Author: Denise Coley
GBoySWAG, also known as DJ Goo Goo, is a Taiwanese artist. A former member of bands before launching his solo career in 2016, he depicts the Taiwanese electronic pop-music. Aside from being a drummer to his former bands, Da Bones, 88balaz, he was most popularly known for being the DJ of Magic Power, a band whose other members included Gaga, Tingting, LeiBao, Kaikai, and AXiang. Magic Power was known for showcasing music that are upbeat and dance-worthy. Announcing the band’s break from the music industry back in 2016, allowed GBoySWAG to try a solo career with his first album, Make…
The Year of the Ox is a rap duo which has Korean roots; it is made up of two hip hop artists whose origin is Virginia, U.S.A; these artists are Lyricks and JL. Both John Lee whose stage name is ‘JL’ and Rick Lee whose stage name is ‘Lyricks’ are Korean-American rappers. These two artists personify the Ox traits which include strong observance of traditions, strength, and family loyalty. Lyricks and JL are popular for their diligence, dependability, strength and determination. These essential traits emanate from their music sound, which combines hardcore with an even flow of lyrics. Lyricks…
Tem5ive, a shortened name for Five System, is an all-Filipina K-pop group. Though all of the girls are Filipinos and originate from the Philippines, they have decided to break into the Korean music industry and internationally. The group is made up of 5 girls, who made their career debut in November 2016. Sarah, Rayna, Robie, Jyrrah and Katy make up Tem5ive. The group debuted with their music video, “Miracle.” Let’s get to know the members of the group, beginning with their team leader, Sarah. She is a 24-year old graduate of Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Manager. Her…
In 2003, Park Shin Hye stared in her first K-Drama titled “Stairway to Heaven” where she played the teen version of the lead roll, which catapulted her on to becoming a household name. Her first movie roll was a horror film “Evil Twin” in 2007, then “Cyrano Agency” in 2010, believed to be a slow starter, became her movie role that garnered her a “Most Popular Actress” nomination from Baeksang Arts Awards. Although we do not know much, if anything about her off-screen life as she is a private person, Shin Hye truly blossomed with fans during her K-Drama roll…
Lotte World Tower is a 123-floored skyscraper located in Seoul, Korea. This tower opened to the public on April 3rd of 2017 and is the tallest building – not just in Asia – but out of all the OECD countries. It currently holds the title of being the 5th tallest building in the world. It took approximately 13 years to plan the site, it gained final approval to start construction by the Korean government in 2010 and the frame assembly was observed at the construction site just a year later. On March 17, 2016, prior to the final phase of the…
How Seo Taji and Boys changed the World of Korean pop during the 90s Seo Taiji and Boys (서태지와 아이들) is an extremely successful Korean pop/rock group, active from 1992 to 1996. I prepared this article especially because this year would mark their 25th anniversary. Seo Taiji and Boys are very much credited for changing the Korean pop music industry as they came across MIDI technology by incorporating rap, rock and techno into their music to create art and sounds that was never heard before. Their first three albums sold over 1.6 million copies; the fourth album selling close to two million…
France is probably the country in Europe which has the most K-pop fans. Last month, BTS was named the most popular K-Pop group in France. La Monde reported that several French students missed their graduation test, the Baccalauréat, just to see the group. We got in touch with Paris is our Seoul, which is a rapidly growing YouTube channel for French people which covers the diverse topic of Kpop. Hope our readers will enjoy this interview and a big thank you goes to the crew at Paris is our Seoul! *Could you introduce yourself and your website? Paris…
As my plane took off from LAX, I felt a wave of emotions. What was I thinking? Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life? I had just quit my job and sold most of my possessions. I was now heading to the other side of the world. Next stop: Seoul, South Korea. I had no experience as a teacher. My only qualification was a shiny visa sticker in my passport that claimed I was an “English Teacher”. After all, English was my mother tongue. How hard could it be to teach others about it? Obviously Korean Immigration…
Becoming the “Bests” Dalian Wanda Group (Wanda), built in 1988, is now one of the biggest companies in China. This 29-year old group ranked No.385 on Fortune Global 500 and No.42 on Chinese Companies 500 in 2016 with a total asset of $116.8 billion. In 2016, Wanda had a yearly turnover of $37.4 billion. Its four core industries: Commercial Property, Cultural Industry, Internet Technology and Financial Industry, contributed each 56%, 25%, 1.6% and 8.4% to the group’s yearly income. When Wanda was first built, it gained its first success being one of Dalian’s biggest real estate dealers in the early…
SISTAR – We Will Miss The Summer Queens The last 7 years seems to have gone too fast for Sistar. With every comeback making the top music charts, they became one of Korea’s best girl groups. The group itself was very well kept together, and all four members were on good terms, so disbanding was a huge shock to the fans. Usually when a group goes their separate ways, it has to do with a member not getting along with the others but that was not the case for Sistar. The fans could truly see how close they were and…
