Recently, friend of the podcast Tamar Herman came under fire for an interview with NCT, WayV and SuperM’s Ten and fellow WayV member YangYang that hinted at a connection to another WayV member’s current controversy. Lucas Wong, known professionally as Lucas, was alleged to have been a cheater who also abused his celebrity status to obtain presents from women. Lucas has since released a vague apology and is on a hiatus.
Fans of Ten and WayV were understandably upset at the implication that Ten was even asked about Lucas when he was there to promote a sub-unit single with YangYang. They were further enraged at the editorial decision to separate the single interview, with the second part being cleverly edited to hint at a connection to the controversy and a click bait title to boot.
As I read through the upset tweets demanding that Tamar and the South China Morning Post (SCMP) delete the tweet and article, I was reminded of a similar controversy just a week before with Billboard’s Cover Story starring BTS which was written by Jeyup S. Kwaak. The journalist had asked BTS about the allegations of “cheating” or “manipulation” by their fans to get them to #1 and also inflate their album sales. Fans of the groups called these questions xenophobic and were angry that the members had been asked at all even though it has been a hotbed discussion topic all year.
It made me question whether these fans truly understood that with Western expansion and this growing accessibility, there would also be less censoring in interviews or online discourse. In the West it is not out of pocket to ask celebrities tough or embarrassing questions. It is actually encouraged and a sign of the often forgotten humanity of our own “idols” that we have put upon these high pedestals. For that reason I don’t personally see an issue with asking Ten about Lucas or asking BTS about the allegations levied at their fans and company for chart manipulation. Nor, do I believe that it was done with xenophobia or racism at the forefront.
Fans have openly shared their tricks and tools to topping charts for their favourite idols in Kpop for over a decade now. I constantly see tweets with links to crowd sourcing for new comebacks, streaming goals and long explanations on how to “game the system”. Every soloist now has a twitter stats account that breaks down chart positions to the hour. It would be more surprising if those not familiar with the energetic nature of being a K-pop fan had not questioned the integrity of Butter’s time in the number 1 position and BTS’s current success. If BTS want to “make it” in the West, they cannot be heavily censored the way that they are in Korea and more exposure begets more accessibility. And that is a good thing. K-pop is known by outsiders to be so perfect that perfection itself is its greatest flaw so cracks in the illusion make for more interesting idols. It makes them human.
The same can be said for if Ten had been asked about Lucas. If Lucas is on hiatus and a WayV comeback was scheduled, that would have greatly impacted him. Ten is also in SuperM and as members of NCT, these connections could have affected his other projects that may have included Lucas. Further, the hiatus did postpone or cancel a unit with Lucas and another WayV member Hendery, which affected the WayV brand. Asking about how WayV is doing right now would have been a fair question.
Now, that does not mean that I agree 100% with the handling of both pieces. The editorial choices made with the second part of the Ten and YangYang interview was click bait and intentionally hinted at Lucas without his being mentioned at all. It was misleading and I believe that it was fair to call it out. Now, harassing Tamar for something out of her control is not the way to go about it as she has stated in a tweet that the editorial decisions were out of her control.
I also do believe that while the Billboard interview was not particularly egregious at any point to me, there are questions that should be fairly asked. Like if other artists have been asked about whether their fans are “manipulating” the charts or about the art of bundling that has taken hold as a means of inflating sales to chart. Whenever I google chart manipulation, BTS is always a shining example of how it works and that is not fair to the group at all. While the overly capitalistic nature of K-pop has certainly facilitated the connection to “cheating” or finding loopholes, BTS is certainly not the only group that has benefitted from it. They are probably just the most successful example of what an organized and large fanbase has the power to do. Jealousy could be the main motivator for how the conversations have framed BTS as the face of chart manipulation which could have roots in xenophobia or racism. I personally don’t view that as a stretch.
However, taken at face value both articles are just shining examples of where K-pop is now: A global force that continues to seek more visibility in the English speaking world. And with that comes a shift in accessibility, not just for the artists but for the nature of questions that can and should be asked. Fans should not want this larger success while pushing the need for respectability politics to present a God-like vision of their idols that simply does not exist. While that is the name of the game in East Asian, it simply cannot work in the Western world.
Because while the West may seek perfection, it is really more interested in chaos and imperfection.
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