Eric Nam on Why Australians Love South Korea
"We love food, we love to drink. We love to go out, and things are open forever," Eric Nam says
Hearing the words “at 2am … you could go and find pretty much any cuisine you wanted” might not be a controversial statement to anybody who’s spent any time in Korea, but it’s something Eric Nam wants to point out after his third trip to Sydney for his most recent Australian tour.
During his latest visit to our shores, Rolling Stone AU/NZ Editor-in-Chief Poppy Reid sat down with the Korean/American singer-songwriter to talk about his music career, the K-Pop industry, and what else Korea could export to Australia that we’d love to lap up.
Toward the end of the interview, we got the best insight from Nam about what Australians are likely to love the most about South Korea.
“The food and drinking culture. We love food, we love to drink. We love to go out, and things are open forever. You guys close at like, 5pm. You guys close very early, but Korea stays open forever. [On] Monday morning, you can go to work in Korea. It’s 8am, and people are still at the club.”
“So day clubs are a thing?” Reid asked.
“No – they’re just up all night, and they’re leaving the club at 8 or 10am. It’s not a day club, they’re just up all night,” Nam responded.
On hearing all of the things available to any punter at any given hour in the vibrant and buzzing streets of Seoul, Reid summed up what we’re all thinking: “Aussies would love that.”
K-Pop has, in recent years, made deep roots in Australia with a burgeoning and diverse fanbase embracing its weird and wonderful performances. Nam, who was born and raised in the USA before bursting onto the K-Pop scene, has unique insight thanks to his multicultural heritage and outsider’s perspective.
He’s also one of the most recognisable K-Pop stars for many Australians, with millions of streams on YouTube and Spotify combined.
Listen to the podcast to hear more about the K-Pop industry, how Nam keeps his music on-trend, why he’s chosen to release his last three albums in English instead of Korean, and how being forced to carve out his own niche paid off.
‘Behind The Rolling Stone Cover’ is sponsored by Shure, the premier choice for affordable, durable, and exceptional-sounding microphones. With a history of audio innovation spanning for almost a century, Shure has turned a passion for making great microphones into an unparalleled legacy of audio innovation.
Not only is Shure already the brand of choice for musicians everywhere, their reliable and durable microphones also make the perfect choice for podcasters and streamers. You can expect nothing short of superior sound quality that won’t let you down in those crucial moments.
Check out all of Shure’s industry-leading microphones here.
