Tamar Herman is a New York City-based journalist specializing in international music and media with a focus on the Asian pop culture market and its trends. In addition to her role as pop correspondent at Billboard, she has written for outlets including NBC News, Forbes, and Entertainment Weekly, and appears in the “K-pop” episode of Vox's Explained docuseries on Netflix. She serves as the managing editor of K-pop blog KultScene, and is a co-host of the Nice Jewish Fangirls podcast.
K-pop group Monsta X have been on the scene for a decade, showing off their bold, brash, and charismatic sound. The sextet began their career on a competition television show in 2014, and formally debuted the following year with "Trespass." Since then, Shownu, Joohoney, Kihyun, I.M, Hyungwon, and Minhyuk carved out a sizable space for themselves in the K-pop industry…
For years, Yuta Nakamoto has been inspired by butterflies. He has permanently branded himself with a butterfly tattoo on one hip bone, and performed a song titled "Butterfly" at NCT 127 concerts. As a metaphor for his career as a K-pop star, the butterfly’s cocoon seems to have finally split apart to announce a new stage of life: YUTA's first-ever…
Held from July 26-29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, KCON 2024 showcased an array of performances from K-pop stars, with notable acts including NCT 127, ENHYPEN, Taemin, ZEROBASEONE, and g.o.d. The event marked its largest success yet, attracting fans worldwide both in-person and through digital platforms. KCON, the biggest K-pop show in the world, has come…
Ever since it first began in 2012, KCON has been a delightful surprise for attendees. Turn right on the convention floor, you might receive a goodie bag filled with high-quality skin care products. Turn left, and you could stumble into the first-ever performance of a K-pop group in the U.S. All this happens before the main concert even begins at…
Each year brings new artists to any scene, and 2023 was no exception. After a busy year, 2024 has a new crew of rising teams that bring a sense of freshness to the wide-ranging world of K-pop. Last year, several new acts arrived with major buzz, produced by industry stalwarts. Others arrived seemingly from nowhere, impressing with their ability to…
For over a decade, KCON has regularly touched down in Los Angeles to create a weekend festival dedicated to all things Korean pop culture. With a convention floor highlighting everything from K-dramas to K-beauty, the real stars of the show were, of course, K-pop idols. Along with meet-and-greets and special performances throughout the weekend, three nights of concerts brought some…
Last year, K-pop group SuperM made history when their self-titled debut EP premiered at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. A miscellany of a boy band featuring seven cornerstones from four different acts signed to South Korean company SM Entertainment, the newly formed act’s star power and the virality of their immensely memeable first single "Jopping" made them a…
"Hello, we are Stray Kids!" they shout enthusiastically, just before someone howls for a few seconds with exuberance. It’s fitting, considering that the South Korea-based boy band just released their first LP, Go Live, prior to hopping on the phone to discuss the June 17 release. Featuring a total of 14 tracks, Go Live is a sonic taste of what Stray…
