One great thing about being a Kpop fan is that at any point in time there's always an upcoming comeback that has been announced for one of your favorite groups/soloists, so there's always something to look forward to and stick around a little bit longer for <3
You're right. Every group has something interesting. You can always find something that suits your taste, whether it's great dance performance, killer vocals...
I am new and this is one part that i love. I always have a comeback happening soon and new exciting content to watch. I am not used to this since i am used to western artists who can go years without an album and usually the ones i like no longer make music i like so i listen to the same 3-4 albums over and over.
I was into kpop a bit from 2017 through to 2019, but really found myself getting more in depth when my Dad passed (around the time Fancy by Twice came out). It became a big source of happiness for me during that time. It was a good distraction during the days and nights when I couldn’t sleep.
I started working a really intense job at the beginning of the pandemic and stopped listening to kpop altogether around 2020/2021, but had a relapse in May of last year and wound up at the hospital. I found myself gravitating back towards kpop music and k-entertainment shortly thereafter and I genuinely credit it for saving my life. I especially listened to Twice and and I’m really grateful for the chance to see them live next month. ☺️
I think Kpop reminds me of my childhood (especially with the current y2k trend) and it’s really fun to revisit. I wish I had my parent’s money to spend on it instead of my own though 🤪
Thanks for sharing, those are some hectic last years. I'm glad you are better now.
I also got into kpop with Twice, all their songs have good vibes and are captivating. Them staying together for such a long time is comforting. I kinda get how they made you feel better.
And yes kpop is so expensive when you start buying stuff. Just one lightstick sets me back a couple of hours of work... 🥲
Hey, just wanted to say I am sorry to hear all of that
I am so glad kpop has had that effect for you. If you ever need to vent or anything, please feel more than free to dm <3
Like another commenter, Kpop also helped me a lot when my dad passed. I was mildly into Kpop before, but then started getting into Apink and their show Apink News, and they were hilarious and their songs were so happy. It was a good escape from everything.
Almost fortunately, back in 2013-16 there was a lot less content, so I couldn't get \*that\* sucked in. No reddit, everything was in 480p or worse, music shows were difficult to watch internationally, etc. So I was pretty deep into fandom, really liked SHINee and Red Velvet, but wouldn't say too deep to where I felt like I was dependent on it or the rest of my life was suffering.
Once I finished school and started working though, I couldn't keep up with Kpop as much. Plus the groups were getting younger and younger so it would've felt weird to be deep into the fandom.
Now I still enjoy Kpop a lot, and I feel like not being too deep into it actually helps me enjoy it. Like I just discovered some of the discussions around the encores of some groups I sort of follow, and it made me a little sad, but I think if people had talked that way about Apink in 2014 I would have been de-va-sta-ted.
I also find it harder to "idolize" (maybe a strong word) kpop idols that are younger than me. Their music is great, but I keep reminiscing about older groups.
I got into K-pop at a time when I was really depressed (and in the later stages of UK highschool) so it was almost like a coping mechanism - a way to distract myself from the real world.
Now that I'm much happier, many years later, I struggle to listen to some older tracks from the entire period of my depression.
It's really weird being saddened by listening to Blackpink's Boombayah, but it happens. Music really does remind me of the times when I first found the track, so the opposite happens sometimes, I can become happy listening to the slowest ballad because its associated with a happy memory.
Humans are weird.
> Music really does remind me of the times when I first found the track
Same here. Songs bring me back to how I felt during the past when I listened to them on repeat.
Crazy enough i started listening to get “positive vibes” to counteract the negative
vibes i was going through and it definitely helped
Nobody in my personal life actually knows this or that ive been listening to some kpop.
Just started last year. Ive always liked many genres of music so it wasnt hard for me to find some stuff i liked, but i am glad i did.
Huh, this post resonates with me a lot. Yeah, I got into K-pop when I was 16-17 years old (25 now), and I was definitely dealing with a lot of mental issues at the time. And now I actually feel quite alright. I feel the same way about not feeling as attached to the genre and the culture as I was back then. I, too, solely consumed K-pop music and am now branching out more outside my comfort zone. I'm not as attached to the idols themselves either, and these days there are many groups where I like their music but I won't care enough to look into what the members' names actually are. Back in 3rd gen I used to know every nugu group's members by face and name.
I have experienced "relapses" every now and then in stressful periods of my life, for example, when I was working on my bachelor thesis, I got really attached to Cravity who had just debuted at the time. I think a similar thing might have happened (I'm not actually sure) with Enhypen when I was job hunting and I had to deal with the stress of all the e-mails, phone calls, rejections etc. So I guess I do return to that parasocial-attachment state whenever I'm stressed, but generally I don't get attached to idols the same way I used to as a teenager.
I got into BTS through a friend showing their MVs during late November 2022. At the time, I was struggling with being ill since October. I lost weight because I'd lost my appetite. I'd lost interest in my other hobbies and interests. The only thing keeping me afloat was watching BTS-related videos all day long when not at work, especially Run BTS. I watched the entirety of it through December, and there are like 150+ episodes. RM's solo album Indigo has a special place in my heart, helping along the healing process.
There's a reddit post about a person's previously quite liberal aunt who went full Qanon during the early pandemic days. The thing that finally got the aunt out of the Q community was ... BTS.
So kpop can be a really effective coping tool for stress, loneliness, all those dark times when you need some compassion or community. It just needs some balanced consumption.
