Here's something I would like to ask you, fellow ELF. Do you love Super Junior fully? Do you consider yourself as a loyal fan? Are you willing to love Super Junior till the end? If your answer is yes, then kuddos to you. If not, then you might have to reconsider why you like Super Junior in the first place.
K-pop has been popular for so many years now and it keeps growing and growing. K-pop has changed drastically with a huge number of K-pop groups. From Shinwa to TVXQ to Super Junior to Big Bang, Girls Generation, EXO, SHINEE, Lovelyz, Red Velvet, Twice, Blackpink, Seventeen, NCT, BTS...you name it. And honestly, it is not that easy to keep up with the rapid spreading of popularity of a single group. New talents are coming ahead, and they will steal the spotlight. However, there'll always be a group of fans who remain loyal to the K-pop group of their choice.
This actually summarizes what I wanna say but I would like to elaborate so I hope you'll keep on reading. :P
We humans have hearts that are hard to understand (not biologically unless you're sick but mentally/psychologically). Our heart guide us to the things that take us by interest. Our hearts are complicated because we may have to think to choose which to support and which to leave. We all have different tastes in music. We all have different tastes in movies and books and anything else. A lot of people in this world seem to have similar interests in the latest trends. As years fly by, new trends come in and people cope up with them. However, not everyone likes keeping up with the trends because they may feel uncomfortable with them or uninterested in them. In fact, the world is endlessly changing because of the generation today.
I've come across with this vlog video from Phillip Wang from Wong Fu Productions. And his opinions on the decreasing popularity is similar to K-pop. "YouTube is constantly changing", so is K-pop (Wang, 2016). YouTube's job is to keep up with what's happening in the world year after year. And if you're a YoutTuber, it's good that you've gained popularity, but after some time, it'll fade away. You've done your best to create as many contents as you can, and if people are no longer interested in your videos, then they'll unsubscribe. And that's okay because people change. They may change their perspectives or views on your content. However, just because you're no longer popular doesn't mean you have to quit what you're doing. YouTubers post the things they love. They find a career through YouTube, and viewers find something in common with the YouTubers. If people stick with a certain channel for many years and will still keep on watching, those people are true fans. They believe in the channel and vow to support the channel.
Phillip pointed out that "you won't be popular forever"(2016). It's like a human's lifespan. We grow and grow and then we pause before we eventually will start aging. We may not be popular for a long time, but what we've given to the public will leave a mark to their lives. They will remember you, and they will thank you for inspiring them.
Wong Fu Productions channel has been a big part of my life since 2012. When a friend showed me "Strangers Again" short film, I started to watch their videos ever since. I've become their fan until today, and I'll never stop watching and liking their stuff. There's just something about their videos that has reached my heart. They really know how to tell stories about relationships and life in a visual way. Even though they have not reached to a hundred million subscribers, I will still watch their videos because I like what they do. Their channel has grown bigger and bigger for the past decade or so.
Artists become popular for a certain period of time. That's how the "evolution of entertainment" works (2016). For example, I remember when David Archuleta's time as an American Idol sensation exploded back in 2009. His hit single, "Crush" had him gain so many fans. And then, "A Little Too Not Over You" came along followed by "Something Bout Love" and a lot more. After a few years, his popularity died down. He went on a hiatus before coming back with new songs. But this time, the number of fans he has now are not as many he once had. And that's okay because he likes delivering new music to his fans today. There's still always people who still support him.
I also remember when I first got into Daughtry's music. Back in 2009, when I first repeated the song "Feels Like Tonight" on one of those dinosaur computers, I ended up looking up for more songs from the rock band. Chris Daughtry had participated in American Idol as well. I think he didn't win, but he still made good music and eventually his band's popularity escalated. Their songs has such deep, meaningful, and emotional lyrics. Even today, their new songs are just as good as before. Daughtry, too, is not so popular today. I expected to see at least half of the seats full when I attended Daughtry's concert back in summer 2015 in Vancouver. But I was wrong. That time when I went there, the whole area was full of fans! It surprised me that even though the popularity has died down, there's still a number of fans all over North America who still love Daughtry. :)
Okay, back to K-pop. You probably have noticed by now that Super Junior has lost a number of fans because of so many negative news about them and not just because of the new K-pop groups. Some are made up, some are real. Super Junior takes their own responsibility to cover up their mistakes that make the fans upset and the other people to stomp of them like "wild grass" (quote from Leeteuk). And I know that they feel bad about us protecting them. The reason why we stand up for them is because we still care for them. We choose Super Junior as our favourite K-pop group because they're the ones who attract us first. Right? So, in return, we stay by their side. And I hope we can continue doing that till the end as loyal fans. If you choose to be a loyal fan, stay that way. If you choose to leave the fandom, no one will judge you. You are a human. You make your own decisions. And we don't blame you if you leave for certain reasons. But whatever it is, don't underestimate Super Junior or even us. Because do not forget (and I mean do not ever) that Super Junior is the pillar of the Hallyu wave today. Without Super Junior, none of the latest K-pop rookies who have blossomed into rising stars won't even exist!
