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’ 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. LJ is the next fan to answer our questions. She is from the Philippines and is a fan of The Rose, and particularly of JaeHyeong. 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? Hi! I hope everyone is having a good day! I am LJ, 21 years old, will forever be a Black Rose from the Philippines. How and when did you enter the fandom? I became a Black Rose a bit late. I first discovered them around December 2020. I was just scrolling through my feed at that time when The Rose showed up with their cover song of ‘ILYSB’ by LANY. After watching several videos of them, I decided to enter the fandom on January 5, 2021, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. As WooSung said, “It doesn’t matter when you joined, as long as you’re walking with us, you’re always welcome.” What are the reasons why you love your favorite group? I love them for being so genuine and being my solace. Each song written and composed by the members is intended to console and encourage their fans, and we can really feel it by listening to their songs. Every time I’m feeling down, listening to their songs feels like they’re hugging me and saying, “Everything’s gonna be alright, we’re here for you, The Rose is here for you.” They could hug you through their heartwarming songs until the pain doesn’t hurt you anymore. Another thing is how they gave us several reassurances that they would come back as a band. It really makes a big impact, especially on us new Black Roses, and that’s one of the reasons why we patiently waited for them. Now, they even included us in their “HEAL” project for their upcoming album, and writing our own healing stories played a big part in our healing process. Who caught your attention at first and why? I was first caught by WooSung’s very distinct voice and the fact that he really looked like Hwang InYoup got me more interested in him and his band. As time passes by and I get to know him, I can say that he’s in the right band who still supports him in his solo career. I can clearly remember when he posted a ‘Black Rose’ bedroom cover on his YouTube channel and him saying, “You don’t have to wait much longer now”, and in the span of one year, he was able to release two albums (“GENRE” & “MOTH”). The fact that WooSung brings up The Rose in his interviews only adds to my admiration for him. Who is your bias, and why? My bias is Lee JaeHyeong. I was really curious the first time I watched The Rose performances, like “Who’s this guy with the bass?”, “I want to know him more”, “Why does he have a little camera exposure?” That was the time when I watched every single video of them and got stuck with their whisper challenge. He makes me smile the most. Aside from being the sexiest bassist ever, he can also play most of the instruments, is a great cook and a great actor. When he talks, he really cares, and can bless both your eyes and ears. I hope him and HaJoon (the drummer) will have more lines in their upcoming songs because they really have great voices too. Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? For the title track, I would like to recommend ‘RED’. For B-Side ‘Take me down’. You can clearly hear the sound of their instruments and it will give you a concert vibe, which will make you realize that being at The Rose concert is a must! Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers? I would like to recommend this ‘Candy (So Good)’ fancam of JaeHyeong taken by Fernweh, one of JaeHyeong’s fansite. This is a busking of video of them 6 years ago singing ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz. This was during their Windfall (pre-debut name) days. You guys can hear JaeHyeong really has a great voice. Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group? Them singing ‘RED’ in different genres. This is so fun to watch lol! Also there’s when they sang ‘Sorry’ on Wish Bus in the Philippines. Their ‘Breakeven’ performance on “Superband” is also good to watch.
I also recomment this ‘Sorry’ fancam plus Black Roses fan project taken in Seoul by huge crush on. Best band with the best fandom. Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? This line from their song ‘Black Rose’: “I’m drowning below the shallow water But you took my hand and you pulled me aside I thank you always that you saved me from tears Again and again” Also this line from ‘She’s in the Rain’: “It’s better to be held than holding on” Are there any words from the members you would like to share? “Nobody is 100% happy. Everybody has depression, it’s an emotion. Everybody cares and I think we like to touch it up on each one with our music.” “1-2 years is nothing compared to the road we are walking together. Thank you for always supporting us and being patient. You won’t have to wait much longer now. We Rose You.” “With The Rose we always promise to each other that we would do music until we can’t.” “Not the sales, not how good the song may be come out, it’s more about how many people listen to it and say “Oh, your music saved my life”. “Hold on tight.” “We Rose You! We love you!” “Let’s feel it!” What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life? I started creating a fan page for The Rose (@lj_blackrose) months after I joined the fandom so that more people would know how amazing this band is, because I know that feeling when you want to follow a specific group but there’s little information about them unless you really do thorough research by yourself. Posting updates and content about them eventually became one of my hobbies and I get so happy every time I see comments saying “who are they?”, “I want to stan them”. Making people get interested in them makes my heart flutter. The Black Rose fandom is indeed getting bigger & better every day. Aside from that, The Rose also helped me to excel academically. So everyone sleep on your bed, not on The Rose! If you could spend the day with them, what would you want to do together? If ever this happens, I would like to do this thing. They have this lyric in their song ‘California’, which is about “starting bonfires on the beach when the sun goes down, chilling with the friends that always got my back.” It’s a simple thing, but what matters is the memories and enjoying every moment with the band who’s been there to comfort me/us. Singing their songs there would also be great. I thought that hearing them so close would be amazing. Is there some food you saw your bias group eat that made you crave it too? Lasagna. JaeHyeong first cooked this one for the members, and as I looked at it, it really looked so good. JaeHyeong also said on Discord that he wanted to cook it for us Black Roses and he would share the recipe with us soon. What’s your favourite 2022 moment involving your bias? That’s when they performed again on stage after almost 3 years. The members always say how happy they are at that time, and we Black Roses can really feel it. What’s great also is that they now have their own company called Windfall. That was their pre-debut name. They even participated in an OST for “Again My Life” K-Drama. They really worked so hard and seeing them happy doing what they loved made me admire them more. 2022 is just the beginning of a new chapter for The Rose, and we know that soon, they will get the recognition they truly deserve. What is your favorite side of fangirling/fanboying? It is when you get to know more people that have the same interests as you. That feeling when you get so excited with The Rose updates, hyping each other as well as the fandom. And the best thing is that you can find real friends that you eventually consider family, where you can open up personal problems with them without even judging you. They even give advices and comforts you even though it’s just through the internet. Thank you for answering our questions, LJ. If you are interested in joining Kpopmap Fan Interview Project, please get in touch with us at [email protected] Everyone is welcome to participate.
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