Where Have I Been?
I know. 오랜만이다(Oraenmanida -It’s been awhile). 잘 지냈어? (jal jinassoh? – How have you been?)
I’ve been dealing with a lot of different things. Amazing, horrible, and everything in between. But all of it has kept me away from this blog, from this website, and this amazing place we’ve created together. Recently, I’ve been having the itch to come back. More than an itch, it could be a whole damn rash. Yet I wondered what I could talk about. A lot has changed since the last time I posted on here and I’m not sure I could create the same kind of content I was once putting out. The main factor being time.
For the most part I started really getting into the blog in 2020. Everyone remember that year? Or is it a blur to all of you like it is to me?
Well anyway, I had a lot more time on my hands. No where to go, no one to see and so I found my social outlet via writing the blog posts. I loved it. I still go back and I am shocked at how much I really wrote. And cringe too.
I am ready to come back. But it will definitely be different. I still want to talk Korean things, but I also want to talk about my life, my writing, and that kind of stuff.
So, this first new post is really to just talk about where I have been.
A lot has changed in my life. The most current changes being the passing of my grandmother. As I write this, tomorrow morning is her mass and burial. She was a tough woman. I mean that in the best way. I loved Sunday dinners filled with her delicious home cooked sauce, meatballs, and for me, her salad was always my favorite part of the meal. I can’t tell you why, it was nothing crazy or different but for some reason I could eat the entire bowl by myself. The last several years had been tough for me to visit as often. Between the time of me owning my own shop and not having days, to moving further away, seeing her every Sunday had become impossible and seeing her every couple of months had become the norm. But then she got sick. Her last few years weren’t great health wise and it took a toll on her. The last time I saw her was Christmas day. The last time I spoke to her was to tell her the gender of my baby (yes, that’s another reason I’ve been gone). A week later she was gone. It’s been a rough couple of days. I know she is up above with my grandpa and special grandma (this was what I called my great grandma because I always said she was more than great) watching over us and making sure we’re not burning our sauce.
Now I mentioned the gender of my baby. Yes, I am in fact pregnant. While I am 34, I somehow still panicked like it was a teen pregnancy and worried how I was going to tell my parents. Meanwhile my parents and my husband’s parents have been hoping for a grandbaby for years. My husband’s dad has been asking since I first even started dating my now husband. We are having a boy who we are excited to meet in July of this year. I can’t wait to meet the little man in July.
Another reason I have been MIA, my husband had a stroke. At his young age we were shocked and scared but I have his friends to thank, who noticed early enough and got him to the hospital quickly that he had minor damage and is almost back to normal. I would say he’s about 90%. He still has some loss of feeling in his hand which we hope will come back in the coming months if he continues his therapy.
I finally went to Korea! Something that had been on my bucket list since the first K-drama I ever watched. It was a wild experience that I do plan to talk about on this blog in different parts. From what to pack and what not to pack. How to save money to get there. Travelling in general around Seoul, etc. I hope you look forward to the content as much as I look forward to writing it!
I published 2 books this year! Crazy! But they were both much smaller than Seoul Searching and I already have the next one sent out to my editor!
I have had a lot of personal things on my plate that have recently kept me from my enjoyment of K-pop and K-dramas. To be honest, I have not kept up with a lot of it. But like I earlier, I’m starting to get back and re-dip my toes into a world I still love.
I am excited to restart this journey with you all. See you in the next post!
AGUST D ANNOUCES GLOBAL TOUR
Yoongi, Suga, Augst D. Three names for the same artistic, linguistic genius of a musician. The first member of BTS to go on his first solo tour! Are all of you excited? Which date are you going to try and go to?
General admission begins March 2nd BUT if you’re part of the ARMY MEMBERSHIP there is a presale powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan on March 1st. Join the presale here!
Here are some of our pics from Augst D from when we got to see BTS on their WINGS tour at Prudential Center (one of the stops on his solo tour):
Afternoon in Monaco is ON SALE!
Fall in love with some more fictional characters this Valentine’s day! If you haven’t gotten your copy of An Afternoon In Monaco, now is your chance! it is only $0.99!!
