How joining the BTS ARMY in her 40s helped journalist Hannah Sung connect to her Korean culture
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- A former MuchMusic VJ and entertainment journalist, Hannah Sung was no stranger to boy bands and fandom-she just wasn't ever obsessed with one herself. Until the pandemic, that is. In 2020, in the depths of COVID times, Hannah was browsing Korean pop culture on CZcams when the algorithm fed her BTS. From there, she searched for the VMA performance of "Dynamite"-and from *there*, she was hooked. But her burgeoning love for the K-pop idols wasn't just about the music, or their looks, for that matter. For Hannah, BTS fandom was also a gateway to her Korean culture.
“I’ve always been really interested in learning about anything Korean," she says. "But being born and raised in Canada, sometimes it felt very distant. And also, I was born in the '70s, raised in the '80s and '90s. It's just not the same-so much more is accessible [now] through AI translations that are instantaneous and also Netflix and streamers. There's just such an abundance. It doesn't mean that when I look at Korean pop culture that I feel [represented]-I still have very much my own experience of being diasporic Korean. I'm probably Canadian first, right? But it's like being a kid in a candy shop.”
In this episode of Friday Talks: Not Bad For Some Immigrants, Hannah chats about BTS' appeal, but also how fandom has given her avenues to learn more about Korean culture, connected her to new friends and amplified the lessons she'd already been learning about feminism, power and aging.
ABOUT FRIDAY TALKS
Hosted by Friday Things founder and editor Stacy Lee Kong, 'Not Bad For Some Immigrants' is a six-part video series about the stories we tell about immigrants in pop culture, media and real life. It rejects the focus on striving-to succeed, to assimilate, to be judged worthy of belonging in, and to, our new homes-that so often infiltrate stories about our experiences, and instead makes space for complicated, nuanced and joyful conversations about what it actually costs to build a new life, the stories we learn to tell about ourselves and what it really means to belong. - Zábava
52 kiwi army here. I don’t like K-pop. I love BTS. Army is a force and all over the world we are actively supporting the tannies and protecting them. What makes BTS so amazing are the men in the group. Their talent, their personalities and the respect they give Army and all people. They give us hope and share awesome messages
Nothing can go wrong once you’re part of the BTS ARMY FANDOM💜💜💜💜💜
I wish that was true! I love my fellow ARMY, but I've also been cancelled by them over a misunderstanding. Now I know we are not all positive, representative voices for BTS. We're just people.
As a 63 year old Korean American who immigrated to the US 54 years ago I can relate to everything that Hannah talked about. From how I found BTS during Covid to losing my ability to speak and understand Korean by the time I finished college.
I found BTS during the pandemic too, and I laughed, cried, and sang along. I needed them and was so inspired by their story and lyrics. I am always fascinated by people who can speak and understand languages.
I'm 45 yrs old and I'm BTS Army since 2018.. 💟
This was an amazing interview and guest. I am 65 yr old Army. BTS music and messages are for everyone. They help me stay young. I am 2019 era and they owned up a whole new world for me. The food, the music, the shows. The language and the culture. I find them fascinating. I have learned so much. I was missing out. I am a subscriber now. Can't wait to see more of your content!
I'm a 46yo bts army and I relate so much to ur conversation. Thank u and God bless 🙌 💜
Thanks, ladies, for this very important discussion! I also discovered BTS in my late-40s, and I'm so glad and grateful for the experience. Within the space of a few months, my very mindset started to change. I began to grant myself more grace and forgiveness. I made tentative steps toward putting myself first and restricting the outside forces of negativity and oppression in my life (I became ARMY during the 'Love Yourself' era, so, ya know 😊 ...) Every year since then, I've grown more resolute and determined to live with greater self-purpose, and to establish appropriate boundaries. Plus, I encourage others to do likewise. It's awesome. I only wish I'd known of our Tannies sooner ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Omg same thing, I'm also enjoying the process. My parents don't understand why I love BTS, I didn't have any friends around that I could discuss with about BTS so I had to expand my circle but lost alot of friends. On IG I followed a BTS fan page in NYC, from there I made new Friends and I'm enjoying it. It's been 4yrs now, I wanted to who is her Bais and Wreaker 😂😂😂😂. 💜💜💜💜
My Mom offered me Therapy around 6 months in. Its now been a couple of years 😁💜
Same experience in that there's nobody around me that are into BTS, my mom supports me and my former co worker/freind enjoys them but not to the extent I do. They found me in 2022 when I turned 40 hadn't listened to music in years because a majority of it was just blah and had little depth but BTS is like a cultural movement as well as music!💜
I’m Australian in my late 40’s. Became an army in 2019. Also not a k-pop fan but very much emotionally invested in anything BTS. It’s not just about their music, it’s their character, personalities, dynamics with each other. My love and loyalty for them has only grown with time 💜
I grew up moving all over the world and because of those experiences, I was never fully comfortable living in the states. Now I'm in my 50's, an American BTS Army living in Korea and couldn't be happier!!.
