Hey hey, a bonus episode to listen to on your Friday commute or while you do your weekend chores!  Margo, from K-Dramas with Margo out of France, and I recorded this episode for her podcast way back in March!  I had a lot of fun guesting on her show, and she was kind enough to share this file with me. You should remember Margo, she did an episode with me about the movie Decision to Leave! I figured it’s been a while since we’ve done a K-drama episode, so here you go!

The Glory may be my frontrunner for the best drama of 2023 so far.  It’s a revenge drama that is well-written and superbly acted. I think it is the best drama I’ve seen Song Hye-Kyo in. The rest of the cast is great too.  It’s dark and definitely NOT for young children or the squeamish (trigger warning: torture, domestic violence, and rape).

I hope you enjoy this episode!  If you speak French you can listen to Margo at Kdramas with Margo on most platforms and follow her @margo_dramas on Instagram

Thanks for listening!  

#theglory #netflix #kdrama #songhyekyo#asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

We're kicking off AAPI heritage month by talking with Jeff Yamazaki!  Jeff is a LA-based Model/Actor who is also a men’s fashion content creator on Instagram.  Jeff walks guys through simple ways to put together outfits and update their style.  He also vlogs his life in LA and abroad as well as shouts out AAPI Owned fashion labels.  I really enjoy his content and hope I can add use his tips to update my woefully bland style!

Follow Jeff on Instagram and TikTok @JeffYamazaki 

Some of the AAPI owned brands and content we referenced were:

Uprisers @weareuprisers 

Mod Ref @modrefclothing

Common Market @commonmarketstores

And on YouTube:

Tim Dessaint @timdessaint

You can let us know your thoughts at: [email protected], or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  We would love your ratings and reviews over at Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Our Theme:

“Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

#mensfashion #mensstyle #aapibrands #mensfashionadvice #mensfashiontips #mensstylingtips #japaneseamerican #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

*YOU CAN WATCH our interview and see them perform just for us on YouTube! https://youtu.be/dRqfxAkl7B8

Rolling Quartz is a 5-member female Korean Rock Band that is coming to the US for a 7 city tour in May! These young women are super talented and fun!  They write their own songs, perform every note, and have amazing stage presence.  If you don’t know them, get to know them!

I know using interpretation isn’t the best format for a podcast, but I hope you can hang with it as I think their fun personalities were still able to come through!  

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at Infatuasian.podbean.com

Special shoutouts to Don at MarcD photos for introducing me to Rolling Quartz, thanks to Jumi for doing some really great interpretation and translating of our questions and answers.  And huge thanks to Han Jeong-wook, from Rolling Star Entertainment for helping to set this up!

If you’re anywhere near Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Costa Mesa, Chicago, NYC, or Dallas, go see them live!  Tickets are available at https://www.fakestarusa.com   You can follow the band @rolling_quartz on Instagram or Twitter or find them on YouTube @Rollingquartzofficial

You can let us know your thoughts at: [email protected], or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  Can you do us a favor and share a link to this episode with your friends that might be interested?  Word of mouth is our best form of advertising!  

Our Theme:

“Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

#Diadem #다이아뎀 #RollingQuartz #롤링쿼츠 #FAKESTARUSA #RNRParadiseTour #다이아뎀 #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

I heard about Kelvin from my mom growing up.  Kelvin was the first and for a long time, the only Asian American that I knew who chose acting as a career.  He's been in over 100 productions on stage and screen.  Titles like: Nash Bridges, Law and Order, Grey's Anatomy, Entourage, West World, and more recently Partner Track and Beef!  I had such a great time talking about his career and getting his insights on how the industry has changed since the 90's.  He's a professional actor through and through and it's great seeing him continue to create characters on the small and big screen!

Listen to our episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or infatuasian.podbean.com

Follow Kelvin on Facebook or Instagram @kelvinhanyee, or read more about him at Kelvinhanyee.com

As usual, you can follow us @theinfatuasianpodcast on Instagram or Facebook.  Write to me on [email protected]

Thanks for listening!!!

Our Theme:

#asianamericanactor #kelvinhanyee #asianactor #aapihollywood #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #asianauthor #representationmatters

If you have ever looked up a Chinese food recipe online there is a strong possibility that you have stumbled upon The Woks of Life website run by the Leung Family!  We were totally excited to talk to the two younger members of the clan, Sarah and Kaitlin!  I had so much fun chatting about their journey in creating their amazing culinary blog that gets over 7 million visitors a month!  And now you can bring the blog home with you, in the form of a New York Times best-selling cookbook!

Listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc…

Do yourself a favor and go click on thewoksoflife.com to see all the great stuff on the site.  You can watch videos on YouTube and see more pictures on Instagram @thewoksoflife 

You can let us know your thoughts at: [email protected], or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  Can you do us a favor and share a link to this episode to your friends that might be interested?  Word of mouth is our best form of advertising!  

Our Theme:

“Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

#chinesecooking #thewoksoflife #cooking #chinesefood #homecooking #chineserecipes #asianfood #asiancooking #recipes #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

Surprise Bonus Episode! We had some time during Spring Break and decided to spend some of it chatting with author Gina Chung, whose debut novel is fresh off the press and available everywhere! It is a lovely tale of a woman named Aurora, Ro to her friends, as she deals with a bit of a quarter-life crisis. Everyone around Ro is going through some sort of big life change, which throws her into a vortex of emotions and indecision. Sea Change has been picked by Barnes and Noble as one of the most anticipated books for this spring, and Entertainment Weekly picked Sea Change as one of the books you need to shake off your winter blues.

Listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts or find us ⁠here on Spotify⁠

You can follow Gina @ginathechung on Instagram or at her website Gena-Chung.com But her book Sea Change wherever you get your books! New York folks, Gina may be at a book store near you when she's touring in April!

Music: Hotel California by the Eagles arranged and performed by Sungha Jung. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68JuSsC7LiA

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  We could use your ratings and reviews over at Apple. And now Spotify!

Our Theme:

“Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

#asianauthor #koreanamericanauthor #penguinrandomhouse #booksofinstagram #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

Kyle Shin a.k.a. Son of Paper is a San Francisco kid.  He writes music that reflects his mixed heritage as a 5 generation Chinese American and the son of a Korean immigrant.  His newest album, From a Rooftop In Chinatown, addresses a variety of topics affecting Asian Americans as well as anyone who’s been othered or overlooked.  

Son of Paper’s music is available on Spotify, Sound Cloud, Apple Music, or wherever you download music.  Follow Son of Paper @sonofpaper on social media or at ⁠Sonofpaper.com⁠

The Son of Paper songs we played are:

Intro song for today was “From a Rooftop In Chinatown” 

“Toothless”

“Missed Love”

Our outro was “Soju Over Ice” 

Thanks to my co-host and producer Kim Szeto, who can be found at @kyutiekimbers, look for her at Chinatown events throughout Spring!

You can let us know your thoughts at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  We would love your ratings and reviews over at Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

#sonofpaper #fromarooftopinchinatown #SFchinatown #asianrap

#asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

We’re wrapping up Women’s History Month 2023 with a special Teen Takeover episode!  

Producer Madison takes control of the podcast this week and interviews fellow teen creative Keertana Sreekumar.  Keertana is the youngest person to win the top screenwriting prize at the Toronto Independent Film Festival for her film “The California Child,” which is currently in production. Keertana is also producing a sitcom coming to Netflix in the near future. She is an accomplished artist, TEDx speaker, English teacher, and advocate for the support of youth arts. In the fall she’ll be wearing the baby blue and gold as a UCLA bruin!

To learn more about Keertana you can find her at keertanasreekuma.com or on Instagram or TikTok @keertana.sree 

Special thanks to Super Producer Madison Gee, who reached out to Keertana and produced this episode for us!  

You can let us know your thoughts on this episode or whatever else has peaked your interest at: [email protected], or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  We would love your ratings and reviews over at Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Our Theme:

“Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

#youthfilmmaker #highschool #teentakeover #screenwriter #artistsoninstagram #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

Michelle Lam is a story artist who has worked in Hollywood on various animation projects seen on Netflix and elsewhere.  In her "spare time," she creates comics and videos on Instagram and YouTube.  Her popular videos have been viewed millions of times and answer questions about her art school/career arc and gives glimpses of life as a working artist. 

And as of today, March 21st, she is a published graphic novelist!  Her book Meesh the Bad Demon, is out and available everywhere.  Meesh The Bad Demon is for middle readers and addresses issues about identity, belonging, prejudice, and courage. It's a really fun read, my daughters recommend it!  Published with  @randomhousekids  @knopfkids @penguinrandomhouse @aaknopf 

MEET MICHELLE in person at her RELEASE PARTY on Saturday March 25th, 2023, from 2-4 PM at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena!

For more details or to see more of Michelle's work and watch her videos, go to @mewtripled on Instagram or YouTube!  

Helping me on this episode with some art questions is our old pal Hayden (@Haydenthewu)  He worked in game development and is now doing content creation for the personal electric vehicle space. 

You can let us know your thoughts at: [email protected], or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  We would love your ratings and reviews over at Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Our Theme:

“Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

#meeshthebaddemon #bookstagram #graphicnovel #comic #artistsoninstagram #artistsofinstagram #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

Today we have the immense pleasure of hearing from singer/actor Stephanie Jae Park who is currently playing the part of Eliza Schuyler/Hamilton on Broadway, New York, New York!  She is an amazing singer and actor, who really gave us some insights into life on stage in a Broadway musical. 

Growing up loving musical theatre, I had mixed feelings about musicals like the King and I and Miss Saigon.  On the one hand, it was great to see Asians on stage, but on the other hand, these plays aren’t always uplifting to Asian culture or people.  In 2015, Hamilton broke casting barriers by putting a diverse cast on stage regardless of who the character was historically. Hamilton the musical proved that audiences are fine with actors of all backgrounds playing characters on stage regardless of the role.

In February 2022, Stephanie and her partner Voltaire Wade-Green released an album of original music as the duo Saffron Lips.  I hope you give her music a listen, it’s available on Spotify or Apple Music!  And if you can get to New York, please head down to theater row to see Stephanie slay as Eliza! Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now!

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus and stephaniejaepark.com

You can follow Stephanie @stephanieslaypark on Instagram, or visit her website StephanieJaePark.com  

You can let us know your thoughts at: [email protected], or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast 

Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.  We would love your ratings and reviews over at Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Music

“Cincinnati” by Saffron Lips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PxUnvSBMO4

Our Theme:

“Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

#broadway #hamilton #asiansonbroadway #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters