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. Rae is the next fan to answer our questions. She is from the Philippines and is a fan of TEMPEST and her bias is HanBin. 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’m an iE from the Philippines! My moots know me as Rae and I go by the username, @myserotoninhubi on Twitter and TikTok! How and when did you enter the fandom? I watched the survival show, “I-LAND” back in 2020 and HanBin was the first trainee who caught my attention. His sweet personality, talent and smile appealed to me that’s why I voted passionately for him to make it through the second part of the show. When he was eliminated, HanBin made a promise to debut and asked his fans to wait for him— and so I did! When rumors about HanBin, HyeongSeop, and EuiWoong potentially debuting in Yuehua’s upcoming boygroup named, “TEMPEST” I promised myself that I will be supporting this group as much as I supported HanBin! What are the reasons why this rookie group is your favorite group? I feel like the members of TEMPEST are easy to love. To be honest, at first I thought it would take some time for me to really get into the other members since I only know HanBin. But after TEMPEST started posting more pre-debut contents like dance covers, behind-the-scenes, teasers, and V-lives, I got to discover more about the other members and eventually adore them! I also see big potential with this group since they got it all— visual, talent, variety skills, and passion! Not to mention, their debut album was a masterpiece! I really love all the songs, especially the title track, ‘Bad News’. What do you think differentiates this rookie group from the others? As a ‘00 liner, I personally find it hard to stan rookie boy groups where all the members are way younger than me so with TEMPEST, I think it’s very refreshing to see a rookie group debuting with all the members being adults! Aside from that, I feel like TEMPEST’s energy on stage differentiates them from other rookie groups. Watching them perform feels like watching a comeback stage, rather than a debut stage! They seem to be already familiar with the stage and I like how the members come up with different gestures and facial expressions that fits their individual parts! For the readers who are completely new to the group and members, can you introduce them with your own words? Living up to their name, TEMPEST is a new K-Pop boy group that is ready to take the world by storm! This group consists of 7 members who debuted with their own special keywords— LEW (Present), HanBin (Challenge), HyeongSeop (Passion), Hyuk (Possibility), EunChan (Classic), HwaRang (Freedom), and lastly, TaeRae (Happiness). They debuted last March 2, 2022 with the album, “It’s Me, It’s We” that consists of 5 songs including the title track, ‘Bad News’. Who caught your attention at first and why? Did you know any members prior to their debut? I’ve been supporting HanBin for two years now and thanks to him, I got to know TEMPEST! Aside from HanBin, HyeongSeop was the first member who caught my interest. Prior to their debut announcement, I’ve been watching every HyeongSeop x EuiWoong clips that I can find on YouTube. I especially grew fond of HyeongSeop because of his quirky personality and visual! Him dancing to ‘Pick Me’ was my most favorite clip! Do you have a bias yet? If yes, tell us why. I do, and it’s HanBin! The other members, especially Hyuk and TaeRae, are strong bias-wreckers but HanBin still holds the title! I just love everything about HanBin, his smile, his personality, the way he treats the fans, and his charisma on stage! Aside from those, I think being there with him through his ups and downs, witnessing his journey from being a street dancer in Vietnam to debuting as a K-Pop idol in Korea, gave me a sense of personal attachment to him. I just really want to see Hanbin, along with TEMPEST, succeed because they really deserve it. What do you particularly like in this debut title track? Do you have a favorite B-side? ‘Bad News’ is no doubt one of my favorite K-Pop debuts. I’m really into bright and refreshing songs that’s why ‘Bad News’ is right up my alley! The beat and the lyrics of the song is very catchy! Everytime this song plays, it makes me wanna get up and dance along! Aside from the title track, I really like their B-side, ‘Bad at Love’ the most! Just like ‘Bad News’, this song is very catchy as well! It stays on your mind and after watching TEMPEST’s performance, you will appreciate the song even more because of it’s cute choreography! Can you recommend a fan cam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or other from your favorite group or bias? I really recommend watching TEMPEST’s Dance Cover of NCT 127’s ‘Kick It’! It was their first ever Dance Cover and I think TEMPEST really gave justice to the song! If you want to know more about the members of TEMPEST, I suggest watching TEMPESTart! It’s a series of behind-the-scene videos of their preparations for debut and promotional stages! Watching their first V-live is also a great way to know more about the members since they answered a lot of frequently asked questions during the live!
I would also want to recommend TaeRae and HanBin’s Individual Fan cams for ‘Bad News’ if you are looking for some serotonin boost! Both of them has really good energy on stage and their smiles are contagious! What are the things you are looking for in their future activities? I really want TEMPEST to appear more on different variety shows especially “Knowing Bro’s” and “Weekly Idol”. I feel like the members have natural variety skills and even though they’re still rookies, I can see them doing well in different variety shows! Aside from that, I also want to attend their concert in the future! Can you recommend words that your bias like to hear to new fans who don’t know yet about it? In a fan call event, HanBin said that the words that he wanna hear from the fans are, “Because of you (HanBin), I’m always happy!”. Can you describe your bias in only one word? I think the word that best describes HanBin is “Sunshine”. He radiates this warm and comforting aura just like the sun! He also has a very bright smile! What’s your favourite 2022 moment involving your bias? My most favorite moment would be the time that HanBin was revealed as the 5th member of TEMPEST! It made me feel that my wait has finally come to an end, and that Hanbin is finally debuting! I still remember how happy I was that day! You can also add a message to your bias, show it on a message scrapbook, or write a handwritten letter. You can congratulate them on their debut and give them strength for their future activities.
Thank you for answering our questions, Rae. 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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