Bhubaneswar: The K-Pop industry has a worldwide fan following and is topping the charts in the music industry irrespective of the language. According to Facebook analytics, there are over 15 million fans of K-culture in India, which includes its music. The country is now the sixth-highest consumer of K-pop music in the world.
Odisha too, has its fair share of K-Pop fans, who, apart from enjoying their music, are also influenced by their fashion sense and their lifestyle and emulate both. Some of the fans even feel a sense of affinity and bonding and have brought about a positive change in their own life. Fans believe the singers inspire them to excel in their life.
Nibedita from Dhenkanal is a part of the BTS Army and feels that it has brought major changes in her life. She learned how to do her own laundry and adapted to the hostel environment easily. The Band members, even after being so successful and rich, do their household work like normal people. They share their daily routine with their fans on different social media platforms. This influenced Nibedita to do all her chores by herself.
The 20-year-old came to know about BTS (Bangtan Boys) came to know about K-Pop during the lockdown when she was low and struggling in her career. At this time, she found Korean music inspiring and healing and slowly, she became a fan of the pop members and their music. Loving everything that they do, she started wearing baggy and oversized clothes and recreating their photos. The BTS Army worldwide connects itself through social networking channels and the BTS Army worldwide helps each other become close friends through these social channels. Nibedita is also a part of the Telegram group with 128 members from different parts of the globe. They help each other in completing assignments and selecting outfits for different occasions.
Anjali, who graduated from Ravenshaw University last year, is also a huge BTS fan. There was a time she used to question the phenomenon but now, she herself is a part of the bandwagon. “I understood that it’s not just a relationship between a celebrity and a fan. It’s more than that. It’s a promise between a band and a fan that no matter what happens we two will protect each other and motivate each other in life to become a better version of ourselves,” she says. Anjali has changed her dressing style and more follows Korean fashion after becoming a fan.
Both Nibedita and Anjali feel that BTS Army is not just a random fan army, rather they are friends, they share a close relationship and help each other to grow.
BTS also known as the Bangtan Boys is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-hope, RM, Jimmin, V and Jungkook who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip-hop group, BTS debuted in 2013 under Big hit entertainment with the single album ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’.
