing it trend on Twitter while waiting in the car; the hype was fucking real. I knew I had to be there by any means necessary. The campaign began as soon as we got back to our hotel. They said yes.

One thing I want to say is: fuck online ticketing. It sucks, big time. Anything that can go wrong, can and will go wrong. Yet some part of me was so uncertain and wanted to test the murky waters again. I got in touch with a third party way before they announced the ticket selling date, and I was so fixated on the success rate of the seller, against the advice of my family. It wasn't until two days before ticket selling that I was given a proper talk, saying that it could be a potential scam and that I should camp out the night before to get the best chances. Ultimately, I gave in and settled at a hotel close to a hotel without many fans. They ended up being right. I ended up first in line and got the best package for a little over $200. It was so difficult to keep my composure the moment I got the tickets all the way till I got home.

Fast forward to a little over a month. The family also booked me a nice hotel close to the venue days before the show so we wouldn't have to face insufferable traffic. I couldn't sleep the night before the show—not because I was excited and all, but I was genuinely feeling restless. It ultimately didn't matter as my mood and overall energy never diminished once I woke up 2.5 hours after finally sleeping.

You just know it's gonna be a good day when the first sign is making new friends out of nowhere. At breakfast, I befriended two Japanese tourists for some reason. My smile was wider than it normally was. It's so weird greeting people with amped up optimism that at times, it felt like main character energy, which was typically uncharacteristic of me. Mind you, I only had 2.5 hours of sleep.

An hour later, venue time—at least close to it. The concert organizers and local fanclubs held a fanhub that was already filling up the floor with a line that stretched around in a loop. So I bailed and went to the cafe across the street from where the actual concert would happen to get free shit. Saved myself almost $25 dollars from buying the I'VE IVE album because of a cupsleeve event being organized by a remnant of WIZ*ONEs. A big W if you ask me.

I even met up with some of my readers too! Cray and Nomad, if you're reading this, it was great finally meeting you. It was awesome to fanboy and connect with guys I've been talking to online for the past two years in person.

Afterward, we went inside an hour before show start, and people were already screaming like they showed up and it was just staff bringing out towels and water bottles. Then the lights went out and holy shit, everyone lost their shit. It wasn't a sold-out show but the audience's energy made it feel otherwise. They were singing instead of following fan-chants.

It should surprise no one that everyone killed it. Yujin is the 4th gen ace and no one can tell me any different. Wonyoung was absolutely fantastic in crowd control and drawing the audience in and lived up to the center title. They added both title tracks from I'VE IVE and changed up two of the cover songs for the unit stages, otherwise the set remains mostly similar to the ones in Korea and Japan, the only difference being new outfits and alternate color ones.

I'm gonna dedicate this section specifically for Liz. Consider me bias wrecked. She was not only an elite vocalist but she performed like the rent was due, holy shit. Blue Blood (my favorite stage of the night) in particular really gripped me and never let go. I was genuinely shook at how terrific she showed out in the performances. If anything, she's the 2nd best performer of the group after watching the footage.

There was an emotional moment at the end as the show was winding down. The members were lined up for the group photo when a fan video played and half of the members cried. Leeseo, Rei, and Yujin all cried and it was a wholesome scene. Rei mentioned how this was one of their first performances as a full group following her health hiatus and she was moved by the overwhelming support of the fans. Wonyoung also promised they would return—hopefully later than sooner I'm not loaded at the moment—which invalidates the stupid argument international Dives were having on Twitter. The girls felt their support, cried their heart out, and that's all you need to know.

After the event, there was a hi-bye session for all VIP ticket holders. They sent everyone else out, so it started 20 minutes after the actual ending. They kept reminding us that we weren't allowed to record or take photos of the event, but apparently someone at Starship was filming the whole thing? So there's a possibility that I might end up on YouTube, heh. Since we were on the left side of the stage, we were among the last to go up and meet them.

Holy fuck dude. I wasn't nervous while watching everyone else go up and meet IVE, but once the staff told us to form a single line and we slowly made our way around the stage, my heart began to go buckwild. You just don't know what to say or do when that moment comes—like how do I make this memorable or at the very least, not cringe? One thing I do know was that we all agreed, as a section, to walk past them as slow as humanly possible; five seconds was not enough. I was so unsure of what to do as I slowly walked up the steps to the point I was practically mouthing 'Jesus take the wheel' or else I'd melt into a puddle, lose my shit, do something stupid, or maybe all of the above.

Jesus Christ. They looked so fucking flawless. You honestly couldn't tell they were sweaty and exhausted after performing for 2.5 hours.

From left to right, it was Rei, Gaeul, Wonyoung, Yujin, Leeseo, and Liz. Liz was the first member I met, and she completed my half-heart gesture. From there, my brain blanked for a good three seconds. My mouth was still uttering 'Kamsahamnida' but that scene seemed to stick long past that moment. I couldn't register Leeseo, Yujin, and Wonyoung's reactions—I knew they were smiling and waving—but then my brain suddenly went back up as I met Gaeul and Rei's eyes right as we made our way out. I went to the bathroom and uttered a relieved, awestruck 'Holy shit.'

