You would think most people would need a break after spending 18 months in the military. But most people aren’t international pop stars such as Jung Ho-seok, better known as j-hope of BTS. It seemed like the international pop icon had barely changed out of his uniform in October of last year before he was boarding a plane to Los Angeles, ready to work on new material. It would be his first release since his critically acclaimed 2022 grunge-rock-meets boom bap hip-hop debut album “Jack in the Box.”
Although “Jack in the Box” was his first official album, his solo discography goes back further to “1 Verse,” his 2015 SoundCloud release which sampled The Game and Skrillex’s “El Chapo” released that same year.
The 2016 BTS album “Wings” was the first to feature solo works from all seven members. Up until then, the focus had been on j-hope’s swaggy, growling, rap delivery (he is undeniably BTS’s swagmaster) and dance ability rooted in his early days as a member of the Gwangju, South Korea-based Neuron dance crew.
With “MAMA” his solo effort contribution to Wings, he stretched himself as a vocalist leveraging the soulful qualities of his voice in a tribute to his mother.
BTS member j-Hope poses for a portrait ahead of one of his L.A. shows.
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(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
2018 marked another turning point when he released “Hope World,” a six-track mix-tape. The following year, j-hope released “Chicken Noodle Soup.” Although the bouncy hip-hop track sampled a 2006 song by New York artists DJ Webstar and Young B, it featured Inglewood-raised vocalist Becky G and lyrics in Korean, English and Spanish. So it seemed fitting when he took a trip to L.A. to film its music video, with members of the L.A. dance community, performing its choreography in front of local joint Chicken Shack’s signature yellow car.
Since his group announced a temporary hiatus in 2022 to focus on solo work — based on the Western idea of boy bands this worried fans that they were breaking up (they’re not) — all of the members have released albums, to individual success, and even pre-recorded projects to be released during their departure.
While still in service, j-hope released “Hope on the Street: Vol. 1,” a soundtrack to his documentary series of the same name in which he explored street dance in different cities across the world. On that album, he worked with L.A.-based Benny Blanco and Blake Slatkin, two producers he turned to once again for his latest releases “Sweet Dreams” (featuring Miguel) and his latest, the catchy, viral dance-inducing hit “Mona Lisa.”
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In January, j-hope announced his Hope On The Stage tour, his first as a soloist with North American dates in Brooklyn, Chicago, Mexico City, San Antonio and Oakland. The tour is divided into sections spanning the narrative of his career. The production includes a live band, and uses 28 moving lifts that reconfigure depending on the stage.
Both “Sweet Dreams” and “Mona Lisa” were surprisingly played on tour, and a third single is planned for the Asian leg, which kicks off in the Phillipines on April 12.
Each stop has included tailored engagement with “ARMY,” BTS’s famously diverse and passionate fandom. The experiences span regional food, site specific merchandise, some designed with input by the famously fashion-forward artist, and dance challenges. Fans also had the option to purchase a package where they could “send off” j-hope.
As the tour has gone along, Instagram’s “For You” pages have steadily yielded selfies with the famously upbeat star and cute interactions. With each successive city he seems to up the ante: dancing in cowboy hats and boots in San Antonio, speaking full sentences in Spanish in Mexico, even getting close enough at points to exchange hugs and hold hands.
Ahead of the last stops of the tour’s North American dates, Friday and Sunday at BMO Stadium, The Times caught up with the global star nearby the stadium downtown. In an intimate post-photo shoot conversation squeezed in between his promotional events on Thursday (he popped up at that night’s Lakers game shortly after), we talked about his relationship with the city, his artistry, love for ARMY and future ambitions.
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“I’ve come to realize how many people are loving and connecting with my music, and at the same time, that pushes me to think about what kind of music I should create next as an artist,” j-hope said.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Congratulations—”Mona Lisa” is in the Billboard Hot 100 as of this week and it’s your seventh song as a solo artist to reach that milestone.
Wow.
You’re tied with Jung Kook.
