Reading time: 4 minutes
By Narayani Singh
The K- wave has spread like wildfire all around the world and K-Pop bands like BTS, EXO, Seventeen, Blackpink and more have a huge part to play in this. While it is not unusual or new to see a huge fan following for an artist or genre at such a huge scale, what makes the popularity of k-pop amusing is the fact that despite a huge language barrier, the genre and the artists have managed to captivate people’s hearts worldwide.
K-pop is not just about the music solely but has a multi-dimensional appeal to it like dance, intense choreography and aesthetic value that add to the visual appeal. But still it makes one wonder, are these factors enough to explain the love, dedication and attachment k-pop fans feels for their favourite artist? Having been into kpop since 5 years I can understand why the fans feel such a strong connection with the genre. Looking back I can say that k-pop has been a huge and a very important part of my teenage years and has had an immense impact, in all positive aspects only! I liked listening to music and following up with different artists but the cord I struck with kpop was different. Surely it was the multidimensional appeal as I had previously mentioned that made me check out the genre but what made me stay for so long was for different reasons.
You see how the Korean entertainment industry, specifically k-pop works is very different from what we have seen in the West as well as Bollywood. Although it has its own set of pros and cons but that discussion is for some other day. An essential part of k-pop is having direct interaction with the fans in the forms of fan-meets, putting out content that shows behind the scenes of the production, dance practice videos and social media activities. This interaction makes the fans understand the artist better as well as make the artist understand it’s audience better thus, strengthening the bond between the fans and the artist.
Another major part is variety shows. South Korean entertainment comprises of a lot of variety shows and interviews in which most of these artists take part. They play games and have informal discussions. Through these activities the audience is ale to see the individual personality of each artists especially band members where more often it is difficult for an individual members personality to shine and show up over the concept of the group they are a part of. These variety shows bring out the personality of each member which makes the fans understand each member better and feel more connected. And it is natural for all the group members to grow close to each other and become friends so when informal discussions are happening and jokes are being cracked within the groups on these shows, it feels more like watching a group of friends rather than idealized celebrities, which feels more relatable and the audience feels involved and a part of the banter as well, as if they also know the people and share a bond with them. Such emotions are difficult to experience seeing a formal interview setup.
Kpop groups like BTS have also incorporated concepts like “love yourself” and the struggles younger generation faces in the society in their music. These concept further strengthens the bond between the fans and the artist by making the music more meaningful and personal for the audience. Kpop artists are also known for their politeness and respectfulness towards their audience and the media which makes them even more likeable!
When people are experiencing lows in their life, art comes to respite for many people. Whether the struggles have been in the form of not fitting in the crowd, unable to connect with people, difficulty making friends, personal perceived failures, poor family environment or going through a broken relationship, art especially music becomes a common escape as well as a source of happiness to so many people. In times like these experiencing an attachment and a connect with someone, something can be very comforting and since k-pop artists heavily focus on building a bond and connecting with their audience, the genre has been an immense source of relief and respite for many people. Mane people have shared personal experiences about the same within the kpop community which also makes the community of this fandom so strongly connected! Since the likeness and the bond is experienced so intensely it is natural for the fans to connect with fellow followers of the artists. In my personal experience I have made great friends and met amazing people through k-pop and made memories I will cherish for a long time which makes k-pop so special to me and I am sure that similar sentiments are felt across the fandom which makes this genre of entertainment so special and close to heart for so many people and is the reason it has been growing phenomenally!