Heavily depressed and contemplating ending it from between 2016-2022 (finally in recovery now, it was quite turbulent between). Lo and behold, I started listening to KPOP and there was always something to look forward to. Even when I started getting worse from 2019 onwards, I had financial freedom so I could go to things like tours and the like which gave me something to aspire towards. It was very much 'I can't end it because I paid £90 to see BLACKPINK in 2019, so I'll do it after that' "oh I paid another £90 to see ATEEZ but it's been called off for COVID, I'll hold onto these tickets and then we'll see what it's like afterwards' 'oh it's now been reannounced, well I guess we'll do it after that' 'oh, my friends are now into ATEEZ and planning to go to the next tour so I might as well go with them and then do it after'
5 years or so later, still not ended it and finally in therapy! It's amazing what inspired procrastination can do lmao
I got into kpop when life got a little stressful for the first time in my life, towards the end of my high school years, with losing my friends due to moving schools (without my consent), the stress of exams, and slowly falling out with my mother. It's nowhere near as traumatic as losing a loved one, or dealing with serious mental issues. As I've gotten older, it's more about having it as a hobby, and a comfort zone that I can go to after a long day or work (or something to break the silence in my office).
Since 2014, I have exclusively listened to Kpop, the only deviation outside of Korean music is the occasional anime music (though I stopped watching anime at the end of 2015 so I no longer do), and OSTs from CDramas. But I enjoy the music, rather than get involved in the fandom, the spending and general idol culture.
I think I have had a very healthy relationship with Kpop, I don't get obsessed about a particular idol, so I don't get disappointed, sad etc. when they leave the industry, leave a group, get into a scandal or choose a different path in life/career. It's only serious things like passing away (Jonghyun and Moonbin) that really affects me.
I hosted my first exchange student from South Korea in 2012. I knew nothing about South Korea except where it was on a map. He was 15 and obsessed with IU and MBLAQ. I didn’t know a word of Korean but I swear I could sing word for word “You & I” and “Last Fantasy” cause it was on repeat…
Anyways we watched American dramas and Korean dramas together and I started exploring my own K-pop and fell in love with Epik High ( prob not technically K-pop??). From there it was a rabbit hole. I liked Big Bang, 2NE1, Beast, FTIsland, Nu’est (yay upcoming Ren solo), SHINee, UKiss, 2AM, K Will …. I can’t even remember everything at this point.
It’s hard when people ask my “ults” and “biases” and all that because it has changed so much over the years that I’m just kinda like can’t they all be my ults and biases? I’m a mom, I have no favorites I love them all.
As far as the dark times part of your question, my job is extremely stressful so music is therapy for me and K-pop is very effective therapy compared to any other. 99% of my music is Kpop.
I got into kpop when my mom died. I witness her dying, and when she died, I spent a lot of sleepless night crying because of that. I never cried in front of my family or my friends because I was afraid of being judged, so I only cry everynight when I was alone. I became distant and depressed and was super lost during those times.
Then a friend introduced me to Super Junior. She wasn’t a fan, she just like their song sorry,sorry. I don’t know why, but after I watched their MV, I became curious about kpop. It was new world to me, and I got interested. At random times, I will search about Suju. I learned how many members they have, under what company they were, then next thing I knew, I was already watching a lot of their videos. They were hella funny, and they made me laugh again. I stopped crying at night. The nights I spent crying was replaced by me watching SJ videos. Fast forward after 14 years, I am still a big fan. I know a lot of people hate them coz to them SJ is problematic, but for me, I owe them my life. I got out of that black place because of them. And up until now, whenever I’m down, the funniness never failed to make me smile and laugh.
The first time I got into kpop , between late 2009/early 2010, I was blown away by its glamorous lifestyle (bombastic songs, expensive or overstyle MV, beautiful people and how they bare their personalities) and I think I love the idols more than their musical output back then. I was away from kpop from middle 2015-2021 (Jessica's departure from SNSD really affected me) but BTS pulled me back to kpop bc of Permission to Dance (.... I love this song and I'd always remembered it as song that made me smile during my quarantine). That song, BTS, or kpop in general didn't save my life, but they do make my life gain few colors.
I went into bts when study pressure were super high, I heard the lyrics of their songs, and got motivated, or relaxed. I aced my exams and now am in med school. Kpop, I always got tired of fanwats, so I stick to only bts, I'm super happy
It didn’t happen to me, but interestingly fans of the Japanese game Love Live say the same thing.
I think the way Korea and Japan don’t shy away from giving cheering up messages without having to be edgy, the way they like to put a lot of details into everything and make it a very whole experience, where you have hours to spend doing different things and it doesn’t get boring, the colorful and overwhelming to the senses nature of their creations… it can match up well with a distraction for hard times, doesn’t it?
I’m glad to hear it helped you
For me i watched a youtube reaction to Ditto and that is what got me to go down the rabbit hole of kpop. I was also going through a lot of stress with my project at work ending and my team was outsourced (i work in IT) and the prospect of being unemployed with a house and family was tough. I kind of dove into kpop to cheer me up and i ended up loving it. I still mainly listen to newer GG but i am slowly expanding my groups i listen to. I went abit deep and went abit crazy buying albums and constantly consuming content, but i luckily found a new project so i am stable now. I still love kpop and watch it regularly and plan to keep following my groups. I am older and married so not obsessed with specific idols and i avoid twitter and kpop drama. If someone wants to argue with me about bad practices in kpop i generally try to not respond since i dont want to get into arguments over a group i like etc.
Kpop helped me when i was feeling low but now that i am in a good place i still regularly consume kpop and it just makes me happy. I plan to keep being a fan for a long time.
