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. Julia from the Philippines is the next fan to answer our questions. She is a fan of SEVENTEEN and more particularly of Hoshi! Check out how she entered the fandom, the songs and content she advises to new fans, and much more! Can you introduce yourself? Where are you from? Hi! I’m Julia (also known as j.éponine, my pen name) and I’m from the Philippines. My Hallyu journey started with BIGBANG, K-Dramas and variety shows last 2010. And now, I’m a 5-year-old Carat and a new ENGENE & MOA! (+ I also stan GOT7, TREASURE, NCT, & Stray Kids <3.) How and when did you enter the fandom? It was exactly August 1, 2017 (the day that changed my life forever), when my friend randomly sent SEVENTEEN’s ‘BOOMBOOM’ MV for me to check out. At that time, I was purely an Ahgase (IGOT7) and was just starting to get to know NCT. I rarely watch other groups’ MVs especially if I did not know them. But thankfully, I was in the mood at that time and didn’t mind watching it. The next “auto play” music videos were ‘VERY NICE’ and ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’, and right after listening to ‘DWC’ (‘Don’t Wanna Cry’), I was deeply hooked. ‘DWC’ is the kind of song I love listening to, and I also thought it was something new for a K-Pop group to release that kind of genre as a title track for their comeback. And because of that one single music video, I got curious. And before I knew it, I was watching “One Fine Day” and their “Weekly Idol” episodes to get to know SEVENTEEN better. What are the reasons why you love your favorite group? This is the kind of question that are both the easiest and the hardest to answer to. Where do I begin?! I just know that I stan the right group. I love SEVENTEEN because they’re SEVENTEEN 💖. And maybe it’s not because I chose SEVENTEEN, but they chose me. It is kind of a miracle to find them amongst other idol groups. When it comes to their performances, you won’t see a group of boys JUST dancing and singing, but they also perform with emotions, with sincerity. The messages of their songs are not only dedicated for CARATs, but they’re also meant for everyone to hear. You will feel that every concept, every song, every lyric, every video, every content they’ll release are well-thought-out by SEVENTEEN (and not just from the company). They are very hands-on to keep their works as sincere and sentimental as possible. The way they treat their fans is like a “me and you against the world” thing. S.Coups, their leader, would literally fight the company (or possibly the whole world) for their fans. They make me feel like I’m the proudest K-Pop fan ever. And the fact that they’ve been together for more than 10 years is simply incredible. Their relationship makes us speechless. If you think about it, usually if there are more members in a group, there are more differences and various personalities they must consider, which is true. SEVENTEEN had their fair share of misunderstandings. They told us all sorts of fights they went through with each other. But look at them now. Their bond is so strong that it feels like you can never break them apart. (One time, they even thought about being each other’s neighbors when they grow old ㅋㅋㅋ). Now, they respect each other’s differences, and most importantly, their friendship is inspiring. I’m relieved that they’re my youth. I owe them for the smiles I make every day. Who caught your attention at first and why? Earlier I mentioned that ‘BOOMBOOM’ and ‘VERY NICE’ were the first two MVs that I’ve seen from SEVENTEEN, and I still remember asking my friend (through a few screenshots) who some of the guys were because they were so handsome, and they were MinGyu, Joshua, and WonWoo. And I gotta admit, MinGyu was my “first love” from SEVENTEEN. I knew it from the first time I saw his part in ‘VERY NICE’. That black & white striped top, the black hair… his visuals are top tier 😍. And also Vernon, he caught my attention because he was so attractive (still is) and his facial features were one of a kind. Who is your bias, and why? Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll answer that I’m in love with a guy named, Hoshi (Kwon SoonYoung). For an initial introduction, he is the performance team leader. He is in-charge of the group’s performances and choreographs SEVENTEEN’s dances (ever since pre-debut). I remember finally “declaring” him as MY BIAS after watching SEVENTEEN’s “One Fine Day” (“13 Castaway Boys”) show. I found myself looking at him every time he came up on screen and his amusing personality made him more interesting (at least for me 😉). I can go on forever with the reasons that I have on why Hoshi is my bias. His duality on and off the stage is completely far off. You’ll see him owning the stage like there’s no tomorrow, giving his 1700% in dancing, singing, rapping, and screaming under the spotlight. But later on, you’ll also see him doing all these crazy stuff you can never expect from an idol. As much as I want to list down every reason, this interview might take more than a day! But what I’ve been saying about Hoshi is that I love him for everything that he is. That’s one of the craziest things about biases: loving both their perfections and imperfections 💕. Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? If I must recommend one title track for someone who wants to slip into the diamond life, it will be ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’. It’s the same song that made me into a CARAT. Please listen to it with a light heart, you’ll see what I mean 😉. And as for the B-side track, I’ll pick ‘Kidult’. It’s a very personal favorite. I’m someone who cries over emotional R&B melodies, and this song is worth listening to. It’s about SEVENTEEN comforting and telling us that it’s okay to be kidults (kid + adult) at the same time. Let’s love our hidden sadness as adults, even though we hide and cry like a kid/child inside at times. Can you recommend a fancam, VLive, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers? I’ll list down below specific videos/clips for each because it’s HARD to choose just one. 1. “Dance With Doc” cover - Hoshi fancam (on the contrary of Hoshi’s intense fancams, here’s one of my favorites where he looked like the cutest munchkin~). 2. This V Live. Maybe it’s just me but there’s something about Hoshi’s room Vlives that feels so genuine and REAL about himself that makes you love him even more…
3. This cover by Hoshi. 4. This dance cover with ENHYPEN. I started stanning ENHYPEN earlier this year and this short dance cover of Hoshi with Jay, Jake, SungHoon, and Ni-Ki made me the happiest multi-stan! ㅠㅠㅠ
Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group? Definitely “GOING SEVENTEEN”, SEVENTEEN’s weekly variety show. My favorite episode is “Don’t Lie”. You will never see the Mafia Game the same way again. And recently, they guested on IU’s Palette and did a cover of IU’s ‘Blueming’ but remixed it into their own color. It was so beautiful! 💙 Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? “Until the day we sing together again, Until that day comes… This road towards you will never end. Every reason and this road, Are beautiful because of you. Even when we pass the turning point at the end of this road, So that you will no longer get tired, I’ll protect you. Even if something happens to us, Let’s meet again.” -SEVENTEEN, ‘Us, Again’ This song was released as a special gift for CARATs and the lyrics I chose meant 2 things for me. One is that it’s a comfort song of SEVENTEEN towards us (CARATs), reassuring that they will never leave our side. And what’s touching about it is that fans are the ones usually promising idols that they will never leave them, they will support them until the end, but this song was the opposite. It’s them (SEVENTEEN) who are making sure to keep us happy and will continue to be our strength. The second meaning for me is the impact of the title itself, “Us, Again”. It is like fate telling us that we will end up with each other no matter what happens in the end… Are there any words from the members you would like to share? “Please don’t think of me as your first priority. I think it would be good if you loved yourself the most.” - THE 8 “If you don’t like me anymore, it just means you’ve grown up. In your growing process, I act as a stepping stone for you, and when you’re past that, I’ll be relieved.” - THE 8 I don’t have to explain that much. K-Pop fans know exactly what THE 8 means. And I just want to say that I’m so proud of him for saying. I hope other idols will learn a lot from him… What is your best souvenir with your favorite group until now? October last year, I met 5 (out of 13) members of SEVENTEEN through a videocall fansign, along with signed pages of my “Attacca” album that are now displayed in my bedroom. Those were the best souvenirs I have of them yet. Thinking about it and watching my conversation with them still makes me tear up… It was the best thing that ever happened to me <3. Can you describe your bias in only one word? UNSTOPPABLE. If you have a chance to cook for the group, what will you cook for them? Well