BUBBLE POP!
A KPOP FANZINE MADE IN D.C.
CREDITS DESIGNER AND EDITOR: Malaka Gharib CONTRIBUTORS: Mia Steinle, Caitlin Murphy, Melissa Aslo De La Torre, Charda Stallings, Grace Eickmeyer, Jinny Choi, Josie Prentice, Bruno Gabrielli, Dakota Betancourt, Maru, Esther Kim, Genevive, John McVay, Joy Yi, Samantha, Karina, Lonnie Pauls, Amber Demery, Calvin Ngo, Sanja, Stacey Lobatos SPECIAL THANKS: Gene Park, Bul Korean Restaurant, Mia Steinle, Caitlin Murphy COVER: Bruno Gabrielli
Who are the Kpop fans of Washington, D.C.? This is the question we sought to answer at a zine workshop in June 2016. For four hours, we invited people to Bul, a Korean restaurant in Adams Morgan, to listen to Kpop music curated by Mia Steinle of Bae Bae D.C. and design a page for this crowdsourced zine. The results? Homages to Kpop idols, explanations of how people got into Kpop, and cultural commentary. We’ve curated these pages into “BUBBLE POP! A Kpop Fanzine.” We hope this zine provides a window into the world of Kpop’s American fans. Malaka Gharib
“D.O. has the sickest burns and the deadliest glares in all of EXO. This page is an homage to the savagery.� - Melissa Aslo De La Torre, 27
“When I see an image like this, I’m reminded of how irreversible globalization is.” - Grace Eickmeyer, 30
“KPOP IS AN OBSCURE WORLD OF INTERCHANGEABLE GLITZ, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING UNDENIABLY APPEALING ABOUT ITS MANUFACTURED EARNESTNESS.”
- Grace Eickmeyer
“Instead of ‘Boys Over Flowers,’ let’s have boys AND flowers!” - Esther Kim, 29
“Kpop isn’t just for kids anymore. Will choose Kpop over my husband any day!” -Genevieve, 45
“When I was in college in the early 2000s, I was exposed to the song ‘Hit Song’ by NRG. That memory has haunted me until the current time.” -John McVay, 33
Joy Yi, 26
“I SPENT YEARS LISTENING TO PUNK, AND NOW I REGRET NOT GIVING POP MUSIC A CHANCE.”
- Mia Steinle, 29
“I don’t know how the industry does it.” - Malaka Gharib, 30
“Kpop is great and South Korea is BEAUTIFUL.” -Amber Demery, 25
“THESE ARE ALL MY LOVELIES. I’VE SEEN ALL OF THEM IN CONCERTS.”
-Samantha, 26
Dakota Betancourt, 13
Cait Murphy, 32
“KPOP CHANGED MY LIFE.”
- Lonnie Pauls, 21
Stacey Lobatos
Mia Steinle
“D.O.’s voice is sooo soulful. ‘What Is Love’ was the EXO song of my life.” -Karina, 28
“A memorial page for Hwan Sung of NRG.” - Bruno Gabrielli, 29
“THIS ISN’T JUST MUSIC. IT’S A LIFESTYLE.”
- Josie Prentice, 13
Sanja, 29
Dakota Betancourt
“Kpop: Exotic, yet not. Far away and right next door. On TV and in your head. Just a little ... surreal.” - Maru
Calvin Ngo, 13
Charda Stallings, 27
Jinny Choi