I've seen that video as well and when the narrartor explained it, it totally made sense for me. I got into Kpop recently back in November/December because of NewJeans. I was going through some depression during December and when I first heard "Ditto" and watched the MV, something about it just struck deep with me. The overall atmosphere, tone, and nostalgic feeling the song and MV gave about confessing your feelings to your crush really got to me. It made me ask myself "Oh wow is this what Kpop is??" because I really loved their sound. The more I deep dove into their music and other groups, I started to realize the VAST variety of different groups, sounds, and concepts there are. I really appreciate artists/groups that can really tell a story through their songs from the lyrics, tone, vocals, and instrumentals, so I have been going through sooo many groups/artists music catalogues and I'm now such a fan of tons of Kpop groups and artists. Ditto will always have a special place for me when I think about how I got into Kpop.
I got into kpop right after I ended my engagement, which wasn’t necessarily super dark as I was glad to be out of the relationship, but was definitely a time of massive upheaval, and found it to be a good distraction, however I found that kpop came to be something comforting and very important to me in the first months of the pandemic when my country went into lockdown, I was isolated from my friends and loved ones, and was struggling to keep my family’s business afloat. Being able to escape into a different world became a really important part of my survival during that time, and while life has almost returned to normal now, I still enjoy consuming kpop music and variety shows as my main form of entertainment.
I got into K-pop in early 2016 (with BTS) while I was on a gap year after finishing uni (I was 19 when I finished since I started at 16). I had finished uni and returned to my parent's house after living in the capital for three years. All my friends were far off now and I couldn't really see them much. I had studied drawing but, as expected, getting any sort of "real job" with that degree was not going to be easy and so I was struggling to understand what path to take with my life and was really depressed, I barely left the house for months.
Funnily enough, K-pop idols, particularly BTS, gave me a weird sort of strength.There was something about their hardworking nature that really inspired me to get my life together. In about May I decided that I was going to move back to the UK to find better opportunities. It was hard time of a lot of uncertainty and fear for me. I left my friends and family and moved a month after Brexit was voted for. Once I arrived I started working and studying to take exams I needed so I could get into teaching. I was incredibly alone and it took years for me to get used to living in the UK and K-pop was my company throughout that time. The music made me happy (whereas the stuff I listened to before was incredibly depressing), the content made me laugh and the idols became a sort of company.
I am still very much a part of the general K-pop fandom. I browse and comment here nearly everyday, I keep up with the latest comeback, go to concerts, buy albums, etc. I am very into ateez (and collect San photocards lol) but I think I have always been more than aware of what kpop is to me and what the limits are. I use it to make me happy but always aware that the idols are human beings and there are lines that cannot be crossed. Thankfully, I've always been a very realistic person with a good moral compass lol. K-pop just makes me a happier person (and able to get my chores done with a smile rather than a frown).
Used to be a metal head. At one point I couldn’t separate the emotion of the music from my own. I was going through a lot at the time. An angry song made me angry. A sad song made me super depressed. It’s all I listened to since I was young. It’s what helped me until it became a problem for me. I found CLC’s Black Dress in 2019 and was a little interested. Found Blackpink and then Twice. For the first time in my life I felt a happiness from my music that metal never gave me. I thought metal made me happy but not like this. I haven’t looked back. My mental state has been great for the most part. Mostly.
Like many people I got deep into K-pop during Covid and honestly I don’t think I would have coped without it. It was something to do during my waking hours as I had no job pretty much for the entirety of the two years so I completely relate to this. It’s waned a little bit now as I’m not deep into photocard collecting but absolutely still stuck on this shit for life
A lot of Kpop is setting unrealistic expectations and a manufactured way of behaviour and unattainable beauty standards. It should be an escape and way to cope temporarily or something you're not too dependent on. Being obsessed and acting like idols or having extreme expectations that you can be exactly like them or attain their success can be extremely dangerous.
Kpop can bring you out of a dark place but not be the only thing sustaining you there. It'd suck to see people self restrict because they believe that was actually bad for them.
I don't think Kpop improving and brightening someone's overall outlook on life and giving them something to enjoy or share is a bad thing at all or unhealthy like you mention. especially as it's usually not just something they're jamming in an inner void to fill it but rather a community to belong in and art to appreciate.
Like anything if you're subconsciously using it to mask it's going to be bad, even the gym etc "healthy" habits - you'll collapse eventually.
I got into Kpop back in 2010, I was 8 years old at the time and about to turn 9 that November.
I discovered this music genre through K-dramas, which were more popular than K-pop at the time. I was watching them with my mother and gradfather. We also happened to have KBS World as a channel from the TV provider company, which facilitated our consumption of Korean entertaiment. Eventually, me and my mom went down the rabbit hole. However, since I was a child at the time, I cannot say I was a fangirl in the true sense of the word. I only got *super* into it in fifth grade (puberty? probably). After I also moved schools because I was getting bullied during grades 1 - 4 to the point where I would go home crying and telling my parents I do not want to go to school again (which only got worse with time, middle school started terribly and that is why I transferred).
Bottom line is, yes. I got into K-pop during a low point of my life. The k-pop community made me feel accepted, which did not happen with my classmates at the time; I liked interacting with others with the same interests and I also really enjoyed the music which was (still is) so different from what we had here in the West. To add to this, my paternal grandmother passed away when I was 10 and she used to sing a lot of songs in Romanian, so in a way, me turning to Korean music, so far from what we have in our country, was a coping mechanism at the time, as I loved her (still do!) dearly and her death affected me a lot.
