It's a K-pop Thing
A podcast by two journalists and K-pop fans who love to bring a little nuance to the fan experience. Hosted by Theresa Avila and Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum, two journalists, friends, and fellow K-pop multi-stans, each episode of It's a K-pop Thing explores the fan culture and the stories behind the people who've helped grow K-pop into a global phenomenon.
In each episode you can expect analysis and commentary on trending K-pop news stories with the right amount of background and context for new and old fans alike. It's a K-pop Thing is, "the show where we talk about all the things that make K-pop distinctly K-pop." Follow the Show: @IKPTpod on Instagram
Episodes
32 episodes
Is Coachella the Right Platform for K-pop?
This was a big year for fans of K-pop at Coachella, especially because we had a younger group and two Second-Gen icons perform at the festival. First up we had KATSEYE, who made headlines following the will-she-or-won't-she-appear speculation r...
Watching BTS Up Close at Their Comeback Concert in Seoul
*This is Part 1 of a mini-series on the Return of BTS*We're trying something new on the pod ... a mini-series! It's been nearly 4 years since the 7 members of BTS released new music as a group and there's plenty to talk about. T...
NCT Without Mark? What Happens When a Group Loses Its Ace
"NCity is on fire."That's what it seems like for NCTzens everywhere who, in the last few days have faced the unexpected bombshell news of Mark Lee saying goodbye to NCT and SM Entertainment. As if that wasn't bad enough news, days later,...
Does BLACKPINK Still Need ... BLACKPINK?
We finally have BLACKPINK's first EP since 2022, the highly-anticipated Deadline, a five-track release that includes "JUMP" and "GO." But does the EP live up to the hype? In the weeks since its release, the reaction ...
Closing A Chapter With ZEROBASEONE
ZEROBASEONE's time as a 9-member group has come to a close after more than two and half years. What started as a temporary, project group from the survival show BOYS PLANET (Season 1) will now continue as a 5-member boy group mana...
KATSEYE and Manon's Hiatus Dilemma
What started as perhaps a run-of-the-mill corporate statement about KATSEYE's Manon taking a hiatus from group activities has turned into a PR disaster for HYBE x Geffen. In the days following the announcement, there's been...
ATEEZ Has Our Adrenaline Pumping
ATEEZ's latest comeback has proven to be their most successful to date so far and that's thanks in large part to high album sales and streaming that led to a Triple Crown victory on the music shows in Korea and a #3 debut on the Billboard TOP 2...
2010's K-pop: The Nostalgia We Can't Let Go Of ...
The start of 2026 had seemingly everyone online reminiscing about what life was life back in 2016. Back when times were simpler, more fun and, dare we say, when K-pop music was ... better? Before you come for our necks, let us take a trip down ...
EXO's Comeback ... It's Complicated
Put simply: We have big and complex feelings about EXO's highly anticipated comeback following the return of all members from their military enlistment. When news of an EXO reunion first broke, we were just as excited as any diehard...
Our Manifestations for 2026 In K-pop
After analyzing all of the year-in-review K-pop content over the holidays, we've come to one conclusion: 2025 was *rough* and left us wanting a lot more. So, as we kick off the brand new year in 2026, we're hoping our collective positive thinki...
What's Up With Santos Bravos? HYBE's Latino Boy Band
We're kicking off 2026 with an episode we recorded at the tail end of last year that's all about Santos Bravos! Following HYBE's big experiment with KATSEYE, HYBE Latin America focused its efforts in 2025 on debuting a Latino pop boy group usin...
Just Give Kpop Demon Hunters the Grammy and Oscar Already
Kpop Demon Hunters arguably gave us not just the song of the summer, but the soundtrack of the year. Sound like hyperbole? It's been months since the animated musical was released this summer and it shows no signs of slowing down. Thanks to wor...
Can We Actually Afford K-pop?
After taking a break in 2025 we are BACK with a fresh season of It's a K-pop Thing! It's been a long 9 months — we could have had a baby! — and we've missed talking all things K-pop. There's tons of new things we want to try for this upcoming s...
K-pop Stadium Shows: Are They A Good Thing? Let's Discuss
We're back with a fresh season for 2025 and to kick things right off we're bringing you a conversation we recorded at the end of last year when Stray Kids announced their upcoming stadium tour! There's no doubt that K-pop has grown, and with it...
Cha Eun Woo & NCT Dream in Mexico (EP 17: Traveling to Mexico for K-pop: Tips and Tricks)
We are back after our summer break for a brand new season of It's a K-pop Thing! In this episode, we catch up and discuss what it was like traveling to Mexico this summer to see NCT Dream and Cha Eun Woo. Then, you don't w...
Play This! ILLIT's "Magnetic" Plus K-pop Debut Songs That Have Stood The Test of Time
In this edition of Play This! we bring you a previously unreleased episode that almost didn't air. Shortly after recording our discussion about ILLIT's debut hit single, "Magnetic," news broke of the corporate turmoil and f...
Destination K-pop Concerts: NCT 127 in Tokyo and TWICE in Las Vegas
We have a special concert recap episode that's ALL about our recent K-pop travels, concerts experiences and even a special run-in with some K-pop idols after a concert! (No spoilers: You'll have to tune in to hear who it was!) In this episode w...
Has K-pop Hit a Plateau? Is It Slowing Down? What's Next?
Lately, the general consensus seems to be: K-pop is bigger than ever before —and that's to be celebrated— but it's also ... different. The music trends are changing and, depending on who you ask, it's not always for the better. Especia...
Play This! K-pop x Latin Songs We Recommend (PT:2 of BIBI and Becky G Special)
This episode is PART 2 of our two-episode discussion on the latest K-pop and Latin music collab, "Amigos" by BIBI and Becky G. If you haven't checked out PART 1, go back to the feed and listen!In this portion of the discussion, we...
Play This! BIBI and Becky G's "Amigos" (PT:1 The History of K-pop & Latin Collabs)
Hey everyone! We're back in 2024 with an episode we recorded at the tail end of last year when BIBI and Becky G had just released their collab track, "Amigos." It's a chill, fun song that also serves as a good introduction to K-R&B and Lati...
Play This! SB19's "GENTO" and Other Beast-Idol Tracks We Love
For this edition of Play This! we’re discussing “Gento,” a song by Filipino-boy-group SB19. While it’s not K-pop, per se, the song has been making its way around the industry’s boy groups, thanks to numerous idols doing the “Gento” dance challe...
Is There Such a Thing As TOO Many K-pop Concerts?
If you're a K-pop multi-stan like us in the USA, you might have noticed something lately: The number of K-pop acts on tour has grown by a LOT! But with that growth, we've also seen an increase in tour dates overlapping and fans ultimately havin...
Play This! TXT & Jonas Brothers "Do It Like That" Plus More K-pop Collabs We Recommend
We're back with another edition of Play This! where we give you some song recommendations inspired by recent K-pop releases. On this episode, we discuss the latest collaboration between a K-pop group with a Western artist: "
We Chat With AleXa About Singing In Spanish and What Makes K-pop Unique
Today's episode features a special interview with K-pop idol and artist, AleXa! Recently we chatted with her about her latest digital-single, "Juliet," and the 6(!) different versions of the song, whic...
Play This! (G)I-DLE's "Queencard" Plus Other Unserious, Camp-y K-pop Songs We Recommend
We're back with more K-pop song recommendations! For this episode of Play This! we take a very *serious* look at a very UN-serious song: (G)I-DLE's latest comeback and hit, "Queencard." Sometimes in K-...