Michelle Zauner is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who records dreamy, melancholic indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast. She’s also a talented writer whose debut book, a memoir titled Crying in H Mart, is being published by Knopf today! In it, she recounts her experiences growing up half-Korean in her mostly white town of Eugene, OR, her path to becoming a musician and her struggle to reclaim her Korean heritage after her mother’s early death from cancer. From her home in Brooklyn, Michelle talks to Catherine and Juliana about her idyllic childhood summers in Seoul, her tumultuous relationship with her mom, her channeling of grief into creativity and the importance of Korean role models in her life, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen Oh to YouTuber Maangchi. Stay tuned to the very end, when she shares her favorite snacks and staples from H Mart!

Photo credit: Peter Ash Lee
Follow Michelle Zauner on Instagram @jbrekkie
Follow K-Pod on Instagram @kpodpod

Co-host, Producer, Photographer: Juliana Sohn @juliana_sohn
Co-host, Producer, Editor: Catherine Hong @catherinehong100
Production Manager: Jessica Park
Audio Engineer: AJ Valente
Executive Producer: HJ Lee