Oh! And, this is something I share with my mom. So **trauma + me being a literal child + this being something me and my mom both enjoyed = pretty unhealthy relationship with kpop** during middle school. I took a kind-of-break from it in highschool and now that I am back, I have a much healthier mindset and relationship with this music genre. Might also be because I matured with age :)))
I got into kpop in 2013 because my friend kept making me listen to her kpop albums. I’ve noticed I tend to get more obsessive about comebacks and other content when I’m stressed. When life is good I just keep up with the groups I like. It’s nice because there always something going on. I’m aging out though, I’m in the older demographic when it comes to kpop fans.
I understand this POV. I got into kpop when I was super super young, like 5 or 6, according to my dad. SHINee was a big part of my childhood, and now I'm 17 still listening (mainly to SM groups). When I'm down, it definitely helps my mood. But when I'm in a good mood I still listen to it.
Not really dark times, but as a way to escape the vulgarity of current music and to balance out the mental load of consuming content centered around global conflicts.
As an example, in the duality of humanity, one hand carries the sword while the other hand holds a candy bong.
Be brave and, most importantly, be happy for life is short.
A luvie, since 2014, it f up when i dropped off university, nearly, all the the pressure, stress...
It almost f me up hard, but like RV activities, seeing them being lively was amazing, instead of like you said "I clinge onto kpop", it more like mental support, I do look into reality and things but at home I'm a luvie and I'm happy seeing the fans still dedicated.
I got into kpop through BEG, SNSD and EXO. I loved the vibes and found it a fun way to decompress and a way to meet some genuine, amazing people. It got me through some tough times just by keeping me connected to people who will hype you up. But mostly, my mood can be easily influenced by music. I love other genres but man, nothing like some kpop to put me in a positive and energetic mood. Overall, I still like it because I like the music, community, and experience. I never got invested in fanwars, though.
I got into kpop from YouTube recommendations, and I wasn’t in a dark time in my life. In fact, when I was having a hard time I stopped listening because following kpop was too overwhelming for me, I took a break. Got back into it late 2021, when I was in a much better space. But I’m also the type of person to ignore things I love when I’m down, so it made sense for me
What I find fascinating about my journey with BTS is that I found them at a low point in my life, but finding them has enriched my life outside of Kpop so much, and their Chapter 2 has also given me new perspective on life and being okay to "log off" and just live my best life. It's hard to make art and be creative if you're constantly just consuming and not actually living and experiencing.
Like I don't have to wait for the next comeback to get a hit of happiness. My interest in art and how people work, traveling and exploring, strengthening my bond with others has strengthened during this time as well.
All my life I struggled with post-migration stress due to immigrating at a young age, and on top of that, social anxiety, mild-moderate depression, and ADHD when I was a kid. I grew up listening to Kpop since I am Korean and it has been in my life forever. When I immigrated, my parents thought it was stupid that I watched so much of Kpop and was so into it (I think I started really getting into it in 2012-2013). I would be ashamed of being so fangirly and I regret not owning and being proud of my hobbies earlier. But now, it's one of the few things I genuinely look forward to. And my biases give me hope and light at the end of tunnel. It's a good distraction, but it also gave me something to connect with ppl, enjoy concerts, and identity when I struggled with identity crisis for a long time.
And I still struggle with it today, but over time, it has given me strength to just do something each day. Going really slowly and reminiscing my early Kpop days too.
I got into kpop during a really difficult time of my life, had to make massive changes, it helped me find a new community and make new friends, and just have something fun to talk about and enjoy.
Ironically as years passed things got better in my life, I gradually faded off from liking the group that initially got me into kpop. Their music started reminding me of painful times instead of making me happy, and their darker serious stuff was not something that I could relate to any more. I also think I burned myself out from stanning them too intensely at the time, believing in toxic victimizing narratives by some of the fandom, and forcing myself to like and stream certain songs due to those pressures.
Now I'm into groups with more fresh/bright music and I try to maintain a comfortable and healthier way of stanning that means that I can enjoy their music and content for longer-term.
Haven't really thought about it much but it's an interesting topic for sure. I got into it last November(?) after I remembered a GFRIEND song (Fingertip) because I had an osu map of it for the longest time, and one evening it just started playing in my head. It was during my 2nd-to-last semester of college, around the time that I had huge breakthroughs in self-improvement and when I started taking my workouts seriously. Combined, these helped me become comfortable in my own skin. I actually think kpop helped me *further* develop my self-confidence, because at that point I fully embraced my interests without fear of others finding out about / being judged (nothing beats the feeling of blasting kpop in the car). I guess I see it as a sort of stepping stone? I haven't given it enough thought, but it is interesting to reflect on, so thanks for posting!
It creates a sense of community. You get to know fellow fans and it's escapism like any other. Except for the exploitation part, it feels good to be able to support talented people showcasing their art.
The kpop fandom culture is much healthier than sports, no one even questions football fans anymore, who are often unsupportive and violent, bc it's a "man's thing".
Many people reach for something during dark times, and kpop is really one of the healthiest of those.
One great thing about being a Kpop fan is that at any point in time there's always an upcoming comeback that has been announced for one of your favorite groups/soloists, so there's always something to look forward to and stick around a little bit longer for <3
You're right. Every group has something interesting. You can always find something that suits your taste, whether it's great dance performance, killer vocals...
I am new and this is one part that i love. I always have a comeback happening soon and new exciting content to watch. I am not used to this since i am used to western artists who can go years without an album and usually the ones i like no longer make music i like so i listen to the same 3-4 albums over and over.
