Tamar Herman

Notes on K-pop • 8th October 2024

Here come the career regrets

A little trigger warning right here that Tamar Is Getting Very Personal in this Newsletter. Feel free not to read. I'll be back with normal, a bit more fun programming, next week (hopefully!) In my email to myself about a month ago, I wrote, "Eaj,...

Notes on K-pop • 23rd September 2024

K-pop reading recs: September 2024

And by life, I mean my phone and computer. I'm infamous among my friends and peers for screenshotting my computer to reveal a hundred-plus tabs open on my browser. What most people don't realize is that I actually have two browsers open (Chrome for...

Notes on K-pop • 15th September 2024

The precarity of being a hit K-pop girl group in 2024

Since April, we have witnessed brewing tension between Hybe, the biggest entertainment company in South Korea, and Min Hee-jin, then the CEO of Hybe subsidiary, now former CEO. A very dirty, very public battle has since played out in the court of...

Notes on K-pop • 11th September 2024

The emotional support K-pop boys vs "there are no good men" divide

Art means something, and the dolphin meme overlaid with the word "shibal" means something especially lately for some K-pop fans. "Shibal," or "ssibal" (씨발), is Korean for F**k, and this happy-go-lucky, Lisa Frank-esque meme overlaid by the curse feels...

NME • 28th August 2024

Jaehyun – ‘J’ review: a tantalisingly sweet tease

Not everyone could live up to being born on Valentine’s Day, but K-pop star Jaehyun makes it very clear that he is indeed a man who understands love and all its complexities. On his debut album, ‘J’, the NCT singer spends most of its length submerged...

Notes on K-pop • 27th August 2024

Forget chart-topping hits: Everyone wants a "superfan"

Do you really need a No.1 nowadays? Or do you just need No. 1 fans? A few months ago, everywhere I went I felt like I was hearing the latest music industry buzzword: superfan. The idea of superfandom features in so many press releases that fill my...

Notes on K-pop • 19th August 2024

How does a newsroom get it so wrong?

Sadly, the answer is "stupidly, dangerously, foolishly (and perhaps illegally) easily". When news broke that on August 6th Suga of BTS was caught with a DUI by police in Seoul when drunk driving a scooter and had his license revoked, there was a lot...

Notes on K-pop • 5th August 2024

Mini Note #6: How much light must stars shine during their times of darkness?

Last night*, a bit after 11:30pm EST and after hours of rain delays, ATEEZ was rushing to finish their Towards the Light : Will to Power New York City stadium show at Citifield. A lot went on that day, with the show beginning over two hours late to...

Notes on K-pop • 23rd July 2024

Nobody knows how to talk about AI and K-pop

Gen AI is taking off in K-pop, but it doesn't seem like anyone really knows what is or isn't being produced by it anym,ore. A few weeks ago, Woozi of Seventeen publicly denied a claim from an article by the BBC that alleged that Seventeen used AI to...

Notes on K-pop • 2nd July 2024

Introducing 's 2024 Fellows

A few months ago, I decided to launch a fellowship to give an opportunity to new voices with the first Notes on K-pop Fellowship/Mentorship. A lot of people applied, and it was a struggle to narrow it down, but I ultimately picked some people whose...

NME • 27th June 2024

The 10 best K-dramas of 2024 – so far

From the cultural phenomenon that is Lovely Runner to the deadly plot of A Killer Paradox, the K-drama world in 2024 has been filled with thrills and romance aplenty – and we’re only halfway through the year. The brilliance of Korean shows this year...

NME • 26th June 2024

The 15 best K-pop songs of 2024 – so far

There must be something in the water in South Korea, because K-pop is hitting it out of the park in 2024. Whether it’s a viral hit that launched a brand-new girl group to superstardom or a critically acclaimed album from one of the industry’s most...

Notes on K-pop • 19th June 2024

Wonyoungism, K-pop & TikTok: a Convo with Steffi Cao

In April, the Daily Beast published an article titled "TikTok's Latest Wellness Trend: Starving Yourself in the Name f K-pop." In general, I love how writer Steffi Cao always has her fingers on Internet Trends and explores them throughout her work....

Notes on K-pop • 11th June 2024

K-pop's "I love mess" era is now a way of life

two masked individuals sitting on a couch, one with his hands on his face in exasperation, while someone jumps up in the air behind them There was a press conference yesterday held yet again to air the grievances of an aggrieved party by one of South...

Notes on K-pop • 3rd June 2024

interview: Jinsol Woo of OHT NYC

After talking in-depth about his brand for this interview, Jinsol Woo wanted to know which OHT NYC piece was my favorite. I was curious what he thought I'd like, so asked him to choose. Then he did something nobody ever has asked me: do I wear...

Notes on K-pop • 27th May 2024

Back to Burning Sun

When I first saw the other day that the BBC had released a documentary on Burning Sun, I was a bit on-edge. If you're unfamiliar "Burning Sun" is a catchall referring to several interrelated sexual abuse and criminal cases in South Korea that were...

Notes on K-pop • 15th May 2024

Mini Note #5: Enhypen would be a hit at Bamboozle

This is one of several mini notes, more intimate, random musings. The first music festival I ever went to, I left before the headliners played. It was 2008, and I was too cool (and dumb) for Panic! At The Disco's Pretty.Odd album. Instead, my friends...

Notes on K-pop • 10th May 2024

The lingering legacy of 'Factory Girls'

At the 2024 Met Gala, Stray Kids and Jennie represented the world of K-pop, showing up in Tommy Hilfiger and Alaïa, respectively. And, as most good things eventually are, the night ultimately became awash in drama over photographers acting...

NME • 7th May 2024

2NE1, 15 years on: the group that changed the face of K-pop forevermore

It starts with whomping sirens, pulsating beats and deadpan repetition: “I am the best. I am the best. I am the best. I am the best. Th-th-the best.” Then it explodes. 2NE1’s signature song ‘I Am The Best’ is a taste of what it was like to experience...

Notes on K-pop • 28th April 2024

Is the next battle for Korea’s music industry creative?

The last few days for K-pop have been historic ones, with Min Hee Jin and HYBE one-upping one another with press conferences and press statements. We’re in the era of she said-they said, with legal teams attempting their best to come out on top. It’s...