A K-pop pilgrimage of sorts

SEOUL, MAY 2017

It’s not hard to fall in love with Seoul. While it is a country continually reinventing itself on a global scale, it is one that also strives to preserve its historical roots. It’s precisely in this harmonious dichotomy where Seoul’s very vibrance and energy resonate.

Worldwide, South Korea is known to be the home of today’s most consumed entertainment content—from television dramas and variety shows to live and recorded music performances. The faces of its stars are not only taking over Asia, but has begun penetrating the West’s mainstream media.

The country is shaping the time’s lifestyle and culture through the television and film, music, art, and fashion that they produce, and with this we can say Hallyu or “Korean Wave” which started in the 90s has reached its peak.

Many travelers who have their eyes set on Seoul are pop culture pilgrims, visiting various shooting locations of high-rated dramas, hopping from one Korean cafe to another, and going around the areas of music agencies hoping for serendipitous idol encounters. And I was among them.

I have been a fan of Korean music for the past decade, and visiting Seoul has permanently contained me in its K-pop bubble.

LANY’s two-night stand with Manila

MANILA SHOW, APRIL 2018

This was the payout of LANY’s yearlong hustle: playing to a crowd of thousands in the biggest shows they have ever done. They strummed their guitars and played their keys for two straight nights in Manila—nights that they were quick to acknowledge as the best of their lives.

The alternative band has crossed more than 120 borders in the past year alone. Shifting from city to city on tour, leaving little time to spare for recording sessions. And yet they managed to put out a self-titled album bearing, of course, their breakthrough singles “ILYSB,” “Super Far” and “13.”

The story behind LANY’s ‘ILYSB’ makes us love it more so bad

WANDERLAND, MARCH 2017

We hit the shuffle play button on our favorite Spotify playlist. A few seconds into an unheard song and we’ve got ourselves a new track to play over and over. While this is a familiar routine of discovery for most listeners who stream music, it is also one untiring narrative for fans of the three-piece band  LANY.

And that’s how it goes for this band: most listeners are converted into fans when they hear “ILYSB” online.

The track is a pipe song. Its melody and energy are magnetic, with notes and lyrics that are sweet and idyllic. The song starts out slow and dreamy, with that familiar pop synth charm that makes it easy to fall in love with.

It’s a track that transports you to a Californian road trip, with the skies painted in sunset colors and the occasional blinding streaks of light. The car windows are rolled down as one aches to feel the West Coast’s refreshing breeze on their skin, while the locks of their hair are blown by the wind in a perfect disarrangement. Each passing moment feels warm and has the makings of the perfect Hollywood scene.

Vin meets Finn: Of selfies and fist bumps with the Iron Fist

SINGAPORE NETFLIX PRESS JUNKET, MARCH 2017

“You’re my favorite from The Defenders—and Charlie Cox!”

Fan encounters usually last for a sentence—and you probably end up spewing some sort of cliche statement. But what can you actually say to Marvel’s latest minted superhero when you meet him?

Do you talk about how you were just writing about him a few days before, going into detail about the Marvel easter eggs embedded in the 13-episode Netflix series “Iron Fist”? Or do you go on about how you loved that his character allows viewers and fans to witness how Danny Rand grows and matures?

Or perhaps you feel like showing off your binge-watching prowess and tell Finn Jones, the 29-year-old actor who plays the Immortal Weapon, that you finished watching “Iron Fist” in a day?

“A day?!?” Finn Jones asks me.

“Yeah,” I tell him. “I just couldn’t stop watching.”

“A day. Wow. That’s really good to hear,” he says.