The last few years of K-Pop fandom have been a bit hectic, to say the least. With new laws restricting the delaying of military duty for male idols, the numerous scandals, and the thing that hurts the most—your favorite group’s member lineups losing a key member of the lineup.  

It sucks. I know it. You know it. The entire Kraze team knows it.

However, this is NOT a time for those members of the K-Pop fandom to pick and choose certain idols from each group they want to support and that's it. NO. This is a time to wrap your arms around the whole group and make sure that they know you still support them, even if they are down a member or two, because they will be feeling the missing piece more than fans could even imagine.

Temporary Lineup Changes

These happen all the time; a member gets injured, a family emergency occurs, or in our male idols’ case, it’s time for their mandatory military service. Cases like these can and will occur during the life of a group. K-Pop is a very taxing industry, and these young people go through a lot physically and mentally, and sometimes the time away can be beneficial. There are a few ways to deal with this.

Flood your favorites with support

Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Weibo, you name it, send the missing member and the group words of encouragement and support. Stream their videos and help them meet milestones. Nothing will help your morale and the group’s morale stay high more than feeling all the love from their fans. Remember, they know that fans are the reason they are where they are. They value fans so much.

Distraction

Distract yourself! Find new ways to channel your love for your groups through ways outside of streaming. Learn a dance, draw some fanart, make a plan to save some money to go see them when they travel to your part of the world. If distraction doesn't work, you can always create a countdown and wait patiently for your favorite’s return. This is especially common if your favorite is entering military service as those release dates are easily found.

Permanent lineup Changes

This is every K-Pop fans’ worst fear … permanent departure. This type of lineup change does not happen as common as the temporary ones, but it has become an unfortunate reality for groups. Whether it is wanting to pursue things outside of music, issues with their company, or just wanting to settle down and start a family outside of the spotlight, these hurt a lot more than former. Some things to remember, though, is that often these changes are discussed within the group and that the only ones being blindsided are the fans. Here are some ways to deal with the blow.

Wait for the members to make statements

We as fans like to speculate and draw conclusions, but none of us truly know what is happening internally at their company or within each team. When fans “express feelings” on social networks and tag these idols in posts, we do not understand what we could be doing to these groups with our words. The best thing to do at this point is to wait it out, and try to hold back the tears.

Accept that idols are making the best choices for themselves

At the end of the day, our favorites need to make choices that will help them as a person, mentally or physically. Yes, fans are the reason they are so popular or have the money they have, but we do not own our idols. If they need to step away from their groups to ensure their well-being, then so be it. We have seen what happens to idols who put their company first before their health.

Support the group

Like I mentioned with the temporary changes, the group is the one that hurts the most from these changes. Each team is crafted in a way that each member is essential to the overall sound of their music. Losing a piece of the puzzle means having to rediscover how they fit together again. In this trying time, make sure you’re sending them love on social media, streaming their music, and making sure that they know that fans will stay with them through the trying time.

Final Thoughts

The thing you should remember if you didn’t read the whole article is support. Your idols need your support through any rough changes in their teams, or when their company is making things difficult. Yes, as a fan you’re allowed to be angry, but make sure to express your frustration in a way that won’t hurt your favorites if they were to stumble across it online.