What kind of a fan are you if you are not hungry for new music, but hungry for gossip or criticism on Super Junior? Are you even happy to be with Super Junior just because they've done something bad? Why don't you even at least show them sympathy? It's not that they're doing things on purpose right? They are scared! I'm telling you. Scared. They're scared that we will walk away from them. And we're scared too, because we don't to see them disband. We don't want to see them leave us. News on Sungmin's marriage has gone haywire all over the online world, even until now. Don't even get me started. I seriously am done reading those "#sungminout" tweets. It's just torture! That's not just mean that sweet, bright Sungmin is released from military. It means something else. Something dark and cunning netizens hide away from us. Those people don't know Sungmin as much as we ELF do. I've been a fan for close to two years now and even though I have a lot more to know about each member in Super Junior, I know for a fact that they are trying their hardest to stay alive as a group and to preserve our SuJu+ELF relationship.
Even though Super Junior is not recognized by most young K-pop fans, even though Super Junior is looked down by a lot of people, Super Junior still strives to be the best they can be. They're still working hard filling in as many variety shows as they can, releasing as many albums as they can, holding as many concerts as they can and most importantly reminding us again and again that they won't stop. We have been working hard voting as much as we can, sharing MVs and songs as many times as we can and reminding the world again and again that Super Junior is still alive.
And from what I can see, Super Junior members do all those things not for vanity, but for enjoyment. They just love doing what they do, and that's something we all should take note. They don't take clown lessons or anything. They just like to joke around and make us laugh naturally. That is something not many entertainers can master.
Another thing that bothers me is how K-pop companies treat K-pop stars. Yes, they've trained them hard core. Yes, they're turned them into celebrities. But what irks me a lot is how they promote the groups, especially those who have been in the K-pop industry for a while. You've probably heard of the crazy things that happen to several groups this year like Wonder Girls and 2NE1 who have disbanded. I've heard that they've been active for so long and then when one of the members left, the company just called them quits. I didn't mean to say this but all K-pop companies think about is money. Comebacks are the key; however, they don't pay a lot of attention on comebacks from older stars. Like I've said before, the entertainment world changes from time to time and new stars often takes the spotlight. But after I see the way companies treat K-pop artists when it comes to promotion, I think they're seeing nothing other than raining cash. K-pop stars that have been active for more than a decade deserves attention too. They have worked super hard, yet they don't receive enough credit. I'm just saying here. I always think K-pop is different from American music and any other music genres, so I hope to see K-pop companies have a balance of respect for both old and new artists. K-pop is changing, but they probably are not aware that the fans of old K-pop groups are still as big as their coloured oceans. Shinwa, TVXQ, SuJu, Girls' Generation, Big Bang and a lot more...you all have serious fan base and I hope your companies will give you chances to promote well in your next comebacks. Equally.
Old fans may leave, but they are replaced by new fans who is intrigued by Super Junior. Even in this very second, there will be a new fan anxious about the fan club but soon she'll be welcomed with open arms by ELF all over the world. I'm just surprised and grateful that there are still teenagers who grow to love Super Junior. And you can't force someone to like Super Junior, because that's just displeasing. Anyone chooses whatever they want. We choose Super Junior, and that makes a mark in our personalities and memories. If we see Super Junior doesn't make it to the top, well, what can we do? We've tried our best and we have to accept it. However, we can fight it in upcoming opportunities.
You may be one of those people who thinks Super Junior is no longer popular...well sadly that's the truth; however, you haven't seen the real light. Super Junior still holds the status of "Kings of Hallyu". If you don't see it and you want to really know, then you should get one of us to do the explaining. ;) And there will be a long history to be told.
There will also be a group of fans who will cheer on Super Junior forever, and that is us, Everlasting Friends. :)
One day, Super Junior will be whole again. One day, Super Junior will take over the music charts. One day, another Super Junior's MV will have a hundred million views. One day, Super Junior will slay in the next comeback. One day, Super Junior will see the Pearl Sapphire Blue ocean once again. All of these will happen. You just wait and see.
Let me know what you think about popularity or fandom in the comments below! See you in the next post! And to all haters...get a life.
References
YouTube's "Problems"...What NO ONE is talking about. Dir. Phillip Wang. YouTube, 23 Dec. 2016. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.
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