God. I don't know if I will ever move on from such an experience. I'm still thinking about the interaction as I write this little thought diary, and my mind keeps replaying the interactions with Liz, Gaeul, and Rei. All of them had lovely smiles and were so happy even though they clearly were gassed out, and I was in utter shock trying to comprehend what had happened. Famous streamer IShowSpeed met his hero Ronaldo the same day as the concert and if you've seen his video, he practically plays out all the emotions I wanted to feel after meeting them. I've not played any K-pop after the concert aside from English versions of songs and most certainly I've avoided IVE songs aside from rewatching my concert fancams because I'll just melt into a giddy pile of goo watching it, telling myself 'I was there.'

My sister only listens to Blackpink. She agreed to take me to the venue provided I buy her tickets, so this was a consolation or redemption of sorts after failing to secure tickets for the Born Pink tour. She's a Dive now. She couldn't stop raving over Wonyoung's beauty but she eventually found all the members to be cute and beautiful. It feels great to finally share a sweet moment with my sister despite the turbulent relationship we have.

In an ideal world, I'll be watching Le sserafim and the other IZ*ONE members when they perform/arrive here. Of course, there's many obstacles in the way, and I'm not loaded with disposable income. Seriously, these tickets were more expensive than a veteran group and they're supposed to be rookies! But the entire experience—the energy, the performances, and the ending—made every coin I spent worth it. If this ends up becoming the only concert I attend in my entire life moving forward, I'm glad it was an unforgettable one.

Gaeul, Yujin, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo, thank you for making my year and giving me a core memory I can fondly look back on. I fucking love you guys.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Happy 14th anniversary to the absolute legends that are 2NE1!

It's been fourteen years since CL, Dara, Minzy and Bom first stepped on stage together and proceeded to change the world forever.

They broke about every single stereotype of K-pop, experimented with their sound, fashion, had the most amazing stage presence, and did so much to expand girl group styles in the Korean music industry and became one of the leading figures of the Korean wave.

Their second single, I Don't Care, was named Song of the Year at the MAMAs, making 2NE1 the first idol group to receive a daesang (grand prize) in their debut year. Their New Evolution Global Tour is considered the first ever K-pop girl group world tour since it visited eleven cities in seven countries in Asia and North America in 2012, and their show at the Prudential Center in New Jersey was named the second best concert of the year by The New York Times.

Their second full album, Crush, released in 2014, was the first album by a Korean artist to break into the top 100 of the US Billboard 200 (debuting at number 61) and remained the highest charting Korean album for over two years.

In April 2022, 2NE1 performed for the first time since their disbandment at the Coachella festival as a surprise reunion, which was named by several publications as one of the year's best performances at the festival.

The group has sold 66 million records worldwide which makes them one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.

I've been with them for over a decade, through highs and lows, and I can safely say they will always be my number one. It has been a bit hard listening to their music after disbandment, but it's gotten easier over the years.

Happy anniversary you absolute legends 🎉🎈🎊

[tomorrowxtogether]

Growing up with TOMORROW X TOGETHER: navigating the world and your youth with the rising K-pop group

Growing up is never as easy as it’s made out to seem. It’s confusing and draining and conjures up emotions you didn’t even know existed, let alone know how to deal with. It’s tough but hey, everyone goes through it, just ask TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT).

Since their debut in 2019, the K-pop boy group have been piecing together a fantastical coming-of-age story rooted in reality, sharing all the chaos, triumphs, revelations, frustrations, and angst of growing up in the 21st century.

From trying to find your place in the world and dealing with imposter syndrome to the bliss of falling in love and the pitfalls of heartbreak, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai have been navigating through the intricacies of love, life, and loss of your 20s with their music—and in a way, with us.

“We talk about growing up in our music, and I think we feel so proud whenever our fans say that they relate to our music and feel comforted. We want to continue to share our stories through our music and grow alongside our fans,” said Soobin, in an interview with Bandwagon. 

Their discography, in which each member lyrically and musically contributes to, tracks the ups and downs of growing up, each “chapter” unravelling a new set of hurdles and challenges against the backdrop of graceful yet powerful choreography.

“We try to tell our story and the story of our generation as we see it, so it’s natural for us to participate in the making of the album,” said Yeonjun. “Over the years as our contribution grew, we were able to really hone and refine our distinctive sound, which is something that we’re so proud of.”

“During the past four years, we’ve continued to challenge ourselves with new sound and style, and I think that allowed our musical scope to expand. The members’ participation in the making of the album grew over the years, and all of us became better artists and creators that constantly inspire each other,” added Hueningkai.

Unsurprisingly, their stories and music found a home in thousands of people across the world, Most particularly during the height of the pandemic, TXT gave fans, who they lovingly call Moments Of Alwaysness or MOA, a sense of hope and comfort that maybe growing up is not so scary after all.

Centered around their authentic journeys of growth and catchy hits, TXT are one of the most exciting groups to come out of the K-pop scene today. Carving out a path of their own, the ‘Sugar Rush Ride’ act has risen in global popularity over the years—even recently booking a headlining performance at this year’s Lollapalooza.

