Pop Into Blake’s New K-Pop Club

Are you a K-Pop fan looking for somewhere to express your interests but don’t know where to go? Well, look no further than our recently revamped K-Pop club that meets every second Friday of the month! The club allows K-pop fans at Blake to spend time with people that share the same interests as them. The club is run by Juniors Danhoang Wei, Isabelle Poggy, Ashley Kim, Joyce Yu, and Jamie Zhang, and is sponsored by AP Biology teacher, Ms. Saikh.

The club is relaxed and easy-going, as President of the club, Danhoang Wei, describes the atmosphere as something that “[goes] with the flow.” During their first meeting, the club played a K-Pop themed Kahoot, where participants had to guess the K-Pop band. The winner even won a BTS, Map of the Soul: 7, album. Succeeding that, the club also did a survey to see what members would like to do during the following meetings. 

All in all, it was a successful first meeting where “the energy was great and … was a lot of fun,” says club treasurer, Jamie Zhang. “I wasn’t sure how many people would come, but a lot of people came, which [was] great.” 

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Wei disclosed that there was once a K-Pop club at Blake during her freshman year that she genuinely enjoyed being a part of. Since the former president of the club was a senior, Wei and her friends took it upon themselves to revitalize the club this school year, “in hopes fans of K-Pop will be able to make new friends who share the same interests,” says Wei.  

Running the club is both “fun and difficult,” according to Zhang. However, it just goes to show that when you are passionate about something, you’ll be able to take the good with the not-so-good with no hesitation. When it comes to manning the club itself, the leaders’ favorite aspects include planning future activities that the club will partake in. 

Moreover, vice president, Junior, Ashley Kim, adds that they wanted the K-Pop club to be a space where students with “similar interests [can] make friends with other people with common interests.” They “wanted to create a space where people could freely express their interests without anyone judging them.” In fact, Kim’s favorite part of being a part of the club is simply being able to be around people with the same hobby. “It’s great to be able to be around other people with similar interests as me. I’m able to express my thoughts and feelings comfortably.”

The club is a great place for other K-Pop fans to come together. It feels “united,” according to Zhang, as everyone shares the same common interest, and in turn, creates a “great energy” among all members. 

Furthermore, if you’re a new K-Pop fan, joining this club is also a good experience, as it allows you “to learn more about other groups,” while simultaneously meeting people with similar interests and participating in fun activities. Aside from being able to converse with fellow K-Pop fans, you can get recommendations on who to listen to, learn more about the industry, and even learn some advice about being a K-Pop fan. For example, Kim drops these important words of wisdom to new K-Pop fans; “Just know buying [K-Pop] albums and merch can be compelling and will make you broke, but it’ll be worth it.” So real. 

Additionally, for many people, K-Pop isn’t simply just an interest, but also carries an “important value” in their lives, says Wei. “I am happy to be part of the [K-Pop] community. This genre of music has shown [how] people [can be] dedicated to the things they love,” and how that dedication can even inspire them to do big things like, organize charities, or even just “creating a K-Pop club at school,” says Wei. 

Kim also discloses that K-Pop helped her “to appreciate and love [her] culture and heritage” as an American born Korean, and Zhang reveals that when she is sad, she turns to K-Pop videos to comfort. 

Speaking from experience, I know many other K-Pop fans also share similar sentiments regarding K-Pop, which is why the K-Pop club is a must-join for any K-Pop fans at Blake. The club aims to establish a supportive environment for K-Pop fans to become more unabashedly proud of their interests. “Listening to K-pop isn’t something to be embarrassed about because it’s your passion and you should do what you want to do … Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do,” says Kim. They hope to ultimately spread the message “be you” throughout the Blake community, advocating for students to be themselves, helping cultivate a more accepting environment within our walls.

The K-Pop Club also hopes to dismantle some of the prejudice surrounding K-Pop. “K-pop is just like any other type of music that anyone can enjoy,” remarks Zhang. Wei corroborates that notion when she brings up that “K-Pop is simply Korean pop music,” and that “music is universal and for everyone.” 

“If you like listening to K-Pop and enjoy fun activities, then you should join this club! If you don’t know if you want to join, you can come to a meeting to figure out if you’re interested,” remarks Zhang. The club meets every second Friday of the month, during lunch in room D149. For their next meeting, they will be playing a K-Pop themed “Guess the Song in One Second” game. Hope to see you there!