Sound Stories

I met Kwaca two days before this was recorded. He sat down, we just became good friends immediately.

Kwaca is a Korean singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist based in Seoul. He's the kind of person who writes music the way other people journal, to feel things and then get over them. He's also the chief producer behind Gemini, one of the most exciting voices in K-R&B right now, and he's currently working on his own solo project.

We talked about growing up between Korea and the Philippines, what it actually sounds like when a Third Culture Kid makes music, why his dating checklist keeps getting longer (and why that's a sign of growth, not pickiness), and the very Asian experience of loving your parents while waiting for them to say it back out loud.

Also: Shanghai is punk and funk. He said it. I stand by it.
If you're not already listening to Gemini, fix that first. Then come back here.

This episode has been living rent-free in my head for a long time. I almost made it a 5-minute video of me just yelling. I found a direction instead. You're welcome.

We're talking about why everyone wants to be a DJ but nobody wants to dance. And I mean that literally and as a metaphor. We broke down why the barrier to entry for DJing is lower than ever, what that's doing to the culture, why "DJ" as a personality trait has gotten kind of cringe in 2026, and what it actually means to be a real curator — not just someone with a deck and an aesthetic.

We also talked about why nobody dances anymore. Phones. Self-consciousness. The fear of being recorded looking like an idiot in a dark room full of strangers who do not care about you. Get over it.

And then there's Fred Again — who I'm using as the exception that proves the rule. Put in the work. Build the community. Make people lose their minds on the dance floor. That's the job.

Leave me a comment. Tell me I'm wrong. I can take it.

Listen, send it to your people, or leave a FIVE STAR or a 💚! 
Just do it loudly so my mom thinks I’m employed.

Kicki Zhang, I met her though the old fashion way, I slid into her DMs. Now she's on the podcast. This is just how friendships work when you're a Third Culture Kid, you find each other in the wild and you just never let each other go.

Kicki is a content creator based in Berlin, and one of the few people I know who has actually thought deeply about what it means to grow up as a visible minority in a country that never fully claims you. 

We talked about the "model immigrant" myth and why it's one of the most offensive things you can say to someone. About the phase where you tried to bleach yourself into someone else. About what it actually means to be a girls' girl in a competitive industry. And about why straight guys trying to be internet famous is, statistically, a red flag.

We also checked Taobao for crocodile meat. In real time.

Are you ready for this episode?

#SoundStories #KickiZhang #ThirdCultureKid #TCK #Podcast #AsianDiaspora #GirlsGirl #RacismInEurope #InfluencerCulture #Girlhood #ChinesePodcast #DiasporaStories

Quick question: when you think about the people and things you love, are you on that list?
Yeah. Didn't think so.

This episode is about small, low-effort habits to stop being your own biggest bully. No vision boards. No 5am routines. Just a few things that might make you slightly less mean to yourself, one day at a time.
Also I have a theory about white rice and soy sauce that I think you'll appreciate.

Listen, send it to your people, or leave a 💚! 
Just do it loudly so my mom thinks I’m employed.

#SoundStories #SelfTalk #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #PodcastRecommendation #ChinesePodcast #CreativeMindset

There’s a difference between spending money and spending it like an adult, which one are you gonna be? I'm not saying you gotta buy what I'm telling you, but use it as a point of reference from who has spent a lot of BS money before. 
#SoundStories #AdultMoney #IntentionalLiving #QualityOverQuantity #LifeStandards

Not everything cool costs money, some of it just costs intention and they can create a good time.

This episode is 10 random, low-cost things that make life feel better, sharper, slightly cinematic. No productivity pressure, no self-improvement agenda, just small shifts that change the texture of your day. Give them a try, let me know how it went.

Everyone loves talking about China, good or bad. But very few bother to really understand it. Consider this episode is your Chinese Modern Culture 101,
through five real entry points, not stereotypes, not headlines:

王菲
2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony
张艺谋
郭培/上官喆
张爱玲

I also talk about the Western habit of casually talking shit about China, while simultaneously living through their own “Chinese time of life.”, it was hella fun!

Let's argue in the comments.

Listen, send it to your people, or leave a FIVE STAR or a 💚! 

Just do it loudly so my mom thinks I’m employed.

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IG: https://www.instagram.com/soundstories.official/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoundStories.Official

我是特意在过年前录好这一集跟大家聊聊的。

问问你自己，你人生里， 第一次听到“我是为了你好”，是在什么时候？

这句话听起来很温柔，但为什么觉得是一种暴力？

这一期，我想把这句话拆开， 聊聊它如何在“关心”的名义下，对自己人生的信任。

Listen, share it to your people, or give me a 💚! Just do it loudly so my mom thinks I’m employed.

My 2026 first guest on Sound Stories is Leeyung 李睿洋.

We talked about his new album Taste of Youth,
and the five albums that influenced him the most —
the records that shaped his taste, instincts, and relationship with music.

Listen, send it to your people, or leave a FIVE STAR or a 💚! 

Just do it loudly so my mom thinks I’m employed.

Show love by following other outlets:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/soundstories.official/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3y45LciBq3hkAiLewfzPjy?si=58ae298f5d86435f

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoundStories.Official

2026 isn’t about more trends, I'm personally soooo ooooover IT. It’s all about backlash now.

The end of “clean girl.”AI everywhere — and the human response to it. Offline experiences becoming super important again. We are craving less polish, more personality.

These are not predictions for the algorithm.
They’re observations from watching culture crack, shift, and reassemble.

Agree. Disagree. Let’s argue about it.

Listen, send it to your people, or leave a FIVE STAR or a 💚! 

Just do it loudly so my mom thinks I’m employed.

Show love by following other outlets:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/soundstories.official/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoundStories.Official