Tamar Herman

Notes on K-pop • 21st November 2023

A year of noticing

It’s been a bit over a year since my first Note arrived on November 7, 2022, featuring an intro to this newsletter, and some musings on K-pop’s Third Space. Since then, I’ve attempted to regularly engage with trending topics of the day, talk about...

Notes on K-pop • 19th November 2023

Note On 'K'

As we rapidly race towards the end of 2024, it feels like there’s a lot of talk lately about what exactly is “K-pop” and how that “K-” is impacting it. In the past few weeks, I’ve seen op-eds, interviews, and conversations among fans across social...

Notes on K-pop • 6th November 2023

Psy still stands out among the crowd in 2023

If you have been paying attention to any K-pop drama lately, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about how the October 26 Immortal Songs concert at the Prudential Center was a disaster. Featuring Psy, Ateez, Patti Kim, Lena Park, Jannabi, Young Tak,...

Notes on K-pop • 31st October 2023

Is there really more English being used in K-pop than their used to be?

It feels like everytime I listen to a new K-pop album or single, I’m finding myself understanding more and more of the lyrics. I wish it could say my Korean language skills have increased exponentially in the recent past, but, language studies aside,...

Nylon • 24th October 2023

How Do You Create An American K-Pop Girl Group?

In September 2022, hundreds of young women from across the United States and Canada auditioned for a new reality singing show. They were between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, and accomplished in many different ways. But only six would make it...

Notes on K-pop • 22nd October 2023

Is this the way the Kakao-SM Deal Crumbles?

So for the past few days I’ve actually been fighting with myself over when is the perfect time to write what is sure to be only my first of several newsletters about what is happening with SM Entertainment, its artists, Kakao Entertainment and the...

Notes on K-pop • 10th October 2023

What the hell are AI K-pop stars anyway?

Since 2021, the rise of AI K-pop stars has been widely touted, and I’ve been covering it with casual interest and even spoken with some of the artists, though to be honest I don’t necessarily think I’m the target audience for virtual K-pop stars. I...

Notes on K-pop • 4th October 2023

The fluidity of K-pop's "Big 4"

For someone taking a break from Xitter, I sure do talk about it a lot in this newsletter, and for that I must apologize. But I’m going to do it again… This time talking about a clip that’s been viewed over 5.2 million times. Interviewer Zach Sang a...

Notes on K-pop • 3rd October 2023

Notes on K-Pop Re-Edit: Tiffany Young Revels In Being A 'Woman, Woman, Woman' After Growing Up As One of K-pop's Most Popular Girls'

This is the third edition of my rewrite and re-edit series, where I look at stories I previously wrote or edited. The first one featured a SHINee interview from KCON 2016, and my second was an interview with GOT7 also from that year. This time, I’m...

Notes on K-pop • 28th September 2023

Mini Note #4: An ode to Jaeminbun

But I was tipsy last night when I emailed this to myself after talking to friends about how this random viral turtle devil emoji picture reminded me of the soft chaos of Jaeminbun. (I saw it first mentioned in the always excellent Music Journalism...

Notes on K-pop • 27th September 2023

K-pop stars are setting their own terms regarding the second stage of their careers

On Monday, Korean media reported that BLACKPINK’s Jennie and Jisoo will be setting up their own companies to focus on solo activities, while remaining with the act’s longterm company for group activities. There have been reports for ages about...

Notes on K-pop • 20th September 2023

What in the world is happening with the K-pop concert market in the US

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a concert promoter about Keane’s upcoming tour. I, a basic bitch with an older brother who is even more basic and who let me rip all their early albums while I was an impressionable teen into my iTunes library,...

Notes on K-pop • 11th September 2023

The reports of K-pop's fifth generation arrival are greatly exaggerated

While I was at KCON, I kept hearing people talk about how the newest Mnet-produced group, ZEROBASEONE (ZB1), are the part of the fifth generation K-pop group. Entertainment companies and media entities have been proclaiming the arrival of the fifth...

Notes on K-pop • 5th September 2023

The immense joy of seeing your favorite K-pop stars see their K-pop stars

I’m about 4 hours out from seeing aespa at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight, and very much looking forward to it. I’ve seen aespa perform twice since their debut, first at their Good Morning America concert last summer and at KAMP 2022, also...

Notes on K-pop • 31st August 2023

Who is KCON USA For nowadays?

It’s probably to be expected, but KCON LA 2023 was quite an experience. There was a near-hurricane that turned into a tropical storm, and an earthquake (my first!) There were reports of a ridiculously, disturbingly smelly concert pits after fans...

Los Angeles Magazine • 29th August 2023

KCON Descends on Los Angeles: On the Ground for the Gathering of K-Entertainment's Buzziest

GRAMMY.com • 29th August 2023

9 Thrilling Moments From KCON 2023 L.A.: Stray Kids, RIIZE, Taemin & More

K-pop recently entered its third decade since pioneers Seo Taiji and Boys upheaved South Korea with 1992’s nonconforming "Nan Arayo" — considered by many the inception of the industry. Propelled by the Hallyu (or Korean Wave, the phenomenon driving...

Notes on K-pop • 25th August 2023

Post KCON Existential Exhaustion

Hello! I know I’m a bit late with this week’s newsletter. Please forgive me, as the early part of this week was dedicated to first All Things KCON and then covering Blackpink’s show in San Francisco. I arrived back in NYC Thursday morning, a week...

SFGATE • 23rd August 2023

Blackpink fell in love with San Francisco at sold-out concert

“Blackpink in Bay Area,” declared the hit K-pop group, localizing a lyric from their 2016 song “Boombayah.” Blackpink would repeat the phrase throughout the night, blatantly enjoying the play on the original lyrics (“Blackpink in your area”) and...

NME • 15th August 2023

Huh Yunjin knows how to spot when life brings her a “blessing in disguise”

Through a series of original songs, Huh Yunjin has been sharing her perspective about life as a K-pop idol. The LE SSERAFIM member kicked things off last year with ‘Raise Y_our Glass’, which she released to commemorate the first 100 days of the girl...