WRITER : AREEBA SHAFEEQ
EDITIR : RITIN
Picture Credit: Pinterest
In the early times of 2020, while the whole world was silent and was locked into their rooms under the lockdown of the pandemic, a different world was growing louder. The world of Korean pop, the Korean pop fandoms, and something very much bigger.
From Seoul to Seoul, millions of fans around the world found peace, solace, identity, and connection through music that transcended the barriers of language, the music that lived beyond the language. The Hallyu wave, or the Korean wave, which began in the late 1990s, found its strongest momentum during the pandemic’s hardship years, when digital screens of every household became the concert arenas.
Creating this global wave was led by none other than the K-pop sensations BTS, a seven-member group that didn’t just make music, but reshaped the entire concept of music. In 2020, one of their singles, Dynamite, broke many records by becoming the first song of a Korean artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Not only that, it was followed by another song, Butter, and another song, Permission to Dance. All of these were their English singles. These three songs led on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for many weeks. Their biggest strength? Their fandom, ARMY, didn’t just stream their songs, but also organized charity events, matched their donations that were made by the band themselves, and turned social media into something new, a world that was led by youth.
Video Credit: Thats Bangtan
This doesn’t end in 2020. This was just the start of BTS’s history. In 2021, BTS made history once again by becoming the first Asian act to win Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, AMAs.
This was not just a simple win, it was an honor for Korea’s position that was leading the global stage in that time. Korea was once again highlighted in the news of the world, and beyond the awards and numbers, their impact was made through their emotional connection to their fans.
Not only to their fans, but their listeners. Their listeners found their lyrics blending with vulnerability, youth struggles, hope, and identity. Also offered comfort during the isolation time for the new generation. In many, many ways, K-pop became a language of healing and beyond barriers.
The growth of fandom culture also reshaped entertainment itself, specifically the Korean entertainment industry. The K-pop fan is not just a listener, they are creators, translators, promoters, and defenders of their idols.
Beyond their act as a fan, they were the supporters. Through Twitter trends, TikTok edits, fan arts, and live streams, fans have built their own short fandoms or smaller fandoms. A global little community that rivals mainstream media networks. They dominated the hashtags like #BTSARMY, #Blinks for BLACKPINK, and #Stays for StrayKids, and have created smaller worlds that function like their own digital nations.
Video Credit: Kkppopp
This huge thing collectively sparked the cross-cultural engagement. Fans in India, for example, became the hosts of online streaming parties, translation projects, and even volunteered in the names of their favorite idols. Korean entertainment became a bridge between nations, culture, and emotions.
Specifically with India, we have a huge population, but we were lacking something that we could connect to, and we connected with music through K-pop, specifically the isolated youth. This made a reminder that empathy can actually travel faster than anything through the nations, throughout the cultures, and through the hearts of the people.
K-pop’s success is not just due to the catchy hooks or the synchronized choreography that the idols deliver. It is the sincerity of the idols behind it, the way these artists communicate openly about mental health, dreams, failures, and success.
Like BTS leader RM once said, “music transcends language. We hope our music helps you find who you truly are”. That message spread throughout the world, globally, because in a time of uncertainty, people didn’t want just songs, they wanted the meaning that could reach their hearts.
As we came to the ending of this, I would like to mention that K-pop fandoms continue to evolve, proving that this is not just a trend that would leave after some time, but a cultural reset, a cultural shift that is changing the hearts of millions of people in the world. What just started as a fan chant at concerts has now become a universal movement of connection, showing that music is not only for listening, but when it is shared with love and purpose, it can definitely rewrite the definition of togetherness and history.
Video Credit: Kpop Min
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