It's a K-pop Thing – Details, episodes & analysis

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 thinking can help us manifest the best possible year yet in K-pop!

Tune in as we chit chat about:

• Our standout releases from 2025
• What we're each manifesting for K-pop
• What changes we're hoping to see in the industry
• What's next for the podcast

Let us know what K-pop resolutions you have for the year and what you're hoping to manifest in 2026 by tagging us on social media @IKPTPOD.

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

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 using the K-pop industry model. 

Though the group is most definitely NOT K-pop sonically (more on that later), its creation via a music survival show, its trainee model and its obvious connection to HYBE mean it carries the DNA or building blocks of the K-pop industry. Naturally, all this means we have a LOT of thoughts on the group's debut and where they might best fit into the current music landscape. So, what did Santos Bravos get right about Latino boy bands and is it only a matter of time before everyone knows their name in Latin America?

Tune in to hear Alexis and Theresa discuss:

• The uphill battle the boys faced in the survivial show
• What it was like to watch the Santos Bravos showcase live in Mexico City
• Our takeaways on the final lineup's cohesion (or lack thereof?)
• Why we think Drew was always going to debut as the anchor for the group
• The obvious (and not-so-obvious) comparisons to KATSEYE
• The importance of a visual and sonic identity for a group

And so much more!

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

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 Latin music. Given this song bridges the broader worlds of K-pop and Latin music—two of our fav genres—we naturally have have a LOT of thoughts on the song!

This episode is PART 1 of our two-episode discussion on the latest K-pop and Latin music collab, "Amigos" by BIBI and Becky G. Make sure to stay tuned for Part 2 of our discussion later in a future episode, where we give our top song recs for K-pop/Latine music collabs.

EPISODE RUNDOWN:

• Intro
• Artist Bios: BIBI & Becky G (2:36)
• Why does this collab make sense? (5:57)
• Song Review (20:45)
• When did we start seeing K-pop/Latin collabs happen? (28:23)
• Our Hot Takes (39:59)
• What's NEXT for K-pop/Latine collabs? HYBE's influence (43:18)
• What we would like to see when K-pop labels go to Latin America (59:29)
• Wrap Up (66:34)

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

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 challenge.

But, what is it about this song that has male idols flocking to it? Is the popularity of SB19’s “Gento," maybe due to changes in concepts for K-pop boy groups? Are male idols simply missing the hard-hitting choreography we once associated with “Beast Idols” in K-pop?

More importantly—what actually happened to the “beastly idol,” or “beast idol,” or “beast-dol” boy group concepts from the 2010s?

In this episode, we share our theories behind the popularity of "Gento" and we give you a brief history of "beast idols" in K-pop. Plus, we share other songs by some of our favorite "beast-dols" as well as our predictions for where boy groups go next.

Buckle up—as MONSTA X says — "we are BEASTMODE!"

LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: "SB19's Gento and Other Beast Idol K-pop Songs"

EPISODE RUNDOWN (with timestamps):

PART 1: SB19 & The History of Beast Idols

• Episode Intro (1:39)
• SB19 Quick Bio (4:56)
• "Gento" Song Analysis (6:48)
• Our theory behind "Gento"s popularity (12:27)
• How have K-pop boy group concepts changed? (16:50)
• How do we define "beast idols" in K-pop? (22:36)
• A brief (and VERY unscientific) history of beast idols in K-pop (31:15)

PART 2: Other Beast-dol Songs We Recommend

• 2PM — "I'm Your Man" (45:18  )
• MBLAQ — "This is War" (50:16)
• MONSTA X — "Shoot Out" (58:02)
• B.A.P — "Warrior" (63:37)
• Special song mentions:
• DMTN, MYNAME, ZE:A, Hotshot, SPEED, Block B (72:17)

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Is Y2K boy group nostalgia up next? (75:00)

TAKE OUR POLL ON SPOTIFY: What’s your favorite “Beast-ly” Boy Group in K-pop? Do you think we should have more groups with this type of concept today?

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

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 having to choose between which of their favorite artists to support.

We have to ask: Are we finally in the era of too many K-pop concerts?

To help us talk through this dilemma, we invited our friends Carolina and Kat, each one-fourth of the women behind the podcast Not Your Average Fangirls. If you've ever listened to the show, you know NYAF are some of the biggest K-pop multi-stans around! 

On this episode we chat about how K-pop tours have changed, what improvements we'd like to see and—most importantly—their tips for how fans can pay for those concert tickets!

