This reflects a culture where fans favor 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 interact with fans in a variety of ways.
On September 19, Jennie’s side released a voice message through the official channel saying, “Hi Rubies. I’m 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. While an official fan club has not yet been created, this move is seen as a step toward nurturing individual fans ahead of Jennie’s return in October.
Lisa has also shown similar tendencies, calling her fans “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 separated from their original companies. Like BLACKPINK, BIGBANG members are not officially recruiting fan clubs, but are actively meeting with individual fans. Daesung launched his official fan club in Japan “D’s light” last year and has been interacting with fans through a personal website.
Taeyang also sold personal glow sticks before his concert held from August 31 to September 1. He kept the yellow color of BIGBANG’s existing glow 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 advance purchase for fan club members.
SHINee has a slightly different situation. Minho and Key have remained with SM, while Onew and Taemin have changed agencies. They have each officially established their own 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 due to the members reassuring fans about the group’s activities and SHINee has been active in both solo and group projects.
As SHINee celebrates its 17th debut anniversary this year, fans who have grown up alongside the artists acknowledge the challenges of managing a fan community without an official fan club. Typical fan club benefits include advance ticket sales and eligibility to attend public broadcasts. Advance ticket sales are considered a key benefit, as they increase the chances of hardcore fans attending concerts. However, it is practically difficult to offer group fan club member benefits 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 let down as supporters of the entire group. There is concern that the financial burden will increase as fans join individual fan clubs and purchase support tools. However, considering the revenue generated from concerts and related activities, the creation of individual fandoms seems inevitable. This has led to some overlap in fandom names, as individual fandoms emerge alongside group fandoms.
On this day, Jennie’s side faced a controversy over her fandom name overlapping with singer Kwon Eunbi’s. OA Entertainment clarified that it was not an official fandom name, putting an end to the controversy. 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.
Efforts to consolidate individual fandoms are expected to increase. How to accommodate group fans and how to create fandom names will be ongoing challenges for artists navigating the changing landscape of the music industry.
Source: Daum
