There are K-Pop fans across the globe who share the same passion. But on online platforms, it is hard to know about each other’s stories and K-Pop life. Even if we are in the same fandom, it is hard to get to know each other. So at Kpopmap, we started the Kpopmap Fan Interview Project to get to know more about K-Pop fans from different countries: more about their K-Pop life and tastes and to give them the opportunity to share with our readers about their favorite group(s) and bias. Marisa from the U.S. is the next fan to answer our questions. They are a fan of ATEEZ and more particularly of SeongHwa! Check out how she entered the fandom, the songs and content she advise to new fans, and much more! Can you introduce yourself? Where are you from? My name is Marisa, I’m from Chicago, Illinois, USA. My Twitter is park_jammin. I’d like to be able to connect to others. How and when did you enter the fandom? I became a fan of ATEEZ about a week before they made their official debut, before we were even known as ATINY! What are the reasons why you love your favorite group? It may be cliche to say, but ATEEZ is the whole package. Not only are you getting the rapping and the vocals, you’re getting these 8 performers who use their love of dancing and singing to take you on their journey, to join their crew. “Will you be my friend?” is such an iconic line of ‘Pirate King’ that reels you into their story. Their sincerity in everything they do makes them feel like you’ve known them for a long time. You are their shipmate, not an underling, and we’re on this journey together. Who caught your attention at first and why? Well, before they officially debuted, I was hesitant to hone in on anyone, I wanted to see what they’d be like in their first official music videos. But once ‘Treasure’ and ‘Pirate King’ dropped, HongJoong! His rapping voice is so unique, there are not many rappers in K-Pop who have his tone but when I first heard him, it brought me back to G-Dragon and his style, so I thought, “I better see what this guy is about.” He’s my bias-wrecker to this day. Who is your bias, and why? SeongHwa is my official bias. He, of course, has very striking, handsome looks, but his calm personality made him stand out in a way! I’m fine with the chaotic energy, and it’s not that he can’t be chaotic, but I really felt grounded with his sweet-natured, calm personality. I like his frank sense of humor. It can be a bit dry and it seems like not everyone catches on but it makes me laugh every time. Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? I just can’t get away from ‘Pirate King’ for a title track. This track sounded nothing like other boy group tracks when it dropped, there are so many interesting musical choices made in production. This was the song I first fell in love with, so I would have to recommend new fans really start at the beginning. As for B-sides, right now ‘Cyberpunk’ has to be on everyone’s list, and for good reason. Its a bit tense while still having this dark, sensual feeling in it, mixed with almost darkwave production that grips you in the deep bass line and the descending notes in the chorus. Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers? Recently, SeongHwa did a YouTube Live where he put together Lego sets and it was so calm and relaxing. I like to watch people do “mundane” things so that I can take a break from my school work and just chill, and his calm nature really gives the best commentary for such a thing. Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group? Go back to the beginning where the guys were doing covers of BTS, NCT U, etc. Those dance videos really showed that ATEEZ have no problem with tackling difficult, iconic choreo from some of the biggest groups. They were fearless and bold, simply put. Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? “The flowers will fall and the darkness will swallow you up again The light will brighten up, new buds will sprout The light will protect us in this moment.” These lyrics are from the song ‘Promise’. I really resonate with lyrics that acknowledge that things can be hard and yet we’re able to start over again tomorrow, or whenever that new day comes. Are there any words from the members you would like to share? “It may be hard now, but after going through it, it will become a good memory."