This story is about Sul Bin and Hae So, who you met in Seoul Searching under not the best of circumstances, and how even with their drama, they come together in the gorgeous backdrop of Monte Carlo, Monaco. I loved this short story because I was able to merge several of my loves into one short story.
I mixed my love of writing, with my love of k-kdramas and learning korean, with my newest love of F1! I really hope you enjoy this short story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
(HINT: I introduce another character of this crazy universe I’m creating)
New K-pop Podcast! K-pop Dreaming (캐이팝 드리밍) Launches Feb. 23
K-Pop Dreaming is actually the second season of the podcast California Lovin and it discusses the rise and history of K-pop in the US, told from the POV of a Korean diaspora in LA. Vivian Yoo, the host and writer of this podcast, has written for animated shows on both Amazon and Netflix. This podcast is “full of heart nostalgia, thoughtful analysis, and a little bit of fangirling,” to examine the origins and k-pop and its growth if fame.
check out this small intro to the podcast to see if it’s something you’d like to check out!
VeriVery captures the hearts of VERRER in NYC
VeriVery finally made it to New York City on their “1st CONCERT PAGE: 0” Tour and fans lined up overnight and around the block to have their chance to see the boys up close and personal. VeriVery, a seven member group that consists of Dongheon (동헌), Hoyoung (호영), Minchan (민찬), Gyehyeon (계현), Yeonho (연호), Yongseung (용승), Kangmin (강민), walked out on the stage like they owned it. And owned it they did.
Kicking off the show with their most recent release, “Undercover,” they danced, sang, and rapped across the whole stage. The screams heard from fans we are sure could’ve been heard outside the venue. This song was then followed by “Connect,” and “O” which again these boys put their hearts and soul into their performance. The energy they had on stage was some of the most powerful we here at Korean From Context have seen in a while.
After their first three songs they talked to the crowd about how happy they were to be able to come to New York on this tour since the last one, pre-Covid, they were unable. Many of the fans screamed their happiness and thanks to the boys for coming.
Then it was back to performing and that’s when they performed a personal favorite of ours, “Lay Back,” which, once again, vocally didn’t disappoint. The range of vocals and rap throughout VeriVery’s songs has always been top tier. If we thought they were done with the high energy, we were wrong! “Heart Attack,” had our hearts fluttering and our feet tapping.
And like that, they did in fact slow it down after that song with “All I Do (나 집에 가지 않을래)” (na jibae gaji anhoolae- I won’t go home) and the melodic “Love Line.” Then it was time for the subunits to flaunt their talents while each other prepared for the next group performances. First up was 동헌, 호영, and 계현, performing a cover of Wanna One’s “Kangaroo”, followed by 용승, 연호, 민찬, and 강민 performing a cover of Why Don’t We’s “Love Back,” a song we had never heard but now associate with VeriVery. During these special subunit performances they even gave away from signed ball pit balls to fans. One even was an old friend of a member.
When all the boys were back on stage they continued the high-power performances with their songs, “Crack It,” “Beautiful-x,” and “G.B.T.B,” (but made it a rock version that had us bopping our heads.)
They wrapped up the show with “TRIGGER,” and “Ring Ring Ring.” JUST KIDDING! This is a K-pop concert after all. We knew they would be back out on stage. When the boys did come back out, decked in their tour merch, they performed “Alright!,” “Childhood,” and for real, finally “Fine.”
We cannot say enough good things about the concert. Every singe member’s energy fed the fans, and one could feel their joy in performing for a crowd again. They really put their hearts into each and every song they performed and we here at Korean From Context will never forget how beautiful it was to see. If you’re lucky enough to see VeriVery live, we promise you won’t be disappointed. And if you’re new to them as a group we hope you follow along because their going to do great things.
Brave Girls meet international FEARLESS at Ardmore Music Hall
Brave Girls, a four-member girl group, recently came to Ardmore Music Hall near Philadelphia to kick off their first ever US tour, and it was a night we will never forget.
The line, filled with FEARLESS, wrapped around the block to see Minyoung (민영), the leader and vocalist, Yujeong (유정), another vocalist, Eunji (은지), the main rapper, and Yuna (유나), their lead vocalist. Once all fans were inside the show kicked off.