EPISODE RUNDOWN (with Timestamps):

Part 1: Overview of current K-pop tours (2:28)

• The 3 problems we've noticed with tickets (4:48)
• Our thoughts on shows not selling (8:24) 
• The impact on older and newer K-pop groups 
• Should promoters do more 2 for 1 sales? (13:59)
• Is the playing field more uneven? (18:34)

Part 2: Interview with NOT YOUR AVERAGE FANGIRLS (23:30)

• How do we decide what shows to attend? (30:12)
• What's unique to K-pop tours? (39:21)
• The impact of certain venues and stadiums (46:23)
• Can things be improved? How? (64:00)
• Budgeting for K-pop concerts (68:21)
• The most we've spent on tickets ... (86:00) 
• Tours we're excited for! Plus a shout-out to SuperM  (88:15)

VOTE IN OUR SPOTIFY POLL—Let us know what YOU think! Are we in the age of too many K-pop concerts?

CHECK OUT NOT YOUR AVERAGE FANGIRLS HERE:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyafangirls/
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/NYAFangirls

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

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: "Do It Like That," by TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Jonas Brothers.
"Do It Like That" is a bouncy, fun pop song that's perfect for summer and it got us thinking about how rare and special it is to have a collab happen between a K-pop group and a Western artist.
Tune in as we travel back in time to bring you some of our favorite musical crossovers from years past.

GET THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: Play This! Great K-pop Collabs (TXT, Jonas Brothers and More)

EPISODE RUNDOWN (w/TIMESTAMPS)

• Intro to the episode (2:09)
• What is the TXT sound? (6:36)
• How does this song bridge fandoms across generations? (10:15)
• The 411 on "Do It Like That" (16:51)
• Measuring the song's "success"(19:55)

Other Great K-pop Collabs with Western Artists We Recommend (28:57)

1.  Don't Need Your Love — NCT DREAM, HRVY
2. All Night —BTS, Juice WRLD
3. Put My Hands On You — DEAN, Anderson .Paak
4. Freal Luv — Far East Movement, CHANYEOL, Marshmello, Tinashe (52:43)
5. Temple — Baauer, M.I.A., G-DRAGON
6. Let's Shut Up & Dance — Jason Derulo, LAY, NCT 127

Honorable Song Mentions (73:49)

1. Sour Candy — Lady Gaga, BLACKPINK
2. Up To You — PRETTYMUCH, NCT DREAM
3. Kiss and Make Up — Dua Lipa, BLACKPINK
4. NILIRIA — G-DRAGON, Missy Elliot

LET US KNOW: What did you think of our song picks? What would you add to the list? Tag us on Instagram and Twitter with your thoughts OR leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

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, which include a bachata remix sung entirely in Spanish. In other episodes, we’ve touched on the globalization of K-pop and how artists have branched out to other markets to gain traction beyond Korea.  But, AleXa is the latest K-pop idol to turn to the massive fandom in Latin America and recognize them with a special release for Spanish speakers. 

Tune in to hear AleXa talk about writing a ballad, what it was like winning American Song Contest, and her thoughts what makes K-pop so unique. Plus, stay tuned after the interview for our takeaways and discussion on the significance of K-pop catering to international fans.

WATCH ALEXA PERFORM"JULIET" IN SPANISH HERE:
https://youtu.be/R-5PnLajFn4

EPISODE RUNDOWN (w/TIME STAMPS)

• Intro to AleXa (2:17)
• Interview with AleXa (4:32)
  • Singing in Spanish & not sounding like a "gringa" (8:35)
  • Bringing K-pop to American reality TV (19:15)
  • Growing up in Oklahoma & finding your people (21:42)
  • Why K-pop is always "intentional" and polished (31:28)
• Our Discussion & Takeaways (39:31)
  • How do we define K-pop today? (44:13)
  • Where does AleXa fit into the music landscape? (48:07)
  • We applaud AleXa for addressing her haters (50:55)
  • Some context on K-pop catering to Latin America (58:48)
  • Final Thoughts: The impact of K-pop in Spanish (1:02)

LET US KNOW: What do you think of AleXa and other K-pop idols singing in Spanish? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @IKPTPOD with your thoughts!

ABOUT OUR GUEST ALEXA:
AleXa (알렉사) is a K-pop singer, dancer and songwriter who grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2019, AleXa made her multilingual K-pop debut with “Bomb,” which hit #7 on Billboard’s “World Digital Song Sales” chart. After a breakthrough comeback with mid-tempo dance track “Tattoo” in 2022, her song “Wonderland” earned a resounding win on NBC’s American Song Contest, a remake of Europe’s hugely popular Eurovision Song Contest. “Wonderland” ranked #38 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, propelling AleXa to the 6th most played Korean artist on U.S. radio and the first female Korean act to present at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.

