Category: Go Away With…

Go Away With … Crystal Hana Kim

Jae-Ha Kim

“I grew up traveling to Korea often,” says author Crystal Hana Kim. “My parents are both immigrants from Korea and my mother’s side of the family still lives there. She’d take me and my little sister back during our summer breaks to visit our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. All of those summers in Korea helped me to develop a deep love for my culture. When I began writing my novel during graduate school, I visited Korea specifically to do research. ‘If You Leave Me’ is about five characters growing up during and after the Korean War.”

Go Away With … Ben Lawson

Jae-Ha Kim

Australian actor Ben Lawson (“13 Reasons Why,” “The Good Place,” “Designated Survivor”) loves his homeland, but says there are parts he has yet to explore. “The Great Barrier Reef is so beautiful,” says Lawson, 38, who resides in Los Angeles. “And I recommend Uluru, although I’ve never been myself. It’s on my bucket list to go to what we call the Red Center. Actually, I’d love to drive across the Nullarbor Plain and experience that part of the country, too.”

Go Away With … Prem Singh and Michael Pugliese

Jae-Ha Kim

After meeting in acting class, Michael Pugliese and Prem Singh decided to create roles for themselves that they’d be proud to portray on screen. So like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck did before them, the Canadians wrote their own screenplay and looked for backers for what would become “Tiger.” They won the interest of Mickey Rourke, who agreed to act in the film. “Tiger” tells the real-life tale of boxer Pardeep Singh Nagra (portrayed by Singh). A Canadian flyweight amateur boxing champion, Nagra wasn’t allowed to compete at nationals, because he refused to shave his beard — an important part of his Sikh faith.

Go Away With … Lay

Jae-Ha Kim

Musician/producer Lay is celebrating his recent 27th birthday with the release of his latest solo album, “NAMANANA,” on Oct. 19. Born Yixing Zhang in Hunan, the EXO star recorded each song, including his self-produced single, “Give Me a Chance” — in both English and Mandarin. A workaholic who says he’s happiest when he’s busy, he made his solo United States festival debut this past summer at the Chicago stop of Lollapalooza.

Go Away With … Jackson Rathbone

Jae-Ha Kim

As “Twilight” celebrates the 10th anniversary of its theatrical release this year, Jackson Rathbone — who portrayed broody vampire Jasper Hale — is busy. He is one of the stars of the film “Heart, Baby!” and has a new single out, “Young and Tragic.” Born in Asia, the actor-musician says he traveled so much as a child that he feels “only at home when I’m traveling. I find myself residing mostly on airplanes, usually between Los Angeles and Austin. However, I’ve been known to fly all over the world for work, from Mexico to South Africa, Colombia to France, and even as far as the exotic plains of Canada!”

Go Away With … Kari Byron

Jae-Ha Kim

“Mythbussters” star Kari Byron says her favorite destination is “somewhere I have never been. I am an adventurer at heart. I rarely go to the same place twice. That being said, I spent a couple weeks in Egypt sailing down the Nile in a felucca and couldn’t help going back for more. All together I was there for almost a month. The travel was definitely challenging, but seeing the Valley of the Kings with my own eyes was worth it.”

Go Away With … Jeff Glor

Jae-Ha Kim

Journalist Jeff Glor is the anchor of the “CBS Evening News” — a spot once occupied by the iconic Walter Cronkite. He has traveled the world for his job, interviewing President Emmanuel Macron in France, President Donald Trump in Scotland and covering the U.S. military in Iraq. But his most memorable destination stands out for personal reasons: He was married in Mexico.

Go Away With … Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany Young

Jae-Ha Kim

Tiffany Young is the new face and voice of H&M’s Divided Music campaign. Born and raised in California, Young spent more than a decade in South Korea as a member of the band Girls’ Generation, before moving back to Los Angeles to study acting. “I just finished shooting this video for (my new solo single) ‘Teach You,’” says Young. “And I get to tell you first: My bandmates (Hyo-yeon Kim and Soo-young Choi) make cameos in it!”

Go Away With … Meg DeLacy

Jae-Ha Kim

“I’ve been going to Lake Powell since I started to walk,” says “The Fosters” actress Meg DeLacy. “It was a very special place for me growing up and still is. For four or five days you are off the grid beach-camping, water skiing, taking your boat through the canyons of the lake and finding swimming holes and places to read a book and just be lazy. You wake up when the sun comes up and wind down when the sun goes down. It’s the best to just be on the lake and do nothing or do a whole bunch of things. There are a million stars to see every night.”

Go Away With … Ziggy Marley

Jae-Ha Kim

As the son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy Marley grew up in Jamaica surrounded by music. “Jamaica is the root of my music,” says the Grammy Award-winning musician. “I was born there, I was raised there and Jamaica is always inside of me. It’s an impactful place in general for many people. For example, Ian Fleming wrote several James Bond novels in Jamaica at Goldeneye near Ocho Rios.”

