The Relationship Between Artists & Fans
This week a talented star became a star in the sky. After the passing of ASTRO member Moonbin, Neil Arwin Mercado wrote an article “Musings on Moonbin’s death: Why do we cry over artists who are unaware of our existence?” and I think everyone in the K-pop community resonated with this article.
I am not an Aroha (the fandom name for ASTRO), but Moonbin was about the same age as me and even though he was a singer, he was still a person with a family and friends.
In the article, Mercado writes about a fan’s relationship with their favorite artists. We know so much about them, their hometown, birthday, their habits, likes, and dislikes, yet these idols don’t know we exist or even our names. As a fan, I’ve taken a day off from work once to celebrate my favorite member’s birthday at events all around Tokyo and the first time I went to Korea was solely because of BTS. As a person, the artists I cherish the most have comforted me in the lowest of lows, when I was alone and they encouraged me to keep fighting when things seemed impossible. They were also there on the most beautiful spring days and during the highest of highs.
All this said, BTS doesn’t know I went to Korea because of them and my favorites don’t know I turn to their words of comfort and encouragement. Then why morn someone who never knew of my existence or be concerned about those artists who were close to him in their process of grief? I think Mercado put it perfectly,
“In a world that’s too loud and cluttered, we value that comfort. In a world where merely surviving becomes a chore, we cherish the little things that make us want to stay alive.”
This is never a one-sided relationship, so it’s valid to be upset over an enlistment or mourn over a passing. Mercado also noted that fans are mirrors of those they admire.
But I always remember what another friend of mine told me before: “Fans are a reflection of the artist they support.”
Subconsciously, I’ve always thought about this but never took the time to think about it. I’ve recently jokingly said that an artist I like who released a song called ‘Fighting!’ was getting me through life, but it really did. Days I didn’t want to try and just wanted to give up, I was annoyed at times but it got me through it. It also pushed me to try things that were out of my comfort zone.
Even if you’re not interested in K-pop, I highly recommend reading Neil Arwin Mercado’s article because, even if we enjoy different genres, we all enjoy some sort of music and we are all human.
Moonbin, good night and rest well in the beautiful night sky. <3