as a chef myself, I would love to make them a Filipino dish and a Korean dish of their choice. I’d rather make something they want or something they’re familiar with so that they can eat comfortably, and I also would love to bake them a dessert that is something healthy. I am aware of their strict diet so maybe a low-calorie Carrot Cake (SeungCheol’s (S.Coups) favorite), or if they have a cheat day then I’m going to go all-out with cookies and cheesecakes with flavors they love. If you have a chance to cook for the group, what will you cook for them? Well as a chef myself, I would love to make them a Filipino dish and a Korean dish of their choice. I’d rather make something they want or something they’re familiar with so that they can eat comfortably, and I also would love to bake them a dessert that is something healthy. I am aware of their strict diet so maybe a low-calorie Carrot Cake (SeungCheol’s (S.Coups) favorite), or if they have a cheat day then I’m going to go all-out with cookies and cheesecakes with flavors they love. If you can spend a day with your bias, where will you go and what will you do? I would like Hoshi to show me around his hometown, Namyangju! We would eat good food, go to cafés, go sight-seeing… 💖 Do you have a dream subunit/unit? Oh please, I need a special HYBE unit boy group including Hoshi (SEVENTEEN), Dino (SEVENTEEN), Ni-Ki, (ENHYPEN) HeeSeung (ENHYPEN), YeonJun (TXT), TaeHyun (TXT), V (BTS), & JungKook (BTS), or at least any members from those groups. These wishful thoughts are making me excited! If it’s not within HYBE, then any member/s from TREASURE, NCT, and Stray Kids are fine too! Name a variety show/content show that you would love to see your bias on? Tell us why. I’ve been waiting for the day when all SEVENTEEN members will appear as guests on “Running Man”. That episode will probably be legendary; best TV variety show meets best idol variety show~. What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life? I’ve been a K-Pop fan for half of my life and they’re already a huge part of who I am. Everyone thinks of me as that crazy fangirl who is literally head over heels in love with SEVENTEEN, TREASURE, ENHYPEN, TXT, etc., and the Korean culture in general (which I take it as a compliment). So being a K-Pop/K-Drama/K-Show enthusiast, especially as a CARAT, I grew up watching them every single day (to the point I naturally learned how to read and write in Hangul without taking classes) and got used to them as my initial stress reliever. And the fact that music in general is something I live for, K-Pop is basically food for my soul. I try so hard everyday to make them proud with all the little things that I do, even though they don’t know me. And lastly, I trust them with my happiness. What is your favorite side of fangirling/fanboying? As cliché as it sounds, we are always happy, or at least we become the happiest. The happiness we feel is beyond anyone’s imagination, and we possess a kind of love that no one else will understand unless you become like us. If it’s okay to share with you, I self-published my first book last March 2020 entitled, stuck in daydreams, and it’s a contemporary poetry book dedicated for K-Pop fans and K-Pop idols. If you want to know more about the reasons on why I love being a fangirl or the things I want to tell the whole world about our precious community, then it’s all written there 😊.P.S. If you want to grab a copy, my book is on Shopee (PH), or you can DM me on Twitter! (@thefangirlpoet) 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 just want to highlight it again in case they didn’t know -that SEVENTEEN has the title of ‘self-producing idols’. At first, I was amazed that a rookie group was making their own songs. WooZi, the vocal team’s leader is behind 99.9% of ALL of SEVENTEEN’s discography, like literally from OSTs to solo songs of members, to gifting songs for other K-Pop groups/solo artists, etc. He does everything from composing, producing, record directing, and of course, writing the most sentimental & poetic lyrics. Hoshi choreographs their dances, which also led them to be THE synchronized kings. The discipline of 13 members dancing as one is no joke, but they pull it off every single damn time. Thank you for answering our questions, Julia. Note: Kpopmap Fan Interview includes some of the interviewed fan’s favorite pictures. If you are interested in joining Kpopmap Fan Interview Project, please get in touch with us as at [email protected] Everyone is welcome to participate.
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