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. Rachel De Vera from the Philippines is the next fan to answer our questions. She is a fan of SEVENTEEN and more particularly of MinGyu! 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 Rachel De Vera. I am from Philippines. I am 47 years old, happily married and with 4 CARAT kids. How and when did you enter the fandom? I entered the fandom when my daughter introduced the group SEVENTEEN to me wayback 2020. I am not really hooked in K-Pop before but when I saw and heard the group SEVENTEEN, I got really interested because they were fun to watch and their music were very soothing to the ears. Their songs are all wonderful, they can dance very well too plus their bond with each other is like a family which I really love and admire. What are the reasons why you love your favorite group? Like I have said, I love SEVENTEEN because of their music. They give joy to my soul when I listen to their songs They are a great dancer too, very synchronized I can say. And when I am watching them, I love how they treat each other, they are like family. The boys are also humble inspite of being handsome and talented. I know that they are great and kind kids and can be a role model to my kids as well. Who caught your attention at first and why? Honestly, my daughter always pointed Junhui (Jun) at me and I can say yeah, he’s handsome and I liked him and kinda attracted at him. Who is your bias, and why? MINGYU! Everytime I watch their music videos, MinGyu always gets my attention. He is so handsome and talented to me and I am so much attracted to him. Not to mention that he is a great singer, rapper, dancer, artist (he can draw and paint), lead guitarist, photographer, video editor and a great cook as well. He is a total package! My husband always gives a tap on my head everytime I tell him how I like MinGyu a lot. He keeps on telling me I’m acting like a teenager which is not suitable for my age but I really don’t care and answered him back “well honey, sorry I can’t help to gush with MinGyu. He is so handsome and talented to me and I love him so much!” yeah, my husband can’t do anything about my admiration to MinGyu. MinGyu’s face is all over our house. On my shirts, on my towel, on my mug, on my car keys, on my bags, necklace, pillow etc. I even have MinGyu’s framed photo in our own room and I hug my MinGyu pillow everynight! (sorry hubby!). When I celebrated my 47th birthday, I had my Mingyu theme party. We also celebrated MinGyu’s 25th birthday in our home together with my family and some CARAT friends and we had fun taking photos with my MinGyu standee. It seems like he is with us on his birthday. Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans? For a title track, I would recommend ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’, ‘24 Hour’, ‘Ready To Love’ and ‘Rock With You’. But I tell you, there are so much more that are so pleasing to listen. For the B-side track I would recommend ‘All My Love’, ‘Trauma’, ‘I Can’t Run Away’, ‘To You’ and a lot more. MinGyu also had a special song which he was the one who composed it. The title of the song is ‘Like The Beginning’. It was a heartwarming song dedicated to CARATs. Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers? Oh, I always watch MinGyu’s fancam of ‘Call Call Call’ because he is so cool there. My favorite MinGyu fancam that I always watch are from ‘Gleaming Ripple’ and ‘My Gravity’. Their YouTube channels are dedicated to MinGyu only and I do not get tired of watching all their uploads re MinGyu. I regularly watch SEVENTEEN’s official music videos and guestings too. Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group? Yeah please watch “Going Seventeen” to know the boys better. I tell you, they are fun to watch and you will really tell how deep their relationship with each other, they are like brothers. Their bonds are so special and very sincere. Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? This is the chorus of ‘All My Love.’ “Nae sarangi gyeou igeotbakke an dwae Geuraedo nae gyeote isseo jwoseo gomawo My baby Nae sarangi gyeou igeotbakke an dwaedo Eoneu gyeouredo neoui bomi doelge Nae maeumi gyeou ireon mal hae” Are there any words from the members you would like to share? MinGyu always says “Don’t Give Up!” so yeah, never give on your dreams. Keep on fighting for it. Pursue it till you get it. What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life? SEVENTEEN is a source of joy to me and to my family. They always put a smile on my face everytime I watch them especially MinGyu. I have a special bond with my kids because of SEVENTEEN. We watch and listen to their songs everyday. Their music calms my tiring day too. I also feel young because of them. 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)? Other fans don’t want a big group like SEVENTEEN who has 13 members because they think it’s chaotic and confusing. But if they will take time to watch them perform, they will going to have a different perspective. This group is the king of synchronization! They are 13 boys but when they dance, they move as one person, everything is in place. They dance very well and their vocals are amazing. I am so proud of my boys! Can you describe your bias in only one word? Perfect! Can you share a fun episode that only fans from your fandom know to readers? There are a lot of funny episodes that you can watch at “Going Seventeen”, but one of my most favorite episodes is “Bestfriends”. I watched it a lot of times but this episode never fails to entertain me. The time when they played the “Red Light Green Light Game”, oh my God, I can’t stop laughing at it. Please watch it in YouTube guys, you will never regret watching it. If you are collecting goods, what is your most precious treasure? I have a gold bangle that I customized based on MinGyu’s personality. The charms that I put there represent who he is as a person. I barely wear it because it’s too precious for me. If you have a chance to cook for the group, what will you cook for them? I’m gonna cook chicken & pork Adobo for them because I believe it is a popular Filipino dish that most loved by people from other country. MinGyu loves food very much I’m sure he will love it and the rest of the group as well. If you can spend a day with your bias, where will you go and what will you do? Philippines has a lot of beautiful beaches like Boracay. But I wanna spend a more intimate time with him where we are the only people in the island so I will take him to Amanpulo. There, we could walk by the beach together while MinGyu takes photos of me because MinGyu loves his camera so much, he’s gonna take a lot of photos there. Then we will just have a boodle fight because MinGyu loves to eat too, so I’m sure we will enjoy eating every meal together. Name a variety show/content show that you would love to see your bias on? Tell us why. Oh, I am hoping that MinGyu will do a Netflix series with a romantic-comedy genre. I wanna see him acting on screen because I tell you, he is also good at acting. I hope you can watch his acting skills too. Actually, he already had a cameo role in one of the series in Thailand and he nailed his role. I am so proud of him. What do you have in common with your favourite idol? MinGyu and I are both well organize in our space. We both want our room tidy at all times. I can also compose songs like him, in fact I wrote a song for MinGyu and I hope he can hear it someday because it is dedicated to him. Have you ever made a new friend because of K-Pop? Yeah! I have found new CARAT friends and we exchange messages once in a while. We keep in touch in our Facebook and Instagram page. You know it’s always fun to have a chat with them regarding our idols. Rachel De Vera’s message to MinGyu: To MinGyu, You may not even know me coz we are miles apart, but me and my family will always be here loving you and the rest of the group. We will support you all the way! I love you MinGyu! I love you SEVENTEEN!!! Thank you for answering our questions, Rachel De Vera. 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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