Musicians connect with fans through comments

“The outfits are incredibly expensive luxury items. My stylists had to travel overseas to get them,” said Kim Dong-jun of ZE:A on Naver “VLIVE” on July 12 in response to a comment that said, “Did everyone grab any outfit from their wardrobes? They do not match at all.”

It was one of the many comments Dong-jun read that day to communicate with his fans. Just like Rain’s “Gang,” which has been enjoying renewed attention for its c-list song vibes, ZE:A’s song “Aftereffect” has gone viral online attracting many comments. Asked why he said “meow” at the end of the song, Dong-jun said he was asked by the producer. A video edited by his fan with the title of “Kim Dong-jun reads comments for Aftereffect” has more than 480,000 views on YouTube.

With YouTube channels that collate comments on old music videos or stage performances springing up, videos where musicians read the comments are growing in popularity. It all started with “Gang” by Rain, which was released in 2017. Its newfound popularity has led to other old songs being discovered, and musicians are reading comments on them as a way of interacting with their fans. The format is similar to that of a segment of American late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” where Hollywood stars read and react to “mean tweets.”

“Legend That,” a YouTube channel that collects and uploads funny comments, created a series called “My Mean Comments” where celebrities read comments themselves. Kang Dong-ho of “NU’EST” and Im Si-wan of ZE:A have appeared in the series connecting with their fans.


Jae-Hee Kim jetti@donga.com