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. Rachel from Scotland is the next fan to answer our questions. She is a fan of BLANK2Y! 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? Hello! My name is Rachel (she/her) and I’m a K2YWE from Scotland! How and when did you enter the fandom? I entered the fandom as soon as Director Sam Choi announced he was creating a new group, I am a huge fan of the previous group he announced so I was very excited to hear there was going to be another one. It’s been more than 300 days since then but time has gone so quickly. What are the reasons why you love your favorite group? BLANK2Y offers me a source of happiness in such a special way, they are one of the most interactive groups I’ve ever seen, they are always replying to fancafe letters and holding mention parties. DongHyuk posts on Twitter almost every day to give us updates. BLANK2Y will always hold a special place in my heart. Who caught your attention at first and why? Initially, I wanted to stan BLANK2Y because YoungBin was one of my top picks in “I-LAND” and there were numerous other members I knew from previous activities too. But seeing YoungBin after such a long time was a big reason for stanning BLANK2Y. However, U really caught my eye at first the photos that were released of him immediately brought a smile to my face. Who is your bias, and why? I have a number of biases in BLANK2Y, at first YoungBin was my only bias, then as the weeks went by I also biased U, Louis, DongHyuk, SiWoo, and Mikey. As I said YoungBin was one of my top picks from “I-LAND”, the moment he said his nickname was ‘Young Bean’ I fell in love with him. As time went by all my other biases earned a special place in my heart in their own special ways. U is the sun in my sky, Mikey is always able to recharge my energy no matter how hard my day has been. They are all so special to me. Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? The title track I would recommend is ‘Thumbs Up’, the moment I heard the song, I immediately loved it. The upbeat energy really is incredible, the choreography is also amazing. In terms of a B-side, I would highly recommend ‘Touch’, it shows a completely different side of BLANK2Y compared to what they show in ‘Thumbs Up’. Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers? I would highly recommend the teaser video for YoungBin when he was introduced as the 3rd member of BLANK2Y, he danced to SEVENTEEN’s ‘Getting Closer’, and I personally think he did an amazing job of it. Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group? I would recommend BLANK2Y’s cover of NCT 127’s ‘Touch’, it’s one of my favorite songs, and I think they did an amazing job of it. Are there any words from the members you would like to share? Mikey once replied to a letter of mine saying ‘Even if I lack energy, look at Mikey and recharge every time, charge 100%. I promise’. I think these words would give strength to not only me but to every K2YWE. If you go to only one, would you go to a concert, fan meeting, or fan sign? If I could only go to one between a concert, fan sign, and a fan meeting, I would definitely choose a fan sign. I want to be able to tell all the members individually how proud I am of them, I want to be able to tell them all how special they are to me and every other K2YWE. If you have a chance to cook for the group, what will you cook for them? I would like to share with BLANK2Y the food of my country, ranging all the way from the most famous food like Haggis, all the way to more unknown foods like Cranachan. If you can spend a day with your bias, where will you go and what will you do? If I could share the day with my bias, I would like to show him everything round Edinburgh, from the castle all the way to the small unknown gems in the city. There is so much to see in Edinburgh, so I would like to show any one of my biases the culture of Scotland. Do you have a dream subunit/unit? My dream subunit would include U, Kino of PENTAGON, Hoshi of SEVENTEEN, San of ATEEZ, JunHyeok of withus/n.SSign, and HanGyeom of OMEGA X. These are people who I believe to be very strong and talented dancers, so to me this would be an ideal subunit. Describe them in 5 words. If I had to describe Mikey in 5 words they would be; energetic, kind, caring, thoughtful and compassionate. Can you recall a moment where you cried/laughed with your bias? A moment I laughed with my bias was during my fancall, me and Mikey were talking about our favourite anime together and we sat laughing at his impression of one of the characters. What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life? U is always able to bring me strength, he is the sun in my sky. If I ever have a bad day I will write him a letter, and it immediately brings me strength. He even gave me the motivation to start learning Chinese. Rachel’s message to U: Sun Hengyu (U’s real name) thank you for always being the sun in my sky. Thank you for answering our questions, Rachel. 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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