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, the size of venues artists perform has grown as well. So many K-pop acts have made headlines selling out shows at stadiums across the United States and with Stray Kids embarking on an even stadium-ONLY tour, it seems a new milestone for K-pop is here: Go Big or Go Home.

But—are stadium concerts in K-pop a good thing? Alexis and Theresa dive into the heavy cost that comes with attending a stadium concert and why they might not be the best thing for the fan experience.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• SEVENTEEN Stadium Recap at BMO in LA
• The Evolution of Concert Culture in K-pop
• The Not-so-great Impact of Stadium Tours on K-pop
• Concert Ticket-buying Strategies and Tradeoffs to Consider
• Are We Going to See Even More K-pop Stadium Tours?
• How Could the Stadium Show Experience Be Enhanced?
• Final Thoughts and Wish List

It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila.

FOLLOW US:
Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod

FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES?
E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

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 want our advice and tips in the second half of the show! If you've ever thought about traveling to see a K-pop show in Mexico (or maybe greater Latin America), this is the episode for you. We give you the real, honest advice we would give our closest friends about what you can expect at a show, what you should look out for and more.

In this episode we cover:

• What it's like to go to Mexico for a K-pop Concert
• Cha Eun Woo in Mexico City 2024 at Arena CDMX
• What his fan meeting/concert was like
• NCT Dream in Mexico City
• What it was like getting floor seats for NCT Dream in Latin America
• How to see a K-pop concert in Mexico
• Tips for K-pop concerts in Mexico

TIMESTAMPS:

• 0:00 - Cold Open
• 1:45 - Start of Show
• 3:39 - Cha Eun Woo in Mexico City
• 19:00 - NCT Dream
• 42:23 - Advice and Tips for Traveling to Mexico
• 45:01 - TIP 1 - Don't be afraid to go alone
• 48:26 - TIP 2 - Tap your Mexican friends/mutuals for help
• 55:53 - TIP 3 - Take the right amount of cash
• 61:02 - TIP 4 - Buy the bootleg merch!
• 67:55 - TIP 5 - Do your research on local events before/after the show
• 73:32 - TIP 6 - Make friends at the show
• 80:23 - TIP 7 - "Don't piss them off"
• 88:23 - TIP 8 - Level your expectations about concert etiquette
• 97:12 - Final Thoughts
• 98:52 - End of Show

It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila.

FOLLOW US:
Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod

FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES?
E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com

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 fallout going on at HYBE and ADOR regarding allegations of plagiarism.

In this episode—recorded prior to the allegations surfaced by ADOR's CEO Min Hee Jin—Alexis and Theresa discuss the similarities and differences between NewJeans and ILLIT, the evolution of girl group concepts and what makes a great K-pop debut song.

LINK TO THE FULL SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: Listen Here

RUNDOWN (with timestamps):

• Disclaimer for Episode
• Original Show Intro (2:20)
• Overview of ILLIT and how it formed (5:01)
• First Impressions of ILLIT's concept (10:18)
• Is it bad for ILLIT to be compared to NewJeans? (13:26)
• Does ILLIT have J-pop vibes? How is it different? (20:21)
• Marketing ILLIT at Fashion Week (23:58)
• HYBE's access to songwriters & the classic K-pop sound (29:49)
• Do groups have to DEBUT with a HIT? (38:49)

SONG RECOMMENDATIONS

• Overview of the best K-pop debut songs (44:26)
• NCT U "7th Sense" (45:29)
• SEVENTEEN "Adore U" (55:15)
• EVERGLOW "BON BON CHOCOLAT" (61:04)
• ITZY "DALLA DALLA" (74:15)
• Final Thoughts (85:40)

LET US KNOW: What's your favorite K-pop debut song?

TAG US ON SOCIAL: Take a photo of you listening and tag us on Instagram at @IKPTPOD and let us know what you liked about the show!

It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila.

FOLLOW US:
Twitter: @ikptpod & Instagram: @ikptpod

FEEDBACK? IDEAS FOR FUTURE EPISODES?
E-mail us at info@kpoppod.com