The forthcoming performance comes on the heels of their music festival debut (also at Lollapalooza) and first world tour, ACT: LOVE SICK last year, all of which TXT are immensely grateful for.

“It hasn’t been too long since we’ve got to meet our fans face-to-face, so it took us a bit of getting used to. As we toured around the world and performed at Lollapalooza, we were able to enjoy ourselves a lot more, and it was just amazing to see our fans in front of us again and feel their love and energy vividly,” shared Soobin.

Most recently, TXT kicked off their second world tour, ACT: SWEET MIRAGE. The tour opened with a two-day concert in Seoul before heading back to Southeast Asia, starting with Singapore last weekend.

“It’s our very first show in Singapore so we’re very excited! It was such a pleasure to tour Southeast Asia for our ACT: LOVE SICK world tour last year. The fans’ energy was incredible, and we want to return that same energy this time around,” said Taehyun ahead of their Singapore concert on 1 April. 

Much like their music, the tour sees personal touches from the members, with each of them contributing ideas to the setlist and stage production.

From the very beginning of their rehearsals to the moments before heading out on stage—where Hueningkai shared they stretch, do vocal warm-ups, and take a minute to calm down, every concert comes as a product of hard work, dedication, and love from the group.

“We’ll perform the new tracks from our latest album, so our fans will be able to watch a lot of never-been-seen performances. We also put in a lot of ourideas into the setlist and the overall flow of the concert, so I think that will just make itmuch more special,” said Beomgyu.

Like a lot of us, TXT began 2023 by opening a new chapter (The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION) of their lives. What the rest of this new chapter holds for all of us is uncertain but there's no doubt that Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai will be right there walking with us through its ups and downs.

TXT will continue their ACT: SWEET MIRAGE this April in Taipei and several cities in Japan before heading out to North America. 

[roo-bastmoon]

Roo is a bit of a party pooper here. (But Roo does not poop at parties.)

A GENTLE WORD OF CAUTION REGARDING STREAMS, ALBUMS, and SYMBOLS

First and foremost, streams are dropping like hell this weekend. So please run playlists on all possible devices (I'll put links at the bottom of this post). PLEASE DO NOT NEGLECT STREAMING as we are in the red.

Of course we need to focus on Angel right now. However, Like Crazy, Face, and Jimin himself are predicted to be nominated for song, best album, and artist of the year for MAMA. Actual trophy awards at a broadcast year-end award show! But the digital points are low for song and album, so we need to work on CONSISTENT global streaming for Jimin in addition to all our boys every single day!

Second, a Naver article stated that Jungkook's album will drop on July 14th. Another Naver article reported on that article, and then a bunch did. We've been here before, where the media ran with a bit of gossip and then got clowned later.

What the company SAID was:

“The schedule is yet to be finalized, and is to be announced subsequently.”

Now, JJK1 could very well drop in five weeks. But I've heard no chatter anywhere about final touches on post-production, album design, distribution plans, or promotional schedules... they don't just put the songs in a can and then press a button and it's out in the world.

Plus, a year ago, there was a strategic plan shared with investors that mentioned Q4 for him (though that was more of a road map than a firm commitment).

JK did say during last year's Festa that he'd go after Yoongi. So maybe it will happen as soon as July? That would be wonderful, because it seems like Jimin still has music to release, so maybe they can be supportive of each other's projects this summer and fall, before enlisting (hopefully at the same time!).

But I hope JJK1 doesn't go up against the Barbie soundtrack on July 21st because that has so many heavy hitters, my lord, we never catch a break!!

I will just say that JJK1 is one of the most anticipated global releases of the year. It will require a lot of logistics and likely heavy in-person promotion. So I just want to caution folks in getting too emotionally invested about a mid-July date.

It could be. It could not be. Best to wait for an official announcement, which will likely come at least 3 weeks before drop. So let's keep our ears perked after Yoongi's last concert on June 25th...

Third, some folks are reading into a lot of symbols these days. Which is fine! But I'd like to ask that we just be careful with it.

Personally, I only subscribe to a number theory if the timestamp or the numbers that the members write/say are in exact order and we can draw a straight line between that and a known special date. I do not use addition, subtraction, division, or re-ordering of numerals to get to a desired outcome. I don't know K-ARMY who do that either. But I'm not out to crap all over people who do!! It's fun to theorize!

For me, it's fun to look at number stuff the same way it's fun to read tarot cards. We tinker, we point out possible coincidences or patterns... Just please, I gently ask you to keep to theory and not fact. The last thing we want is for someone to cherrypick a screenshot and drag things out of context.

Speaking of symbols and theories becoming fanon facts...

Jimin posted old photos of him looking ADORBS with a tangerine today (which Tae helpfully commented to make sure we'd all understand it was a tangerine, lol). So Yoominners rejoice:

While Jimin's social media DOES feature plenty of Yoongi (D-Day, Suchwita, possibly photos where Yoongi's shoes appear in a mirror) and TikTok dances, plus he did come on live (FROM HIS HOME!!) on Yoongi's birthday... Jimin's social media also has Hobi, Jin, Joon, and Tae on it! But predominantly it's Yoongi who shows up on Jimin's Insta. We haven't had any Jungkook on his Insta since White Day of last year--interactions with Jungkook seem reserved for WeVerse lives and posts.