I’m 54 now, but I discovered BTS when I was 44-45 years old. Never really heard of kpop and kdrama since I was into Christian music since I migrated here in the USA in 2006. My sister introduced me to kdrama first coz I got sick and had surgery and was starting to feel depressed so kdrama diverted my attention away from my illness and got entertained with goblin series. BTS was mentioned in that kdrama and searched them on CZcams and got hooked with their music and with their personality instantly. Now as an ARMY almost same age as jungkooks mom, I am so proud of BTS just like a parent seeing their children succeed and fulfilled their dreams. I will 110% support BTS all the way. BTS and ARMYS will always be a part of my family.💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
40 year old Army here.💜..from CPT - RSA..proud Army all the way...i also really learned abt them during the lockdown...i became a true Army since last year..Helping me through alot of things ..and i could relate to Min Yoongi struggles he went through the last 10 years...they just so awesome..and learned to control my anxiety...💜..very greatful.
Wow the older woman meets BTS experience so mirrors my own. For some reason that's comforting! Learning about Army was also so fascinating to me. Even the indifference to "boy bands" when younger is similar. My attraction to SE Asian arts and crafts led me into the history of the area but only now over 20yrs later I am fully enjoying the K pop phenomena. I may love the artists in an older Auntie way but my admiration is massive.
Great interview..being a BTS Army I really enjoyed and loved it..Borahe💜💜
THIS is content I like as an ARMY.
Gen X 5th gen Canadian here, metalhead & major music fan. BTS Army since 2017 BBMAs. I started telling anyone who would listen (and some who wouldn't) that one day BTS would be the (unlikeliest) biggest band in the world. At some point in recent years, most of them have acknowledged that I was right all along. I am Caucasian but with family members of colour (Asian and otherwise), and have seen how representation matters in a predominantly white, english-speaking culture. It is true that one is surrounded by sexism and racism daily, and you must work to see through it and to break old habits forced upon you by society at large. You have to "unlearn" a lot of things to be free. BTS has helped me to unlearn so much and helped me to be more, to be better, to pay attention.
I came to this interview first as a BTS fan but as an English Language teacher the insights into the diasporic experience of language loss were invaluable. My first language is so integral to my identity and my way of thinking, it’s hard for me to imagine losing that. I can imagine as a person who ‘looks’ Korean (and is ethically Korean) that some people would find it hard to understand why you can’t speak the language fluently …and would judge you for that. Many of my students are older migrants who want to learn English so they can speak to their grandchildren, so when I am teaching younger students I encourage them to ensure their children to keep speaking in their parents’ first language as well as English. But I understand the pressure to assimilate is huge. I love learning new languages (currently learning Korean) I recommend it for everyone.
BTS are loved by every gen! 😋
Yes! My best friends now are my “BTS Cincy Moms” group we made here where we live. Plus all the wonderful ARMY friends we’ve made around the world. IYKYK Borahae
sooo many insightful thoughts in this one. I wonder who Hannahs bias is!!
They did a reel where she says on the instagram i saw! She said it was Jin
OMG! you don’t know how many times I had to ask my daughter, “which one is who again?” Lol I have to say, I AM the biggest ARMY now in my household and I am very well supported by my kids and my husband lol
Bts is so amazing and army is so creative and sometimes funny too BTS makes us feel so happy and emotional
Thank you so much for this content. I can relate so much... ❤️
Hannah, if you see this, I am a few years older than you but I identify with so much of everything you talked about in this interview. But I am in the US. I want to join your BTS group and I need a 친구 to practice my 한글.
Get interview. Keep it up! Hope you go big
RM is releasing his pre release to his album "Right Place, Wrong Person" on May 10. The album will release on May 24th
The first video I watched of BTS was RM saying " Jimin you have no Jams" and I thought who are these two goofy guys? I watched almost five videos, well funny videos of BTS in one sitting LOL. Then I started to watch their MV and here I am seven years later proud army.
I don’t understand being critiqued for not speaking Korean. My ancestors were from Germany spoke English a generation later (early 1900s). No one criticized their children to speak German. You’re in an English speaking country!
The current culture is toxic.
Thank you for this. Very interesting. 💜
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5:04. 22:15. 22:49 24:41
I am a 71yr old Kiwi army and I DO LIKE K-POP. How can you like BTS and say you don’t like K Pop? Remember K-POP is a generic term that encompasses popular music from Korea. From RM’s sultry and esoteric latest music, to a string quartet or RAP or folk music. It is all K-POP. Or are you talking about specific music with particular points ie: choreography and strong beat? Although BTS have transcended the genre K-Pop, that is where they come from and what they are part of.
A lot of buzzwords.