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. Lia from the Philippines is the next fan to answer our questions. She is a fan of Choi YeNa! 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 Lia from the Philippines, and I am a Jigumi! (Choi YeNa fan). How and when did you enter the fandom? I became a YeNa fan way back in 2018 during YeNa’s “Produce 48” era. I instantly fell in love with her energy and talent that’s why she became my bias in IZONE too. When she debuted as a soloist, my love and support for her never faded, I instantly became a Jigumi. 😊 What are the reasons why you love your favorite artist? There are so many reasons. 😂 First, she is very talented. She can sing, dance, rap, act, do variety shows, wall climbs, skateboard, and more. She is a person with so much passion to try new things! ✨ Second, her personality is very uplifting. If you are subscribed to her Universe PM, she always sends random messages and you can’t help but laugh at her quirky mind. 😂 Third, she has a very beautiful heart. Although YeNa has a child’s personality, her insights and mindset is very mature and inspiring. Whenever she talks about her passion and goals, you can really sense her determination to grow as an artist. 🏆And lastly, she loves her fans (Jigumis) so much. Every chance she gets, she tries to send us a simple “I love you” or “I’ll work hard for you” even though she’s very busy. 💗 Which song by her caught your attention at first and why? Well, I have been a fan since her group debut so I would say ‘La Vie En Rose’. Even though she did not train to be a rapper, she became IZONE’s main rapper and it showed how versatile she is an artist. Her husky voice in that song is so addicting, combined with her charismatic stage presence. 😍 Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? Since ‘SMILEY’ is already a big hit, I will recommend ‘Smartphone’ for the title track. For the B-side track, I have 3 recommendations: ‘Lxxk 2 U’, ‘WithOrWithOut’, and ‘Pretty Boys’. YeNa can not only sing various genres but she also composed ‘WithOrWithOut’, and co-written the lyrics for 7/10 of her songs including ‘SMILEY’, ‘Smartphone’, ‘Lxxk 2 U’, and ‘Pretty Boys’. ❤️ Can you recommend a fancam, V-Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your favorite artist to our readers? I want to recommend all… 😭 I will recommend her episode in Lee MuJin’s “Service and New Thing” challenge video! A lot of people who barely know YeNa, know her as a cute and fun personality but, in these videos, she showcases her sweet voice & clean dance skills! (TMI: She studied Practical Dance major in HipHop) Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? “The person who smiles, wins.” - ‘SMILEY’. As I said before, the meaning behind ‘SMILEY’ is so deep that will make you realize that it’s not just a song about smiling, it’s a song about overcoming all the negativity and hate, and look at the bright side of things. Are there any quotes by your favorite artist that you would like to share? “In reality, there is no one who expects or pressures you to make others laugh.” - Lee YoungJi’s “No Prepare” with YeNa. I am the type of person who loves making people laugh or smile but when it comes to having my own problems, I tend to shut off other people who try to help because I’m too ashamed that I can’t help myself. Seeing YeNa with this bright personality and having this mindset of “You don’t have to be happy all the time” comforts me. For you, what is your bias’ best stage outfits until now? Please share a picture or fan cam. Other than her overflowing stage presence, you can see how YeNa interacts so well with Jigumis in this fancam! ♥️ I hope more people watch her fancams since she’s such a burst of energy to watch! What is your biggest dream for your favorite group/bias aside from being happy and healthy? I wish they could get more recognition as one of the all-rounder ace of the 4th generation. YeNa is very talented in many aspects, and I want more people to know that they can trust YeNa to make great music. I hope more people look forward to her future plans. 😊 If you go to only one, would you go to a concert, fan meeting, or fan sign? I would go to a concert! I felt jealous of the Jigumis who attended YeNa’s festival performances since I want to experience that too! 😭 YeNa is such an ace performer, she can perform any genre… sing, dance, rap… her ideas are just endless, and I know she will have great plans for her concert! ✨ If you can spend a day with your bias, where will you go and what will you do? I would go to the beach! I love the beach and so does YeNa! I want to learn water sports from YeNa. She recently went to Saipan for a family vacation, and she posted a vlog! She did a lot of fun things, I want to try them too 😊. Do you have a dream subunit/unit? I want YeNa to have a special stage with other K-Pop idols that have charismatic stage presence like Lee ChaeYeon and RyuJin of Itzy! YeNa is great with boy group dances and powerful performances so I hope she can showcase her dance skills more someday. Describe them in 5 words. Soft Bean Rice Cake Baby. What is a random fact that you think people don’t know about them? YeNa has a claw machine filled with lego builds in her house. 😂 YeNa loves building Legos and she always sends us a message whenever she starts/finishes a certain lego build. She already built a Kuromi, BB-8, and more! She promised she will post the final result once she’s finished with it. What do you think is the most underrated song by your favourite idol group/soloist? ‘WithOrWithOut’!! (From “Smartphone” Album.) This is YeNa’s first composed song that isn’t a ballad and she nailed it! Her vocals in this song is so crazy, I think this song really showcase YeNa’s vocal capabilities because of how complex the song is in terms of technique and pitch. It’s a very fun song to headbang to! 😌 Would you like to see your bias group in variety shows? What type of variety show would you like them to do? I want to see her in “Running Man”, “Sixth Sense”, and “Return of Superman”! I just love these shows so much and I think YeNa’s personality and quirky-ness fits well with these shows! (I also want to see a YeNa x Yoo JaeSuk interaction 🤞.) What kind of influence has your favorite artist had on your daily life? YeNa pushes me to work hard every day. Seeing YeNa in different fields shows how hard-working she is as a person and I wanted to be like that. So, I started doing part-time jobs whenever I can, and now, I can fund my own accommodations & other necessities because of how inspired I am by YeNa. What is your favorite side of fangirling/fanboying? My favorite side is getting to meet people who love YeNa too. In real life, I really don’t have a lot of friends who listen to K-Pop and so being in a community where I can freely express my love for YeNa feels very comforting. Do you feel there are any misunderstandings, things that are not well known, or any prejudices about your favorite artist from other fans (non-fans)? Other fans think YeNa can only perform cute and fun songs. When I read some of the comments in YeNa’s “New Thing” challenge, people were surprised she can dance so sharply. And so I want to clear up that misunderstanding since YeNa can perform all types of concepts and sing all kinds of genres! An all-rounder! Lia’s message to YeNa: My Soft Bean Rice Cake Baby Strawberry Milk Princess! Thank you so much for always working hard to make us, Jigumis, happy 🥺 We promise to be with YeNa and love YeNa until forever! Because YeNa works hard for Jigumis, Jigumis will also work hard for YeNa. 💛 Thank you for answering our questions, Lia. 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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