On the weekend Chloe and I went to the iKON concert! Many people would have watched on the V app live as well, but the professional filming doesn’t always capture what it feels like to be actually at the concert. It was seriously exhilarating. There was such a positive feeling everywhere and it was an amazing concert. So some of you might be wondering who iKON is. Well you probably know that I’m a huge BIGBANG fan, who are probably the most popular and well known Kpop group. iKON is from the same entertainment agency and have only just debuted. So how can such a new group fill out a stadium with their first concert? Well iKON have been in the public eye for 2 years. First in the TV show WIN: Who is Next where they were pitted against other trainees in YG Entertainment. They actually lost and the winning team went on to debut as the group WINNER. They were then put through the stress of another elimination TV show called Mix and Match where 3 new members were added but they all had to prove they were good enough to be in the group as 2 members didn’t make the cut. These TV shows were immensely popular in Korea and a strategy of the entertainment company to gain fans before they even debut. Two members B.I. and Bobby competed in the Hip Hop elimination TV show Show Me the Money and Bobby went on to win (amazing feat for an ‘idol rapper’). So it may seem like I’ve suddenly started liking a new group, I’ve actually been following them for years, which is why it was so great to go to the debut concert. Chloe and I filmed another video about going to concerts in Korea with some more logistical info, so stay tuned for that later.

Okay the next thing I’m going to write is for international iKON fans:

I always follow a lot of stuff on Tumblr and Twitter so I know when international Kpop fans are only relying on international sites for news, how distorted the information can be or just simply misrepresented. I posted this video on Twitter not long ago and I have had so many retweets, likes and heartfelt thanks from fans in such a short time. I think international iKON fans have been seeing so much negative stuff about them and have been concerned. As someone who has been around for a while (Okay I’m old! haha) I just want to reassure you all. I do remember what it’s like as a teenager to absolutely love a band and then people saying downright mean stuff and it being so upsetting. So I’m going to take the time to hopefully give you a better view, as someone who lives in Korea and is follwing iKON and YG stuff.

Firstly the internet comments and articles that seem to show all this iKON hate is not something to worry about. The worst thing would be if iKON got no hate because it would mean they are under the radar and no one cares. BIGBANG is one of the most hated groups in Korea, but it’s because they are so loved and so popular. Everyone knows who they are. You can’t be at the top and have no haters. They might get so much hate but they get a lot more love and are some of the highest earning Kpop stars and regarded as artists by the Korean public. Not many Kpop groups get to that point. BIGBANG has paved the way for iKON, so iKON is going to have the same type of stuff to deal with.

Another reason why iKON is getting so much “hate” is because all these fans of other groups are scared. It’s pretty hard to debut with the impact that iKON has, and YG yet again has produced a group that is going to go further than all these other groups. At the concert there were so many representatives for brands and companies from other countries just there to see iKON. What other rookies can get that attention? The Kpop market is so saturated, it’s so hard for all these groups, so it’s scary to see power rookies like this if you have been dedicated to another group for years. So when you see those nasty and hateful comments from people in the comment section of articles, ignore them because it’s just lashing out from worry.

Something very important to remember is that international Kpop sites rely on clickbait. And a negative title and story is going to get way more clicks and generate way more advertising revenue for the site. At the moment iKON’s debut is a hot topic and twisting things in a negative way says more about how these sites make money than anything actually happening in Korea. For example, articles hyping up that Bobby “dissed” idol rappers etc get the clicks because all these other fan girls jump into the comment section to rage against this “offense” against their “oppas” and then the site gets more money. It doesn’t matter that dissing is part of the Hip Hop scene and an ongoing thing in Korea, or that Bobby has clearly said he is still an idol rapper and wants to encourage others. When people don’t have the context to the story and Kpop fans who comment online are usually addicted to rage, of course these sites love having these stories! As much as international Kpop fans like to think all Kpop groups are created equal, it’s not like that at all. As a winner of Show me the Money, Bobby has a lot more credibility than other idol rappers. But that’s a hard truth for a lot of other fans.

Lastly, the sad truth is that BIGBANG will be finishing up their tour and will be going into the military in the coming years. BIGBANG has always been YG Entertainment’s money maker. iKON (and WINNER to some extent) will be stepping into their shoes. YG boss knows what he is doing and will do everything to ensure iKON’s success. They have already done what other rookies haven’t done. You have probably heard of the grueling training BIGBANG had and how G-Dragon had to write songs every day. It’s the same with iKON, it’s not just about singing and dancing, but they also have to prove themselves as artists, which not many other Kpop groups have to do. You can look at YG’s track record and be confident. So everyone just chill out and relax and enjoy the music 🙂

 

EDIT: So some time has passed and see! They already won the best new artist for the Melon awards and the crowd was chanting their name before the winner was even announced. I’ve still had people asking me questions about being concerned about their popularity in Korea. They are called ‘Monster Rookies” here, their songs are everywhere, people actually know who they are… unlike most rookies. Please be aware of how much international Kpop sites sway people’s opinion. There is one site in particular that we all know of that hates BIGBANG and been completely nasty about them for years and years, so of course they are going to be nasty about new groups from YG too. Some people have pointed out how that site has managed to single-handedly turn the international Kpop community against iKON. In the long run it doesn’t matter. If anything I’m really glad to see how nice the iKON community has been. So don’t worry iKONICS, just ignore and let other Kpop fans be the ones giving Kpop fans a worse and worse reputation. But I also understand how much it sucks to see really love a group and see such negativity for no reason. That’s why I’ve been reaching out to iKONICS. I’m probably a lot older than most of you, but I remember what it likes… I mean I was a Hanson fan in my teens… that’s a group that got so much hate! Even though they were talented. One of the reasons why I tweet so much about iKON is to give all the international fans a better view of what is going on in Korea. Liking music should be about your own enjoyment, not about fan wars or bullying, so ignore the rude and negative people, ignore the negative Kpop sites, and just like who you want to like.

You can also check out my other tumblr where I make silly iKON comics here!

NEW IKON CONCERT VLOG HERE.