photo credit: Kigon Kwak

Singer-songwriter Eric Nam has released his highly anticipated all-English sophomore album, 'There And Back Again', available to stream now on all digital platforms via The Orchard.

The irresistibly catchy, sleek pop record — with production contributed by frequent collaborator and GRAMMY Award-nominated hitmaker Rabitt—marks Eric's first release as a newly independent recording artist. The seven-song album features new single “Lost On Me”, as well as previously released tracks “Any Other Way” and “I Don’t Know You Anymore”. Out now, Eric also shares the official music video for “Lost On Me”, directed by Scott Lazer.

On 'There And Back Again', Eric unpacks the album’s deeply personal meaning and confronts past heartbreak, and also marks Eric's foray into music on his own terms. For him, the album’s meaning is layered. It reflects his experience of feeling like a foreigner no matter where he is, the highs and lows of relationships, and also the physical journey of Eric relocating from Atlanta to Korea for the past 10 years and returning home to become an independent artist.Eric shares, “'There And Back Again' is my first album I’m putting out as an independent artist. It’s definitely taken a while to get to this point and to be honest, it was a very tough process, but I’m thrilled with how it turned out and hopefully my fans and listeners will feel the same. I’m looking forward to seeing how people connect with the new sounds and to see fans on the road.” 

 

This year, with the pandemic still keeping most of us at home, many of us have sought to spending our free time binge-watching KDramas and we have been blessed with plenty remarkable dramas!

Here are some of our KDrama picks for 2021.

Inspector Koo

Lee Young Ae as Inspector Koo Kyung-Yi

Starring Lee Young Ae, ‘Inspector Koo’ tells a story of a former police officer in her 40s, who now works as a private detective and insurance investigator.

Compared to other thriller or mystery films, the drama is directed in a rather unconventional yet refreshing manner. Slightly dark yet entertaining with a perfect mix of comedy and mystery, viewers can expect to be hooked on ‘Inspector Koo’.

Imitation

Director Choi Hang-yong, Writer Park Eun-Kyo, Lee Mu-Saeng, Kim Sun-young, Gong Yoo, Bae Doona, Lee Joon, Lee Sungwook and Executive Producer Jung Woosung

On 22 December, the cast of Netflix's upcoming sci-fi, mystery-thriller film, 'The Silent Sea', attended the online media conference, together with Director Choi Hang-yong, Writer Park Eun-Kyo and Executive Producer Jung Woosung.

The set of the media conference was supposed to be the surface of the moon. The cast members arriving at the conference were 'landing on the moon', an extremely apt concept with 'The Silent Sea'.

The cast members expressed their excitement meeting one another again since their last shoot and also mentioned how the set of the media conference allowed them to recall the memories they had filming 'The Silent Sea'.

Director of 'The Silent Sea', Director Choi Hang-yong

Director Choi infomed that the series, 'The Silent Sea', is actually based on his graduation work. Adapted from Director Choi's short film, which garnered attention at the 2014 Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, he has expanded the story from it being focused on outer space originally, to now depicting the story on Earth and mankind.

"I wanted to create something true to my passion, that is physically on the moon," shared the talented and ambitious Director Choi.

Writer of 'The Silent Sea', Writer Park Eun-kyo

Writer Park Eun-kyo shared that a lot of research was done for the show and it was a long time in the making. As there are not many similar genres of such projects produced domestically yet, the writer added that it was a fun topic to explore and create.

Bae Doona, plays Song Jian in The Silent Sea

The A-list actress, Bae Doona, plays Song Jian, a well-known astrobiologist and ethologist, who took up the special mission to the moon to learn the truth behind an accident that happened 5 years ago.

When asked why she took up the role of Song Jian, the actress replied, "Korean sci-fi is a big challenge, I read the script and it was great so I took up the challenge.". Bae Doona also commented that 'The Silent Sea' will create food for thought and touch on social issues, which will be able to intrigue viewers.

When asked about the spacesuits that the cast members had to put on throughout the filming of the series, the actress revealed that the spacesuits weighed a significant 8.5kg (without the helmet and life support). 