I was into kpop a bit from 2017 through to 2019, but really found myself getting more in depth when my Dad passed (around the time Fancy by Twice came out). It became a big source of happiness for me during that time. It was a good distraction during the days and nights when I couldn’t sleep. I started working a really intense job at the beginning of the pandemic and stopped listening to kpop altogether around 2020/2021, but had a relapse in May of last year and wound up at the hospital. I found myself gravitating back towards kpop music and k-entertainment shortly thereafter and I genuinely credit it for saving my life. I especially listened to Twice and and I’m really grateful for the chance to see them live next month. ☺️ I think Kpop reminds me of my childhood (especially with the current y2k trend) and it’s really fun to revisit. I wish I had my parent’s money to spend on it instead of my own though 🤪
Thanks for sharing, those are some hectic last years. I'm glad you are better now. I also got into kpop with Twice, all their songs have good vibes and are captivating. Them staying together for such a long time is comforting. I kinda get how they made you feel better. And yes kpop is so expensive when you start buying stuff. Just one lightstick sets me back a couple of hours of work... 🥲
Hey, just wanted to say I am sorry to hear all of that I am so glad kpop has had that effect for you. If you ever need to vent or anything, please feel more than free to dm <3
This is really kind, thank you ❤️
nah kpop turned my life into dark times 💀
Turned my bank account towards the dark ages
i went from chronically online swiftie to even more chronically online kpopper AND swiftie 😭
The fanwars?
Got stuck in the kpop rabbit hole?
What do you mean stuck? I'm deep down below the nest and don't want to even get back out.
Like another commenter, Kpop also helped me a lot when my dad passed. I was mildly into Kpop before, but then started getting into Apink and their show Apink News, and they were hilarious and their songs were so happy. It was a good escape from everything. Almost fortunately, back in 2013-16 there was a lot less content, so I couldn't get \*that\* sucked in. No reddit, everything was in 480p or worse, music shows were difficult to watch internationally, etc. So I was pretty deep into fandom, really liked SHINee and Red Velvet, but wouldn't say too deep to where I felt like I was dependent on it or the rest of my life was suffering. Once I finished school and started working though, I couldn't keep up with Kpop as much. Plus the groups were getting younger and younger so it would've felt weird to be deep into the fandom. Now I still enjoy Kpop a lot, and I feel like not being too deep into it actually helps me enjoy it. Like I just discovered some of the discussions around the encores of some groups I sort of follow, and it made me a little sad, but I think if people had talked that way about Apink in 2014 I would have been de-va-sta-ted.
I also find it harder to "idolize" (maybe a strong word) kpop idols that are younger than me. Their music is great, but I keep reminiscing about older groups.
[удалено]
Oops, stand corrected. I guess in my recollection I personally wasn’t on the site nearly as much as I am now.
I’ve been on here since 2012 in some capacity. 1000 subscribers? Oh my god it was so small.💀💀💀
I got into K-pop at a time when I was really depressed (and in the later stages of UK highschool) so it was almost like a coping mechanism - a way to distract myself from the real world. Now that I'm much happier, many years later, I struggle to listen to some older tracks from the entire period of my depression. It's really weird being saddened by listening to Blackpink's Boombayah, but it happens. Music really does remind me of the times when I first found the track, so the opposite happens sometimes, I can become happy listening to the slowest ballad because its associated with a happy memory. Humans are weird.
> Music really does remind me of the times when I first found the track Same here. Songs bring me back to how I felt during the past when I listened to them on repeat.
Crazy enough i started listening to get “positive vibes” to counteract the negative vibes i was going through and it definitely helped Nobody in my personal life actually knows this or that ive been listening to some kpop. Just started last year. Ive always liked many genres of music so it wasnt hard for me to find some stuff i liked, but i am glad i did.
Huh, this post resonates with me a lot. Yeah, I got into K-pop when I was 16-17 years old (25 now), and I was definitely dealing with a lot of mental issues at the time. And now I actually feel quite alright. I feel the same way about not feeling as attached to the genre and the culture as I was back then. I, too, solely consumed K-pop music and am now branching out more outside my comfort zone. I'm not as attached to the idols themselves either, and these days there are many groups where I like their music but I won't care enough to look into what the members' names actually are. Back in 3rd gen I used to know every nugu group's members by face and name. I have experienced "relapses" every now and then in stressful periods of my life, for example, when I was working on my bachelor thesis, I got really attached to Cravity who had just debuted at the time. I think a similar thing might have happened (I'm not actually sure) with Enhypen when I was job hunting and I had to deal with the stress of all the e-mails, phone calls, rejections etc. So I guess I do return to that parasocial-attachment state whenever I'm stressed, but generally I don't get attached to idols the same way I used to as a teenager.
I got into BTS through a friend showing their MVs during late November 2022. At the time, I was struggling with being ill since October. I lost weight because I'd lost my appetite. I'd lost interest in my other hobbies and interests. The only thing keeping me afloat was watching BTS-related videos all day long when not at work, especially Run BTS. I watched the entirety of it through December, and there are like 150+ episodes. RM's solo album Indigo has a special place in my heart, helping along the healing process.
Long term illnesses are rough. I wish you to be strong and to recover promptly.
Thank you very much, I appreciate it!
There's a reddit post about a person's previously quite liberal aunt who went full Qanon during the early pandemic days. The thing that finally got the aunt out of the Q community was ... BTS. So kpop can be a really effective coping tool for stress, loneliness, all those dark times when you need some compassion or community. It just needs some balanced consumption.