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[laughs] It’s such an honor to have so many of my songs on the chart, and I’m incredibly grateful in so many ways. I’ve come to realize how many people are loving and connecting with my music, and at the same time, that pushes me to think about what kind of music I should create next as an artist. I feel that my life at the moment is filled with greater anticipation and excitement for what’s to come.
With “Jack in the Box” you weren’t necessarily concerned about charting, but you seem more ambitious with these releases. Is that true?
Yes, you’re very on point. I feel like this was a challenge that I needed to take on after my military service. And up until now, I focused on what I liked, but this time, I wanted to collaborate with great producers who have a deeper understanding of the culture. I was curious about their take on j-hope as an artist. Once I took that step forward, I felt it would open up new opportunities for me to experiment and take my music to the next level. I truly feel this is a great time for me.
“Jack in the Box” was incredible but “Sweet Dreams” and “Mona Lisa” have a different kind of sexy vibe and the ARMY is loving it. Have you been enjoying the response?
Well, you know I didn’t have too much of this on my mind when I was making these songs but I wanted to make a song that kind of expressed my maturity after the military service. So, it kind of came naturally. So, I wanted to show another visual side of me as j-hope and I want to show something new, a new facet of me for my fans.
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Can we talk about Jay?
Jay? [laughs] Yes, ARMY calls.
It’s been kind of a fun thing between you and U.S. ARMY that you kind of turn into “Jay” when you land in the U.S. How would you describe him?
You know, I find it very funny too. I love the vibe in the U.S. I’m enjoying myself and having fun, and because of that, it allows me to show a more genuine side. Fans really seem to like it too and so I feel great about what I’ve been able to share here in the States.
“Of course I could not have imagined back then that I would have this kind of life and I really appreciate what I have currently,” j-hope said. “As time passes by, I’m really grateful to see more and more people listening to and enjoying my music.”
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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You seem to be having the time of your life on this tour. You’re interacting with the fans a lot more on a personal level, going out into the audience when you perform “=Equal Sign” picking someone [to interact with]. Has one of those moments stood out to you?
I think you know me inside out by now and I really appreciate that. I wanted to show something great for the fans who’ve been waiting for such a long time and I wanted to connect at a very personal level through these concerts and performances. There’s a song called “=Equal Sign.” and its first lyric is about how we view each other as equals — “There is no one above us/There is no one under us.” Staying true to that message, instead of me being on stage on a higher level with the audience below, I wanted to truly connect with my fans by engaging with them directly and seeing them eye-to-eye. This connection with my fans has been incredibly meaningful.
With these upcoming performances you become the first solo Korean artist to headline BMO Stadium (he is also the first Korean male artist to headline a stadium show in North America). Do you think the Jung Ho–seok of 2013 who seemed surprised to even receive a packet of fan mail could have envisioned this?
Of course I could not have imagined back then that I would have this kind of life and I really appreciate what I have currently. As time passes by, I’m really grateful to see more and more people listening to and enjoying my music. I feel like it’s their support and passion that allow me to be the artist I am today.
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“Hope on the Stage” in part, is a tribute to your origins as a street dancer but you also do a lot of singing [in the show] with a live band. You’ve downplayed your vocal ability a little bit, but you have a great voice that’s really flexible. When did you first realize that you can sing? Was it a natural extension of rapping?
It’s an interesting question. As I pursue music, I think I’ve developed a style that embraces versatility. Throughout this process, I tried to explore and experiment with my voice in various ways and I believe that’s reflected in my vocals nowadays. I try to deliver my vocals in a natural way without forcing anything and it seems like the audience appreciates that. Are my vocals perfect? That’s something I need to think about, but I’m committed and striving to make it better. It’s a bit hard to pinpoint a specific moment. Before my debut, I had vocal lessons and as I started recording, my vocal style naturally began to develop. It’s difficult to say exactly when the shift occurred, but it was a gradual process.
