Why I stan

 Before I go any further with the stepwise story of how my present k-pop preoccupation came to be, I would like to briefly discuss something that other people would often ask us.

K-pop is a genre of musical entertainment, but for some it has come to mean a whole lot more. There is an entire spectrum of types of people who have grown to appreciate it, from your casual music lover, right down to the hardcore loyalists who have absolute devotion to only one group and have pledged their allegiance to one fandom only (although from personal experience, this often changes as the individuals in question grow older and move on from that phase of fiery fandom in their life). The latter may have a subset of what they call "toxic fans" who engage in endless fanwars and often resort to unpleasant tactics when they feel that their biases are being threatened. Don't be like them. 😅

That being said, K-pop may mean a lot of different things for different people. My personal journey began at a low point in my life where things weren't going so well.. It was a sad time for me, but I would like to think that becoming a fan gave me something to focus on or something to hold on to as I struggled to get my life back together bit by bit. Being part of a fandom, cheering for foreigners I didn't know and would have zero chance of meeting anyway, granted me a brief escape from an otherwise unpleasant reality. It wasn't all about the escapism though.. As corny as it may seem, seeing these idols succeed after all they have been through, had lit a fire under me an inspired me to do better as well. I found comfort and solace in their music despite not understanding the lyrics at first (thank you, English subbers!), and I guess it helped me pull together and get on with my life.  I guess it has something to do with reliability? Its like, the world may go to shit, but at least I still have their music waiting for me at the end of the day.. Being a part of a fandom gives you a sense of community, that you are not alone in spite of everything, and even though you are exchanging superficial comments in a discussion thread with complete strangers, it still felt great to have some common ground.

K-Pop gave a bit more meaning to my life, in a manner of speaking.  Applying this to the present day, it may have not had an impact in my chosen career per se, but it certainly made my commute going to and coming from work a great deal more enjoyable! Plus, artist comebacks are always a bonus to look forward to at the end of a long hard day. 😁

So yeah, that's the root of my fandom. It evolved out of a need to have something to hold on to in order to stay focused and grounded, and has now grown into so much more.. 😊

- B. Oppa