Go Away With … Lily Vakili
“Live Wire” musician Lily Vakili said that her music and travels are intertwined.
Category: Interviews
It’s Min Jin Lee’s World – an Interview with the Bestselling Author of “American Hagwon”
A self-described nerd who enjoys studying and learning, bestselling author Min Jin Lee said that law school prepared her well for the extensive research she puts into her books (“American Hagwon,” “Pachinko,” “Free Food for Millionaires”), where fact and fiction coincide to tell universal and relatable stories.
Go Away With … Leenalchi
Founded by Jang Young-gyu (who scored the hit films “Train to Busan” and “The Wailing”), Leenalchi is a unique alternative rock group that conveys its lyrics through the traditional Korean storytelling genre known as pansori. The septet is signed to David Byrne’s Luaka Bop Records and has had their music featured in Apple TV’s “Pachinko.”
Go Away With … Min Jin Lee
For critically-acclaimed author Min Jin Lee, the in-depth research she did for her latest novel “American Hagwon” – out Sept. 29 – included extensive visits across three continents to ensure that her fictional family’s lives rang true.
Go Away With … Jasmin Stone
“I haven’t made it to India, Egypt or South America yet ,” said “Broken Moon” musician Jasmin Stone. “These places completely fascinate me with their statues, mystical temples and enchanting ancient cultures. On the flip side, I am dying to visit Tokyo. To me it represents the ultimate future, a city that is light years ahead of the world, even in its cultural concepts.”
Go Away With … Vivian Lin
“I love that every place you visit, from small town to metropolis, has its own unique way of living and point-of-view on life,” said “Crew Girl” showrunner Vivian Lin. “There’s always a local wisdom that I’ve never thought about that changes some part of my life for the better.”
Go Away With … Atsuko Okatsuka
When comedian Atsuko Okatsuka was eight years old, she thought her family was taking a two-month vacation to the United States. “It was never supposed to be longer than that,” Okatsuka said in a Zoom interview from her Los Angeles home. “I wanted to go back [to Japan]. When I realized I wasn’t going back, [I started fixating] on little things I disliked. I remember just going off in elementary school suddenly and refusing to use the [pencil] erasers. My classmates and the teacher must have thought I was just this insane eraser police.”
Go Away With … Kim Theory
“I remember being in my living room on our group chat, I saw the [Lollapalooza] offer come in,” said Kim Theory’s Audrey Cymone. “I was so excited. I told my dad about it and then he started losing his mind. We are so grateful for the opportunity.”
Go Away With … Dave Koz
“I think travel is the best way to hold a mirror up to yourself, because you get out of your comfort zone,” said saxophonist Dave Koz. “You realize that the way my culture does things is not the only way to do it, and it expands you as a person.”
Go Away With … Scarlett Estevez
“Don’t Say Good Luck” actress Scarlett Estevez says her favorite destination is the place she has yet to visit.
K-pop’s AtHeart Pays Homage to the Swedish Millenial Hit, “Lovefool”
“If I’m being honest, l didn’t know exactly what to expect when starting to pursue life as an idol,” says Michi, who hails from Hawaii. “I knew what an idol was, but it was difficult to imagine what a realistic daily lifestyle would be like. One thing that was different from what I had pictured was how many people work behind the scenes to assist the team to become who they are. There is so much effort and planning that goes into every song and stage.”
Go Away With … WHIB
WHIB’s second mini-album “Cherry Pie” – out August 5 – continues to showcase their fluid blend of sweet vocals with intense rapping.
Unpacking BTS’ Decision to Boycott the Grammys
NPR invited me to talk about BTS’ decision not to submit their music for Grammy consideration on their “Here & Now” podcast.
BTS Shun the Grammys
In my latest for Rolling Stone, I report on BTS removing themselves from Grammy contention in 2027, and what all of this means.
Kim Theory: Meet the L.A. Teen Punk Band That’s Playing Lollapalooza
Named after a trio of awesome alt-rock Kims, Kim Theory is making lots of noise before graduating high school. My latest exclusive for Rolling Stone magazine.
Go Away With … Aisha Bowe
“Space makes Earth better,” said astronaut Aisha Bowe. “Every new place still fills me with even more curiosity. What changed after space is how I see Earth. When you look down at this planet from 100 kilometers up, every destination looks impossibly precious. If anything, space made me want to explore more of this world, not less.”
Go Away With … Ava Dash
For New York City-based activist and model Ava Dash, traveling is less about an itinerary than it is about embracing the moments she never planned for, like “watching the sun set over the ocean with close friends, discovering a tiny restaurant you found by accident, or getting completely lost in a city and ending up somewhere even better than where you intended to go.”
Go Away with … Oli Higginson
“We are always in a beautiful part of England for ‘Bridgerton,’” Oli Higginson said. “I’ve filmed wonderful scenes at the Bridgerton house in Greenwich and at Hampton Court Palace near Richmond. We used to film a lot in the English city of Bath, but now they have built this incredible backlot set out at Shepperton Studios, which is truly a feat of artistic engineering. It is stunning. And given that, it does indeed always feel like the locations are another character. They totally inform how we carry ourselves and how the scenes play out.”
Jimin Han’s “Dreamt I Found You” Retells a Famous Korean Folklore
The Korean American author offers a fresh, modern take on “Chunhyangjeon.”
Go Away With … Travis Yee
“Travel has taught me that people are more similar than different,” said country singer Travis Yee. “Whether I’m in Tennessee, California, South Carolina or somewhere else entirely, people experience the same things – love, heartbreak, self-doubt, family struggles and perseverance. Those shared experiences often find their way into my songs.”