Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“When I was five, my mom took me on a bus from San Diego to Key West, Florida, to see my relatives, ” remembered “On and On” singer Stephen Bishop. “Looking back now, with a child of my own, I have no idea how my mom kept me sane with one comic book for almost five days. We did not fly. It was not fun. It was hot and exhausting. So was the ride back.”
“I love walking through a museum, thinking my thoughts, then getting a coffee and working on a song,” said “Hummingbird Highway” singer Dar Williams. “I also love being at home with my guitar and messing around with different chords to jumpstart things. The best is when songs just come up in daily life.”
TWICE’s Chaeyoung talks about her debut solo album, “LIL FANTASY vol.1,” plus writing songs for her fellow introverts, working on the hit “KPop Demon Hunters,” and more. My latest exclusive for Rolling Stone magazine.
When “Cobra Kai” actress Alicia Hannah-Kim was asked to help secure a team of western actors to appear in the K-drama “Tempest,” she went to work to assemble a cast that includes well-known actors like John Cho, Spencer Garrett, Michael Gaston, Brooke Smith, Christopher Gorham and Jacob Bertrand. “I think a lot of people think that K-dramas are all romantic love stories, but there are a lot of different genres,” Kim said in a Zoom interview from Los Angeles. “’Tempest’ is an international spy thriller. It’s a very sexy show with a lot of different elements.”
Singer-songwriter Maia Sharp remembers what it was like when she was a struggling musician trying to get gigs. “It was on a Monday night at 10 p.m. at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub in Los Angeles,” Sharp said. “The booker told me I needed to bring 50 people to get called back. I brought 51.”
For my latest Rolling Stone exclusive, I talked to Monsta X to discuss their new album “The X,” celebrating their 10th anniversary, and their place in K-pop.
One of 11 members of the group OMEGA X, Kevin (born Park Jin-woo) is making his leading man debut in the Boys’ Love (BL) K-drama “My Bias Is Showing!” You’d expect him to portray the K-pop idol of everyone’s dreams in this series, right? Nope. Here, Kevin tackled the role of a high school teacher who’s also Si-yeol’s biggest fanboy.
“L.A. left the biggest impression on me,” said AMPERS&ONE member Seungmo. “We stayed there the longest and so many fans came to see us. I especially remember how beautiful the sky was.”
“We’re hitting around 40 cities between September 1 and December 31,” said vocalist Stella Cole. “At the beginning of 2026, we’ll be playing in Japan, China and Hawaii, which I’m really looking forward to. The food in Japan is unreal. I’ve never been to China before, so I’m really curious about the food there.”
“Over the years, I had developed a love for Greece, visiting many times from childhood to the present,” said Leonidas G. Demas, 78. “[I was] particularly focused on a small village in the Spartan countryside known as Amyklai. These were the experiences from which ‘A Spartan Dream’ is derived.”
“I’ll be honest, I never thought I’d be able to say I was in the No. 1 movie in the world on opening weekend,” actor Tinpo Lee says of “Final Destination Bloodlines.” “That was surreal.”
“I don’t think I have a worst vacation memory ,” musician Miist said. “Well, OK, I had 20 mosquito bites in the first hour in Bora Bora. But I would still go back.”
For westerners, K-pop has become the umbrella term for any artist performing songs in Korean (and usually dancing along). But South Korea has a long history of pop and rock artists who don’t adhere to that stereotype. Catch The Young is the latest band to showcase their musical dexterity as much as their singing.
Emmy-nominated actress Shannon Purser is best known for her work in “Stranger Things” and “Riverdale.” But she’s also a talented musician who pens contemplative songs like her latest, “Leave (Good Ending).” More recently, she was part of the cast of the stage production “La Cage Aux Folles.”
The K-pop group ATEEZ has grown accustomed to breaking barriers. Since launching their career in 2018, the octet has had seven Top 10 albums in the Billboard 200. Their single, “Lemon Drop,” made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in June. And their ongoing [IN YOUR FANTASY] world tour includes concerts in stadiums across the United States, as well as ballparks like Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
“Big cities are more welcoming,” said comedian Atsuko Okatsuka. “There’s one city in particular where weird things happen all the time. I won’t name it. I’d been ni hao’d on my way into the theater I was performing at.”
“’KPop Demon Hunters’ has been one of my absolute favorites, because Rumi is legit the coolest character,” Arden Cho said. “If I was a teenage girl, I feel like I would want to be Rumi. I’m still kind of geeking out that I get to be her voice.”
“I hope that KPOP DEMON HUNTERES reminds people that we all have darkness within us, and sometimes the bravest thing we can do is to just face it,” said Ahn Hyo-seop, who provides the voice of Jinu. “And at its core, this is a story about finding the strength to trust your own voice and move forward. So I hope it offers comfort and courage to those who actually really need it.”
Now almost 50 years into their career, OMD is back on the road, playing in cities across the United States. On a break from their tour, Andy McCluskey chatted about the group’s early beginnings, some of the memorable venues they’ve played and how they stay fit on the road – hint, it includes dancing.
A couple months after celebrating their group’s first anniversary, NOWADAYS changed their name to NOWZ, indicating that they’re ready for a fresh start. This summer marks an important time for the five-man K-pop group. They recorded a new song, “Fly to the youth,” which features their label mate YUQI, from the girl group i-dle. And the group is eagerly looking forward to visiting Los Angeles in August to perform at KCON – which has been likened to the Coachella of Korean culture.