Bae Doona revealed that the team tried their best for the suit to be as light as possible, but it was still heavy and it was also almost difficult to breathe in the helmet, which allowed her and the other cast members to feel like they were really on the moon.

Gong Yoo, plays Han Yunjae in The Silent Sea

Similar to Bae Doona, the A-list actor Gong Yoo, has also received much attention on his character as Han Yunjae. The actor plays the youngest captain of the Space and Aeronautics Administration's Expedition Team.

The actor revealed that he accepted the role as he wanted to challenge himself in the genre and series, and that he found no reason to not join this project of 'The Silent Sea'.

"I'm also interested in a dystopian world backdrop and it was refreshing,", commented Gong Yoo, who expressed his satisfaction of the series.

The actor also talked about the spacesuit and use of wires for the filming, stating that it restricted easy movement, as if there was really zero gravity.

Lee Joon, plays Ryu Taesuk in The Silent Sea

The versatile idol-actor, Lee Joon, plays the chief engineer and former Ministry of National Defense elite. Lee Joon also revealed that he is very interested in outer space and that one of his hobbies included looking up information and researching on the outer space matters.

He also candidly mentioned that behind-the-scenes, the cast members will be dancing on the filming set and having fun together.

Lee Joon also expressed his joy to be in many productions that are currently airing.

Kim Sun-young, plays Doctor Hong Gayoung in The Silent Sea

Kim Sun-young plays the vital role of Doctor Hong Gayoung, the genius team doctor who is responsible for the lives of her crew members on the mission to the moon.

The actress joked that she said "yes" to the role upon seeing Jung Woosung as the Executive Producer for the project. Kim Sun-young continued to express her respect for the Jung Woosung as an executive producer and actor himself, by sharing episodes on her prior interactions with him, showing his passion in his works.

Lee Mu-saeng, plays Gong Soohyuk in The Silent Sea

Lee Mu-saeng plays the role of Gong Soohyuk, the chief security officer for the expedition team and the older brother of Soochan. Strong yet silent, Soohyuk stays true to the mission while putting his life on the line.

After months of excitement and speculation, the highly anticipated Korean drama, Snowdrop, will debut on Disney+ Hotstar for audiences across Asia on December 18. Set against the backdrop of the political turmoil that swept across the Korean peninsula in 1987, Snowdrop features Jung Hae-In, star of Tune in for Love and While You Were Sleeping, and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, in a 16-part series. Snowdrop was written by Yoo Hyun-mi and directed by Jo Hyun-tak - the duo behind the 2018 thriller Sky Castle.When a blood-soaked man (Jung Hae-In) bursts into the dormitory of a women’s university in Seoul, Eun Yeong-ro (Jisoo) will go against her better judgement and risk being expelled to hide the man from his attackers and tend to his wounds. Unbeknownst to Yeong-ro, the man has a harrowing secret that threatens to put her friends’ and family’s safety at risk, and the two young lovers will have to work together to overcome the obstacles.Centered around a forbidden romance of a young couple, Snowdrop features Jisoo’s debut starring performance in a Korean drama and will take viewers on an emotional rollercoaster full of excitement, action and romance. As Yeong-ro, she goes against her family and her country to help the man she loves and the mysterious blood-soaked man puts everything on the line to save the only thing he loves more than his country. 

Lachica, a dance team consisting of Gabee, Rian and Simeez, also, well known for their appearance at dance survival program - 'Street Woman Fighter'. Recently they  have launched a K-Pop dance Experience on Airbnb and the members will host Online and in-real-life Experiences for guests from all over the world.Lachica captured the hearts of Koreans when they appeared on the dance competition series, Street Woman Fighter. Since then, Lachica has earned a reputation as one of the Korea’s best K-Pop dance choreography teams, having worked with K-Pop superstars including Twice, aespa, Hyoyeon, BoA, and Chungha. Team Lachica is one of the judges on TV series Street Dance Girls Fighter, where teenage dancers battle it out in front of captivated audiences.