Author: Denise Coley
For his first feature film Dìdi (弟弟) – the Mandarin word for little brother – writer and director Sean Wang, chose to look to his past, 2008 to be specific, for inspiration in order to look forward. 2008 is a time where the film’s protagonist Chris, Sean’s alter ego played charmingly by Izaac Wang, is caught between wanting to explore this new world of modernity where his culture and race as a Taiwanese American boy might not matter in a way it did before, and not understanding what his mother Chungsin (Joan Chen), older sister Vivian (Shirley Chen), and…
Since 2008 the government and monarchy of Bhutan have made it a political and cultural policy to promote happiness to foster stability of the country itself. By implementing the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, an equation that mathematically measures and calculates the happiness levels of the population, the government believes the success of the people equals the success of the country. But what happens when Agents of Happiness, the very people tasked with researching the happiness of others, realize that they themselves aren’t happy, and that what’s needed to make a person truly happy, and content can’t be quantified by…
K-Pop sensations CRAVITY, KISS OF LIFE, AMPERS&ONE and others performing on April 26 & 27 GRAMMY Museum® returns to host their own stage at three-day expo featuring Q&A panel discussions with artists Tickets to go on sale starting January 30 for presales and February 1 for public sales at webridgeexpo.com WE BRIDGE, the three-day convention and two-day music festival celebrating Asian entertainment and culture, has announced their return to Las Vegas on April 26-28 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The industry’s trailblazing icons DYNAMIC DUO, HWASA and JESSI…
She Her Her Hers is a rising indie powerhouse across Japan, China, and the world at large. Currently in their biggest Asian 2023-2024 tour for their “Diffusion of Responsibility” album, the three piece band has had a massive popularity uprising in the last 5 years since their debut in 2011. The Chelsea hit-maker band has showcased its musical forte through its hypnotizing works, including through the “Location” and “Afterglow” albums. Known for their uniquely mesmerizing beats fused with harmonizing lyrics, She Her Her Hers band’s live performances have become a spectacle worth looking forward to. KCrush America had an…
Japanese band SUIREN released their new digital EP ‘Reverse’ on January 24, showcasing their unique keyboard-laced rock sound. SUIREN was formed in 2020 by vocalist Sui and keyboard player/arranger Ren. They have won praise for their meticulous sound, centered on Sui’s piercing singing voice and ephemeral, fragile melodies. They have provided theme songs for multiple anime series and movies, drawing attention from music fans. The EP includes many gems, including the lead track ‘Eye Shadow’, along with ‘stella’, which was used as the main theme song for Square Enix’s highly anticipated game ‘STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R’ –…
In this brief interview on the red carpet at Sundance 2024, directors of the narrative documentary Agent of Happiness, Arun Bhattari (Mountain Man) and Dorottya Zurbó (Easy Lessons) spoke with me about translating the unique humor of the people of Bhutan, and how being happy is as much a mind set as it is a political mandate. Agent of Happiness had its World Premiere in the World Cinemas Documentary Competition program at the Sundance Film Festival, held in Park City, Utah. The film is the second project Bhattarai and Zurbó have collaborated on with the 2017 documentary The Next Guardian,…
The Kid LAROI added with K-pop icon CL and AB6IX to celebrate Lunar New Year in Los Angeles in stacked lineup on February 9 & 10 Public on sale for February 9 added show begins January 19 at 10 a.m. PT at krazysuperconcert.com Tickets for February 10 show are on sale now at krazysuperconcert.com Los Angeles, CA – January 19, 2024 – Pulse Events, the company known for bringing global music events to New York, has announced today a second day has been added with a full artist lineup for ‘Krazy Super Concert’ that will be held on Friday, February…
Hi ! Kpop Club Night is in your area, or at least somewhere pretty close! We have 32 shows for sale right now at kpopclubnight.com, come on out and party in a room full of friends you haven’t met yet! These are Perfect Nights, but in Crazy Form! DJ YUKA K & KPOP CLUB NIGHT 2024 SCHEDULE …. (SO FAR) 1.19 Miami 1.20 Orlando 1.26 New Orleans 1.27 Atlanta 2.2 Portland OR 2.3 Sacramento 2.10 Honolulu 2.16 Toronto 2.17 Charlotte NC 2.23 Columbus OH 2.24 Cleveland 2.29 Boston 3.1 Philadelphia 3.2 Carteret NJ 3.8 Washington DC 3.9…
Ashley Borjon is multifaceted. She’s a podcaster, independent music producer and composer, business entrepreneur and mentor, world traveller, funny, smart and so much more. In this interview I speak with Ashley about that “so much more” facet of her identity as a person and businesswoman.