While working here you went to In-N-Out, and had all the “L.A.” experiences. In the early days of BTS you filmed a reality show where you were mentored by Warren G and Coolio — they even took you to Long Beach’s VIP Records…
You watched this — wow [laughs].
Yeah…[laughs] American Hustle Life. Is there something you learned about hip-hop from that experience that you keep with you today?
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It was more than just a musical influence. I was very young at that time, and if I had the chance to go back now, I think I could understand and take in a lot more. At the time, though, it was a process to adapt to a new culture, different from the one I grew up in. And I believe that those moments were crucial for my growth and shaped who I am today. That’s the most important lesson I took from that experience.
by Sean P. Aune | January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 10:30 am EST
Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.
We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.
Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.
The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.
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This time around, it’s Jan. 10, 1986, and we’re off to see Black Moon Rising.
Black Moon Rising
What was the obsession in the 1980s with super vehicles?
Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired to steal a computer tape with evidence against a company on it. While being pursued, he tucks it in the parachute of a prototype vehicle called the Black Moon. While trying to retrieve it, the car is stolen by Nina (Linda Hamilton), a car thief working for a car theft ring. Both of them want out of their lives, and it looks like the Black Moon could be their ticket out.
Blue Thunder in the movies, Airwolf and Knight Rider on TV, the 1980s loved an impractical ‘super’ vehicle. In this case, the car plays a very minor role up until the final action set piece, and the story is far more about the characters and their motivations.
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The movie is silly as you would expect it to be, but it is never a bad watch. It’s just not anything particularly memorable.
1986 Movie Reviews will continue on Jan. 17, 2026, with The Adventures of the American Rabbit, The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Iron Eagle, The Longshot, and Troll.
California helped make them the rich. Now a small proposed tax is spooking them out of the state.
California helped make them among the richest people in the world. Now they’re fleeing because California wants a little something back.
The proposed California Billionaire Tax Act has plutocrats saying they are considering deserting the Golden State for fear they’ll have to pay a one-time, 5% tax, on top of the other taxes they barely pay in comparison to the rest of us. Think of it as the Dust Bowl migration in reverse, with The Monied headed East to grow their fortunes.
The measure would apply to billionaires residing in California as of Jan. 1, 2026, meaning that 2025 was a big moving year month among the 200 wealthiest California households subject to the tax.
The recently departed reportedly include In-n-Out Burger owner and heiress Lynsi Snyder, PayPal co-founder and conservative donor Peter Thiel, Venture Capitalist David Sacks, co-founder of Craft Ventures, and Google co-founder Larry Page, who recently purchased $173 million worth of waterfront property in Miami’s Coconut Grove. Thank goodness he landed on his feet in these tough times.
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The principal sponsor behind the Billionaire Tax Act is the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), which contends that the tax could raise a $100 billion to offset severe federal cutbacks to California’s public education, food assistance and Medicaid programs.
The initiative is designed to offset some of the tax breaks that billionaires received from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act recently passed by the Republican-dominated Congress and signed by President Trump.
According to my colleague Michael Hiltzik, the bill “will funnel as much as $1 trillion in tax benefits to the wealthy over the next decade, while blowing a hole in state and local budgets for healthcare and other needs.”
The drafters of the Billionaire Tax Act still have to gather around 875,000 signatures from registered voters by June 24 for the measure to qualify on November’s ballot. But given the public ire toward the growing wealth of the 1%, and the affordability crisis engulfing much of the rest of the nation, it has a fair chance of making it onto the ballot.
If the tax should be voted into law, what would it mean for those poor tycoons who failed to pack up the Lamborghinis in time? For Thiel, whose net worth is around $27.5 billion, it would be around $1.2 billion, should he choose to stay, and he’d have up to five years to pay it.
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Yes, it’s a lot … if you’re not a billionaire. It’s doubtful any of the potentially affected affluents would feel the pinch, but it could make a world of difference for kids depending on free school lunches, or folks who need medical care but can’t afford it because they’ve been squeezed by a system that places much of the tax burden on them.