Here at Korean From Context, we don’t usually talk much about girl groups. Mainly because we don’t follow them. But after seeing the show that Brave Girls put on, we can say we’ve found a girl group we love. Their energy and excitement spread throughout the entire venue and had everyone dancing and screaming for the show to never end. We were sad to leave after they walked off the stage for the final time.
The group performed for two hours and it honestly didn’t even feel like it. They sang and danced to all of their biggest hits like “Rollin’ (롤린),” “Chi Mat Ba Ram (치맛바람),” “Thank You,” “We Ride 운전 만해,” “After We Ride (술버릇 (운전만해 그후)),” “High Heels (하이힐),” and many more. When we say sang, we mean sang. These girls’ voices were powerful and had us at the edge of our seat to hear the notes they could hit next. (And yes, we were literally sat because Sammie broke her foot.)
What we loved most, besides the performances, was their breaks between sets of songs. This is common in any concert but with these four girls it felt like we were simply chatting with friends. It was intimate and made us feel like we weren’t just fans to them. They talked about how excited they were to be in the US for the first time and everything they hoped to see. They asked what kinds of food they should try in Philly, which is obviously a cheesesteak from the Campus Corner or Delassandro’s, and they even talked about how nervous they were preparing to come on tour for the first time to the US. That was what solidified our admiration for Brave Girls by the end of the show.
If you have the chance to see Brave Girls in a city near you, we HIGHLY recommend you do. We promise you won’t be disappointed. Check out Studio PAV’s site for dates near you!
NMIXX join with hello82 to surprise fans in LA
It’s crazy to think that after only debuting THREE months ago, NMIXX flew stateside to met their LA fans for the first time at hello82’s event PLAY82 WITH NMIXX. The video is now live on hello82.tv
At the event, hello82 took their fan-interactive Question Parade format live for the first time, and NMIXX fans got to ask the members rapid-fire questions live in front of an audience. We thought it was adorable the play on their name NMIXX and NSWER. And what was even more adorable was the fans also surprised member KYUJIN for her birthday.
Fans even had the opportunity to have their albums signed live in person as well as buy exclusive NMIXX merch.
To round out the event, the members made an appearance in Venice Beach to surprise their fans with dance and more!
P1Harmony in NYC put P1eces Back Together
After selling out their first US tour in mere minutes P1harmony kicked off the P1USTAGE H : PEACE in NYC with two nights of stunning performances. And P1eces came out in full force to support their six boys, Keeho (기호), Theo (테오), Jiung (지웅), Intak (인탁), Soul (소울), and Jongseob (종섭), for the start of their US adventure.
P1Harmony debuted in October of 2020 under FNC Entertainment and have already amassed an insane international following. And when concerts started up again, a lot of people hoped P1Harmony would be one of the groups to make their way stateside.
We were fortunate enough to see the second night of their NYC stop and when we tell you we were blown away by the performances, that’s an understatement. From the second the six of them walked onto the stage, the energy in Town Hall vibrated through you. And no, it wasn’t just the insane bass of the songs.
P1eces screamed so loud, we honestly can’t remember the last time we heard such loud screams at concert. Even before the concert really even started. And when they kicked the show off with “Pyramid” the entire place shook. When followed up with “Bop” which is a bop, even we began to rock our heads to the beat.
Now to be 100% transparent with you all, while we knew one or two songs from P1Harmony, we were by no means P1eces. But when “Do It Like This” started… FORGET IT! We are P1eces for life. The beat, the dancing, their interaction with the fans throughout just solidified them as a group to remember and a group to stan.
Our biggest takeaway from this show was how much they loved the fans. Throughout all their performances they were smiling, waving, sending hearts of all shapes and sizes to P1eces.
After their first three songs and taking a break to talk to P1eces about how happy they were to be performing in NYC, they slowed it down with “Before The Dawn” but then kicked us right back up into the sick beat drops and melodic rapping with “That’s it” and “Reset.”
Little did we know the moment that totally blew our minds was about to happen: Their subunit performances. 소울 was up first. And when we say all our notes say is ‘holy sh*t’, we’re not kidding. The way he was able to move his body was other worldly. He dominated that stage, and everyone in that theater could feel it. Next up was a duet with 테오and 지웅who sang “Off My Face” by Justin Bieber. Their harmonies felt like we were having a spiritual experience. And the last unit was the rap line, 기호, 인탁 and 종섭 who continued to keep the crowd jumping, dancing and screaming. They truly proved why they have garnered the success they have in such a short amount of time.
