I Think I’m in a Gang!
HAPPY ARMY DAY 2026!!!!!! As I look back on this article I wrote while I was still Baby ARMY about 7 years ago, I can’t believe how far I have come in my love of BTS and my love of my fellow ARMY. I have made friends and connections with so many people from not […]
Connected Through Music: How a HBCU Helped Shape Korean Cultural History
Any fan of K-pop would be able to tell you that the fundamental foundation of the music is directly related to Black American R&B, and HipHop. SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man, known as the Godfather of the K-pop, admitted that Black American music and the trainee system used by Motown Records founder Barry Gordy […]
My Opinionated Rant: Expectation vs Reality: Arirang and BTS
On March 20, 2026, BTS most anticipated comeback with their 5th studio album Arirang was released. This would be their first studio album in more than 6 years following a pause due to the 2020 global pandemic, and then an official hiatus due to compulsory military service. In between the two, they released a string […]
Korea and Pride: Queer Culture in the Background
Starting in the United States in 1999 and adapted globally over time, every year June is recognized in most parts of the world as Pride Month. For those of you not familiar, Pride is a global celebration and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community. However, Pride is not as widely celebrated in some countries. If it […]
“What about my oppa?” K-Pop Fans Concerns During South Korea’s Brief Period of Martial Law
Stopping the Repeat of History On December 3rd, 2024, at approximately 10:30 PM KST South Korean President Yoon Sik Yeol announced on national television that he was enacting his Presidental power and placing the country into martial law. Merriam Webster Dictionary describes martial law as the law administered by military forces that is invoked by a […]
The Saga that is Ticketmaster
For you K-pop stans this Ticketmaster kerfuffle has been an on going issue for more than a decade. However more recently Ticketmaster and their questionable practices have only been exacerbated by the pandemic and loosely regulated standards of practice for the ticketing industry. In addition with the use of “bots“, a computer program that runs automated tasks […]
Here Me Out: Unpopular Opinion-Can extreme fan support be detrimental.
As I listen to J-Hope’s new solo album Jack in the Box and read English translations, something occurs to me. What if all the accolades, the number one albums and singles, all the chart topping and record breaking, history making was just too much. What if all the excessive album buying campaigns and purposely purchasing […]
Why do I call myself the Melanin Ajumma?
Recently I had a friend ask me about the name of this blog, The Melanin Ajumma, and why I had chosen such a name. Being Black American, she understood the melanin part of the name, but not being familiar with Korean Culture, she had no idea the reasoning behind Ajumma. It then hit me, that […]
Finding Motivation through Fandoms
I’m not sure how many of you have been having a hard time finding motivation to still be productive and creative during this global pandemic. It’s been so hard for me to finish a few blogs that I have written over the last few months. As an essential worker in NYC it has been a […]
I Think I’m in a Gang!
I’ve been in this world of Korean dramas, pop, hip-hop and R&B for about 2 years now. One of the first things I noticed was the deep and eminence passion that people feel for their favorite groups, idols and entertainment personalities. Stan culture is real! Like so real, internet wars have broken out. These Twitter/Internet […]