Make of it what you will.

To my mind, it does seem like certain "soft" subunits were paired up since Festa of last year. (Hobi spread love to everyone, then there was Namjin's DeliciouSeoul commercials, Yoonmin's Busan [??] tourism commercial, Taekook as yet to be determined but it feels like it's coming...) So the lines between work posts and relationship posts also begin to blur a bit for fans, especially since the members all adore each other anyway...

Whether there was a strategic plan in place or not for how what I perceive as soft subunits promote, I don't know.

But meanwhile, certain other "promotions" seem to organically play out: JK sings all his members' new feature songs, but hypes Jimin's the most (on random lives he does without permission). JK came on live often, but a pattern is emerging where that typically happens when Jimin is away or busy. JK hangs out with Tae and went to the Harry concert with other members, but calls for Jimin to join him most often.

Again, it's fun to speculate what this might mean.

Meanwhile, today Joon posted a gym whiteboard workout in which the initials JK and JM appear, and so folks assume minimonikook are getting swole together. I like the mental image, not gonna lie.

And hey y'all! Maybe Jimin is summoning Min Yoongi with a tangerine. Maybe Jikook did hit the gym with Joon and draw on his whiteboard. Maybe Tae did grab a bite with JK in the one day before he dyed his hair and allegedly went to Spain to film a music video. It's fun to speculate. It's what fans do.

I just want to caution folks from stating things the members do or feel as if they know for sure.

Those are cult tactics and, for me at least, the lines are starting to blur a little bit these days between Jikookers and Taekookers... in that folks are more than happy to assume that secret private couple getaway trips are pure fact, that words mumbled off screen say exactly what we want to hear, that the company has a clear-cut nefarious plot to hype specific members and bury others... and that there are hints of Signs and Wonders everywhere.

And maybe these things are shaking out and really happening. But we don't know. So I feel more comfy discussing this sort of thing when people include "I think" or "it seems" or "maybe" as we talk about it--I like to have a little wiggle room--because when I see my fellow Jikookers start to "witness truth," it comes off far more like a religion than a supportive fanbase.

I say this gently because at some point we've all done it, especially when we are in a hurry and speaking casually or joking around. I'm not judging, just cautioning.

Words matter. Believe me, I learned my lesson, and words matter.

And when it comes to Jikook, we don't really need to grasp at straws. While our boys are a lot more private these days, they still have exclusive, intimate tones and touches and interactions that we glimpse.

And the circle around them still heavily imply they come as a package deal. For example...

Fourth and finally, we got this awesome interview with Polyc, who had some wonderful things to say about Jimin and the members:

And it was sort of implied that Jimin spoke many times with Polyc about the membership tattoo over the five months that JK was getting his arm retouched--maybe while they were in the shop together? Maybe while his moon tattoos were getting done? Or maybe not.

But Polyc basically said Jimin was the one to usher each member through the process. (Which is a bit of a different impression than I got last Festa when Tae said "I will go with Jungkookie!" because back then it implied it was JK who acted as the conduit between the members and his tattoo artist, but here's some strong evidence that it was Jimin all along who bounced around ideas and made it happen and comforted each member's anxiety. Interesting.)

It's almost as though Jimin and Jungkook are the soft subunit that never gets official promo but keeps bubbling up everywhere.

Okay so that was my long-winded way of pooping on the party just a little, but hopefully not enough to dampen anyone's spirits!! No one is doing fandom "wrong" -- I just want to keep our hearts and intention pure, and our actions honorable, that's all.

In conclusion: speculation is fun! But assuming is not.

And now? Please STREAM!!

AND PRE-ORDER TAKE TWO WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!!

I love you all so very much! Be well, puppykitties!

Love, Roo

[nikonladyz4]

BTS Reunion World Tour - September 2025

According to a report issued on April 6, 2024, Korean local securities companies rushed to report that BTS will hold a reunion tour starting in September of next year, following their military service. See the video below by Journalist Kim on his k-pop Shock channel. The information on his channel is usually very accurate and timely. Turn on closed captions.

EDIT 4/11/24: k-pop Shock just released BTS will tour Latin America in and around October 2025. Mexico, Brazil, Argentina

I believe the next BTS album is already complete. Bang PD announced back in October BTS will release a 10 year anniversary album after regrouping post military. The album and project is a follow-on to the HYYH - The Most Beautiful Moment in Life album series released in 2015. Those two albums showed their growth as artists, reflected their lives and who they were at that time and became the springboard into global stardom. That was one of the major projects that RM was working on that delayed his entry to the military. He was going to initially enlist when Hobi did.

I think they will have to reacclimatize to civilian life, get in concert shape and learn the new material. I think they can do so in 3 months. Enough time to begin their tour in September 2025. Like someone else said, they can easily fill a set list with 7 solo songs, some old classics (muscle memory) a couple of sub-unit songs (rappers, vocal line) and songs from the new album, 20-25 songs in total for a 2 hour show. That way, it won’t be super taxing on their bodies and voices. I personally think they will then go into semi-retirement as a group and pursue personal lives and personal projects such as solo careers, acting, writing, producing, executives with Bighit and/or Hybe. Then maybe come together every few years to perform as a group.