Go Away With … WESLEY

Jae-Ha Kim

Formerly part of Emblem3, Wesley Stromberg has reinvented himself as a solo artist known simply as WESLEY. A resident of Valencia, California, his singles include, “Remedy,” “1000 Ways” and “One Shot.” “My first trip as a child was a road trip with my grandparents to Whistler Mountain in Canada,” says WESLEY, 24. “This trip was magical. I went snowboarding for the first time and saw a giant mountain for the first time. It was breathtaking. Mountains are so incredibly powerful just towering over you.”

Go Away With … Charli XCX

Jae-Ha Kim

Singer-songwriter Charli XCX (“5 in the Morning”) is earning rave reviews as Taylor Swift’s opening act. The English star also is a headliner at W Hollywood’s Wake Up Call music festival. Born Charlotte Emma Aitchison, she spends so much of her life on the road that she has a fool-proof plan for dealing with dateline changes: “Party through the jet lag. Or, if you’re not up to that, enjoy a spa day as soon as you get there and really let your body bounce back so you can make the most out of your trip.”

Go Away With … Ronny Chieng

Jae-Ha Kim

Comedian Ronny Chieng makes his movie debut in “Crazy Rich Asians,” where he portrays wealthy investment banker Edison Cheng. “This is my first film project, so I don’t have anything to compare it with,” says Chieng, 32, who’s based out of New York. “But the cast got along really well. One of the greatest things about Singapore and Malaysia is the food culture. The cast would meet up on our nights off and go out for the local food and then go for karaoke. It was the best! I also got to see my parents, grandmother and old high school friends, who all live in Singapore. It was also super hot. In fact, I think the crazy in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ refers to us wearing three-piece suits in the tropics.”

Go Away With … James Lee

Jae-Ha Kim

Not long after James Lee celebrated his 27th birthday, the Royal Pirates bassist was involved in a freak accident in Seoul that nearly severed his hand and left it permanently damaged. No longer able to feel the strings of his bass, he quit his band and returned home to California, where he was born and raised. Lee, 30, is celebrating his burgeoning solo career, which includes performances at KCON LA, a premiere party for his EP “The Light” and an acoustic duet of “Let’s Get Away” with his good friend Sooyoung (of Girls’ Generation).

Go Away With … David Foster

Jae-Ha Kim

“Every time I go to Capri in Italy, I have the best time,” says composer David Foster. “I just love it there every time. I’ve been at least a dozen times, Of course, you can’t ever really go wrong anywhere in Italy. The people just know how to navigate life and squeeze the best out of every day.”

Go Away With … Rosanna Arquette

Jae-Ha Kim

Rosanna Arquette says she feels grateful when people recognize her for her activism as much as for her acting (“Desperately Seeking Susan,” “Pulp Fiction”). Her latest role is as Mary on the new YouTube Premium series, “Sideswiped.” “While I was shooting this show, which I’m very excited about, I was dealing with all of the Harvey Weinstein stuff,” says Arquette, who was one of the first women to publicly talk about how the film producer threatened to sink her career after she says she refused his demands for sex. “Shooting the series was such a good distraction during that time. And with all the things going on (in politics now), I hope that people will watch the show and laugh.”

Go Away With … Russell Dickerson  

Jae-Ha Kim

Musician Russell Dickerson says one of the perks of touring is getting to explore. “I’ve learned so much about history on my travels, even to smaller towns around America,” says the Nashville resident. “Whenever we pull into a new city, we usually look up a little history on that place. It’s cool to learn why this town came to be, like was it coal or oil or a certain good that made this city what it is today? I’ve definitely been getting some history lessons.” Dickerson, who is part of the Summer Plays On Tour with Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker — is promoting his album “Yours” and his single, “Blue Tacoma.”

Go Away With … Tiësto

Jae-Ha Kim

One of music’s most prominent DJs, Tiesto has earned his nickname as the Godfather of EDM. The Dutch DJ, born Tijs Michiel Verwest, was performing in European stadiums long before it became cool to stan hipsters such as Calvin Harris and Martin Garrix. Of his many concerts, Tiesto, says performing at the 2004 Olympics in Athens was a highlight. “It was such an unreal experience playing in front of the entire world. It was especially big for me when you consider that dance music wasn’t as big as it is nowadays.”

Go Away With … I.M of Monsta X

Jae-Ha Kim

Rapper I.M is used to traveling around the world with his group Monsta X and says he’s excited about returning to the United States, where he spent part of his childhood. “I’m sad we won’t get to play in Boston,” says I.M, 22, who was born Chang-kyun Im. “But I’m happy we will get to see so many of our American fans.”

Go Away With … Jenn Lyon

Jae-Ha Kim

“The first trip I can remember taking was to Carolina Beach,” says “Claws” star, Jenn Lyon. “My Me-Maw had a little three-room beach shack and we crammed six adults and five kids into it. We played on the beach, washed off with the garden hose and my Me-Maw took me secretly with her to play Bingo in smoky parlors. I loved all of it.”