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’ 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. Nicole is the next fan to answer our questions. She is a Filipino who lives in the US and is a fan of multiple K-Pop groups, particulary of P1Harmony, ATEEZ, and SEVENTEEN. Check out how she entered the fandoms, the songs and content she advises to new fans, and much more! Can you introduce yourself? Where are you from? Hi, my name is Nicole, and I’m Filipino, but I’m from the US! I’ve been a K-Pop stan since 2020 and I currently stan more than 20 groups, but my ults are P1Harmony, ATEEZ, and SEVENTEEN! How and when did you enter the fandom? After learning about BTS and becoming an ARMY, I wanted to look into newer groups, and that’s when I found P1Harmony who had debuted only two weeks before! I became an ATEEZ fan in March of 2021 after accidentally watching a ‘HALA HALA’ performance, so I think that it must’ve been destiny! With SEVENTEEN, I always knew that they existed, but I didn’t slip into the diamond life until June of 2021 after seeing pictures of JeongHan’s long hair and Harley Quinn costume. What are the reasons why you love your favorite groups? I think that these three groups are my ults because they all have very catchy and addictive music that match my taste. Also, all three are known for their dancing, whether it be their choreography, synchronization, and stage presence. Lastly, what I love the most about these groups is how close all the members are, so much so that they all act like a family. It’s very heartwarming and fun to watch, plus they’re very funny and chaotic! Who caught your attention at first and why? For P1Harmony, it was love at first sight with InTak because of his unbelievable visuals. In ATEEZ, YunHo and YeoSang caught my attention first, and as I mentioned earlier, it was JeongHan’s long hair for me! Who is your bias, and why? My bias in P1Harmony is InTak because of his visuals and positive energy, and my bias in SEVENTEEN is JeongHan because of his clever and caring personality. I had trouble choosing a bias in ATEEZ at first, but after I fell in love with SeongHwa, there was no turning back. Aside from being absolutely gorgeous, I love how sweet and comforting SeongHwa is, as he often acts as the mom in the group. He’s also funnier than most people would assume, and he’s a completely different person on stage. It’s an interesting coincidence that all three of my biases in my ult groups are also my three ult biases! Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? For P1Harmony, the title track I’d recommend is their debut song ‘Siren’, but my favorite song of theirs is ‘Butterfly’! My all time favorite ATEEZ song is ‘Inception’, but I’d also recommend ‘Utopia’. There’s so many SEVENTEEN songs to choose from, but ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’ is what made me a CARAT, and my favorite B-side is ‘Good To Me’. Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers? I absolutely love watching InTak dance, and his cover of NCT’s ‘Resonance’ shows how talented he is. One of the reasons why ‘Inception’ is my favorite ATEEZ song is because SeongHwa truly shines during his parts, so I recommend watching his fancam for that song. For JeongHan, I suggest checking out his solo song ‘Purple Rose’ which he performed during their “Ideal Cut Tour”. Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group? P1Harmony are known for their covers, so I recommend watching those, especially their ‘Maniac’, ‘Good 4 U’, and 1theK covers. It was really hard choosing one ATEEZ performance, but I really enjoyed their cover of iKon’s ‘Rhythm Ta’ for “KINGDOM: LEGENDARY WAR”. My recommendation for SEVENTEEN is their 2x speed dance of ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’; the choreo is very difficult as it is, so it was so impressive watching them perform twice as quickly! Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? “Just walked up in here like, hey Can’t hear a thing you say Going my own way with two great danes Gotta stay humble like Bill Murray” - ‘That’s It’ by P1Harmony “Don’t be afraid Dreams are everywhere Just keep going as I always have, this is my way” - ‘My Way’ by ATEEZ “No need to rush, you’re doing fine Just stay as you are My journey starts with me” - ‘My My’ by SEVENTEEN 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.” - SeongHwa What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life? I listen to music from my favorite groups all the time because it’s genuinely so good! Also, watching my favorite groups after a long and difficult day brings me so much comfort, and they never fail to bring a smile to my face! What is your best souvenir with your favorite group until now? My favorite would definitely be when Theo, my bias wrecker from P1harmony, commented on my Weverse post saying that he liked the bracelet I made. I still think about how crazy it is that he noticed and enjoyed what I made, and if I ever get a chance to meet them in person, I would love to actually give the bracelet to Theo! What’s your favourite 2022 moment involving your bias? My favorite 2022 moment with SeongHwa was his birthday, since it was my first time celebrating it as a Shinestar aka the name for SeongHwa fans. I stayed up to watch his live, and I ordered a very yummy pink drink in his honor, since that’s his favorite! Also, ATEEZ had a world tour this year, so I loved going on Twitter every day to see videos of SeongHwa performing, especially the song ‘Dancing Like Butterfly Wings’ as it’s basically his anthem! Please recommend your favorite selfie by your bias. SeongHwa is a selfie master and literally takes thousands of them, but my favorite are the 112920 Twitter selfies because of his cute outfit and the natural cat ears that his hair forms!
— ATEEZ(에이티즈) (@ATEEZofficial) November 29, 2020 What I love about all three of my ults (SeongHwa, InTak, and JeongHan) is that all of their selfies are such boyfriend material, and Kpopmap even featured two of them for their Boyfriend Material series! P1HARMONY’s InTak Boyfriend Material Pictures KPOP STORIES|Nov 12, 2021 ATEEZ’s SeongHwa Boyfriend Material Pictures KPOP STORIES|Jul 23, 2021 Have you ever made a new friend because of K-Pop? K-Pop has given me the opportunity to become friends with so many people from all over the world on various platforms that I would not have met otherwise. Furthermore, I was able to become closer with one of my old friends, as I introduced them to K-Pop when I first learned what it was. Now, our friendship has grown even stronger, and we talk all the time and bond over our favorite groups. You can also add a message/letter to your bias or show it on a message scrapbook. Though there is so much I want to say, I’ll just leave a quick message for my #1 ult bias, SeongHwa: My shining universe, you always brighten my day, and I hope you take care of yourself the same way you take care of all of us. I just want to tell you that you’ve made my life better; thank you for your hard work and all you’ve done for ATINY and ATEEZ. I promise we’ll see each other face-to-face one day at a concert hopefully! Thank you for answering our questions, Nicole. 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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