Joni
Daily: marketing manager, mom
A.R.M.Y. since: 2018
Bias: JK
Fav quote: “I know her face, but I don’t know her name”
Fav song: DNA
Tell me about yourself
I’m Joni, and I’m 63 years old. And I’m a marketing manager.
What do you do in your free time?
When I’m not watching K-dramas, I’m on my motorbike, or I’m crafting or spending time with friends.
And how long are you a K-pop fan?
2018 was my first introduction to BTS to begin with, so they were my first. And my first BTS song was DNA.
And how did you learn about K-pop?
My niece. She’s been a K-pop fan since she was 13, and she’s 30 something now. She came to visit, she was watching on the telly, and I was folding laundry or something and suddenly found myself saying: “Who’s that? What’s this? This is good!” And then three hours later, she was schooling me. So yeah, it was her fault. (laughs)
And what groups are you following?
Well, I’m a multi (multi – multistan) for sure – BTS, TXT, Seventeen, Stray Kids, Monsta X, Ateez, Shinee, GOT7, The Rose, A.C.E. There are others.
Are there any girls’ groups?
I like some of them. I like Mamamoo. I like Blackpink. I like Aespa, and TWICE songs from K-pop Demon Hunters.
What should people know about K-pop fandoms and how they are different from Western fandoms?
Oh, that’s a question. I think Western fans have the same dedication and passion, but I think maybe Western fans are perhaps better at putting it aside in between albums or in between concerts, and doing other things. Whereas K-pop fans live for K-pop.
Can you explain what is bias and bias wrecker?
Yes. Well, bias is your favourite in a group. Mine tend to be the maknae (막내 is a Korean word meaning “youngest”) most of the time. I think that’s maybe a maternal thing. Bias wrecker is the one who questions your favourite.
And who is your bias and why?
In BTS it’s JK and I think it’s because I love his inability to give up. He is somebody who will just do it. He doesn’t give up. He just keeps going until he gets it done. And I kind of fancy myself that way as well.
Bias wrecker is Tae. He has a way of connecting with fans that’s slightly different from the rest of them. Beauty aside, I think there’s just a weird safety factor where he’s concerned. He’s just somebody who if you had to go up to them and you didn’t know them and they didn’t know you, there would be a comfort zone there.
What did you feel when you heard that the tour was announced officially?
Initially? Stress. (laughs) I don’t like buying concert tickets; the whole process stresses me out. I love going, and if someone else buys the tickets, I’ll always go, almost no matter the price. But I did wonder whether there’d be anything in an algorithm that might cater to those people who’ve never been [to a BTS concert]. I did think that if I don’t get to go, I will never see BTS again. And when I got in the queue for the first city, I was number 30, and I was floored. And when I got in the queue for London, I was number 310. So yeah, I got past the stress now, and I’m over the moon happy.
So how many times have you seen BTS live?
Zero. I saw Jin, but I’ve never seen BTS as a group.
A lot of people think that K-pop fans are immature teenage girls. What would you say to them?
No, I think there are plenty of immature, mature girls out there as well. (laughs) I do think there are two generations involved here. There are the teenage girls who have got their moms involved because of their age, and because of their love and passion. And in parenting, you want to know what your kids are doing. So you find out a little bit more, and the message that BTS is always trying to send is very positive. So then I think moms thought, ‘ooooo’, and also got involved in what their daughters and sons were enjoying. So there is a level of immaturity, some of it age, some of it not age-related.
Do you think that K-pop fans are toxic?
I think fans can be toxic, and it’s very much a case of one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. I think today’s digital age has made people very brave behind the keyboard, and maybe there’s more spouting than there might be if it were just a face-to-face thing. People, particularly netizens, need to chew on their words a little before spitting them out.
Do you know what A.R.M.Y abbreviation stands for?
Yes. Although ‘adorable’ is not a word I’ve used to describe myself, but Adorable Representative MCs for Youth.
And how would you describe A.R.M.Y. as a community?
Very, very tightly knit. I would say not in a secluded, excluded way, but in “oh, you’re an Army?” – suddenly you’re part. I think that’s another difference with Western fans. With Western fans you’re all there for the love of the group, but you’re not necessarily interacting with each other over it. And it’s almost essential as A.R.M.Y inside a concert and outside.
A lot of people say that the BTS helped them go through a tough time. Did you have a similar experience?
You can’t listen to the music or watch interviews with them and not have that positivity just leak onto you. I think they are always trying to stay in that mindset themselves. And again, when that’s the case, you can’t help but admire somebody like that, and take some of that on board and say: you know what, they’re trying to always be better, do well, do better. I could do that too.
Do you think A.R.M.Y. fandom is special?
I think K-pop fans generally feel protective and responsible for the groups that they support, and not just in a supporting way, verbally, but in buying merchandise and not wanting to hear bad words about the people that they like. I think that’s probably the case throughout K-pop fandoms. So it’s hard to describe whether or not A.R.M.Y’s special versus Stays or Choice or any of the other fan groups. But I think it’s different. I’m also a Muse fan, for example, and my Muse friends and I will get together, and we’ll go to the concert together, but it tends to end there where Muse is concerned.. So again, I think the biggest difference is this sort of lifelong community thing that goes with K-pop fandoms. That doesn’t happen in a Western fandom necessarily.
Have you been a part of any A.R.M.Y project, learning, charity or anything else?
Being interested in BTS got me interested in K-dramas. Being interested in K-dramas got me wondering about the patterns I was hearing. So I started learning Korean in 2020. But I haven’t been part of any community projects; I would like to.
Do you have any type of related tattoos?
Not yet! (cheeky laughs)
Favourite merch and most meaningful merch.
It’s right next to you.
Is it official or fan-made?
One year I decided to do the extended membership and got four gifts out of that. And one of them was this A4-size concert bag, which I absolutely adore because it could be a backpack, or it can be a shoulder bag. Or you could just hold it here. Yeah, it’s got places for all your goodies and your photo cards and your A.R.M.Y Bomb (fandom lightstick). Yeah, I love this. This is the best thing. When I go to non-K-pop concerts. I do get funny looks, but never mind.
And is this also your most meaningful merch?
No, there’s a music box. So the music box was another of the membership gifts I chose. And you wind it on the back with a BTS logo, and when you open it up, a globe displays and Mikrokosmos plays – it’s got purple on the inside, and it’s beautiful. My BTS jewellery that I’ve got over the years is in there.
Favourite quote from an interview, meme or song?
That’s a tough one because they’ve said a lot of really meaningful things. But the one I probably quote the most, isn’t meaningful, it’s funny – JK, when he’s asked about his favourite something he says: I know movie, but I don’t know movie name. And then somebody asks him about a film and again, and he says the same thing again. He was learning English, and I just find that endearing.
Why did you agree to be part of this project?
I want to show another side of the fandom, maybe an older side of the fandom, or one that can be just as passionate but balanced as well.
If you could send one message to BTS, knowing that they will receive it. What would you tell them?
I would say thank you. Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for the light. Thank you for rising above it all yourselves, and well done.
Thank you!