According to the California Budget & Policy Center, the bottom fifth of California’s non-elderly families, with an average annual income of $13,900, spend an estimated 10.5% of their incomes on state and local taxes. In comparison, the wealthiest 1% of families, with an average annual income of $2.0 million, spend an estimated 8.7% of their incomes on state and local taxes.
“It’s a matter of values,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) posted on X. “We believe billionaires can pay a modest wealth tax so working-class Californians have Medicaid.”
Many have argued losing all that wealth to other states will hurt California in the long run.
Even Gov. Gavin Newsom has argued against the measure, citing that the wealthy can relocate anywhere else to evade the tax. During the New York Times DealBook Summit last month, Newsom said, “You can’t isolate yourself from the 49 others. We’re in a competitive environment.”
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He has a point, as do others who contend that the proposed tax may hurt California rather then help.
Sacks signaled he was leaving California by posting an image of the Texas flag on Dec. 31 on X and writing: “God bless Texas.” He followed with a post that read, “As a response to socialism, Miami will replace NYC as the finance capital and Austin will replace SF as the tech capital.”
Arguments aside, it’s disturbing to think that some of the richest people in the nation would rather pick up and move than put a small fraction of their vast California-made — or in the case of the burger chain, inherited — fortunes toward helping others who need a financial boost.
A still from ‘Song Sung Blue’.
| Photo Credit: Focus Features/YouTube
There is something unputdownable about Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) from the first moment one sees him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting celebrating his 20th sober birthday. He encourages the group to sing the famous Neil Diamond number, ‘Song Sung Blue,’ with him, and we are carried along on a wave of his enthusiasm.
Song Sung Blue (English)
Director: Craig Brewer
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi
Runtime: 132 minutes
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Storyline: Mike and Claire find and rescue each other from the slings and arrows of mediocrity when they form a Neil Diamond tribute band
We learn that Mike is a music impersonator who refuses to come on stage as anyone but himself, Lightning, at the Wisconsin State Fair. At the fair, he meets Claire (Kate Hudson), who is performing as Patsy Cline. Sparks fly between the two, and Claire suggests Mike perform a Neil Diamond tribute.
Claire and Mike start a relationship and a Neil Diamond tribute band, called Lightning and Thunder. They marry and after some initial hesitation, Claire’s children from her first marriage, Rachel (Ella Anderson) and Dayna (Hudson Hensley), and Mike’s daughter from an earlier marriage, Angelina (King Princess), become friends.
Members from Mike’s old band join the group, including Mark Shurilla (Michael Imperioli), a Buddy Holly impersonator and Sex Machine (Mustafa Shakir), who sings as James Brown. His dentist/manager, Dave Watson (Fisher Stevens), believes in him, even fixing his tooth with a little lightning bolt!
The tribute band meets with success, including opening for Pearl Jam, with the front man for the grunge band, Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith), joining Lightning and Thunder for a rendition of ‘Forever in Blue Jeans’ at the 1995 Pearl Jam concert in Milwaukee.
There is heartbreak, anger, addiction, and the rise again before the final tragedy. Song Sung Blue, based on Greg Kohs’ eponymous documentary, is a gentle look into a musician’s life. When Mike says, “I’m not a songwriter. I’m not a sex symbol. But I am an entertainer,” he shows that dreams do not have to die. Mike and Claire reveal that even if you do not conquer the world like a rock god, you can achieve success doing what makes you happy.
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ALSO READ: ‘Run Away’ series review: Perfect pulp to kick off the New Year
Song Sung Blue is a validation for all the regular folk with modest dreams, but dreams nevertheless. As the poet said, “there’s no success like failure, and failure’s no success at all.” Hudson and Jackman power through the songs and tears like champs, leaving us laughing, tapping our feet, and wiping away the errant tears all at once.
The period detail is spot on (never mind the distracting wigs). The chance to hear a generous catalogue of Diamond’s music in arena-quality sound is not to be missed, in a movie that offers a satisfying catharsis. Music is most definitely the food of love, so may we all please have a second and third helping?