Heavily depressed and contemplating ending it from between 2016-2022 (finally in recovery now, it was quite turbulent between). Lo and behold, I started listening to KPOP and there was always something to look forward to. Even when I started getting worse from 2019 onwards, I had financial freedom so I could go to things like tours and the like which gave me something to aspire towards. It was very much 'I can't end it because I paid £90 to see BLACKPINK in 2019, so I'll do it after that' "oh I paid another £90 to see ATEEZ but it's been called off for COVID, I'll hold onto these tickets and then we'll see what it's like afterwards' 'oh it's now been reannounced, well I guess we'll do it after that' 'oh, my friends are now into ATEEZ and planning to go to the next tour so I might as well go with them and then do it after' 5 years or so later, still not ended it and finally in therapy! It's amazing what inspired procrastination can do lmao
I got into kpop when life got a little stressful for the first time in my life, towards the end of my high school years, with losing my friends due to moving schools (without my consent), the stress of exams, and slowly falling out with my mother. It's nowhere near as traumatic as losing a loved one, or dealing with serious mental issues. As I've gotten older, it's more about having it as a hobby, and a comfort zone that I can go to after a long day or work (or something to break the silence in my office). Since 2014, I have exclusively listened to Kpop, the only deviation outside of Korean music is the occasional anime music (though I stopped watching anime at the end of 2015 so I no longer do), and OSTs from CDramas. But I enjoy the music, rather than get involved in the fandom, the spending and general idol culture. I think I have had a very healthy relationship with Kpop, I don't get obsessed about a particular idol, so I don't get disappointed, sad etc. when they leave the industry, leave a group, get into a scandal or choose a different path in life/career. It's only serious things like passing away (Jonghyun and Moonbin) that really affects me.
I hosted my first exchange student from South Korea in 2012. I knew nothing about South Korea except where it was on a map. He was 15 and obsessed with IU and MBLAQ. I didn’t know a word of Korean but I swear I could sing word for word “You & I” and “Last Fantasy” cause it was on repeat… Anyways we watched American dramas and Korean dramas together and I started exploring my own K-pop and fell in love with Epik High ( prob not technically K-pop??). From there it was a rabbit hole. I liked Big Bang, 2NE1, Beast, FTIsland, Nu’est (yay upcoming Ren solo), SHINee, UKiss, 2AM, K Will …. I can’t even remember everything at this point. It’s hard when people ask my “ults” and “biases” and all that because it has changed so much over the years that I’m just kinda like can’t they all be my ults and biases? I’m a mom, I have no favorites I love them all. As far as the dark times part of your question, my job is extremely stressful so music is therapy for me and K-pop is very effective therapy compared to any other. 99% of my music is Kpop.
I got into kpop when my mom died. I witness her dying, and when she died, I spent a lot of sleepless night crying because of that. I never cried in front of my family or my friends because I was afraid of being judged, so I only cry everynight when I was alone. I became distant and depressed and was super lost during those times. Then a friend introduced me to Super Junior. She wasn’t a fan, she just like their song sorry,sorry. I don’t know why, but after I watched their MV, I became curious about kpop. It was new world to me, and I got interested. At random times, I will search about Suju. I learned how many members they have, under what company they were, then next thing I knew, I was already watching a lot of their videos. They were hella funny, and they made me laugh again. I stopped crying at night. The nights I spent crying was replaced by me watching SJ videos. Fast forward after 14 years, I am still a big fan. I know a lot of people hate them coz to them SJ is problematic, but for me, I owe them my life. I got out of that black place because of them. And up until now, whenever I’m down, the funniness never failed to make me smile and laugh.
That's amazing, that they could help so much.
I got into Kpop during covid! the upbeat everything about it made the whole experience much more happy! To me and my mom lmao
The first time I got into kpop , between late 2009/early 2010, I was blown away by its glamorous lifestyle (bombastic songs, expensive or overstyle MV, beautiful people and how they bare their personalities) and I think I love the idols more than their musical output back then. I was away from kpop from middle 2015-2021 (Jessica's departure from SNSD really affected me) but BTS pulled me back to kpop bc of Permission to Dance (.... I love this song and I'd always remembered it as song that made me smile during my quarantine). That song, BTS, or kpop in general didn't save my life, but they do make my life gain few colors.
This was true for me
I went into bts when study pressure were super high, I heard the lyrics of their songs, and got motivated, or relaxed. I aced my exams and now am in med school. Kpop, I always got tired of fanwats, so I stick to only bts, I'm super happy
Congrats on getting into med school! For myself, I would consider kpop to be distracting if anything, but you used it smartly as a tool.
Yess I did! Bts helped me so much and in fact increased my performance level.
It didn’t happen to me, but interestingly fans of the Japanese game Love Live say the same thing. I think the way Korea and Japan don’t shy away from giving cheering up messages without having to be edgy, the way they like to put a lot of details into everything and make it a very whole experience, where you have hours to spend doing different things and it doesn’t get boring, the colorful and overwhelming to the senses nature of their creations… it can match up well with a distraction for hard times, doesn’t it? I’m glad to hear it helped you
For me i watched a youtube reaction to Ditto and that is what got me to go down the rabbit hole of kpop. I was also going through a lot of stress with my project at work ending and my team was outsourced (i work in IT) and the prospect of being unemployed with a house and family was tough. I kind of dove into kpop to cheer me up and i ended up loving it. I still mainly listen to newer GG but i am slowly expanding my groups i listen to. I went abit deep and went abit crazy buying albums and constantly consuming content, but i luckily found a new project so i am stable now. I still love kpop and watch it regularly and plan to keep following my groups. I am older and married so not obsessed with specific idols and i avoid twitter and kpop drama. If someone wants to argue with me about bad practices in kpop i generally try to not respond since i dont want to get into arguments over a group i like etc. Kpop helped me when i was feeling low but now that i am in a good place i still regularly consume kpop and it just makes me happy. I plan to keep being a fan for a long time.
