This reflects a culture where fans prefer specific members over the entire group. As solo activities become more common after group promotions, the size of individual fandoms has become a measure of popularity as solo artists. This is evident in artists from BLACKPINK’s Jennie to BIGBANG’s Taeyang, who are engaging with fans in various ways.
On September 19th, Jennie’s side released a voice message through the official channel saying, “Hello, Rubies. This is Jennie. Please watch over me. See you soon.” According to OA Entertainment, “Rubies” is not an official fandom name but a nickname given to fans who visit their news page. Although an official fan club has not been established yet, this move is seen as a step toward nurturing individual fans ahead of Jennie’s October comeback.
Lisa has also shown similar trends, referring to her fans as “Lilies” during her solo activities. Rosé invited fans to suggest a fandom name earlier this year. With the exception of Jisoo, who is focusing more on her acting career, the other members are actively building their individual fandoms.
This trend is common among groups that have matured and split from their original companies. Like BLACKPINK, BIGBANG members are not officially recruiting fan clubs but are actively meeting with individual fans. Daesung launched his Japan official fan club “D’s light” last year and has been engaging with fans through a personal website.
Taeyang also sold personal light sticks ahead of his concert held from August 31st to September 1st. He maintained the yellow color of BIGBANG’s existing light sticks, expressing his desire to keep that color through his fan café. While some fans appreciate his affection for the group, others expressed disappointment that concert tickets were available without pre-sale for fan club members.
SHINee presents a slightly different situation. Minho and Key remained with SM, while Onew and Taemin switched agencies. Each of them officially established their personal fan clubs, “JJINGGU” for Onew and “TAEMate” for Taemin. Taemin recently held a solo world tour and introduced personal light sticks, but there have been few complaints. This is likely because the members have reassured fans about group activities, and SHINee has been active in both solo and group projects.
As SHINee celebrates their 17th debut anniversary this year, fans who have grown alongside the artists recognize the challenges of running a fan community without an official fan club. Typical fan club benefits include early ticket sales and eligibility for public broadcast participation. Early ticket sales are considered a key benefit, as they increase the chances for core fans to attend concerts. However, it is practically challenging to offer benefits to group fan club members for the activities of the two members who are no longer with SM due to the complexities of revenue sharing.
While some fans welcome these changes, others feel disappointed as supporters of the whole group. There are concerns that the financial burden increases when fans join individual fan clubs and purchase support tools. Nevertheless, considering the revenue generated from concerts and related activities, building individual fandoms appears to be inevitable. This has led to some overlaps in fandom names as individual fandoms emerge alongside group fandoms.
On this day, Jennie’s side faced controversy over her fandom name overlapping with that of singer Kwon Eunbi. OA Entertainment clarified that it was not an official fandom name, putting the controversy to rest. Jennie is not alone in facing such challenges; similar incidents have occurred before. Complaints arose during the naming process of rookie group ILLIT’s fandom name when it overlapped with Lisa’s fandom name. TXT also changed their fandom name after it clashed with Tiffany’s official fandom name.
The efforts to solidify individual fandoms are expected to increase. How to appease group fans and how to create fandom names will be ongoing challenges for artists navigating the changing landscape of the music industry.
Source: Daum
