Sofia has been a K-pop enthusiast since she was 14 — when she was introduced to the Korean music genre by her middle school friends — but she always felt different from other fans.
K-pop bands — all-girl or all-boy singing and dancing troupes whose members are known as “idols” — have become a global phenomenon in recent years. Their popularity is reflected in huge online communities — notably the Army, supporters of the chart-topping boy band BTS, and Blink, fans of the girl band Blackpink, which has dominated YouTube in recent years.
