Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter!
I can’t believe it, but Fan Chant is officially a year old! We launched this column in August of 2022 to have a dedicated place for interviews, lists, and news coming out of the K-pop world and everything adjacent to it, and it’s been so special to share it with everyone who has read it. It’s wild to me that anyone has subscribed to our newsletter, let alone almost a thousand of you — and if you feel inspired to help me cross that milestone in celebration, you can do so here, of course.
So this week, to mark the occasion, I decided to take a brief stroll down memory lane from the past few months working on this column and revisit some of my favorite stories. Once again, the biggest thank you to anyone who has ever read or shared one of these pieces, and stay tuned for so much more from Fan Chant in the future!
— Mary Siroky
Associated Editor
Spiraling Into SEVENTEEN
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SEVENTEEN, photo by PLEDIS Entertainment
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I still can’t believe this video of SEVENTEEN eating seafood while on tour is what inspired me to actually tiptoe into Caratland, but I’m so thankful it was. I am astonished at the joy (and incredibly sweet fandom!) I was missing out on all this time, and have been thoroughly educated since this story went up. I’m ready for some US tour dates.
Read “Spiraling Into SEVENTEEN” here.
Queens, NewJeans
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NewJeans, photo courtesy of ADOR
It’s always special to get to talk to rising acts, but in retrospect — and seeing how enormous “Ditto” and “OMG” became — I feel incredibly lucky to have connected with the ladies of NewJeans about their January 2023 mini-album.
Read “NewJeans on Starting 2023 Strong with OMG” here.
YUNJIN of LE SSERAFIM Continues to Crush It
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HUH YUNJIN, photo courtesy of SOURCE MUSIC
I am so impressed by the members of LE SSERAFIM. They are so wildly talented and hardworking, with such diverse individual skill sets, and it was such a treat to connect with HUH YUNJIN about her killer solo track, “I ≠ DOLL.”
Read it “HUH YUNJIN of LE SSERAFIM Breaks Down Bold New Solo Track ‘I ≠ DOLL’” here.
Making the CRAVITY Connection
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CRAVITY, photo courtesy of Starship Entertainment
This bunch of absolute sweethearts! I’m lucky to have interviewed this nine-member act a few times now, and the first time we spoke over video was a delight. I’m rooting for them so hard.
Read “Getting “Groovy” with CRAVITY” here.
Meeting Mr. Rover
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EXO’s KAI, photo courtesy of SM ENTERTAINMENT
I was so enchanted by EXO’s KAI, who had an incredibly endearing demeanor during our interview that feels so different from his sharp onstage persona. Revisit the conversation around the release of “Rover.”
Read “EXO’s Kai Is Feeling Freer Than Ever Before” here.
A P1Harmony Reunion
P1Harmony, photo courtesy of FNC Entertainment
I loved meeting these guys during their tour stop in Nashville, and was delighted to reconnect with them over Zoom a few months later. My affection for this particular interview can be summarized by the following: “I had so much fun writing [the song],” Keeho says. “So if it sucks, my bad.”
Read “P1Harmony Reflect on Summer Memories and Their New EP HARMONY : ALL IN” here.
Balming Tiger & “K-Pop From the Dark Side”
Balming Tiger, photo by Nikolai Ahn
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I was blown away by Balming Tiger’s set at Oslo’s Øya Festival, and this interview is — perhaps — my favorite one I’ve done for this column. Please read it if you haven’t yet!
Read it “Balming Tiger Create ‘K-Pop From the Dark Side’” here.
Song Rec of the Week:
Taking a page from actress Emma Myers’ book and recommending this utterly perfect, terribly dreamy song this week.