[mariacallous]

The mass shooting and fire at the Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow on March 22 was the deadliest terrorist attack Russia has seen since the 2004 Beslan school siege. The gunmen’s actions claimed at least 137 lives and injured 180 others. The four suspects currently in custody are citizens of Tajikistan. But Russian authorities are doing their best to connect the attack to Ukraine. Sources in Western intelligence, meanwhile, say it was the work of the Islamic State-Khorasan, a branch of the Islamic State also known as ISIS-K. Experts note that ISIS-K has declared Russia among its main enemies (along with the U.S. and China). Meduza breaks down what you need to know about ISIS-K and why the group has Russia in its sights.

What is ISIS-K?

ISIS-K, or the Islamic State-Khorasan, is a branch of the Islamic State that operates primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Formally, the organization governs an ISIS province (wilayah, in Arabic) and reports to the ISIS caliph. Currently, this position is held by Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, whose four predecessors were killed in U.S. operations.

According to ISIS ideology, its caliphate, or state, aims to span the entire globe. The organization has divided the world into provinces, some of which are headed by local Islamist movements that operated before ISIS came into existence (for instance, ones connected to Al-Qaeda). In fact, ISIS itself emerged when the Al-Qaeda branch in Iraq severed ties with the global Al-Qaeda leadership.

Similarly, the Afghan-Pakistani branch of the Islamic State, ISIS-K, emerged in 2015 as a local movement. Initially, the group was composed of several thousand opponents of Afghanistan’s pro-American government, mostly Pashtuns, who were disillusioned with the Taliban. ISIS-K immediately started engaging in armed conflicts with the U.S. army, the Afghan government, and, even more brutally, with the Taliban.

The Taliban’s ideology fundamentally differs from that of ISIS. The Taliban aim to establish a national Islamic State in Afghanistan, while ISIS supporters advocate for world domination and the defeat of all “infidels.” Islamic nationalism won out in Afghanistan (and neighboring Pakistan), and by 2018, the Taliban (with the unofficial help of U.S. air support) had virtually destroyed ISIS-K’s organized resistance in the eastern provinces. U.S. forces killed several of the group’s leaders and, according to experts, the organization’s numbers were severely depleted, going from several thousand to a few hundred people.

Sanaullah Ghafari, who took over ISIS-K’s leadership, shifted the group’s strategy from direct armed confrontations to increasingly ruthless acts of terrorism against the Taliban, religious minorities, and Americans. During the U.S. troop withdrawal from Kabul in August 2021, he allegedly orchestrated a suicide bombing at the airport gate through which refugees fleeing Taliban rule were trying to enter. The attack killed 182 people, including 13 U.S. servicemen.

ISIS-K later expanded its list of enemies to include Russia, among others. On September 5, 2022, an explosion near the Russian embassy in Kabul killed five people, including two embassy staff. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack. In January 2024, more than 90 people were killed in twin explosions in Kerman in Iran. U.S. intelligence confirmed ISIS-K orchestrated the attacks. However, Taliban agents allegedly killed Ghafari in 2023, and it’s unclear who’s currently at the helm of ISIS-K. That said, judging by the Iran attacks, its strategy remains unchanged.

Why Russia?

Radical Islamists have long accused Russia of being a state that “oppresses Muslims” both at home and abroad. ISIS propaganda regularly mentions Russia’s past military campaigns in Afghanistan and Chechnya, and Moscow’s intervention in support of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria put an even bigger target on its back.

ISIS-K leadership has seen the initial success of ISIS leadership, which capitalized politically on the global struggle against “infidel empires” such as the United States, China, Iran, and Russia. Prioritizing “external operations” could yield far greater political and financial benefits (in the form of donations) than working with local resources.

There are also deeper reasons for the particular hostility towards Russia. In recent years, ISIS-K has been trying to expand the movement’s ethnic base — both in Afghanistan and beyond. In the northern regions of Afghanistan, where many ethnic Uzbeks and Tajiks live, its numbers are growing. ISIS-K regularly threatens Central Asian authorities, calling them “puppets of the Russian empire.” In this sense, the struggle against Russia is a fight for resources: primarily for radically minded supporters in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and neighboring countries.

Was ISIS-K behind the attack?

There’s still no publicly available indisputable evidence that ISIS-K organized the attack. However, ISIS has claimed responsibility, and sources told CNN that the U.S. is in possession of intelligence confirming these claims. The New York Times also reported that Washington considers ISIS-K to be behind the attack.

Ruslan Suleymanov, a Middle East expert, expressed skepticism to Meduza about whether ISIS-K currently possesses the necessary resources to organize such a large-scale terrorist attack on the outskirts of Moscow. However, the attack doesn’t appear to have been “high-tech” in nature: the perpetrators clearly had problems with their escape plan, as well as with weapons. (In a video from the attack, sparks are seen flying from the barrel of one of the machine guns, which could indicate that either the ammunition or the weapons themselves were in poor condition.)