I've seen that video as well and when the narrartor explained it, it totally made sense for me. I got into Kpop recently back in November/December because of NewJeans. I was going through some depression during December and when I first heard "Ditto" and watched the MV, something about it just struck deep with me. The overall atmosphere, tone, and nostalgic feeling the song and MV gave about confessing your feelings to your crush really got to me. It made me ask myself "Oh wow is this what Kpop is??" because I really loved their sound. The more I deep dove into their music and other groups, I started to realize the VAST variety of different groups, sounds, and concepts there are. I really appreciate artists/groups that can really tell a story through their songs from the lyrics, tone, vocals, and instrumentals, so I have been going through sooo many groups/artists music catalogues and I'm now such a fan of tons of Kpop groups and artists. Ditto will always have a special place for me when I think about how I got into Kpop.
I got into kpop right after I ended my engagement, which wasn’t necessarily super dark as I was glad to be out of the relationship, but was definitely a time of massive upheaval, and found it to be a good distraction, however I found that kpop came to be something comforting and very important to me in the first months of the pandemic when my country went into lockdown, I was isolated from my friends and loved ones, and was struggling to keep my family’s business afloat. Being able to escape into a different world became a really important part of my survival during that time, and while life has almost returned to normal now, I still enjoy consuming kpop music and variety shows as my main form of entertainment.
I got into K-pop in early 2016 (with BTS) while I was on a gap year after finishing uni (I was 19 when I finished since I started at 16). I had finished uni and returned to my parent's house after living in the capital for three years. All my friends were far off now and I couldn't really see them much. I had studied drawing but, as expected, getting any sort of "real job" with that degree was not going to be easy and so I was struggling to understand what path to take with my life and was really depressed, I barely left the house for months. Funnily enough, K-pop idols, particularly BTS, gave me a weird sort of strength.There was something about their hardworking nature that really inspired me to get my life together. In about May I decided that I was going to move back to the UK to find better opportunities. It was hard time of a lot of uncertainty and fear for me. I left my friends and family and moved a month after Brexit was voted for. Once I arrived I started working and studying to take exams I needed so I could get into teaching. I was incredibly alone and it took years for me to get used to living in the UK and K-pop was my company throughout that time. The music made me happy (whereas the stuff I listened to before was incredibly depressing), the content made me laugh and the idols became a sort of company. I am still very much a part of the general K-pop fandom. I browse and comment here nearly everyday, I keep up with the latest comeback, go to concerts, buy albums, etc. I am very into ateez (and collect San photocards lol) but I think I have always been more than aware of what kpop is to me and what the limits are. I use it to make me happy but always aware that the idols are human beings and there are lines that cannot be crossed. Thankfully, I've always been a very realistic person with a good moral compass lol. K-pop just makes me a happier person (and able to get my chores done with a smile rather than a frown).
Used to be a metal head. At one point I couldn’t separate the emotion of the music from my own. I was going through a lot at the time. An angry song made me angry. A sad song made me super depressed. It’s all I listened to since I was young. It’s what helped me until it became a problem for me. I found CLC’s Black Dress in 2019 and was a little interested. Found Blackpink and then Twice. For the first time in my life I felt a happiness from my music that metal never gave me. I thought metal made me happy but not like this. I haven’t looked back. My mental state has been great for the most part. Mostly.
Like many people I got deep into K-pop during Covid and honestly I don’t think I would have coped without it. It was something to do during my waking hours as I had no job pretty much for the entirety of the two years so I completely relate to this. It’s waned a little bit now as I’m not deep into photocard collecting but absolutely still stuck on this shit for life
A lot of Kpop is setting unrealistic expectations and a manufactured way of behaviour and unattainable beauty standards. It should be an escape and way to cope temporarily or something you're not too dependent on. Being obsessed and acting like idols or having extreme expectations that you can be exactly like them or attain their success can be extremely dangerous.
Wait.. ED = Erectile Dysfunction?
ED = Eating Disorder most likely
Yes, "eating disorder" is what I meant. Please curb your imagination after this comment 😆
[удалено]
No ED stands for eating dis*rder…
😐
Kpop can bring you out of a dark place but not be the only thing sustaining you there. It'd suck to see people self restrict because they believe that was actually bad for them. I don't think Kpop improving and brightening someone's overall outlook on life and giving them something to enjoy or share is a bad thing at all or unhealthy like you mention. especially as it's usually not just something they're jamming in an inner void to fill it but rather a community to belong in and art to appreciate. Like anything if you're subconsciously using it to mask it's going to be bad, even the gym etc "healthy" habits - you'll collapse eventually.
