Happy Friday! I saw Hwasa’s Twit Tour live in Brooklyn last night, thanks everyone who said hi! Hwasa covered every diva from Madonna and Beyoncé to Gaga and Billie Eilish last night for a show that took over the entire Brooklyn Paramount venue while working with a limited production budget. I’d say that’s the sign of a star.

It made me wonder about Hwasa’s chances in crossing over (she’s signed with PSY’s P NATION label in Korea and, last I heard, Warner Music Korea did distribution but no U.S. label or rep). More thoughts on this later. Now on to today’s newsletter!

Welcoming KATSEYE’s Lara to the Club

When I talked to KATSEYE for Billboard’s Chartbreaker series in September, the global girl group’s Swedish member Manon commented, “One thing I love about this group is how Gen Z we are.” At the time, I thought it was funny/curious for the 22-year-old Swiss to say out loud (I don’t remember millennials ever using millennial as an adjective), but the way the HYBE America sextet moves is really proving how true of a statement that is.

While chatting with fans on Weverse, Lara shared how she recognized her queer identity as a kid…in a rather sweet and clever way.

The 24-year-old wrote, “I knew I was half a fruitcake when I was like 8, so I really was wanting everybody,” multiple screens and outlets like PinkNews share. “Honestly probably before 8. Isn’t half a fruitcake such a good way to explain it without saying it?”

Indeed, Lara coming out as bisexual without feeling the need to label herself is a great thing — and what better way to do it than in the comfort of a chat with the fans who support her? It was back in 2019 that I first explored why more K-pop artists are venturing into specific superfan spaces like Weverse and V Live (R.I.P) with a large part being because it is a safe space for the artist. An artist sharing a personal update on a subscription-based fan app will much more likely be free from online trolls and negative comments than Twitter so I’ve always seen why Weverse is considered such an important asset to HYBE.

And while KATSEYE was at least in part imagined by a K-pop company in HYBE through a partnership with Universal Music Group and Geffen Records, it’s not a stretch to think there may be restrictions on what the girls can and cannot talk about publicly or on social media. The line “without saying it” feels almost like her insurance to point out if management shows any concern. But Manon also congratulated Lara for the move and included the rainbow flag emoji and a sassy comment (in case anyone was wondering what Lara meant).

And to be honest, if this did ruffle feathers anywhere in the industry, I hope to see KATSEYE embrace more of these types of stunts.

At a time in the U.S. when the President and his cabinet are unapologetically targeting Black, Brown and LGBTQ+ communities, having a queer Indian-American woman who speaks English and Tamil as a face of one of the biggest American pop groups is powerful. (And, no, Trump and his allies can’t claim she’s in the group because of “DEI” because just watch the intensity and trials of Dream Academy and you know all those girls earned those spots.)

But even in our chat back from September, KATSEYE started things professional but friendly, but I felt like the conversation really started getting good when I said how their rising radio single “Touch” was for “the girls and the gays” and it only got better from there. I hope more of the world gets to see that fun and open side as well because it felt like the members came alive even more then and I was left with such a great feeling after chatting. Knowing these are the girls who actively cheered on and sang along with a drag queen performing “Debut” makes me all the more confident they won’t back away with their true personalities and allyship.

Welcome to the club, Lara. 💜

—”It’s ended up being nothing to no one”: Can K-pop overcome crisis?: “It looked destined to take over the world. But after misfiring albums, a legal drama involving bright hopes NewJeans and with domestic fans getting bored, the South Korean music industry is nervous.” (The Guardian)

• Super, super interesting analysis of this current K-pop moment from Shaad D’Souza. My friends and fellow newsletter-ers Tamar Herman (who launched the Notes on K-Pop newsletter last year) and Joshua Minsoo Kim (Editor-in-Chief of experimental music newsletter Tone Glow) share thoughts too.

—ATEEZ thrive in Europe: Following a summer U.S. leg that included stadium shows in Los Angeles and New York, ATEEZ’s Towards the Light: Will to Power world tour started the band in Europe at the top of the year. The eight-member boy band from KQ Entertainment is the only K-pop act to rank on Billboard’s February 2025 Boxscore Report after grossing $17.9 million from eight reported shows that attracted an attendance of 117,000 concertgoers.

ATEEZ scored two entries on the Top Boxscores of the month as the Paris show at La Defense Arena grossed $4.3 million from the 29,200 in attendance (the 20th biggest box score of February), while two shows at Berlin’s Uber Arena grossed $4 million from its 24,500 in attendance (the 25th biggest box score). AEG Presents acted as the promoter for these shows, and ATEEZ’s tour helped the company earn the No. 1 slot on the Top Promoter chart for February 2025. Earlier this month, KQ announced a multi-year strategic partnership with AEG.

The only artists with bigger grosses this past month were Shakira (at No. 1 with $32.9 million grossed), followed by Tyler, The Creator, Luke Combs, Drake, and the Eagles with ATEEZ as a comfortable sixth biggest tour of the month. Well done, boys. (Billboard)

—Speaking of ATEEZ, Texas is ready to celebrate member Seonghwa’s birthday: The Houston Toy Museum is hosting an “out of this world K-Pop Market and Lego Event combining the best of Star Wars and Animal Crossing in honor of Seonghwa’s birthday” on April 5. (365thingsinhouston.com)

—Complex ranked the 15 best K-pop and rap collaborations of all time: “K-pop has always been influenced by different music styles, but, for years, hip-hop and R&B have been some of the biggest sources of inspiration. Even as the genre expands — now accepting Thai and even African members, proving pop music can be a universal language — K-pop is specifically rooted in Black music styles and traditions.” (Complex)

• AFTER READING THE PIECE: I always feel like any list that claims they have “the best of all time” is, inevitably, going to disappoint someone. No one lives for all time…but that aside, Jung Kook and Latto’s “Seven” as the No. 1 song feels correct. It’s an excellent song, but at the same time, it’s not what I immediately think of when thinking K-pop x rap (since it’s in English). But looking deeper into it, there really have not been many rappers to collaborate on K-pop (with emphasis on the K, as in Korean language) tracks — which is probably why, yes, 12 of the 15 songs are like “Seven” as English, crossover-focused pop records from Korean acts.

