Jeff Benjamin

New York

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Award-winning journalist + K-pop columnist. Words @Billboard @NYTimes @RollingStone @Forbes @Variety + More | Contact: [email protected]

Featured in: Favicon

billboard.com Favicon

forbes.com Favicon

msn.com

yahoo.com (+1) Favicon

go.com

buzzfeed.com Favicon

vice.com

npr.org

hollywoodreporter.com Favicon

variety.com + 55 more

Articles

‘Lee Soo Man: King Of K-Pop’ Documentary Examines A Legendary K-Pop Legacy

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

While K-pop has made its ways onto streaming services via documentaries and concert series from top acts like BTS, BLACKPINK and Stray Kids, rarely does its industry power players get the spotlight. But a new Amazon MGM Studios documentary is peeling back the curated layers of the K-pop scene to better reveal the complex and brilliant figure that’s been at its center for nearly 30 years: Lee Soo Man, the man widely dubbed as a “king of K-pop” as the subject of the highly anticipated feature.
EPEX Holding 1st K-Pop Concert In China In A Decade Excites Markets

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

When EPEX takes the concert stage on May 31, the boy band won’t just be holding the China stop of their Youth Deficiency Asia Tour but marking a major potential thaw in cultural barriers and a possible business renaissance for K-pop on the mainland.
J-Hope Brings ‘HOPE ON THE STAGE’ Tour Finale To Cinemas Globally

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

Continuing a monumental year that cemented his status as a stadium-sized solo superstar in K-pop, J-Hope is sharing the final bow of his world tour with movie theaters around the globe. The BTS star’s landmark debut solo world tour, Hope on the Stage, will culminate in a live cinema broadcast of its closing night at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome on Saturday, May 31.
SEVENTEEN HxW, P1Harmony, IVE, JO1 & izna So Far

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

Los Angeles will soon pulsate with the energy of Korean-pop culture as KCON LA 2025 returns with a range of top-tier artists and experiences catering to different fan interests, all while expanding the definition of K-pop.
Emotional Oranges on 'Orenjii' Album, 'Call It Off' ft Jaehyun of NCT

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

Emotional Oranges cemented themselves as architects of a new, global soul sound when silky, genre-bending songs like “West Coast Love,” “Sundays,” and “Motion” resonated with everyone from jazz festivalgoers to international pop stars. Today, the L.A.-based duo raised the stakes with a new single featuring Jaehyun of the experimental K-pop supergroup NCT.
Bain of K-Pop Boy Band JUST B Comes Out at L.A. Concert: ‘F—ing Proud to Be Part of the LGBT Community’

3 weeks ago | billboard.com | Jeff Benjamin

A rare, celebratory moment of LGBTQ+ representation in the K-pop scene took place in Los Angeles on Tuesday night during the final stop of JUST B’s JUST ODD World Tour, when member Bain took a moment to speak to the crowd while performing a section of the concert solo.
ATEEZ World Tour 'Towards the Light' Concert Film in Theaters May 2025

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

ATEEZ will light up movie theaters worldwide this May with the release of a new concert film. The live juggernaut K-pop group stars in the ATEEZ World Tour [Towards the Light : Will to Power] in Cinemas that will transport audiences to January 2024 for the tour’s kickoff performance at Jamsil Arena in Seoul.
ENHYPEN At Coachella, Walk The Line World Tour Confirm Stadium Status

4 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

Following a fantastic debut at Coachella 2025, ENHYPEN define a new level of global stage presence by cementing its status as a stadium act. On Saturday, April 13, ENHYPEN took to the Sahara stage for a 45-minute set that opened with the septet supported by a full backing band, 12 dancers, and a massive declaration displayed across the stage’s giant LED lights to “FUEL THE FEVER” in reference to the group’s 2021 track.
6 Ways LISA & JENNIE Shined (And Silenced Critics) With Their Coachella Solo Sets

1 month ago | billboard.com | Jeff Benjamin

6 Ways LISA & JENNIE Shined (And Silenced Critics) With Their Coachella Solo SetsBeing in one of the world's biggest girl groups has its fair share of haters, but both BLACKPINK divas came ready to show the world what they could do in the desert. Jennie and Lisa of BLACKPINK perform onstage at the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on Aug.
BLACKPINK Get 2nd ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Feature In Rosé ‘APT.’ Lip Sync

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jeff Benjamin

RuPaul’s Drag Race delivered a rare and electrifying nod to K-pop in an exciting display of cultural and musical crossover. The popular competition series show incorporated Rosé’s hit single “APT.” with Bruno Mars into its signature Lip Sync Battle, marking the second notable reference to BLACKPINK on the series and signaling a further merging of global-pop music with mainstream queer culture.