When diving into the world of K-Pop, there are things that are particularly unique that you wouldn’t normally see with artists in the west. When you first dive into K-Pop, here are things you will typically see!

Lightsticks

One of the biggest things that makes groups unique is their own lightstick for fans to use at concerts! Every group has their own specially-designed lightstick, some even having more than one version. Some lightsticks have really unique looks to them, and they can be fun to display on your shelves at home. When you go to a concert for a K-Pop artist, the lightstick is a must! 

Photocards in the Albums

One of the most exciting parts of buying albums is the goodies that come inside, especially the photocards. It becomes common knowledge that the photocards are basically little selfies of the members that are included in the album. As mentioned before in Fan Advice, photocards can be fun to collect by selling and trading for your favorite members. It’s also super fun to buy the album and be surprised by who you get at first. This is probably one of the best parts of getting into K-Pop, because collecting them and the excitement of who you pull from your albums is so much fun!

Dance Practice Videos

Since groups perform choreography, they eventually release practice videos of the dances. This trend with dance practices actually started with SHINee, when they released their dance practice video for “Lucifer” back in 2010 (and no one could ever forget Taemin and the striped shirt!). Ever since then, it became a staple for groups to release choreography videos. Some groups even get creative with the way they film them, such as wearing costumes for a concept or moving cameras. 

Music Videos at Concerts

When you go to a K-Pop concert, it’s super common in the time before the show starts for the group’s music videos to be playing on the screens! This can be a super fun part because it builds up even more anticipation for the show to start, plus it’s fun to watch the videos while you wait in your seats. A lot of the time, fans sing along or even dance while they play, making the atmosphere at a concert full of energy and fun. The coolest part about the music videos is it starts back at a group’s debut, and goes in order all the way to their most recent comeback!

These are only a few things that are super unique to the K-Pop industry, but make being a K-Pop fan really fun!

Edited by Cara Musashi