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. Siel from Malaysia is the next fan to answer our questions. She is a fan of VERIVERY and more particularly of DongHeon! 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 Siel and I’m from Malaysia. How and when did you enter the fandom? I was a huge fan of VERIVERY’s senior group for a long time and knew about their company’s plan on debuting a new group. At that time I wasn’t very active in my current fandom because life just gets busier and I had no plan to resume being active but I was still on Twitter to keep up with mutual friends. That was when the official news of Jellyfish Ent debuting their new group was announced with their first reality show! I got myself to watch it out of curiosity – watched their pre-debut MV then just like that I was instantly hooked! The song is so fresh and youthful it was really just something I needed at that time, a feel-good K-Pop song. Of course, the members all seemed so adorably talented! Even so, not many people were aware of them so it was difficult to find people who followed their schedules or whatnot but I still enjoyed just talking about them with some friends albeit not many. That was the very first start when I decided I gotta keep my eyes on this group! What are the reasons why you love your favorite group? This question took me a long time to think about what to write. So so many reasons to say but personally for me, it’s their whole dynamic as a group. It’s easy to be fully biased when it comes to talking about how much you love the members of your favorite group, I am not in any way excluded but each to their own. VERIVERY has such a positive energy around them which exudes well towards the people who watch them, they’re always very supportive for each other, giving praises without hesitation while staying true to their differences. They have openly talked about establishing a value where the members should practice respect and compassion with each other because they’re very much aware of how different each of them can be in daily life. It may sound cliché or maybe a bit too good to be true but it’s a really genuine approach and it seems they do still live by that. Other than that, of course how incredibly talented each of the members are! Jellyfish Ent still stands on being one of the companies who produce such amazing groups where each member complements another, VERIVERY isn’t an exception. For sure their music genre! When they were first announced to debut, they released an official OST for their reality show which also acts as their pre-debut release. The genre and the whole vibe of ‘Super Special’ brought during that time was just amazing! Being a long-time fan of a group who’s famous for their dark concept throughout their career, watching ‘Super Special’ feels like a breath of fresh air to me. The New Jack Swings sound they had in the song was immaculate, the visuals are great and the members all look like they had so much fun doing the song. It also reminds me a lot of the earlier days of K-Pop - just feel good tracks you enjoy without any heavy concept or MV theory you needed to unveil. It’s simply a song you can’t help but love. They keep outdoing themselves with each new releases, seeing the improvement they achieve can’t be more satisfying to witness as a fan. Seeing your group gaining confidence as they move forward with their music and style is definitely worthwhile! Who caught your attention at first and why? This is a bit tricky! During the members’ revelation, everyone took my attention because of how young they looked (in fact, they weren’t as young as they looked) so at that rate I wasn’t particularly focused on any specific member. During their reality show which was the first thing I watched where they’re not in jpeg form, my attention was briefly on MinChan since he reminds me of my bias in another group, and of course, also how good looking he is! But as I was getting into the show, the leader DongHeon definitely left a lasting impression on me. Throughout the show, they had to find their own means to afford their roadtrip and even there were moments where they didn’t have sufficient funds to move forward, DongHeon took responsibility to make sure the members are still taken care of without a sigh. He also comforted the members despite being in the same situation as them. That sight of him really made me feel like the company definitely chose him to lead them for reasons, despite being new to the group, I was really proud of him for having that maturity to be responsible for his members. Who is your bias, and why? Probably can sense it from the previous question, yes, it was DongHeon and still is DongHeon to this day. For sure there are times, by norm of being a K-Pop fan you’d get your bias list wrecked from time to time - me, myself, not excluded. But DongHeon is always on the top of mine, while I adore all the members equally, of course! As I mentioned he left such a deep first impression on me from the beginning, he’s an amazing leader and producer of VERIVERY but first and foremost he seems to be the most genuine one when it comes to expressing himself. I love that the most about him, communicating with fans can be challenging where it sometimes be difficult to draw the line on how much honesty can be shared. DongHeon is mostly known as the fierce leader for non-fans during “Road to Kingdom” but to us fans, he’s a gentle soul who dotes on his members way too much and is very affectionate to his fans. The reverse image he has as VERIVERY leader and as Lee DongHeon never fails to amaze me. And that’s how even after years, I keep finding new things to admire about him. Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? New potential fans come from all over the place so it is rather hard to pick just one. Depending on your preference of wanting a strong track or a fresh bright track, VERIVERY has both! I personally would recommend ‘O’ for both the title track and B-side (it was promoted as a title track then featured as a B-side for the follow up comeback) for new fans. If you’ve been following the recent K-Pop releases by groups you’d know how the industry prefers on having strong title tracks to attract and appeal to fans but ‘O’ has none of the common loud factor but it is musically solid and it speaks for itself the moment you listen to it. It’s a hidden gem K-Pop title track waiting for more people to discover. Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers? DongHeon has a little show he does on V Live (Weverse Live) which he calls “Heony’s Late Night Radio”! He streams from his studio and during off-work time most of the time where he talks about his latest composition, sometimes he would play it for the viewers for opinion. He would also take time to do one just for viewers to talk about their concerns, he wouldn’t be actively trying to solve any but he would elaborate opinions with the viewers. It’s a simple live but it does feel good to be able to chill after a long day at work/school.
Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group? “VERI-GROUND”! It’s an ongoing original content which VERIVERY started since their debut where they’d upload various types of covers in their YouTube Channel. The content may come in the form of solo, pairs or the whole group and be a dance / song cover. The members were never fixed as in not only the vocalist members would post song covers (same goes with the dancers) so each time, it’s like a surprise to see getting a solo song cover from the main dancer or a dance cover from the lead vocalist! They’re able to showcase their skills which are different from their own releases so it’s definitely something you’d want to check out. Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? From SERIES O: Round 3 Whole album, a track titled ‘Fine’. The song is composed and written by the members (DongHeon, GyeHyeon, YeonHo & YongSeung). “주저앉아있던 시간들 잊고 싶었던 날들 모두 우산이 될 테니까 마음껏 울며 지쳐 잠들어도 괜찮아 will be fine The times I sat down Days I wanted to forget They’ll all be umbrellas Even if you cry as much as you want and fall asleep, It’s okay, will be fine.” Are there any words from the members you would like to share? From HoYoung who shared about the fear of growing up and not knowing your new self, he talked about this a few years back but it still left intact in my mind. “I wanted to say to those who ever felt similarly like me is that you yesterday or you today or you in the future, are all you. And that as time passes it can’t be helped that people change, which applies to myself and to you.” What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life? Ever since I knew them they have brought such indefinite joy to my life during those moments when I wasn’t feeling the greatest. It’s not an exaggeration to say VERIVERY has brought colors into my daily life. They’re always my go-to mood lifter during difficult days! What is your best souvenir with your favorite group until now? I’ve had some interactions with them a few times but one that was very unforgettable was back in 2019. VERIVERY had a mention party on Twitter for their comeback with ‘TAG TAG TAG’ so naturally I joined in for fun! I replied to DongHeon’s tweet, which he responded to but only with his name instead of any answer 😔 It was a blank reply… My friends back then had the time of their life making fun of that incident. It was shocking but also hilarious because I told him about it during a fansign a year later. Interestingly, he remembered and we had a good laugh about it! Can you recommend words that your bias like to hear to new fans who don’t know yet about it? Praise him a lot! Tell him all the good things you think of. It’s okay if it’s sappy or cringy ‘cos DongHeon loves it when fans tell him about their feelings. ‘Cos he does the same to his fans! Can you share a fun episode that only fans from your fandom know to readers? The “V” in VERIVERY actually