FEMM, who are disbanding at the end of 2023, has just reached their 10th year anniversary in October 2023. In 2023 alone, they have performed at various major festivals in Europe, US, and in the Middle East. And finally performed their last solo concert in London, followed by their last collab event in Tokyo on Christmas eve, which was a joint event with Tokyo’s largest LGBTQ+ organization “fancyHIM,” which titled “HIMM &FEMM.” FEMM member RiRi just dropped her solo MV “Living in the Spotlight” included in their latest EP “CHERRY,” and now LuLa has revealed hers as well. Her…
Novel Core’s first single of 2024, ‘RULERS’, was released on Wednesday, January 10. The song has been selected as the closing theme to the fifth season of the anime series ‘Kingdom’, which will begin broadcasting in January 2024. As a fan of both the anime adaptation of ‘Kingdom’ and the original manga, Novel Core has created this all-new song with producer Ryosuke “Dr.R” Sakai, who has worked with such globally successful artists as SKY-HI, BE:FIRST, UVERworld, AK-69, Chanmina and milet. Novel Core’s newly written lyrics on the theme of “inconsistent justice” are sprinkled with references that will resonate with…
Japanese ensemble unit NAQT VANE have released their first full-length album, ‘Dispersion’, on Wednesday, January 10. The album title is a reference to the way that light is refracted through a gemstone. The strength to which light is dispersed varies depending on the type of jewel, and diamonds have a perfectly balanced dispersion that makes them shine so vividly. NAQT VANE’s message on ‘Dispersion’ is that just as each gem shines in its own way, a group of people who embrace their differences can unite to create a dazzling brilliance. The lead track ‘puzzle’ expresses how we can use…
Japanese band Atarayo, billed as “A band that feeds on sadness,” have released their new single ‘I am…’, which is the opening theme song for Season 2 of anime series ‘The Dangers in My Heart’. The single was released on January 8. ▼ Download and streaming links: https://asab.lnk.to/iam ‘I am…’ was written especially for the second season of ‘The Dangers in My Heart’, which is currently being broadcast weekly as part of the ‘NUMAnimation’ animation block on TV Asahi’s 24 affiliate stations across Japan. It is a dramatic and emotional song that will pierce your heart, with…
Seoul Business Agency (SBA) brings technology and entertainment to the heart of Seoul on New Year’s weekend ringing in 2024. With riveting performances by Jay Park and CHUNG HA, and attendance by celebrities such as League of Legends’ World Champions T1 team to a sold-out event at the DDP Oullim Square. SEOULCon, the two-day annual cultural exhibition took place on December 30 and 31 hosting a magnitude of illustrious content from Netflix’s biggest shows such as “Single’s Inferno” and “Physical 100”. Stated as the world’s largest influencer expo with visitors from over 50 countries and more than 3,000 influencers,…
Family holidays are a great way to break away from daily routines, relieve stress, and bond with loved ones while making memories and passing cultural knowledge through generations. Korea has set the pace by maintaining its traditional rituals through nationwide official holidays celebrated throughout the year. Despite modernization and globalization, Koreans still observe some of these holidays across the globe. Here are some of the major traditional holidays celebrated in Korea. 1. Seollal Also termed Lunar New Year’s Day, Seollal marks the first day of the Korean lunar calendar. Observed alongside the Chinese New Year, Seollal is often…
Performed by Japanese rock band BACK-ON, ‘CHEMY×STORY’ is the opening theme song to ‘KAMEN RIDER GOTCHARD’. At a press conference held back in August, BACK-ON stated in a video message that they plan to evolve the song through collaboration with other artists, echoing the fusion seen in ‘KAMEN RIDER GOTCHARD’. And now, in 2024, they have followed up on that promise with the release of a new collaboration version of the theme song! For this new version, BACK-ON have joined forces with fellow rock band FLOW, teaming up under the name BACK-ON × FLOW! And from Sunday, January 7,…
Chart-topping K-pop girl group DREAMCATCHER is set to embark on their European tour through “Dreamcatcher 2024 World Tour [Luck Inside 7 Doors] in EUROPE.” The seven-member girl group, managed by DREAMCATCHER COMPANY, will showcase their talent in five European cities, including Barcelona, Warsaw, London, Offenbach, and Paris. The tour kicks off in Barcelona on February 17, 2024, and concludes in Paris on February 25, 2024. DREAMCATCHER is a seven-member girl group under the label DREAMCATCHER COMPANY consisting of members JI U, SU A, SIYEON, HANDONG, YOOHYEON, DAMI, and GAHYEON. They have proven their limitless talent by showing off their…
K-pop girl group EVERGLOW is heading to Europe to meet their fans, “FOREVER” (official fandom name), through their highly-anticipated EVERGLOW EU TOUR [ALL MY GIRLS]. EVERGLOW just released their spot video for the EVERGLOW EU TOUR [ALL MY GIRLS], marking the heightened excitement of the group’s first Europe tour and is sure to captivate fans in six different cities across Europe throughout January and February of 2024. EVERGLOW is a six-member girl group formed by Yuehua Entertainment on March 21, 2019, consisting of members SIHYEON, E:U, MIA, ONDA, AISHA, and YIREN. The group debuted with their first single album, Arrival…
WHIB, a high-end boy group of 8 members, is presented by CJeS Studio, a company known for housing many prominent actors in Korea. They debuted in the music industry with the release of their single album ‘Cut-Out’ on November 8th. Could you please provide an introduction to WHIB and brief profiles for each member? JAYDER: I’m Jayder, the leader of WHIB. WHIB is a combination of WHITE and BLACK, symbolizing our ambition to show a spectrum of colors, like the many colors between white and black on the color chart, and our goal to find our unique hue among…
(G)I-DLE and ZEROBASEONE also set to celebrate Lunar New Year in Los Angeles on February 10 Early access to tickets, begins January 9, via krazysuperconcert.com Public on sale begins January 10 at krazysuperconcert.com Los Angeles, CA – January 5, 2024 – Pulse Events, the company known for bringing global music events to New York, has announced today the full artist lineup for ‘Krazy Super Concert’ that will be held on Saturday, February 10, at BMO Stadium with TAEYANG of BIGBANG as headliner as well as Lauv, (G)I-DLE and ZEROBASEONE, and including previously announced acts aespa and THE BOYZ.…