Although almost two years late to this entry, I've found myself questioning the same things recently. The pool seems smaller and smaller, what with the expectation that things are sensationalized or prescreened by the various Korean companies. I recall reading one of your interviews of Tablo and I'm glad I've come across your Substack.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comment. I can't count the number of times when I was asked to send in questions in advance for approval. I think I am more flexible when translation is an issue. But often times, it gives teams the leeway to outright pick and choose what to answer, which I am less okay with. Tablo was one of the rare instances where he just spoke his mind. I really appreciated that conversation, and I am glad you enjoyed it too!
I absolutely agree, Sam! Investigative journalists are crucial in creating transparency in an industry like music that is so influential and lucrative. Also knowledgeable cultural journalists help us contextualise the evolution of music.
Danyel Smith is one of my favourite music journalists. In the 90s when music journalism was dominated by white men (nothing has changed there) she wrote for, then edited Black music magazine Vibe and spoke with EVERY Black artist. The growth of Black American music was like a symbiotic relationship between the music creators and the music critics. Kpop can only benefit from a similar kind of passionate (but not fawning) critical attention.
(Side note: if a publication was going to dedicate a journalist to the Taylor Swift tour, would have been brilliant if they'd chosen a financial journalist. A peek behind the huge numbers we keep seeing would have been fresh and empowering for women in music.)
Keep doing great work! I love reading your insights and analysis.
Publications like Vibe have been so important and influential -- especially at a time when mainstream publications weren't covering many Black artists! I agree that Taylor Swift is probably worthy of a beat due to the fact that she is basically a *corporation* but that should also mean looking into other things beyond her fandom and relationships and maybe more into how she shapes the economy or her politics. Thank you for reading the newsletter and always being such a great supporter!
"...if journalism is meant for the public interest, we need to start interrogating what many people are thinking and stop giving in to softball questions"
I don't know if journalism as public interest applies to art. Artists are not politicians, or civil servants or doctors. They create art that we can choose to consume or not. I like that we are out of the past era where media outlets were the gatekeepers of culture and artists were forced to sit down with journalists to answer sometimes extremely intrusive questions in order to promote their work. I prefer this new phase where artists are able to share what they want. They can use podcasts and vlogs and other digital tools to interact with fans and explain their art themselves without having to refract it through a middle person.
I think journalists can still play an important role as critic and culture analyst, but it's not essential that they sit down with the artists to play that role. There is a danger with art journalism (when the artist is famous and in demand) that it becomes more show biz, not about the art but about gossip and scandal and personal information. Artists then give canned answers to protect themselves. For this reason find I learn more about artists by seeing them in conversation with fellow artists ie Suchwita or those Directors on Directors style interviews Variety magazine does because the artists are more relaxed and open and the interviewer isn't trying to get a headline.
I agree, nobody benefits from softball questions and boring answers. But media publications don't have the budgets to send journalists along to get to know artists for a few days, or often even to interview them in person. I'm not sure how intimate you can get with the current crazy pace of journalism. I appreciate those who are passionate about continuing to elevate music journalism though.
Interesting points, Shade! I actually think that self-produced content and music journalism can co-exist, and each serve important purposes for fans and those who want to learn more. It's true that self produced content like vlogs and in-house content can give us a glimpse inside the artist's mind more than a news article or profile ever will. However, it also allows the artist and the company a lot of control in shaping their narrative and what the public sees.
I think where I would draw the line is when artists fail to address criticism or certain scandals, in which case journalism plays an important role. This probably is an extreme case, but I think about stories like the Burning Sun scandal that probably would have never come to light without the brave investigative work of entertainment journalists in Korea. (Highly recommend this BBC podcast about it!) I also think music criticism and articles still has value to artists (albeit, maybe not in the same way it once did). It's still very much one of the ways to draw in new listeners and promote their work. And some people may not necessarily find out about a K-pop artist right away from their personal YouTube channels.
Entertainment journalism has always been complicated and messy. But the optimist and dreamer in me still believes there can be lots of room for it to grow and be great!
This is a really good discussion. I come from the sports journalism world, and the best and most ethical put aside their fandom for a sport/team/athlete to do ethical reporting. Kpop should be no different for journalists who are skilled and professional. The Gannett Swiftie stan is problematic, because he was quoted in his intro article as saying he is like a sports fan of something who ends up covering the team. Wrong. That’s the amateur way. So thanks for bringing that up. If I talk to BTS or Serena Williams, even though I am a fan of both, I use my knowledge of their careers to be objective and hopefully ask more nuanced questions. ✌️🫰🏻
I actually think in many cases that being a fan makes things even harder, because of the level of separation. I've never really been a fan of the sentiment that fans should be the ones to interview their favourite stars...after all, good research and removing biases actually can make a big difference! I'm glad I am not the only person that was kind of bothered by the Gannett Swiftie reporter's comments. Thank you for the comment!