stands for Viral - considering how many random things they get attention for unintentionally! While there’s plenty of wild anecdotes, once, VERIVERY went for a camping/picnic at Han River together so they brought along a newly bought one-touch tent. They had a good time at the riverside but when it was time to go home, none of them knew how to disassemble the tent with failed tries. Eventually they had to call for a taxi and just carry the whole tent at the back of the taxi all the way back to their company 😂. Thankfully, at the end they managed to pack it up after reading the manual many times. It was a really cute little adventure for the members. If you have a chance to cook for the group, what will you cook for them? Malaysian dishes, of course! YeonHo mentioned multiple times before he’d like to try Rendang so that’s definitely in the list. VERIVERY had the chance to try Malaysian foods before and they all liked different dishes but I think serving them some home-cooked meals of the ones we regularly eat here would be a good experience for them. If you can spend a day with your bias, where will you go and what will you do? Being a heritage major, visiting heritage buildings is something I do out of interest and a job. If I could, I would love to bring him around the city to visit as many historical buildings in Malaysia! And maybe fill it with an exclusive culture/history sharing session, although I’m not sure whether he’d enjoy it. Or simply go to a local famous restaurant ‘cos you can’t go wrong with food-hunting! Have you ever made a new friend because of K-Pop? Definitely yes, and plenty! I’ve been in the scene for over 10 years now, I’ve made some good friends along the way while being a fangirl. We grew even closer as a person despite living miles away and only knowing each other through K-Pop. I even attended a friend’s wedding who I knew while I was a fan of VIXX! It really goes a long way when you meet such kind and incredible people. As for VERRER friends, I’m happy to have met some in real life who I meet up with regularly - they’re all very kind and adorable! And we’re all excitedly waiting for VERIVERY to come visit Malaysia soon 🤗. What is your favorite side of fangirling/fanboying? While being a fangirl, it has taught me so much on many things, be it in terms of dedication and passion but most recently, I learned the value of finding your people who accept you the way you are and cares for you in a way you never thought was possible. Everyone deserves to find the kind of people who lifts their spirits up and impacts their life in such a positive way while having the same passion. Online friends are real friends too! I’m happy being where I am right now, as a fangirl who started as a student and now a functioning adult who still enjoys the scene. Do you feel there are any misunderstandings, things that are not well known, or any prejudices about your favorite group from other fans (non-fans)? VERIVERY started their career with a funky bright concept and held that for a whole year after debut but unfortunately didn’t fairly gain much recognition for it. It was after that they changed their outlook in concepts that the general fans pointed out how lacking the presence of boy groups doing bright concepts in the industry while I get where the main intention is about that opinion. However, it’s disappointing to see these same parties lacked the energy to go their way and find groups who does bright concepts to support them. Instead only pointing out the transformation and saying how regretful it is to see. As a fan of a group who did bright concepts from the start which they enjoyed, seeing them having to take a turn on producing releases to cater trends can’t be more saddening. We understand that K-Pop is still a business and get the actions but there are groups who are like VERIVERY who did their part but still get little to no acknowledgement. I hope we as a whole can give more groups a chance on having diverse concepts and not simply make assumptions based on only well-known groups in the industry. Siel’s message for VERIVERY: When I first saw VERIVERY I had no clue what and where this adoration would lead to but it’s been 4 years and I’m still here cheering for these people! Along these times watching them progress and grow a lot as a group and a person, I can’t be more proud to say I’m very happy to be a VERIVERY fan, a VERRER. I hope VERIVERY will continue to be together in achieving more of their dreams in the future as well as having the freedom to pursue their own passion. Siel’s message for Kpopmap readers: VERIVERY is finally having their bright comeback after 3 years with Tap Tap! It’s fresh and a whole fun vibe, do check it out! Thank you for answering our questions, Siel. If you are interested in joining Kpopmap Fan Interview Project, please get in touch with us as at [email protected] Everyone is welcome to participate.
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