Tag: music

Kyu Min Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, to a family who worked for the Korean government. When he was only 1 year old, his family moved to Bogota, Colombia, after his father accepted a position to work at the South Korean Embassy, and Kyu Min grew up in Bogota until he was ten. At the time, it was not uncommon for Korean families living in Colombia to send their kids, sometimes accompanied by a relative, abroad for their education. For Kyu Min, his siblings, and his mother, this meant moving to Los Angeles where they soon found out that the economic resources they had in Colombia didn’t translate to living in the United States. His mother had to work multiple jobs to take care of her children in L.A., but soon moved back to Colombia to take care of their father, and for the first time in his life Kyu Min had to learn how to navigate the world without his parents by his side. As a teen, he recounts run-ins with gangs, being kicked out of multiple high schools, and “experiencing everything America had to offer—the good and the bad.” Encouraged by his high school art teacher, he applied, and was accepted to, the Otis School to study art, but dropped out a year later to pursue a career in the music industry, where he worked with a record label for almost 20 years. After the digitization revamped the music world, Kyu Min pivoted to operating a restaurant bar with a space to host various DJs and artists. Although he had little experience with food, he created a menu consisting of Korean-Colombian dishes from his childhood. He remains thankful for how “his life turned out,” while remaining fully aware that there were risks that could have taken him down a very different path.

Sung Joo Kwon, 84 years old at the time of recording, was born in Unheung-ri, Hamheung, South Hamgyeong Province. His memories of his hometown are entangled with those of his oldest brother, Hyung Joo Kwon, from whom he remembers being gifted much love. He recounts how his brother loved classical music, playing recitals in community centers around Hamheung; he recounts, too, how his brother would take him up Banryongsan Mountain, for vocal exercises. Though he cannot play an instrument, he attributes his love for music, as well as his strong voice, to his brother. Soon after war broke out, Sun Joo and his brother were separated following the Heungnam Evacuation in December of 1950—what the UN had called a “3-day promise,” or the promise that families would only need to temporarily evacuate their homes, turned into a permanent separation. Sun Joo caught the last train out of Hamheung on December 23rd, 1950, then the last ship out of Heungnam, which took him to Goeje Island in Busan; afterwards, he moved to Seoul, where he lived for 38 years before moving to the United States in 1988. Stating that a hometown is one where a family had resided in for three generations, he wonders if his brother had children of his own, with whom he would be bound by blood. He hopes to meet them someday, reunite with his brother, and step foot in his hometown once more. This interview was filmed on July 19th, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Say it isn’t so! After five seasons, we are wrapping up our podcast about Korean Americans in arts and culture. For the final episode of K-Pod, co-hosts Catherine Hong and Juliana Sohn look back on the series and recall some favorite moments, from creative director Ji Lee on the value of pursuing personal projects to interior designer Young Huh’s case for beauty in everyday life. They also reveal dream guests they wish they had gotten (Sandra Oh); the one episode Juliana’s son actually listened to (Michelle Zauner); and what’s next for KoreanAmericanStory.org in its mission to heal generational trauma through storytelling. Our deepest thanks to our supporters and everybody who listened to K-Pod. 감사합니다!

Matthew Pellegrino was born in Chungcheongnam-do Province, South Korea, and adopted into a white American family in Long Island at four months old. His parents supported him to the best of their abilities but he always knew he was different and faced many instances of discrimination and bullying as a child. It was not until pursuing his masters in music composition at Johns Hopkins University that Matthew truly began exploring Korean culture and what it meant to him.

Joseph Kim left Korea at four years old and grew up in Colorado Springs. His father felt strongly about their Korean heritage and emphasized the importance of speaking Korean. Joseph currently resides in Korea and shares his unexpected journey into the Korean music industry as a songwriter and producer. With many songs and hits under his belt, Joseph recognizes the large range of talents in Korea. He is now at a point in his career where he wants to nurture and guide the next generation of creatives in the Korean music industry and hopes to showcase their skills to the world.

Michelle Zauner is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who records dreamy, melancholic indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast. She’s also a talented writer whose debut book, a memoir titled Crying in H Mart, is being published by Knopf this spring. In it, she recounts her experiences growing up half-Korean in her mostly white town of Eugene, OR, her path to becoming a musician and her struggle to reclaim her Korean heritage after her mother’s early death from cancer. From her home in Brooklyn, Michelle talks to Catherine and Juliana about her idyllic childhood summers in Seoul, her tumultuous relationship with her mom, her channeling of grief into creativity and the importance of Korean role models in her life, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen Oh to You Tuber Maangchi. Stay tuned to the very end, when she shares her favorite snacks and staples from H Mart! Photo credit: Peter Ash Lee

Mikey Fresh is the Senior Artist Relations Manager at Genius, a digital media company known for providing unique insight about the stories behind the most popular songs. From showing up awkwardly to a hip-hop magazine interview in a full suit and a fake resume, Mikey Fresh is now one of the top experts in the hip-hop industry. Mikey shares with Julie how he fell in love with hip-hop culture growing up as a young Korean American in New Jersey and how he’s found his way creating a unique career out of his nontraditional passion.