Although almost two years late to this entry, I've found myself questioning the same things recently. The pool seems smaller and smaller, what with the expectation that things are sensationalized or prescreened by the various Korean companies. I recall reading one of your interviews of Tablo and I'm glad I've come across your Substack.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comment. I can't count the number of times when I was asked to send in questions in advance for approval. I think I am more flexible when translation is an issue. But often times, it gives teams the leeway to outright pick and choose what to answer, which I am less okay with. Tablo was one of the rare instances where he just spoke his mind. I really appreciated that conversation, and I am glad you enjoyed it too!
I absolutely agree, Sam! Investigative journalists are crucial in creating transparency in an industry like music that is so influential and lucrative. Also knowledgeable cultural journalists help us contextualise the evolution of music.
Danyel Smith is one of my favourite music journalists. In the 90s when music journalism was dominated by white men (nothing has changed there) she wrote for, then edited Black music magazine Vibe and spoke with EVERY Black artist. The growth of Black American music was like a symbiotic relationship between the music creators and the music critics. Kpop can only benefit from a similar kind of passionate (but not fawning) critical attention.
(Side note: if a publication was going to dedicate a journalist to the Taylor Swift tour, would have been brilliant if they'd chosen a financial journalist. A peek behind the huge numbers we keep seeing would have been fresh and empowering for women in music.)
Keep doing great work! I love reading your insights and analysis.
Publications like Vibe have been so important and influential -- especially at a time when mainstream publications weren't covering many Black artists! I agree that Taylor Swift is probably worthy of a beat due to the fact that she is basically a *corporation* but that should also mean looking into other things beyond her fandom and relationships and maybe more into how she shapes the economy or her politics. Thank you for reading the newsletter and always being such a great supporter!
I think this is a really interesting topic.
"...if journalism is meant for the public interest, we need to start interrogating what many people are thinking and stop giving in to softball questions"
I don't know if journalism as public interest applies to art. Artists are not politicians, or civil servants or doctors. They create art that we can choose to consume or not. I like that we are out of the past era where media outlets were the gatekeepers of culture and artists were forced to sit down with journalists to answer sometimes extremely intrusive questions in order to promote their work. I prefer this new phase where artists are able to share what they want. They can use podcasts and vlogs and other digital tools to interact with fans and explain their art themselves without having to refract it through a middle person.
I think journalists can still play an important role as critic and culture analyst, but it's not essential that they sit down with the artists to play that role. There is a danger with art journalism (when the artist is famous and in demand) that it becomes more show biz, not about the art but about gossip and scandal and personal information. Artists then give canned answers to protect themselves. For this reason find I learn more about artists by seeing them in conversation with fellow artists ie Suchwita or those Directors on Directors style interviews Variety magazine does because the artists are more relaxed and open and the interviewer isn't trying to get a headline.
I agree, nobody benefits from softball questions and boring answers. But media publications don't have the budgets to send journalists along to get to know artists for a few days, or often even to interview them in person. I'm not sure how intimate you can get with the current crazy pace of journalism. I appreciate those who are passionate about continuing to elevate music journalism though.
Shade
Interesting points, Shade! I actually think that self-produced content and music journalism can co-exist, and each serve important purposes for fans and those who want to learn more. It's true that self produced content like vlogs and in-house content can give us a glimpse inside the artist's mind more than a news article or profile ever will. However, it also allows the artist and the company a lot of control in shaping their narrative and what the public sees.
I think where I would draw the line is when artists fail to address criticism or certain scandals, in which case journalism plays an important role. This probably is an extreme case, but I think about stories like the Burning Sun scandal that probably would have never come to light without the brave investigative work of entertainment journalists in Korea. (Highly recommend this BBC podcast about it!) I also think music criticism and articles still has value to artists (albeit, maybe not in the same way it once did). It's still very much one of the ways to draw in new listeners and promote their work. And some people may not necessarily find out about a K-pop artist right away from their personal YouTube channels.
Entertainment journalism has always been complicated and messy. But the optimist and dreamer in me still believes there can be lots of room for it to grow and be great!
This is a really good discussion. I come from the sports journalism world, and the best and most ethical put aside their fandom for a sport/team/athlete to do ethical reporting. Kpop should be no different for journalists who are skilled and professional. The Gannett Swiftie stan is problematic, because he was quoted in his intro article as saying he is like a sports fan of something who ends up covering the team. Wrong. That’s the amateur way. So thanks for bringing that up. If I talk to BTS or Serena Williams, even though I am a fan of both, I use my knowledge of their careers to be objective and hopefully ask more nuanced questions. ✌️🫰🏻
I actually think in many cases that being a fan makes things even harder, because of the level of separation. I've never really been a fan of the sentiment that fans should be the ones to interview their favourite stars...after all, good research and removing biases actually can make a big difference! I'm glad I am not the only person that was kind of bothered by the Gannett Swiftie reporter's comments. Thank you for the comment!