About Me

Hi there, I'm Phoebe Yao:

"Everyone has a story to tell, and every story deserves to be told."

Los Angeles-based Freelance K-Pop Journalist and Interviewer.

Background as a filmmaker-turned-storyteller, bringing a visual approach to interviews and features. She covers an artist's growth and their compelling coming-of-age story.

Correspondent Writer: KpopPost, KpopWise, KCCLA, Genius Korea, Sweety High

For work inquiries, email: 

phoebe.press.y@gmail.com

Exclusive Features

[INTERVIEW] Colde Embodies Youth’s Emotional Extremes on Fifth EP ‘ICY BABY’ | Genius

Ten years after debuting, Colde’s back with his fifth EP, ICY BABY, a project that sits right in the messy middle of growing up: cold and reckless on the outside, warm as hell underneath.

Composed of eight tracks, the entire album directly depicts youth as a time of setbacks: you stumble, you break, you shake, but the only way out is to move forward. That tension is what makes it feel like living.


“ICY” opens the album, and the jazzy music accentuates the atmosphere right out of the gate. It...

EVAN Took Over the Grammy Museum Rooftop With RIDE OR DIE

The sun dipped down behind downtown L.A. as EVAN made his loud appearance at the rooftop of the Grammy Museum on Aug. 14, following his debut as a solo artist with his recent digital single, RIDE OR DIE.
As the doors opened, the crowd rushed into the venue and was guided to their seats. By the time the clock hit 7:30, the audience was already chanting for EVAN. The microphone was passed into the hands of the night’s host, Tetris, as he riled up the crowd. Happy cheers built the anticipation unti...

ALL’N on New Single 'Dream Higher' and Bringing Violin to K-Pop

ALL’N is back with his new single, “Dream Higher,” out Aug. 14, blending electronic R&B and K-pop with his signature violin. It’s uplifting. It’s personal. It’s a tribute to his own story—from years of training, to a vanishing dream, to the decision to rebuild. He hopes this track can offer someone facing uncertainty a little something to lean on.
Sweety High had the pleasure of catching up with ALL’N ahead of the release to discuss all about this new single and what “trust” really means as a le...

ROCKY Discusses UNSAID Emotions on His Third Mini Album

K-pop soloist and corporate director ROCKY began his journey with ROCKYST and BLANK, introducing listeners to see various sides of himself and inviting them to fill in their own stories to his music. The track list of UNSAID takes that intention further, drawing inspiration from the thoughts and feelings he once struggled to put into words.
Ahead of the album’s release, Sweety High caught up with ROCKY to discuss all about UNSAID. Read the full interview below to figure out how the exceptionally...

ZELO on New Latin Pop Single 'ELA' & WATERBOMB Show

A South Korean rapper, songwriter and performer, ZELO is hooked on Latin pop-style music following the successful single “Cola Comigo,” and shows no signs of stopping his growth as an independent artist in this genre.
Back in March, ZELO dropped his first Latin pop single and performed live after its release at his fan concert “COMIGO: Next Chapter.” However, that was not the case for “ELA.” Before its official release, he premiered “ELA” live for the first time on the WATERBOMB stage, one of Ko...

LUN8 on Breaking Free With New Album Off the Grid

After 10 months of preparation and hard work, another wave of LUN8 has arrived, ushering in Off the Grid.
Making an impressive comeback nearly a week ago with their upbeat, refreshing title track, “SNEAKERS,” and three additional songs, they undeniably entered their freest and most confident era yet. Though nervous, the members were even more excited to reunite with LUV8 and share the music and memories that they created along the way. Sweety High had the opportunity to sit down and catch up wit...

MONSTA X's KIHYUN on 'BORDERLINE' EP & Embracing Uncertainty

Returning to the stage as a solo artist, KIHYUN was all about trusting his own instincts and growing more comfortable in his own skin.
Capturing the imagery of standing among debris and ruins, BORDERLINE feels like a new chapter in the story that began with YOUTH. Through its quiet tension of loss and moments of confusion, KIHYUN reflects on the internal questions that surface as he navigates his place in life and finds his way amid uncertainty.
To celebrate the release of BORDERLINE, Sweety Hig...

CHOI YOOJUNG Talks Growth and Cuteness in 'Perfect Target'

For anyone who finds it difficult to love themselves from time to time, CHOI YOOJUNG offers to share a different perspective: being hard on yourself can actually come from a place of deep care.
About four years after her solo debut with “Sunflower,” YOOJUNG finally returns with her second bright, retro-inspired solo single album, Perfect Target, emphasizing a much deeper period of personal discovery and self-love. As she approached her 10th anniversary in the industry, she began thinking more se...

Interview: YOON SAN-HA Shares Story Behind 'NO REASON'

YOON SAN-HA has spent the last few years stepping into new versions of himself.
Since his solo career began in 2024 with his first mini-album, DUSK, he has continued to explore his artistic identity through a series of solo releases and acting projects, each adding a different perspective on his personal growth.
Nearly a year after CHAMELEON, YOON SAN-HA returned on May 20 with NO REASON, an album that helped him pinpoint what it means to grow as an artist and realize the importance of accepting...

Interview: Billlie Discuss Their Debut Album and Evolution

Returning with the mission of leaving the past behind can take artists a huge amount of courage.
As Billlie continues to value that fearless energy in their music, the collective soul and unconsciousness: chapter two guides the group one step closer toward embracing growth. As they told Sweety High over Zoom, “all answers have been within us all this time.” Following the release of their dreamy pre-release track “cloud palace ~ false awakening” in January, we reconnected with Billlie to share th...

[INTERVIEW] ZELO Returns With “Cola Comigo” - A New Era Into ‘NEXT CHAPTER’

ZELO returned from the military with his latest single, “Cola Comigo” on March 31. The track holds deep emotions of longing, initiated by his desire to greet his fans through music. Built around many breakthroughs of reflection, ZELO came back with a South American rhythmic flow, carrying with it the meaning of trust.


Through the words that ZELO put down on paper, a clear sense of appreciation for the person he has become and the artist he continues to grow into surfaces. He takes us behind t...