Whether it's a book, a movie, a band or artist, or a clothing brand, there is something out there that we all love and support with every fiber of our being. This first started for me my last year of middle school. I was a huge "Twihard" when the Twilight series had been the new hot sensation. I had t-shirts, the books, bought the movies, and was a proud supporter of #TeamEdward. Looking back on it, I'm a little ashamed of myself. I enjoyed the books, but the movies were so-so for me. As I grew out of that stage, I suddenly became a belieber and unless you live under a rock, that is a Justin Bieber fan.
I had everything you could possibly imagine when it came to Justin Bieber. I had CDs, DVDs, dolls, magazines, posters, perfume, clothing, even concert tickets; You name it, I had it. Most of the things I still have, but I'm not as "passionate" about him as I was when I was 15. For a while, I hadn't really been into anything until the sophomore year of college. That was when I first entered the K-Pop scene.
When most people think K-Pop, they automatically think PSY's "Gangnam Style", which is one of the most popular videos on Youtube to date. I didn't know much about K-Pop, so I had to do research. A lot of the more popular bands had been on hiatus, so I didn't want to suddenly get into the band and I think, "Oh. That's it?"
Luckily, I found a band that I still very much follow and was able to see in concert this past summer. GOT7 was my first K-Pop group and the world of K-Pop, I would have to say that they're my "Ultimate Group", which means that they're your top group over anyone else. I also LOVE the group EXO, which a little more popular when it comes to fans.
But what does this have to do about what I like about being a fangirl? Well I'll tell you!
1. The Discovery
When you discover something new, and in this case when I discovered GOT7 and EXO, it was like finding a new toy. You wanted to know every little thing about the band when it comes to the members of the band, their music, EVERYTHING!
2. The Waiting
Once you got into the band and you watched all of their interviews and performances, you had to wait a while until they had a comeback. Since the band is based in South Korea, whenever I pre-ordered an album, I had to wait longer for it since they're 13 hours ahead of us and where I order my merchandise, I had wait until the store has it before they send it to me. And don't get me started on actual clothing the band possible wore.
3. The Waiting . . . Continued
Once you had the album and the clothing that you wanted, you were finally able to listen to it, but something felt missing. When were they going to come over to the states and have a concert? Or got to K-CON. It's a 25% chance that your favorite band could possibly come over to the states. Luckily for me, I was able to see GOT7 and EXO in the same year, which I'm still pretty shocked about.
4. The Concert
After waiting for so long and not being satisfied for watching the concert in Korea online through a livestream, the band FINALLY makes it to the states. So many fans look forward to the show and do anything and everything to get tickets. Once you're there, breathing the same air and being in same room and time zone as them, it seems so unreal. But it's all worth it. The satisfaction of watching your favorite band and not just see them from a computer screen really is something.
5. Post Concert Depression
After you get to see your favorite band, you think, so what happens next? The band heads back to Korea, does more concerts in other parts of Asia and then they have a break. As the band moves on and thinks nothing more than to finish the tour, you go back and watch your concert footage or look at pictures you took and you slowly start to miss them. You see the concert in your head and remember every little detail, which makes you miss them even more, hence the title of this chunk of information.
But then after all of that, you remember that they get to have more music from their next comeback and have more press interviews and performances for you to enjoy and PRAY that they come back to the United States. Or you restart the entire process because they're could be another band you're willing to listen to. I'm still getting used to the K-Pop scene, but I think I can continue to grow and learn a little more as I start to "stan" a few more bands.
