As fans of K-pop, we have become acquainted with repeated questions and comments about our passion for something that often gets misunderstood. Here are the things that we want the friends who aren’t fans of K-pop to know before you join us in our krazy world of K-pop!

1. Yes, this band has 7/8/9/10/12/13/15 members.

Have you watched ensemble superhero movies such as the Avengers or the X-Men? Like those movies, K-pop idol groups are made up of individual members that contribute their own talents and superpowers (the power to make you laugh uncontrollably with one expression, the power to make you squeal with just a wink, etc). When they are brought together in a team, just watching the group perform together is a sheer spectacle. The first of such K-pop groups is Super Junior.

And with more members, there’s more to go around for everyone so there aren’t as many messy fights between fangirls and fanboys. As the tastes and preferences of fans get increasingly diversified, their attention spans are shortening quickly too. Members of large groups can split into smaller groups (sub-units) to cater to different fans’ demands and potentially serve different markets as well. For example, EXO-M was formed from the main group EXO to focus on promoting in the Mandarin music markets.

2. The K-pop guys wear lots of makeup when performing.

Makeup is supposed to help enhance a person’s features to make them look their best, even music legends such as Michael Jackson and Prince rocked guy-liner in the 80s too! These K-pop idols’ makeup looks could also provide some inspiration to the fan girls who are interested in re-creating them for themselves. Embrace the prettiness and party on!

3. We love fan-service.

This is an understatement. All those cutesy gestures and voices can get us feeling all fluttery inside. And noothing else will make fangirls (and boys) all squealy than watching their favourite members getting all affectionate with each other. How else can fan fiction thrive? Male K-pop idols crossdressing is another form of fan-service that has practically become a rite of passage for every rookie in the industry to go through. (This is actually more entertaining than it sounds.)

4. “Music happens to be an art form that transcends language.

We couldn’t have said it better than famed American music, Herbie Hancock. To those who are not familiar with the genre, K-pop just seems like music in a different language that can hardly be understood unless one knows the Korean language. However, the success of K-pop all around the world has proved that the love for this music genre is not specific to any race or religion. And really, with all the catchy music, sharp choreography, gorgeous makeup looks and cool Korean fashion to enjoy in a K-pop music video or performance, does it really matter if you don’t understand what they are saying? Just look it up later on! Plus, with an increasing number of companies (and fans) realising the importance of providing subtitles in their videos, it’s getting that much easier to understand just what is going on.

5. They don’t look the same!

We assure you, they ARE different and unrelated to each other, even if they are dressed in the same type of clothes. She has a darker skin tone, he has bigger lips, she is taller… Just don’t try to use hair colour to differentiate them because these idols change their hair colour with every other single or album that they release. Some of them even share the same colour at one time. But we will be more than happy to help you identify them all over again! 😀

Are you a fan of K-pop? What other things are you sick of hearing from those who just don’t get K-pop like you do? Share with us in the comments section below!