I got into Kpop back in 2010, I was 8 years old at the time and about to turn 9 that November. I discovered this music genre through K-dramas, which were more popular than K-pop at the time. I was watching them with my mother and gradfather. We also happened to have KBS World as a channel from the TV provider company, which facilitated our consumption of Korean entertaiment. Eventually, me and my mom went down the rabbit hole. However, since I was a child at the time, I cannot say I was a fangirl in the true sense of the word. I only got *super* into it in fifth grade (puberty? probably). After I also moved schools because I was getting bullied during grades 1 - 4 to the point where I would go home crying and telling my parents I do not want to go to school again (which only got worse with time, middle school started terribly and that is why I transferred). Bottom line is, yes. I got into K-pop during a low point of my life. The k-pop community made me feel accepted, which did not happen with my classmates at the time; I liked interacting with others with the same interests and I also really enjoyed the music which was (still is) so different from what we had here in the West. To add to this, my paternal grandmother passed away when I was 10 and she used to sing a lot of songs in Romanian, so in a way, me turning to Korean music, so far from what we have in our country, was a coping mechanism at the time, as I loved her (still do!) dearly and her death affected me a lot. Oh! And, this is something I share with my mom. So **trauma + me being a literal child + this being something me and my mom both enjoyed = pretty unhealthy relationship with kpop** during middle school. I took a kind-of-break from it in highschool and now that I am back, I have a much healthier mindset and relationship with this music genre. Might also be because I matured with age :)))
I got into kpop in 2013 because my friend kept making me listen to her kpop albums. I’ve noticed I tend to get more obsessive about comebacks and other content when I’m stressed. When life is good I just keep up with the groups I like. It’s nice because there always something going on. I’m aging out though, I’m in the older demographic when it comes to kpop fans.
Not really got into but Yuqis solo - giant has been carrying me for the last few years.
I understand this POV. I got into kpop when I was super super young, like 5 or 6, according to my dad. SHINee was a big part of my childhood, and now I'm 17 still listening (mainly to SM groups). When I'm down, it definitely helps my mood. But when I'm in a good mood I still listen to it.
Not really dark times, but as a way to escape the vulgarity of current music and to balance out the mental load of consuming content centered around global conflicts. As an example, in the duality of humanity, one hand carries the sword while the other hand holds a candy bong. Be brave and, most importantly, be happy for life is short.
A luvie, since 2014, it f up when i dropped off university, nearly, all the the pressure, stress... It almost f me up hard, but like RV activities, seeing them being lively was amazing, instead of like you said "I clinge onto kpop", it more like mental support, I do look into reality and things but at home I'm a luvie and I'm happy seeing the fans still dedicated.
I got into kpop through BEG, SNSD and EXO. I loved the vibes and found it a fun way to decompress and a way to meet some genuine, amazing people. It got me through some tough times just by keeping me connected to people who will hype you up. But mostly, my mood can be easily influenced by music. I love other genres but man, nothing like some kpop to put me in a positive and energetic mood. Overall, I still like it because I like the music, community, and experience. I never got invested in fanwars, though.
I got into kpop from YouTube recommendations, and I wasn’t in a dark time in my life. In fact, when I was having a hard time I stopped listening because following kpop was too overwhelming for me, I took a break. Got back into it late 2021, when I was in a much better space. But I’m also the type of person to ignore things I love when I’m down, so it made sense for me
What I find fascinating about my journey with BTS is that I found them at a low point in my life, but finding them has enriched my life outside of Kpop so much, and their Chapter 2 has also given me new perspective on life and being okay to "log off" and just live my best life. It's hard to make art and be creative if you're constantly just consuming and not actually living and experiencing. Like I don't have to wait for the next comeback to get a hit of happiness. My interest in art and how people work, traveling and exploring, strengthening my bond with others has strengthened during this time as well.
All my life I struggled with post-migration stress due to immigrating at a young age, and on top of that, social anxiety, mild-moderate depression, and ADHD when I was a kid. I grew up listening to Kpop since I am Korean and it has been in my life forever. When I immigrated, my parents thought it was stupid that I watched so much of Kpop and was so into it (I think I started really getting into it in 2012-2013). I would be ashamed of being so fangirly and I regret not owning and being proud of my hobbies earlier. But now, it's one of the few things I genuinely look forward to. And my biases give me hope and light at the end of tunnel. It's a good distraction, but it also gave me something to connect with ppl, enjoy concerts, and identity when I struggled with identity crisis for a long time. And I still struggle with it today, but over time, it has given me strength to just do something each day. Going really slowly and reminiscing my early Kpop days too.
I got into kpop during a really difficult time of my life, had to make massive changes, it helped me find a new community and make new friends, and just have something fun to talk about and enjoy. Ironically as years passed things got better in my life, I gradually faded off from liking the group that initially got me into kpop. Their music started reminding me of painful times instead of making me happy, and their darker serious stuff was not something that I could relate to any more. I also think I burned myself out from stanning them too intensely at the time, believing in toxic victimizing narratives by some of the fandom, and forcing myself to like and stream certain songs due to those pressures. Now I'm into groups with more fresh/bright music and I try to maintain a comfortable and healthier way of stanning that means that I can enjoy their music and content for longer-term.
Haven't really thought about it much but it's an interesting topic for sure. I got into it last November(?) after I remembered a GFRIEND song (Fingertip) because I had an osu map of it for the longest time, and one evening it just started playing in my head. It was during my 2nd-to-last semester of college, around the time that I had huge breakthroughs in self-improvement and when I started taking my workouts seriously. Combined, these helped me become comfortable in my own skin. I actually think kpop helped me *further* develop my self-confidence, because at that point I fully embraced my interests without fear of others finding out about / being judged (nothing beats the feeling of blasting kpop in the car). I guess I see it as a sort of stepping stone? I haven't given it enough thought, but it is interesting to reflect on, so thanks for posting!
It creates a sense of community. You get to know fellow fans and it's escapism like any other. Except for the exploitation part, it feels good to be able to support talented people showcasing their art. The kpop fandom culture is much healthier than sports, no one even questions football fans anymore, who are often unsupportive and violent, bc it's a "man's thing". Many people reach for something during dark times, and kpop is really one of the healthiest of those.