“K-pop is cringey.” This is what some would say about the K-pop community.

Some fans are toxic, but this does not reflect on the entire community. Some fans, including myself, have discovered aspects of the community that make it worth supporting. These are also the reasons we joined the community in the first place.

K-pop music and the stars’ talent in singing and dancing are why so many people are fascinated by K-pop. It is not difficult to understand why many people appreciate their hard work and dedication.

The uniqueness of K-pop lies within the idols themselves. Beneath their stage personalities, they have a genuine love and care for their fans. This is evident in them going out of their way to connect and talk to their fans.

Certain idols put up livestreams for their fans to watch as they do their daily routines. Some stream video games that the fans would like for them to play. It’s a way the idols reach out to the people who support them.

Through these, we are able to easily communicate with the idols and talk to them about anything—from what they’re doing at the moment to what love means to them.

Idols and fans

This tight-knit relationship between the idols and the fans is rarely seen in other fandoms. It reminds us that at the end of the day, the idols are human and have feelings. This is what continues to fascinate me about K-pop.

I will not deny that I did not like the K-pop community at first. With enough persuasion, I eventually decided to give K-pop a chance.

This taught me to become more open-minded in all aspects of life. This is important especially in school and at work, where I interact and work with people whose opinions are the opposite of mine.

This is a lesson I could have missed, had I not immersed myself in K-pop and interacted with the warm and welcoming people in the community.

I am proud to say that I am a part of this community. I had my biases against K-pop before. But I kept seeing clips and songs by the girl group Twice from my friends. I gave them a shot and watched them and I was blown away by their music, choreography and overall cuteness.

Just like my friends, I searched more about Twice, their songs, fanbase, TV shows and I looked up compilation clips. I got to see more of their human side and what their personalities are like off stage.

Eventually, I became a fan and had my own “bias” or favorite idol from the group.

I do not regret getting into this community because through K-pop, I have over a hundred songs to rock out to. And with their genuine personalities, my idols give me a sense of motivation that I can reach my goals while being true to myself. —CONTRIBUTED

The author is a student at The Raya School.