How Being a Fangirl Changed Two Women’s Lives For The Better
When most people think of being a fan of something, they might imagine showing support towards a sports team, binge-watching a popular TV series, or perhaps reading every book their favourite author has written.
But for some people, being a fan means something completely different, and holds an entirely whole new meaning.
Being a fan or part of a fandom has evolved beyond cheering on a favourite artist, team, celebrity, author – the list goes on. Now, it’s more about expressing yourself, putting your creativity to use, engaging in communities, and even having the opportunity to cross off exciting places to visit off a bucket list. Being a fan becomes an integral part of one’s identity.
Valentina Casamento, 33, and Carolina Henriquez, 27, are two young women who, through their shared love of music, have been able to apply the true meaning of fandom in their lives. Through their devotion to their favourite artists – the Jonas Brothers for Valentina and Justin Bieber for Carolina – they’ve found deep connections within the fandoms they are a part of, created unforgettable memories, and gained a newfound appreciation for the world around them.
Valentina began her fangirl journey being a devoted supporter of the Jonas Brothers since she was 16 years old.
“Life came full circle when I was watching Disney Channel in my very early teens, and I started seeing Jonas Brothers music videos for Year 3000 and Kids of the Future.”
“That was it– I had to find out more! There was also the long-forgotten Baby Bottle Pop commercial that circulated in their early career. I was a casual fan, but then they guest starred on Hannah Montana in the Summer of 2007 and I was HOOKED.”
Most people may know that the Jonas Brothers were a band from 2005 to 2013, but unfortunately announced they were going their separate ways and were splitting (thanks Nick Jonas) to pursue solo careers, or in Joe Jonas’ case, eventually form a new group called DNCE. Luckily for Valentina and other Jonatics, in February of 2019, they announced they were getting back together as a band. (Thanks Nick Jonas again, but this time for coming back to your senses.)
Their split, however, did not stop Valentina from continuing to stay loyal to them. She’s stuck around since the beginning, even whilst during their split.
When asked how the Jonas Brothers impacted Valentina’s life, she jokingly mentions how they have definitely impacted her wallet. Through the course of 16 years, she’s been to multiple Jonas Brothers tours, purchased multiple albums, attended meet-and-greets, traveled long distances for shows– like recently traveling 17 hours from New Jersey to Orlando, Florida, to see Joe Jonas in concert at Universal Studios on her birthday!
Aside from the Jonas Brothers breaking the bank, Valentina adds how she’s made some amazing memories just from simply being a fan.
“One time in particular that stands out to me is when MTV had a show on air called The Seven, which took place at the TRL studio in New York City, and focused heavily on pop culture. They announced that Nick Jonas would be a guest and in order to be in the studio audience for his episode, you would have to attend the live taping of The Seven THREE days in a row. It was February so it was very cold, and my friends and I showed up early in the morning on all three days and sat on the sidewalk in giant coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets. By the third day it was all worth it– we achieved our goal and got to be a part of the live studio audience!”
Even though there are many positive things that come to mind when Valentina thinks of supporting the Jonas Brothers from her teen years to adulthood, forming friendships is one that sticks out the most for her. In 2010, she met a group of fans from an old Team Jonas fan club, and also met other fans just by attending Jonas Brothers events. To this day, they still keep in touch!
“[My friends and I] have traveled for shows, spent early mornings and late nights together, and now even celebrate birthdays and holidays together!”
The Jonas Brothers are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band this year and plan to do some exciting stuff for their fans. These include an exciting Jonas Brothers themed convention called JonasCon, a new Disney+ holiday movie, solo music releases (and of course music as a group), a live concert album and an upcoming tour which has not been announced yet. Valentina, a devoted fan, eagerly anticipates what’s next, as she knows her connection with the Jonas Brothers and other fellow fans will continue to deepen.
Adding on to the list of late 2000’s teen heartthrobs – the Biebs.
Similarly to Valentina, Carolina has been a devoted fangirl since her early teen years–but for Justin Bieber. You can say she’s experienced quite a bit of ‘Bieber Fever’ since he rose to fame in the late 2000’s.
“There was no reason to not root for the kid from Canada that did everything in his power to do what he loved.”
Carolina recalls discovering Justin at a young age having sleepovers with her best friend, telling her about Justin, and staying up all night watching and singing his covers. There was such a great energy about him, and she was drawn to it.
“I was on YouTube when I was nine looking for bad singers because I wanted to find something funny to watch. After pages and pages of scrolling through the search, I found a video of a boy singing With You by Chris Brown. The account name was ‘Kidrauhl,’ who we have come to know as Justin Bieber and I instantly loved his voice. This was before his [debut] single One Time came out, so I was under the impression that I knew of him before so many others did.”
Whilst simultaneously feeling like she gained a sense of community from supporting him, Carolina remembers her time on stan Twitter, noting that being a Belieber was everything during her formative years. She recalls how Beliebers gathered together when a new music video came out, or when he was nominated for an award show. She also reminisces about Music Mondays, where Justin Bieber would release a song each week leading up to his Journals album. That was a real treat.
Like most teenage fangirls in middle school and high school, she did get teased for supporting Justin Bieber. The good thing is, she never let those mean words affect her. Instead, not only did she gain a whole new level of appreciation for his music, she also felt more connected with him as an artist.
“The videos I have watched of Justin behind the scenes, of beats being created, the way he sings a lyric over and over until he gets it right – there’s really so much time and effort being put into one single song. I think it’s really beautiful to watch people do what they love.”
Carolina has taken action to support Justin Bieber in many ways. From binge-watching various music videos to bring his views up (if you know, you know), attending the Believe tour twice, listening to and purchasing his music (can we please normalise buying CD’s again and playing them on our boombox like it’s the early 2000’s?), waiting outside concert venues trying to meet Justin and seeing his infamous tour bus whilst fangirling how he was inside, and streaming his music on Spotify, bringing him to be one of her top artists for years.
“If he goes back on tour and doesn’t cancel it, I will go to battle for those tickets. He’s such a great performer, I could watch him all day.”
Being a fan of Justin Bieber for over a decade has also created strong bonds in friendships for Carolina through her teenage years to adulthood. She loves the fact it can really bring people together to support one person. But most importantly whilst supporting him, she was also able to find herself.
“[Being a fan] created such strong bonds in friendships growing up. It felt like such a safe space to be in. Everyone shared the same interest and it just felt like you could relate to so many people. I also think figuring out who you are and where you belong can be difficult. I would say in ways, we’re always figuring that out as we evolve and change in our lives. Being a fan has always felt like somewhere I belonged. It continues to feel that way. For Justin and for so many other artists. Everytime you find something that you enjoy, it’s like another piece of finding yourself!”
There are rumors floating around the music industry that Justin Bieber is releasing new music after teasing an upcoming project on Instagram recently. Looks like Beliebers might have to stay patient and see what the Biebs has in store for fans in 2025!