Marcus Hahm, also known as Avec Plaisir, is an award-winning sound designer, mixer, and music producer who’s worked with national brands and major labels doing commercial work, songwriting and music supervising.

HeeSun Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1983, and was adopted by a Chinese American family. You may have heard her rap on the Korean TV program Show Me the Money. Growing up as an adoptee, she felt stereotyped by other Koreans, which led her to write about what she was going through in her music. She shares how the experience shaped her journey in finding who she is.

Peter Chun, formerly with YG, talks about how he became interested in the music industry in high school, what it’s like to be the bridge and oversee Korean artists in the US, and why the job isn’t as glamorous as it seems.

When asked how it makes her feel to be known as the “Original Dreamer” she responded, “I’m not sure it matters… some undocumented immigrants today are saying that they think the Dreamer rhetoric is something that throws our parents under the bus because it’s exclusive to a certain number of immigrants. We have to fight this one thing at a time and eventually we will fight for comprehensive immigration reform because that’s what this country really needs.”

Artist of “One Thing” Amerie sits down with Julie Young, and talks about her future music, how she was able to break into the music industry as a senior at Georgetown University, and why she can maintain a positive outlook on life.

In a heartfelt and honest conversation on “Not Your Average,” host Julie Young and guest Danny Chung talk about the American dream, the complicated notion of family, and what it means to be a Korean American. He shares, “When you’re a hyphenated American, you tip-toe and you have to tight-rope between that hyphen of Korean and American.”

Far East Movement cannot be contained in one video! In this second part of Not Your Average with Far East Movement, Kev Nish and Prohgress share more about their transition into behind-the-scenes work, and their vision to build infrastructure to support up-and-coming creatives.

In our latest Not Your Average videos, Julie Young sits down with 66% of Far East Movement, known for being the first Asian-American group to produce a number one hit single that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart – the unforgettable “Like a G6”!

Anna Lee was born in Long Island, New York to two musician parents – her dad a classical conductor/composer and her mom an organist and pianist.

What prepared Nashville’s folk-pop music duo Chasing Lovely for grueling hours as professional musicians and helped refine their stage presence? Competitive gymnastics. Sisters Taylor and Chloe, who are in their early twenties, began gymnastics at a young age and spent about a decade in the sport.

A musical journey from awkward childhood piano lessons to one night with Yiruma

The YOX interview was so full of great stories that it was difficult to choose only a few…
here is a bonus clip on how Rick Lee, aka Lyricks, came to tour with the Wu-Tang Clan.

Year of the Ox (YOX) sit down with Julie Young and special host Awkwafina. This rap duo is comprised of Rick Lee, also known as Lyricks, and John Lee, also known as JL. John talks about how he was first exposed to hip-hop, and Rick talks about navigating different parts of his identity: Korean vs. American, “Christian” life vs. being real.

Julie Young sits down with beatboxer Sung Lee, a Not Your Average Korean-American. He chats with her on making a full-time career out of his art after winning first place at Amateur Night at the Apollo in 2014 and participating in other competitions and showcases.

For this week’s Korean American Story, Jaeki Cho, co-producer of the hip-hop documentary Bad Rap, talks to hosts and audience of KRB (87.7 FM) about what life was like growing up in Queens, NY, his own experience working in a creative field, and the challenges Asian Americans face in the music industry.

Julie Young and Nina Lee (the daughter of KoreanAmericanStory.org founder HJ Lee) sit down with rapper and actress Awkwafina at Maru Karaoke Lounge in New York. Awkwafina, or Nora Lum, born to a Chinese-American father and a Korean mother, talks about losing her mother at a young age, her grandparents, her acting career, her passion for making music, and more.

In this “Not Your Average” episode, Julie interviews Jonathan Park, aka Dumbfoundead, who was born in Buenos Aires to Korean immigrants, smuggled into Mexico, and raised in K-town LA. Dumbfoundead is a Korean-American hip-hop artist who has gained wide international recognition. Nearly 400K YouTube fans from all over the globe are hooked on Dumbfoundead’s hip-hop music and lifestyle.

In our first “Not Your Average” video, Julie Young interviews Jaeki Cho, a Korean American hip hop artist based in Flushing, NY. Jaeki was born in Korea, grew up in Nanjing, China, and immigrated to the US—first to Seattle, later to Elmhurst, New York. Jaeki discusses hip hop, rapping in Korean, and his documentary about Asian American rappers titled “Bad Rap”.

Rek’s love for music has been with him since his youngin’ days and he has always been drawn to many different genres. He loved 90s Kpop and was into learning the choreography.

Ameriie is a popular Grammy nominated singer who is half Korean and half black, and this music video is a companion piece to the Profile of Ameriie written by Julie Young.

I have said this many times and I am here to say it on record.  Ameriie is one of the most under-appreciated singers – ever.  Full stop.  Girlfriend can truly sing.  She is blessed with a voice that, for the life of me, I can not grasp why it has not brought her the same notoriety as those other less.

A documentary following the lives of two hip-hop Korean American artists, Sarah “Skim” Kim and Jonathan “Dumbfoundead” Park. There are some good performances by these artists about 10 minutes into the video. This documentary was produced and directed by Reed Nakamura.