ArcaMax

SEOUL, South Korea – It is a stiflingly hot day in Seoul. But when Kim Jin-kwon – known professionally as Jinkwon – arrives for an interview at the Somerset Palace in the heart of the city, he appears cool in every sense of the word. The college student, 22, has a lot on his plate. Besides being the leader of the K-pop group Newkidd, he’...Read more

After touring and playing guitar for Firefall for just shy of 50 years, founding member Jock Bartley knows a thing or two about making travel more pleasant. “Don’t fight what’s going on, accept and deal with whatever comes on the road and be polite and mild-mannered – but have good boundaries,” Bartley said from his home in Westminster...Read more

Umchina/엄친아 is a Korean portmanteau for “mother’s friend’s son.” This son may not even exist, but he’s the standard that other children are compared to. Eric Nam is a real-life umchina. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Nam graduated from Boston College and was offered a job as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in New ...Read more

“Entertainment Tonight” co-host Nischelle Turner knows a thing or two about traveling. She’s hosted the celebrity-oriented news show from Hawaii, Nashville and the Bahamas, and also traveled to Rome to cover Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” franchise. Though it might be tempting to try to piggyback a vacation onto the trips, Turner ...Read more

Kim Sejeong has a busy few months ahead of her, but the singer and actress is excited about her packed schedule. She’s the female lead of “The Uncanny Counter” – the second season is currently airing on Netflix – and is prepping for a concert tour to promote her first full-length album “DOOR (門),” which will release on September ...Read more

Carla Patullo’s latest album "So She Howls" was borne out of tragedy. Years ago, her mother died in a car accident after having dinner at her apartment. “I struggled with the guilt of her visiting me that night,” said Patullo, who resides in Los Angeles. “It was very hard to process. Fast-forward many years later, and I had my own brush ...Read more

Jose Llana is excited to reprise his role in the David Byrne and Fatboy Slim Broadway musical “Here Lies Love.”

“I play President Ferdinand Marcos [who was] the husband of Imelda Marcos,” said Llana, who had previously earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his portrayal of Marcos during the show’s Off-Broadway run. “He was ...Read more

When the pandemic derailed Beth Bombara’s plans to tour, she took that time to concentrate on new music. It was then that she rediscovered a neglected guitar she had stored away, which became instrumental in her songwriting process. It was a classical guitar, “[which] means it looks like an acoustic guitar, but it has nylon strings and a ...Read more

It is midnight in Seoul when Shownu and Hyungwon log on for our Zoom interview. Despite the late hour – which they chose, rather than asking western media to stay up late for them – the two members of the South Korean group Monsta X show no signs of fatigue. They are dressed in immaculate white T-shirts and easily riff off each other as they...Read more

For her upcoming novel “The Apology” (Little, Brown and Company) – which releases on Aug. 1 – Jimin Han culled on years of memories for parts of her book. “I’ve had fragments of it written out on my laptop for years but never knew what to do with them,” said Han, who resides with her family outside of New York City. “I thought ...Read more

In the Netflix series “XO, Kitty” – which has been renewed for a second season – Peter Thurnwald plays the role of a high school teacher who happens to be a Korean adoptee who grew up in Australia. In real life, Thurnwald also was adopted from South Korea to Australian parents. “For me growing up in Australia, I didn't really have any ...Read more

When Belinda Carlisle was a little girl, she dreamed of becoming a travel agent. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted was to see the world,” said Carlisle, who’d go on to become the lead singer for the Go-Go’s. “Then I decided being in a band would be a much better way to see the world.” What she didn’t count on, though, was that the...Read more

For Molly Leary, giving up her music career in Austin to move back to California’s Gold Country was a no brainer. Both her young daughters had been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and California had the kind of resources to treat children with special needs that weren’t available to them in Texas. Another bonus was that Leary’s family ...Read more

With her first memoir “All You Can Ever Know,” Nicole Chung candidly offered personal reflections on being a transracial adoptee. The bestselling author’s latest book “A Living Remedy” (Ecco) deals with grief, classism and America’s broken healthcare system, which contributed to the deaths of both her adoptive parents. Asked if it ...Read more

For Kearran Giovanni, travel has always played a huge part in her relationship with discovering delicious food. “My family knows [that] I don’t eat breakfast ... except in Mexico,” said the actress, known for her roles in “Walker,” “American Soul” and “Major Crimes.” “Mexican breakfast is one of my most favorite meals. The ...Read more

A rapper, singer, songwriter and producer, Kim Han-bin has been known professionally as B.I since his 2015 debut with the South Korean group iKON. The multi-hyphenate musician is a solo artist now and is promoting his latest album, “To Die For.” That title along with the promotional poster’s YOLO message – dream as if you'll live forever...Read more