Suleymanov said it’s also difficult to confirm whether messages on ISIS Telegram channels are authentic as the group’s accounts are regularly blocked, forcing it to create new ones. The posts about the Moscow attack come from ISIS-linked Amaq News Agency, not from ISIS-K directly. In one picture, the four alleged “participants in the operation” are shown with blurred faces against the backdrop of the Islamic State flag. Amaq later released a first-person body-cam video that clearly shows the attack on Crocus City Hall, corroborating the Islamic State’s involvement.

[for-yoongi0309]

EVENTS SCHEDULE (16-17)

2016

160103 | Bundang fansign

160204 | Pyeongchang winter festival

160206 | K-Pop Festival Zepp Sapporo

160315 | KBS ONE Open Concert

160325 | KCON in Abu Dhabi

160511 Synnara gangnam fansign

160513 | Sinchon fansign

160604 | Smart Uniform 'Day of Family Love' Campaign 161001 | Busan One Festival

161014 | Synnara fansign

161104 | Yongsan fansign

- rest of 2016

2017

WINGS Tour

170112 | MAMA in Hong Kong

170114 | Golden Disk Awards

170116 | Idol Star Athletics Championships

170119 | Seoul Music Awards

170124 | Global VLIVE TOP10 Event

170222 | Gaon Chart Awards

170223 | Aladdin fansign

170224 | Mokdong fansign

170225 | Sinchon fansign

170226 | Hongdae fansign

170317 | KCON in Mexico

170510 | Blood Sweat & Tears JPN ver - release event

170602 | Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game

170613 | HOME PARTY

170804 | Music Bank in Singapore

170902 | Seo Taiji 25th anniversary concert

170921 | Cultwo Radio Show

170922 | Aladdin fansign

170924 | SBS Inkigayo Super festival

170928 | m!countdown comeback special

170929 | Kpop World Festival

170930 | Sinchon fansign

171007 | Seocho fansign

171008 | Hongdae fansign

171019 | PUMA fansign

171101 | Pyeongchang Olympics G-100 K-POP Concert 

171115 | Jimmy Kimmel mini concert

171119 | AMAs

171201 | MAMA in Hong Kong

171202 | MMA in Seoul

171225 | SBS GAYO Daejun festival

171229 | KBS GAYO Daejun festival

other lists and events

[beautifulpersonpeach]

kind of random, but I’m curious about your thoughts on what seems to be the intended growth and direction of Weverse and Weverse magazine beyond the kpop sphere

bang pd has said that they want to expand weverse’s use to western artists and fanbases. Of course it’s still almost entirely kpop and kpop adjacent, but in general I like the platform and I think it could be an interesting tool for smaller artists globally. But I also don’t see western artists being that interested in engaging with their fans like this, especially where they already have tools like Instagram live. Maybe I’m biased by my army experience, but the Weverse armys are some of the cringiest (and youngest) imo, and the parasocial relationship encouraged somewhat in kpop isn’t encouraged in the same way in the west. Maybe there’d be interest in the online concert format?

as for Weverse magazine, I like the idea of growing a kpop oriented magazine that actually respects the artists. There’ve been so many dumb articles written about bts that it’s nice to see there be consistently decent interviews with them. The bts/hybe bias shows, but I don’t need constant fluff pieces about the members to appreciate the magazine and I think it’d be better off in the long run if they have objective authors writing about kpop generally. I have seen some articles about western artists which threw me off of what I thought they wanted to do with the magazine and who they want their audience to end up being. Do you see a benefit in trying to grow their reach to western artists and growing their audience? What do you think they want to do with this magazine?

***

You raise very good points. I want to challenge and expand on a few things.

"...and the parasocial relationship encouraged somewhat in kpop isn’t encouraged in the same way in the west."

This is changing. Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, etc, the main music publications have been highlighting since BTS got on the scene (2020), that musicians should look into actively building dedicated fanbases via more fan engagement, to be more successful. Here's an article from Billboard crediting this shift in the industry to Taylor Swift (I disagree). Also, western artists already leverage parasocial relationships: Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj are all examples of western artists who are about as engaged with their fans as some k-pop groups are. So if the sales pitch for Weverse is a customized fan engagement solution to lean on the parasocial aspect more, there's more than a few western artists who will be interested.

Just wanted to put that out there, and also because it ties to my next point about the (theoretical) competitive edge WV has over a platform like Instagram Live:

IL is technically the better platform because it gives you the widest audience reach. More people have Instagram already installed than they do Weverse.

But the key thing about successful fan engagement, is cultivating a fandom. Meaning, a somewhat organized group of fans. For the fans to organize, they need a fandom space. A shared feed where people in the fandom can communicate and build community. It's somewhat difficult to get this on Instagram and this is why forums like Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, Quora etc thrive.

Weverse's pitch is highlighting a customized solution that combines the best things about those platforms into one thing, creating a dedicated fan space for the artist and their fans.

In theory, Bang PD is right on the money here and with a few adjustments should have a gold mine on his hands. But the platform isn't well managed.

And neither is the magazine.

And so that theory remains just that.

