Interview: Getting to Know the Hosts of ‘Kpop Kaypohs’ Podcast

We sat down with the K-pop enthusiasts with their new podcast ‘Kpop Kaypohs’.

Emboldened by their passion for all things K-pop, ‘Kpop Kaypohs’ is a podcast hosted by chaotic duo Qayyum Lukman (Qayyum) and Nurul Zulriah (Zul) where they fangirl/boy/them over all things Korean entertainment with their listeners over the thing they love the most.

Qayyum, one half of the ‘Kpop Kaypohs’ podcast, might be a familiar face for some, having previously hosted ZYRUP’s YouTube series ‘Stirring the Pot’. This time, he is bringing his unhinged energy to his new podcast co-hosted with Zul, an OG K-pop fan for almost half of her life. Zul has been dancing with a K-pop cover dance crew for about 8 years and first introduced K-pop to Qayyum all the way back in 2018.

As true kaypohs, the pair will recap and review popular K-Pop “survival shows” as well as cover topics all K-Pop-related on the podcast.

We spoke to the duo to find out how their podcast began and what listeners can expect.

How did Kpop Kaypohs come about?

Qayyum: Honestly, I really wanted to have my own podcast for quite a bit but for the life of me, I just could not think of what I could potentially talk about. Fortunately, the universe sent me a sign on Instagram where Zul’s Instagram Story popped out of her listening to a K-pop song and it clicked!

Zul: One fine day, I received a call from my co-host Qayyum about this opportunity. I’m not one to turn down opportunities away so I said yes. I’ve always wanted to do podcasting too so I thought ‘Kpop Kaypohs’ would be a good starting point.

What do you hope to achieve with ‘Kpop Kaypohs’?

Qayyum: I really want ‘Kpop Kaypohs’ to be the go-to place where we can just talk about our love for K-pop. Like if anything big happens in the K-pop industry and then people can just be like “Oh ya, this one confirm Zul and Qayyum will talk about it” kinda vibe.

Zul: Oooh, it will be cool if the ‘Kpop Kaypohs’ community can grow and start hosting promotional opportunities for K-pop idols in Singapore. A really big dream but #manifestation.

What can your listeners take away from tuning in to ‘Kpop Kaypohs’?

Qayyum: From tuning in, I really want us and our listeners to be like K-pop besties! Talk shit, discuss all the tea and drama in K-pop and after each episode, I hope the listeners would be like “Oh! This is what happened.”

Zul: I hope our listeners will be entertained by our chaotic antics on the podcast but also gain K-pop insights and updates that will be beneficial to stan life!

How did you prepare for the launch of your podcast?

Qayyum: I reached out to the Broke Brown Girls podcast (shoutout to Asy & Sab! ❤️) on how they prepared their launch! I just adapted and added in our own little flair.

Zul: I tried to share it with my K-pop dance cover community! And I’m still looking for opportunities to publicise it to the communities here.

What are some exciting things your listeners look forward to over the next few episodes of Kpop Kaypohs?

Qayyum: We started off our show by recapping ‘Queendom 2’ but moving forward, I hope we can recap on things such as debuts, comebacks, scandals and controversies. At the same time, maybe we’ll do some episodes where we invite other huge fans we know and just have a fun time!

Zul: Aside from survival shows and K-pop updates, we will also be inviting some guests on the show to talk about their inputs and opinions on the K-pop industry as I have had friends that auditioned and trained in Korea! Some of them busked over there and also joined and won some dance competitions there so that is something our listeners can look forward to.

Listen to ‘Kpop Kaypohs’ on Spotify, Apple and Google Podcasts. The video version is available on YouTube at ZYRUP Media.