New radio show bringing joys of Korean pop to Regina

It's a worldwide sensation that hails from Korea, has incredibly catchy riffs and is often accompanied by its own choreographed dance.

But here in Saskatchewan, the ins and outs of K-pop, as it's called by fans, are not widely known (excluding perhaps Psy's 2012 hit Gangnam Style).

Regina radio host Jo Bates, known in real life as Megan Bates, is hoping to change that with her new Asian pop-themed radio show called Daebak, which is a Korean exclamation meaning something amazing.

Her show is brand new to CJTR community radio this fall and features an hour of Asian pop hits from Korea, Japan and China, she explained on CBC Radio's Saskatchewan Weekend.

Bates said she wanted people who were curious about the music to have a place to hear it and get involved.

"I wanted somewhere to listen to it, so I thought I'll do my own radio show and then people who are in the same situation as me, they now have someplace to listen to it," Bates said.

Bates recommends new listeners keep an open mind and explore a bunch of different bands until they find one they like.

"No matter what you like, there's always kind of something for you. And it's kind of finding your band and which one you like and just kind of finding out more about them," she said.

She said variety is one of the joys of K-pop, with different genres heavily influencing different bands — even metal.

"If you like heavy metal, there's Babymetal which is J-pop. It's a pop band but they have like a heavy metal background band to them."

Bates said she got into Asian pop music in a similar way. It all started when she watched a YouTube video of her now-favourite Korean band Shinee performing its hit song Lucifer.

"It's kind of been a snowball ever since."

The show airs Tuesdays from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. CST on 91.3 FM in Regina.