There's been a handful of dumb articles about BTS/members and other artists by Weverse Magazine too. They've done an excellent job with the interviews they've published, and sometimes they've offered critical counterarguments to shoddy logic from mainstream music publications, but the times they've gaffed have been really embarrassing for everyone involved. For example that racist article that undermined Jimin's accomplishments with FACE. One can assume that was maybe their attempt to show less bias towards BTS and come across as 'objective', but all it did was make the writer and magazine look uninformed.

To gain any critical cred they need more flashy bylines, more socially conscious Korean critics and more mainstream writers, etc. And to increase their audience, yeah more pieces featuring western artists is one way to go about it. They want the magazine as an avenue to tell their own stories and offer their own side, as well as an attempt to participate in discussions in the wider industry, in k-pop and outside k-pop.

This is the wrong way to think about things, but I use Weverse as a bellwether to gauge how efficient and well-run HYBE is. My take on things, using how Weverse appears to be managed as a proxy, is that HYBE is bloated - not quite yet a bureaucratic nightmare but key departments are slow to react whether it's in fixing problems, picking up on trends, course correcting, etc.

I don't know much about coding but the UX/UI on Weverse feels like an afterthought. Almost everything from the color scheme (and lack of personalizing options) to the fact there's a WV streaming platform nobody uses.... they could be doing a much better job with a leaner structure.

Last week if you opened Weverse you'd have gotten a notice to participate in a survey. I left my feedback and I hope y'all did too. BigHit used to be decently good at responding to fan feedback. Let's hope that's still the case with Weverse and HYBE because even the company recognizes that Weverse is underperforming.

[seedlessmuffins]

hiii k!! congrats on the win tonight 🥳 i have an unrelated hockey question 🙋🎤

this might be silly and have no real answer lol but is there a reason why there can be such a gap between teams and their games played? like some have 37 and others have up to 43 played so far. is there not a motivation to keep them more consistent to see accurate standings throughout the season, or is that just not a priority since there’s so many games? could that even work with scheduling?

hola han!! congrats on your win as well, very sexo goals!!

it has an answer but it isn't a good one lol. the nhl schedule caters mostly to the us audience, because the us has a bigger population and more teams, and often the us stadiums are used for more things than just hockey, whereas for the most part in canada, hockey has priority.

the reason the schedule is like that is because the schedule works around the nfl for the first bit of the season, as well as us holidays (thanksgiving, mlk day, etc) and special games (heritage classic, winter classic, outdoor classic, global series where they play games in other countries) first. then, the rest of the dates are filled in, they plan their days with more games and less games, based on arena availability and travel. for example, if there is a concert scheduled at pnc arena, the canes can't play that day, so they have to work around it. or if the canes are playing the canucks in vancouver, that usually means that they will also be playing some combination of calgary, edmonton, seattle, san jose, anaheim, la and vegas around that game, because it makes more sense to do a big road trip when you are travelling so far rather than to go all the way across the continent for one or two games.

the reason why some teams have played more than others is just because of this scheduling. so in the same stretch of 4 days, some teams might have played 3 games and other teams might have played 0 or 1. there isn't really motivation to even it out, with the long season and the nhl's refusal not to cater the schedule around other north american sports. there is talk about strength of schedule, where some teams have really hard stretches (like the canucks in the fall, they had 27 games in 49 nights or something ridiculous like that) and sometimes easier stretches. makes it more unpredictable, more like anything could happen!

if you want a more accurate way to look at the standings with the extreme discrepancy in games, i usually look at the points %. the abbreviation is P%, and it is just the number of points a team has divided by the max number of points they could have (if they won every game they played). while the number of games played is so inconsistent, this is the most accurate way to gage the standings and to predict how teams with games in hand will perform if they stay on form (of course, because its hockey, good teams can drop 6 game losing streaks and bad teams can go on multi-game heaters to move up. thats hockey!)

sorry this is so long and doesn't really answer the question but i hope this helped! my inbox & dms are always open ofc (especially to you 🫶) if you need more clarification!

[mystarmyangel]

[FULL TRANS] 240201 YoonA – Vogue Hong Kong February 2024 Issue Interview

February cover story | YoonA : “Love can make this world a lot warmer” Editor note: Anyone who loves K-pop will know Lim YoonA’s name. YoonA has been standing at the forefront of the Hallyu wave since she debuted in 2007 with Girls’ Generation (SNSD), becoming the most dazzling presence be it on stage or on screen, and more so becoming the global idol of many. In our February issue, she exudes limitless charms in Miu Miu’s latest wear and Qeelin’s jewellery. After all, she is the one and only Lim YoonA.  YoonA has recently once again become a hot topic as ‘King The Land’, the Korean drama that she starred in, topped the Netflix’s non-English TV chart. In the drama, she plays as the bright and cheerful hotelier Cheon Sarang, and this name means ‘love’ in Korean. This time, she poses as the cover girl for our February issue with the theme ‘love’ as well. In YoonA’s heart, what is the meaning of ‘love’? She said: “I think love is something so necessary and important in life, no matter what form it takes as love can make this world a lot warmer.” Q1: You recently starred as the female lead of ‘King The Land’ that was ranked number 1 globally on Netflix. Were there any unforgettable moments when you were filming this project? Also, can you share with us some of the behind story? What I remembered vividly the most was the super cold weather, it is especially so when we were filming for outdoor scenes, we were like fighting a battle in the cold. (Laughs) The behind story that I thought of right now was that when we were doing interview before the drama aired, I said that I hope that ‘King The Land’ can be ranked first globally on Netflix, and this wish indeed came true.

