Asian Pop Nation

For this special episode, the gang here at Asian Pop Nation were joined by the wonderful hosts Eugenie and Beth over at Talk On Your Fork, where we talked about everything food, culture, and cuisine!

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

And follow Talk On Your Fork on their Instagram too! @talkonyourfork.syn

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wen Pei is a singer-songwriter and artist (and fellow SYN host on The Hoist!) whose soft and enchanting melodies sung in Hokkien and Mandarin, will have you feeling the windy breeze and warm sun on your face no matter where you are listening from. While the APN team first learnt of her through the opening night of Limitless Play at No Vacancy Gallery last year, she most recently opened for Japanese-American jazz-influenced indie rock artist Mei Semones last month on Sunday 14th June. 🐈🍂

Hear us sit down with Wen Pei and her partner/accompanist Alex to talk all about this incredible experience they had playing The Corner Hotel, songwriting, and the importance of singing in dialect. If you missed seeing the show - well you’re in luck, you will be able to hear a very special live performance straight from the SYN studios as well! 

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

Follow Wen Pei on Instagram - @_waterclover
and Alex on Instagram - @alex.ariel.makes

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

APN had the pleasure of interviewing Cupnoodle - a Thai German independent singer-songwriter based in Bangkok, Thailand. She has been releasing the most delicious soul and jazz infused pop music since 2020 - writing from an in-between space fusing Asian and Western music styles, singing in English and Thai, and she is unafraid to be playful in her lyrics and music. 

Her latest single "A.I. CAN'T DO" is a track that celebrates how music is so human - something that cannot be replicated by AI, and will be alongside other singles such "Best Shot" in her upcoming album titled FARANG, which we learn all about in this interview. 

(2:28) Cupnoodle on her new single A.I CAN'T DO 

(6:39) The meaning behind the food themes across her music discography 

(8:01) Singing (and laughing!) in Thai and paying homage to "the land of smiles" :) 🇹🇭

(13:57) Where it all began for Cupnoodle - and being an indpendent artist

(16:09) Mixing cuisines of music 

(21:40) Upcoming album FARANG (foreigner) and being okay with not belonging in one place

(25:30) Future plans.... tour in Melbourne?

Watch the new music video for "A.I CAN'T DO"   here!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

And follow Cupnoodle on Instagram - @cupnoodlemusic 

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coincidentally, the APN team had a lot to say about Japan this episode beginning with maid cafes, One Piece Live Action - and ending with a discussion on how Japan is romanticised online, with people on TikTok romanticising their hometowns by pretending it is 'Tokyo, Japan' 🇯🇵🌸 ... 

We had so much to say about BTS last episode that we continued that discussion here as well! We had a full retrospective of BTS and their (coming up to) 13 year long career as we truly felt the need to borahae just a little longer 💜

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A jam packed episode filled with throwbacks to some iconic K-pop debuts and one of the team's most favourite rhythm games they were obsessed with (arguably still) Project Sekai!! As well as more recent happenings in the Asian pop world - most importantly the long awaited comeback of BTS post-military service, with the album, 'ARIRANG'. Listen to hear our initial thoughts and opinions of this comeback and a retrospective on BTS's career thus far. 💜

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode APN revisit an...altercation between Knetz and SEA Kpop fans over concert etiquette, as well as report on a very recent (at the time of recording) shock departure of Heeseung from ENHYPEN. More topics include a segment on older genres of Asian pop as well as, your favourite, an anime attack!!

(0:04) Intro

(2:13) Anime Attack: Sentenced to Be Absolute Trash

(15:31) K-Pop Wars: SEAblings vs. Knetz

(24:35) Asian Pop History!

(32:52) Heesung leaving ENHYPEN...

(42:57) Asian Exellence in the Winter Olympics (and byebye)

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week APN had the pleasure of sitting down with comedian Harry Jun, who was visiting Melbourne for his run of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. His show titled "Inside Jokes, Outside Voice" actually sold out its entire Naarm run (we are so proud 🥹), and our team who luckily snagged tickets can absolutely see why.

So if you missed out on seeing his set, this interview is a must-listen! Jessica, Denise and Annabella chat to Harry Jun (not to be confused with K-pop idol Harry June of DKB, its an inside joke 😉, you have to listen to the end to find out) about "choppelgangers", bed-rotting, how he went from a high-school teacher to comedian, and of course all about his comedic process behind the show!

(0:04) Witty Banter with Harry Jun

(3:19) Inside Joke, Outside Voices

(11:30) From teacher to comedian

(16:50) Multicultural/multilingual comedy

(23:54) Edinbrugh Fringe and shoutout to Jenny Tian!

(26:30) Growing up Korean-Aussie and introducing Korean culture

(33:36) Socials and future projects!

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

And follow Harry Jun on Instagram - @_harryjun_

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HOW WE FEELIN OUT THERE? APN, PRESENT!!! 🫡 Not me quoting songs two podcast episode captions back to back. This week Denise and Annabella talk about their experience at the In Your Fantasy tour at Rod Laver arena and give you a quick run down on the iconic group, ATEEZ. They also both gush over the representation in Bridgerton S4 🏰 and the adorable new starters in the upcoming Pokemon: Wind and Waves 🦎🦉🐕. As well as a commentary on the "You met me at a very Chinese time in my life" trend...

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 12am to 2pm for all the wonderful tunes! Or find all the songs we have ever played on APN in the past here !

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week APN dropped it like hot, hot, hot, oh jigeum feeling so hot. No we did not play HOT by SEVENTEEN but we did talk all things Heated Rivalry - the hot new show generating lots of discussion and love, and Hotpot Bomb  - the hot new food product that claimed to be the 'first' of its kind...generating lots of discussion and hate. And finally, Annabella again makes the most of her solo time in the studio and yaps about her favourite neighbours, BOYNEXTDOOR and explains all about their lore/concept.

(7:54) Heated Rivalry and its Asian-ness (?) 🏒

(22:19) Logan "The Cucumber Guy" and Fly By Jing's Hotpot Bomb 💣 controversy

(33:20) WHO'S THERE? THE BOYNEXTDOOR 🩵🚪 !!! (their new live album is so good...)

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 11am to 1pm for all the wonderful tunes!

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello and welcome back to Asian Pop Nation! The very first show of 2026, and the first of the Year of the Fire Horse 🐴🔥. Episode one meant only one person in the studio, your Executive Producer for 2026 - Annabella! She took many liberties this solo show to talk all things ZEROBASEONE before they d*sbanded and how much she loves member, Seok Matthew - who somehow healed her inner cultural identity crisis with learning her mother tongue. 

She also talks about the many songs she had lined up for that show to make up for lack of people, you can view the tracklist on our Instagram or listen to the APN 2026 S1 playlist here! 

(3:56) The ZEROBASEONE special <3 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

(23:20) Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year? Why are we still having this debate...

 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - @asianpopnation

Please note that SYN does not have the rights to podcast the music it plays on 90.7FM. That means you'll have listen live on SYN 90.7FM | DAB+ syn.org.au every Saturday from 11am to 1pm for all the wonderful tunes!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.