Fangirling or fanboying over K-pop artists is one of the most trending topics in the world for years now. Although it has noticeably boomed in the recent years, K-pop has been existent since the 90’s. It has always been one of things that Korea is known for. Even before many people became fans this year or last year due to the pandemic, K-pop fans have already been spread all over the world ever since.
When you seriously become a fan of one or more K-pop artists, many fans say that there’s no way out. That’s because when you fall in love with a K-pop group or with a K-pop bias, you fall hard – as a fan and oftentimes, as a human too. Especially when it’s not simply the music that you like about them but most outstandingly, their personalities and their existence, well, you’ve been love-shot by a K-pop idol.
This article right here is so relatable to K-pop fans and is enlightening to non K-pop fans. Reading this will help non fans to understand the feelings and thoughts of K-pop fans, to eliminate the judgemental notions that they have towards K-pop fangirls and fanboys. After all, everyone is a fangirl or a fanboy of someone in one way or another; it’s just that the main subject here is K-pop, which is something that not everybody understands.
Here are 7 golden goals of K-pop fans. Regardless of where you live as an international fan, even if you live in South Korea, or even if you’re a local there, surely, the list below is part of your extraordinary fan dream!
1 – To buy albums, lightsticks and merch
For K-pop fans who already have their own stable jobs, earning more than they need, this is not a very-hard-to-accomplish aim anymore. It’s more for those who are still students, those unemployed, and those who have more important financial priorities. Nonetheless, for K-pop fans in general, it’s a goal to buy albums, lightsticks and merch.
First, albums. Basically, these contain the music that artists work so hard to produce and present to their fans and to the world. Other than CDs, what fans love most about K-pop albums is their inclusions, namely photobooks, photocards, stickers and many more photos of their idols (in different printed formats).
Second, lightsticks. These are handheld sticks that come with a light, except that they are not simple and not cheap. Every K-pop group has a lightstick that represents them; some soloists also have. The lightstick is custom-made and exclusive to the artist it belongs to. This is what K-pop fans bring to concerts and other events to light up the place and show their support for their faves!
Last but not the least, merchandise or merch for short. These are everything else sold by the celebrity management company, under the artists’ name, besides albums and lightsticks. It includes garments, jewelry, phone accessories, keychains, stuffed toys, mugs, utensils, pillows and many more!
Buying these items is expensive, without a doubt. Nevertheless, it’s a goal for most K-pop fans.
2 – To receive officially signed goods
Whenever there are celebrities around, especially in artists’ tours and fan meetings, what do people usually do? They ask for their autographs. Just like that, autographs from K-pop idols are precious to K-pop fans.
While many are satisfied with purchasing albums and goods, some dream of receiving them with their idols’ signatures. When your merch is officially held and signed by your favorite celeb, of course, it’d be one of your best days ever as a fangirl/fanboy, right? Right!
That’s how it is for some K-pop fans who wish to receive signed items from their faves.
3 – To get noticed by their favorite celebs
In the vast seas of innumerable fans, what are the chances that your favorite celeb will notice you? I also don’t know, but it’s for sure just a few steps closer to impossible.
But yes, to get noticed by their K-pop boys or girls is a huge dream of K-pop fans. The artists have countless supporters locally and internationally, and if you’re one of the lucky stans to be noticed, then WOW. That’s one for the books.
To get noticed in what specific ways? Getting a reply from your comment under the K-pop idol’s posts. Having your comment under the artists’ VLIVE broadcast read personally and verbally by the artists themselves. Receiving heart reactions from the celebs towards your uploaded fan art for them. Having eye contact with them during live events, like concerts and fan meetings. Heart-fluttering!
Just imagine a social media notification directly for you, coming from your dearest K-pop idol. Just imagine a smile directly for you, in front of your eyes, from your bias. Any K-pop fan will definitely squeal and slap themselves to know if they are just dreaming.
4 – To help their idols win
K-pop fans who really are supportive of their idols in every way possible participate in events that need voting or accomplishing targets to help these artists win. This is one of the portions of K-pop fangirling/fanboying that most, if not all, non K-pop stans don’t know.
Why are K-pop idols getting wins and recognitions? Aside from their exemplary talents, their fans are also working hard to make these happen. This is more like a goal of K-pop fans, not for themselves but for their K-pop favorites.
5 – To attend live concerts
This one’s natural when you become a fan of a K-pop celebrity. Fans wish to attend live concerts wherever they may be held. These are the one-of-a-kind occasions for fans to party and enjoy with their K-pop idols live in a wide concert hall!
For those living in countries that are not usually visited by K-pop idols, another dream that’s related to this is for their K-pop faves to come and hold a concert or any event in their country.
6 – To meet their idols up close and face to face
In addition to attending live concerts, meeting their idols up close and face to face is another one of the biggest dreams of K-pop fans. This is possible in fan meetings, in live concerts (if you have the VIP ticket), and if you’re extremely lucky, on the streets of Korea, near or in their celebrity management company.
Since offline events have been prohibited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online events have become popular. Here, K-pop fans can still experience face-to-face and one-on-one video call events with their idols. There are strict requirements for this, just like how it is for live fan meetings. This is surely a dream that any fan would love to experience in reality.
7 – To fly to South Korea
Last but not the least, it’s a golden goal of every K-pop fan to fly to South Korea. I don’t think there’d be any K-pop stan out there who says they don’t want to visit South Korea. If there’d be, isn’t that a bit strange?
If you are there, you get the chance to see and be in places you have just been seeing through your smartphone’s screens, while watching Korean shows. The country itself is gorgeous and breathtaking. Once you become a K-pop fan, you will also begin to learn more and appreciate the country. That has been tried and proven. Not only K-pop fans but also K-drama and other K-show lovers can attest to that.
_____________
FANGOALS
When you’re an active and avid K-pop fan, you know that most of the time, you cannot just sit there and do nothing because you have your fangirling or fanboying goals. And these goals mainly include supporting your faves in any way you can, like purchasing their goods, voting for them and attending their events. Of course, the desire to see and meet them in real life too is the most obvious K-pop fan dream ever.
How about you? What’s your K-pop fangirling/fanboying dream?
_____________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She is a daytime writer for The Fordham Company, one of Australia’s leading celebrity talent management agencies located in Sydney. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.