• Diplo’s “Doctor Pepper” with CL, OG Maco and Riff Raff at No. 2 blew my mind (my take is that it got a lot of cool points but wasn’t great), but I was happy to see G-Dragon/Missy Elliott, Jennie/Doechii, RM/Wale and the (surprisingly great) B.I’s “BTBT” with Soulja Boy and Devita.

• Who would I add? Fair question, but then again, even I’m struggling to wonder if these do, in fact, count as K-pop and rap collaborations: RM and Little Simz’s “Domodachi” is an incredible track, will.i.am and apl.de.ap’s “Gettin’ Dumb” with 2NE1 still slaps, Fast and Furious single “Angel Pt. 1” with BTS’ Jimin, Kodak Black and NLE Choppa was well done, and “Girl of My Dreams” by Juice WRLD and Suga of BTS is never not a moving, haunting listening experience.

—Kevin Woo is serving vocals on “Deja Vu”: The new single reigniting his music career after focusing on Broadway and acting is his first to get the extra push from his recent signing with Randy Jackson’s Greater Than Distribution, who hosted a single release party in LA. Kevin collaborated with my friends ADN Lewis (known for work like Taemin’s “Move,” BTS V’s “Inner Child” and NCT Dream’s “Boom”) and Vanessa Jefferson (AleXa’s “Obsession,” NSB’s “Everblue,” Kevin’s “Phoenix”)

—Jackson Wang says, “Life is great, just gotta be a dick sometimes” on new single: “GBAD” which is the latest release from the absolutely on-fire producer Dem Jointz (who in 2025 already had three cuts on Jennie’s Ruby, including standout single “ExtraL” with Doechii, plus KiiiKiii’s “BTG” and NMIXX’s “Golden Recipe”). The Kendrick Lamar vibes are strong on this one.

—Monsta X star I.M is testing out a clubby new song on “Don’t Stop”: While he focuses on rapping in the boy band and much of his solo material has been in the R&B realm, this is a sonic left turn and an extremely cool area for I.M to experiment. I’m digging it and think it fits his mysterious aura perfectly.

—aespa’s English version and Steve Aoki remix of the 2024 single “Whiplash” are here. The Group of the Year for Billboard’s Women in Music 2024 event will perform at the Los Angeles event tomorrow, Saturday, March 29.

—Heads up, Pokémon fans: NCT WISH’s 2024 K-pop single “Make a Wish” for the pocket-monster brand is now available in an English version.

—POSTPONED: ARTMS was set to release their long-awaited “BURN” single this Friday, but the song has been postponed out of respect for the ongoing deadly wildfire situation in South Korea right now.

—SEVENTEEN’s Hoshi has a capsule collection with Diesel: “A 14-piece capsule collection inspired by the personal style of Hoshi. The Diesel ambassador and K-pop performer is known for his soulful voice and powerful dance moves. The capsule includes oversized hoodies, T-shirts, denim, baseball caps, jewelry and bags. A key motif is a silver chain link charm necklace with Diesel icons and Hoshi’s signature tiger.”

The capsule is available for pre-order today and will be in select Diesel stores from April 15. (Diesel)

—aespa’s Giselle goofed around with Anora star Mark Eydelshteyn on behalf of LOEWE: The 24-year-old was in Tokyo for the LOEWE Crafted World event before jetting off to Los Angeles for Billboard’s Women in Music.

@dizzzys

Just don't support this event. it's likely not even happening. #kpop #kpopfyp #poppopfest #kpopfestival #kpopconcert

—PopPop Fest is technically scheduled to Los Angeles' Venice Beach this June with K-pop acts like Kang Daniel, Kep1er, H1-Key, Young Posse, RESCENE, ICHILLIN’, 82Major and more on the lineup. But @dizzzys’ TikTok investigation with over 130,000 views is giving some fans and industry associates second thoughts I’m told.

From the chaos of KAMP LA 2022 to last year’s postponements of Krazy and WeBridge Festivals, new K-pop festivals do not currently have a strong track record in the U.S. at the moment.

—The Richest K-Pop Idols, Ranked (No. 1 Is Worth Over $250 Million!): There are literally no sources cited beyond “estimated net worth,” but this list ranks what is, supposedly, the 13 most wealthy K-pop idols. But I think the actual richest idols are the ones who produce and are songwriters for themselves and other artists. PSY, IU,  Kim Jae Joong, G-Dragon, members of BTS, BLACKPINK and more made the cut, but please shoot me a reply if you have info on whether these are true net worths and/or who’s missing here. (JustJared)

—Proving their vocals: NMIXX covered Rosé’s latest single “Toxic Till the End” and Beyoncé’s “Love on Top” (!!) during an appearance on The Seasons.

—The #LikeJENNIEChallenge is taking over K-pop, but this troupe from Nigeria’s Dream Academy that provides shelter, education, food, and life skills to street and orphaned girls may have just won this dance-off. Their TikTok has nearly one million views, and I have a strong feeling it’s going to go far higher.

@dreamcatchersda

Ouuuuu Wanna rock with Us! #jennie #likejennie #dreamcatchersacademy #kpop