After a brief intermission they were back on stage once again killing it with “If you call me” and “Butterfly”. Slower songs that had an R&B sound to mellow everyone out before they came back to make the whole place lose its collective minds again by performing their title tracks “겁나니” (gobnani – Are you scared?) and “Siren.”
They then “ended” the show with their song “Follow me.” We put ended in quotations because we all know k-pop and encores go hand in hand.
The encore started with “Do It Like This (English Version)” but then they had a surprise for all the P1ece in the building. Pink Sweat$ a well-known R&B artist who P1Harmony had done a cover of one of his songs showed up at the show! And so they performed his song “At My Worst” and killed it! Even Pink Sweat$ was rockin’ out to their rendition. The show finally, for real, ended with their song “AYAYA.”
This show honestly blew us away. The fact that they packed 18 songs and performances into a two-and-a-half-hour show was insanity. They had the entire crowd on their feet the entire time and the screams…honestly we maintain this was the loudest crowd we have heard in our several years of covering/going to concerts. Our ears are still ringing a day later. If you have the chance to see them on this tour we can’t suggest enough how much you NEED to go and see them. You won’t be disappointed. We want to thank P1Harmony and SubKulture Entertaiment for this amazing show.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Washington D.C. (3/13)
Miami (3/16)
Houston (3/18)
Chicago (3/20)
Denver (3/23)
San Jose (3/25)
Los Angeles (3/27-3/28)
ONEUS TOUR ‘BLOOD MOON’ MAKES US SWOON IN NYC
Two days before Valentine’s Day and ONEUS was ready to steal all To Moon’s hearts by kicking off their US tour at Webster Hall in New York City. ONEUS is a six member group consisting of Raven (레이븐), Seoho (서호), Leedo (이도), Keonhee (건희), Hwanwoong (환웅), Xion (시온).
The second the lights dimmed you could feel the energy pumping through the crowd. Fans finally able to go to concerts, see their favorite idols, be with each other again. And like ONEUS knew how everyone was feeling they kicked off the show with “COME BACK HOME”. The crowd truly was at home and the boys were in their element. They followed it up with “Valkyrie” and some seriously insane dance stunts. From jumping from person to person, lifts that would make competitive cheerleaders jealous, all while singing their hearts out to make the crowd go wild.
After taking a short break to happily greet their eager To Moons, they sang songs like “Black Mirror”, “Shut Up Crazy Hot”, and “Plastic Flower/English Girl/Airplane”. Honestly every song grabbed our attention from their singing and rapping to their synchronicity in dance. And as the night progressed their songs had the entire place, including the security, bopping.
Between performing more of their own songs “No Diggity” and “To Be or Not to Be”, they also did dance performances to Post Malone’s “Motley Crew”. No one wanted the night to end and after they said they were playing their last song, everyone hoped they would come back out. And they did! Jogging back out to sing three more songs including “BBUSYEO”.
If you have the opportunity to see ONEUS on their US tour, we highly suggest you do! Check ‘em out at one of these stops! Pontiac on February 16, Minneapolis on February 19, Orlando on February 22, Atlanta on February 23, Cleveland on February 25, Louisville on February 26, Chicago on March 1, Lawrence on March 3, Dallas on March 6, Houston on March 7, and Phoenix on March 11, and wrapping up with their final show in Beverly Hills on March 12.
P1Harmony LIVE TOUR [P1ustage H : PEACE] is finally coming to the US
I know a lot of you have been waiting for this day. Us here at Korean From Context were no different. When we heard the announcement that P1Harmony were doing their 8 stop US tour we legit squealed!
P1Harmony will be hitting up New York (3/11), Washington D.C. (3/13), Miami (3/16), Houston (3/18), Chicago (3/20), Denver (3/23), San Jose (3/25), and Los Angeles (3/27).
Tickets are already on sale and for more information click here (www.subkultureent.com/p1harmony)
We hope to see all you P1eces there!