-SeongHwaWhenever I think about how tough my Master’s program has been, I think about these words and I know that I will be proud of myself for sticking with it. One day, I will be elbows deep in epidemiology tasks and think back to how I earned my place in my career with hard work. What is your best souvenir with your favorite group until now? When I first got into ATEEZ, I’d never participated in a fansign slot before. It’s basically when someone who is able to go to fansigns sells slots for signed pages and albums from someone’s bias. Some people think they’re a rip-off but don’t understand that until recently, these were the only chances to get signed items from idols as an international fan unless you happened to buy a signed album from MWave. I have a signed page of the “Treasure Ep. 3: One to All” album from SeongHwa that means a lot to me! He answered a question about what Korean food he would recommend me to try, his answer was 된장찌개 (Soybean stew). It’s delicious, by the way! What is a random fact that you think people don’t know about them? Most long time fans know this but some newer ATINY may not know that SeongHwa intended on being a rapper! He auditioned for KQ with the hopes of being in the rap line of a group. We get little snippets of rapper SeongHwa nowadays (Like when MinGi was on hiatus, he took over some lines) and I am all for the resurrection of him rapping in the future. Name a variety show/content show that you would love to see your bias on? Tell us why. I know San has participated on “Running Man” before but I would love to see the whole group go. I think SeongHwa has a very pragmatic way of solving puzzles and going about competitions and “Running Man” always turns into chaos so I’d love to see the result. If your bias were to collab with another idol, who do you think would be best? This may be out of left field but I’d love to see him sing a ballad with PENTAGON’s Yanan, who is my bias from that group. They both have such lovely tones while singing ballads, I’d love to hear them collaborate on one! I know he also idolized TaeMin and most K-Pop fans would love if their faves did a dance collab with such a legend in the industry. What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life? Because I’m usually elbow deep in schoolwork, they are just my way of unwinding. Whether it’s listening to the discography, watching a performance, or catching up with an interview/live stream, it’s nice to know that they’re out there doing something they love while I prepare to do something I love. What is your favorite side of fangirling/fanboying? To be honest, at times I try to suppress my fangirl side because I feel a bit silly doing it at the age of 31. But then I remember that this is a hobby that I really enjoy and that peoples’ views of that shouldn’t really matter to me. Even my husband encourages me because he knows this makes me happy. I really like the community aspect. When you go to K-Pop shows, you meet new people almost guaranteed and a lot of times you connect over social media. I met with people at the November 19th show in Chicago that I had previously met at the January Chicago date. We stayed connected and plan to meet in the future! Once in awhile you get kind of giddy when they notice you or just acknowledge your presence. In January at the Chicago show I commented to HongJoong that his red hair looked good and it was my favorite hair of his, and he ended up saying, “You’re my favorite” back to me. It was a moment that I knew I’d probably only get once, but it made me feel happy and pumped to hear soundcheck! Being a fan is not about “your-name” moments at all for me, but every fan probably would like to be acknowledged once! Do you feel there are any misunderstandings, things that are not well known, or any prejudices about your favorite group from other fans (non-fans)? I think people outside of ATINY don’t seem to understand how important stage presence is to ATEEZ’s existence and artistry. I’ve seen comments about them “overdoing it” and I just have to think… What do they think stage presence is? I grew up performing in choirs and musicals, stage presence was everything and we were told that you have to make your movements and expressions bigger at times to really reach the audience in the very back. ATEEZ are doing exactly what true performers do. Anyone who has seen a dance crew in the US or Europe perform knows they don’t hold back, and ATEEZ started out doing dynamic, powerful dance covers. It’s in their nature, it’s not a negative at all. Marisa’s message for ATEEZ: I would just like to say that ATEEZ make me, an older K-Pop fan, feel welcome. It’s not easy to feel welcome in a younger and younger industry/community where people seem to think you turn 30 and have to ditch your hobbies. ATEEZ doesn’t care what age you are, your gender, sexuality, they just want to know you care about them and they’ll care about you in return. They want to show their craft to the world and I’m here to boost them and listen to whatever music they release, whatever genre they want to try, I want to be there for it. Consider a rock album and I’ll scream it to the heavens (I’m a huge metal fan, I’m a sucker for rock-inspired K-Pop!). Thank you for answering our questions, Marisa. If you are interested in joining Kpopmap Fan Interview Project, please get in touch with us at [email protected] Everyone is welcome to participate.
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