Q2: What is the one distinguishing feature you like about your character Cheon Sarang? Do you two have any similarities? What I like most is her positive and professional attitude. I think our smiles are similar.

Q3: The drama ‘Big Mouth’ was a noir genre, which was a huge contrast to the ‘King The Land’ which is a romantic comedy drama. As an actress, how do you prepare yourself when acting different characters? I would consider stylings that fit the characters, and also portraying emotions that suit the character’s personality. I will also do my research on how to best convey the character’s emotions and story to the viewers.

Q4: You first stepped into the limelight when you debut as a member of SNSD in 2007. It has been 18 years since then, looking back, what insights and growth have you gained? I do not think that I have make major transformation, my personality is still the same as before, but I have matured a lot in this 18 years. The insights and wisdom I have gained through experiences over the years have make me grown to who I am today.

Q5: As a celebrity, how do you constantly grow and improve yourself? I think that I am steadily walking forward, a step at a time. As my filmography continues to expand with each passing year, I have also continued to grow constantly, among them, there were new challenges as well as projects that are well received by the audience. I hope that in the future I would be able to welcome more meaningful challenges that will allow me to grow even more, and to continue to work hard and move forward.

Q6: What is the most memorable moment you spent with SNSD members? There was a period of time when we were really busy, we travelled to numerous places due to our global concert tour, for example going to the hot springs and amusement parks, those left me with really beautiful memories, that I would cherish deep in my heart.

Q7: How would you describe your personal styling? What is the one item that you like the most? During winter, I like to wear comfortable and warm knitwear, and in summer, I especially like wearing one piece dress, because you can complete the whole styling with just a piece of clothing.

Q8: What role does jewellery plays in your everyday styling? How do you match your outfits with jewellery? If the outfits that I’m wearing are fanciful, I would pick simple jewellery to match, and if my outfits are minimalistic, then I would use jewellery to add flavour to it. Just like what people always say, “simplicity is the best” (Laughs)

Q9: If you can say one sentence to the 17 years old Lim YoonA that just debut, what would it be? I will say, “I hope that you can continue to walk every step steadily according to your own thoughts, just as how you have been doing right now.”

Q10: What is the next plan for Lim YoonA? Are there any new things you would like to try, be it in music or acting field? Whenever I am in touch with a new project, I would always feel like I am challenging myself. I do not restrict myself in a certain field, instead I will work hard to explore every different sides of me. My next project is a movie called ‘2 O’Clock Date’, I believe that everyone would see a refreshing side of me, please look forward to it!

Source: Vogue HK Trans: mystarmyangel

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Happy 16th anniversary to the Nation's Girl Group!

On the 5th of August, sixteen years ago, Taeyeon, Yoona, Tiffany, Jessica, Seohyun, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sunny gave their first ever performance of Into the new world as Girls' Generation.

The group rose to fame in 2009 with the single "Gee", which claimed the top spot on KBS's Music Bank for a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks and was Melon's most popular song of the 2000s decade. The group cemented their popularity in Asia with follow-up singles "Genie", "Oh!", and "Run Devil Run", which were released between mid-2009 and early 2010. Their second Korean studio album, Oh! (2010), won the Golden Disc award for Album of the Year (Disk Daesang), making the group the first and only female act to win the Album Daesang.

Girls' Generation ventured into the Japanese music scene in 2011 with their eponymous Japanese album, which became the first album by a non-Japanese girl group to be certified million by the RIAJ. The group's third Korean studio album, The Boys, was the best-selling album of 2011 in South Korea. An English version of the single "The Boys" was released in an attempt to expand the group's endeavor to the global music scene. The group's fourth Korean studio album, I Got a Boy (2013), was supported by the title track, which won Video of the Year at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards. Girls' Generation continued to build upon their popularity with their fifth and sixth Korean studio albums, Lion Heart (2015) and Holiday Night (2017). Following a five-year hiatus to focus on their individual careers, they returned with their seventh Korean studio album Forever 1 (2022).

The group's signature musical styles are characterized as electropop and bubblegum pop, though their sound has varied widely, incorporating various genres including hip hop, R&B, and EDM. In 2017, Billboard honoured Girls' Generation as the "Top K-pop Girl Group of the Past Decade". They are the first Asian girl group to achieve five music videos with over 100 million views on YouTube with "Gee", "I Got a Boy", "The Boys", "Mr. Taxi", and "Oh!". In Japan, they became the first non-Japanese girl group to have three number-one albums on the Oricon Albums Chart, and their three Japanese concert tours attracted a record-breaking 550,000 spectators.

After their 2009 meteoric rise to the top of the industry, SNSD has influenced K-pop in ways that cannot be denied. They truly ushered in an era where women could not only hold their own but also outperform their boy group counterparts and Gee has been the golden standard of what a K-pop girl group should sound, look and act like.

Thank you ladies for bringing on the best generation, Girls' Generation!