KEEP UP WITH ALEXA:
Official Site: https://www.alexazb.com
YouTube: AleXa • ZB Label⁣⁣
Instagram: @Alexa_zbofficial

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

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-pop we get wacky concepts,  nonsensical lyrics and unserious music—but who cares if it WORKS?  And "Queencard" works fantastically, thanks to the plenty of camp elements throughout.

Tune in for our discussion on all things camp in K-pop (Hint: It's everywhere; you just have to know what you're looking for). Plus,  don't miss our song recommendations in the second half of the episode! We dug into the K-pop archives for some oldies but goodies.

GET THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: PLAY THIS: (G)I-DLE’s Queencard Plus Other Unserious & Camp K-Pop

EPISODE RUNDOWN (w/TIME STAMPS)

• Intro to (G)I-DLE's "Allergy" & "Queencard"
• What makes (G)I-DLE's "Queencard" camp? And why does it work? (6:29)
• What is "camp" & what does it look like in K-pop? (8:37)
• Is the song all about girl power or is it completely "unserious"? (17:39)
• Soyeon in Produce 101 & beauty ideals (22:55)

Other K-pop "Camp-y" and "Unserious" Songs We Recommend (30:05)

1. Babyface — WJSN
2. Power Up — Red Velvet (Bonus: Dumb Dumb)
3. 30 Sexy —RAIN
4. Nerdy — Purple Kiss

Honorable Song Mentions (46:11)

1. BBoom BBoom, I'm So Hot, Wrap Me In Plastic — MOMOLAND
2. Bo Peep Bo Peep — T-ARA
3. Bubble Pop! — HyunA
4. I'm Gonna Be a Star — TWICE
5. Super Duper — SUPER JUNIOR
6. DESSERT — HYO, Loopy, JEON SOYEON

BONUS: The K-pop groups we would like to see do a camp concept (51:29)

LET US KNOW: What other camp-y, fun, and unserious K-pop songs would you add to this playlist? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter with your thoughts!

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

FIFTY FIFTY's "Cupid" is still going strong on the charts, thanks to the popularity of its English "Twin" version. But where do you from there? What other K-pop songs do you queue up on your playlist? After all, you need at least a few good songs to get the algorithm to do its thing!

Lucky for you, we've got four K-pop songs for you that are in the same vein as FIFTY FIFTY's "Cupid." Tune in to hear us break down what's helping "Cupid" chart so well plus our personal song recs for you to play next.

EPISODE RUNDOWN:

• Intro
• How does TikTok factor into all this?
• Is "Cupid" an outlier?
• Other K-pop Soft Pop Hits We Recommend
  1. IU - "BBIBBI"
  2. LE SSERAFIM - "Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)
  3. BOL4 - "Some"
  4. Wonder Girls - "Rewind"
• What older K-pop hits would blow up on TikTok today?

LET US KNOW: What other K-pop soft pop hits would you recommend? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter with your thoughts!

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com

We're back with Part 2 of our mini-series examining the state of Girl Groups in K-pop today! We have a lot to discuss in this episode, including new releases by plenty of 4th-gen acts as well as our theories on why the spotlight is shining so brightly on girl groups.
PLUS!! We share our TOP 10+ GIRL GROUPS (atm): With so many girl groups charting at the moment, we made our own list of the girl groups that have us excited for the rest of 2023! Plus, you'll hear which groups we're crossing our fingers make an epic comeback so they don't fade into the background.
(Note: If you missed Part 1 of our discussion, go back to the feed and check out our interview with music journalist Lai Frances.)

EPISODE RUNDOWN:

• Vox Pop: What K-pop Stans Think (2:38)
• K-pop Girl Groups Are Breaking Records (6:09)
• Theories On Why Girl Groups Are Breaking Through (9:25)
• Our Top 10 List of Girl Groups (for 2023)  (31:25)
• Honorable Group Mentions (67:25)
• Groups We Hope Have a Comeback (72:20)

LET US KNOW: WHAT GIRL GROUPS TOP YOUR LIST RIGHT NOW?
Do you agree with our Top 10? What groups are you most excited about? Tag us on social and let us know!
HELP THE SHOW GROW
Share the show with a friend, a mutual or anyone curious about K-pop! Already done that? Tag us on IG & Twitter with a screenshot of the latest episode & what you thought about it!

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

LINKS TO SOCIAL:

• It's a K-pop Thing: @ikptpod
• Alexis: @hoe_doyan
• Theresa: @theresa__avila

CONTACT:
E-mail us at: itsakpopthing@alkemielab.com