Did you know that Koreans are the only race in Asia that has a long history of using metal chopsticks? Here, you will find out why Koreans use metal chopsticks rather than chopsticks made of bamboo or other kinds of wood like other Asian countries. The practice of using utensils is said to go back as far as the Baekje Period (18 B.C~660 A.D) when royalty used bronze implements for their utensils. During this period, the royal family used silver chopsticks to detect poison in their food. The upper class would also use gold, silver or brass chopsticks for events.…
We are excited to introduce Dreamcatcher, a Korean girl group signed under Happy Face Entertainment, based in Seoul, Korea. The group consists of seven females: JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami and Gahyeon. The members officially debuted as Dreamcatcher on January 13, 2017 with an album that goes extremely well with their single title: Nightmare. In case you were not informed, we’re letting you know that five of the Dreamcatcher members are not newbies to the music scene. JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Yoohyeon and Dami were active under the name – “Minx” from back in September 2014 – when they released their debut single…
When an idol group debuts there are many things a company must handle such as fashion and KPOP fashion has definitely changed over the past few years. If you look back as far as 1990, there will be a huge difference than from today’s fashion forward looks. Let’s start out with one of the first groups that started the Hallyu Wave we know today: Seo Taiji and Boys. Seo Taiji and Boys broke onto the scene in 1992 with”Nan Arayo” (난 알아요), bringing with them some interesting looks. The group took the popular American sounds of rap, rock, techno, and R&B,…
ASTRO are aiming for fans hearts in their newest title track ‘Baby’. The music video starts out with Astro opening up a shop called ‘D. Store’ with a visible sign that says Astro x Aroha. The music starts with a light and fresh beat, perfect for summer. The colors in the video are also very refreshing and bright, with the boys wearing white collared shirts and simple black pants. The choreography is simple but enjoyable and even non-fans can admit the boys of Astro are adorable in this video. My favorite part is getting to ‘choose’ which drink you would…
Pho This dish needs no introduction. Pho has been the primary iconic dish that sneaks into one’s mind when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. What kind of Vietnamese meal would it be if Pho is not mentioned? It is next to impossible to walk a block in Vietnam’s major cities without encountering a Pho stand. Pho is a simple staple, consisting of a salty broth, fresh rice noodles, and a sprinkling of herbs on top accompanying a protein of choice (most commonly chicken or beef). It is cheap, it is tasty, and it speaks to your soul. If you have…
BTS’ nomination and subsequent win of Billboard’s ‘Top Social Artist’ award definitely has made waves in media in America. It has been said that all attention is good attention but how true is that? Let’s take a look at the pros first. This is obviously a big award for BTS and their fanbase. BTS broke the streak that Justin Bieber and his Beliebers have held since the invention of the award category in 2011. Those who watched the awards show saw how excited and grateful BTS were to be attending the event and getting to rub elbows with artists they…
Rice, a simple and delicious food, is a main staple for more than half of the population in the world. There are over 40,000 varieties of rice. Every country has its own varieties because of the differences in the way of planting and many environmental conditions such as temperature, water and soil. International classification has divided rice into four major categories which includes Indica, Japonica, Aromatic and Glutinous. It is also popular to classify rice by the length of the grain, the color or the level of stickiness. As for the planting and harvesting of rice, there are three major…
If you are visiting an Asian country and you see a lot of people wearing facemasks in public, do not be surprised… do not panic either. Since early 20th century, due to several outbreaks of infectious diseases such as 1918 (the Spanish flu) and 1968 flu pandemics (the Hong Kong flu), facemask started to appear. The 2002 SARS and 2006 Bird flu have brought the facemask-wearing into a common practice. It remains very popular among East Asian countries, especially China, Japan and South Korea. However, the causes of wearing masks have changed into many directions nowadays. Causes The very basic and…
Spicy Green Papaya Salad – Tam Mak Huong The name itself may sound like it is a weird combination, but having fruits involved in a tasty salad is no new combination. In fact, numerous European cuisines also utilized fruits in the same manner. It is all about accessibility when it comes to cooking. And this is a fine example of such principle. Due to its tropical environment, papaya is one of the primary fruits that exist in Laos. Hence, it should serve as no surprise to find papaya sneaking into a couple local dishes. The papaya salad, also known as…