Post by Sanna Saltcake on Dec 30, 2017 4:42:48 GMT 10
First: If you haven't heard... Some sad news struck the whole Kpop world at the end of this year. Shinee's singer, Kim Jonghyun, left us on the 18th of December. Rest well, Jonghyunnie.
---
Since there obviously are some Kpop fans around (and also I see a ton of Kpop-related avatars on almost every SSO YouTube video I watch lol), I'll just open this
I thought, I'd also add Jpop and Cpop in the title in case anyone listens to this as well.
I've been involved with Kpop probably since early 2000s. Let's say, I already knew about it when everyone was wondering about Psy's dancing.
I was actually listening to Gangnam Style on repeat for a good while before the hype exploded, and everyone I showed it to just laughed it off and called it stupid and weird. So much for that! 
--- You can skip this part if you like ---
How did it start? Because I've watched a whole lot of anime in my life, I had some knowledge of Japanese artists and songs as well. Inuyasha anyone?! ♥ Boa sang one of the endings in Japanese - I only found out later that she was indeed Korean. Discovering her, I also found Hyori Lee and Girls Generation, and yea... I had a LOT of all those artists on my little MP3 player back in the day when there was no Spotify Years later I started listening to BigBang and the solo stuff from G-Dragon and T.O.P. I was quite in love with their faces - because, holy sh*t, are they pretty! - But I wasn't really an absolute crazy fan.
... until one faithful day I was looking for a simple red plaid shirt on Amazon and, well, also found a really nice one. Only problem was: It said "D.O." and "12" on the back of it. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I looked it up and was confronted with EXO, more specifically one of the EXO VCRs of "Heart Attack". Okay, I thought, Kpop. This sounded nice enough, so I could still get that plaid shirt. But, wait, who is D.O.? So, I started learning all their names... (Back then, they still had 11 members.)
When I finally learned them, I switched to an actual music video and was shocked about how everyone looked completely different again XD~ Okay then. I had to start again and do a better job at it! I started watching their reality show, EXO Showtime, to get a better grasp of who's who, that's what people recommended to new fans in the comment sections. This show was the start of a downward spiral (or upward spiral...) into Kpop hell (or heaven). I fell in love with 12 boys who don't speak my language and who live on the other side of the planet. I wish I was joking. XD I literally consumed every EXO-related thing I could get my hands on. It was pretty crazy but so much fun.
Here and there, I ventured out and listened to other groups as well. I really like the hip hop music BTS did back then, for example, and I also still support Luhan and Tao from EXO, who do Cpop now. But I guess your first Kpop love stays with you I do listen to pretty much everything though.
Back then, Kpop brought me so much happiness that I didn't stop bothering people about it. I kept sending my best friend links until she gave in - she is now worse than me to be honest, LOL.
---End of skip!---
I'm pretty old, and I'll tell you, it's not a phase. It's a lifestyle.
I'm actually starting a Kpop related company. Kpop has taught me much and it made me the person I am today. It's my passion and I love South Korea and Korean popculture. I have been to Seoul in February and, with my fiancé's family being part-Chinese, I hope to see much more of Asia after uni!
To round up this little story and this year, here are my favourite Kpop songs of 2017:
EXO - Sweet lies and KoKoBop... I've been listening to Universe a lot but it's just too sad for me
NCT 127 - Cherry Bomb and Limitless
Sunmi - Gashina
BTS - Not today
Block B - Shall We Dance
Red Velvet - Russian Roulette, Rookie and Red Flavor
Taemin - Move
Seventeen - Don't Wanna Cry
2NE1 - Goodbye
I like many, many groups and many, many songs - but I feel like 2017 was not very strong, compared to 2016, but maybe that's just me.
Feel free to share YOUR story and your favourite songs/groups of '17!
---
Since there obviously are some Kpop fans around (and also I see a ton of Kpop-related avatars on almost every SSO YouTube video I watch lol), I'll just open this
I thought, I'd also add Jpop and Cpop in the title in case anyone listens to this as well.I've been involved with Kpop probably since early 2000s. Let's say, I already knew about it when everyone was wondering about Psy's dancing.
I was actually listening to Gangnam Style on repeat for a good while before the hype exploded, and everyone I showed it to just laughed it off and called it stupid and weird. So much for that! 
--- You can skip this part if you like
---How did it start? Because I've watched a whole lot of anime in my life, I had some knowledge of Japanese artists and songs as well. Inuyasha anyone?! ♥ Boa sang one of the endings in Japanese - I only found out later that she was indeed Korean. Discovering her, I also found Hyori Lee and Girls Generation, and yea... I had a LOT of all those artists on my little MP3 player back in the day when there was no Spotify
Years later I started listening to BigBang and the solo stuff from G-Dragon and T.O.P. I was quite in love with their faces - because, holy sh*t, are they pretty! - But I wasn't really an absolute crazy fan.... until one faithful day I was looking for a simple red plaid shirt on Amazon and, well, also found a really nice one. Only problem was: It said "D.O." and "12" on the back of it. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I looked it up and was confronted with EXO, more specifically one of the EXO VCRs of "Heart Attack". Okay, I thought, Kpop. This sounded nice enough, so I could still get that plaid shirt. But, wait, who is D.O.? So, I started learning all their names... (Back then, they still had 11 members.)
When I finally learned them, I switched to an actual music video and was shocked about how everyone looked completely different again XD~ Okay then. I had to start again and do a better job at it! I started watching their reality show, EXO Showtime, to get a better grasp of who's who, that's what people recommended to new fans in the comment sections. This show was the start of a downward spiral (or upward spiral...) into Kpop hell (or heaven). I fell in love with 12 boys who don't speak my language and who live on the other side of the planet. I wish I was joking. XD I literally consumed every EXO-related thing I could get my hands on. It was pretty crazy but so much fun.
Here and there, I ventured out and listened to other groups as well. I really like the hip hop music BTS did back then, for example, and I also still support Luhan and Tao from EXO, who do Cpop now. But I guess your first Kpop love stays with you
I do listen to pretty much everything though.Back then, Kpop brought me so much happiness that I didn't stop bothering people about it. I kept sending my best friend links until she gave in - she is now worse than me to be honest, LOL.
---End of skip!---
I'm pretty old, and I'll tell you, it's not a phase. It's a lifestyle.
I'm actually starting a Kpop related company. Kpop has taught me much and it made me the person I am today. It's my passion and I love South Korea and Korean popculture. I have been to Seoul in February and, with my fiancé's family being part-Chinese, I hope to see much more of Asia after uni!
To round up this little story and this year, here are my favourite Kpop songs of 2017:
EXO - Sweet lies and KoKoBop... I've been listening to Universe a lot but it's just too sad for me
NCT 127 - Cherry Bomb and Limitless
Sunmi - Gashina
BTS - Not today
Block B - Shall We Dance
Red Velvet - Russian Roulette, Rookie and Red Flavor
Taemin - Move
Seventeen - Don't Wanna Cry
2NE1 - Goodbye
I like many, many groups and many, many songs - but I feel like 2017 was not very strong, compared to 2016, but maybe that's just me.
Feel free to share YOUR story and your favourite songs/groups of '17!
