Fandom as My Fuel: Turning Fangirling Into a Career

Music has always taken up a major part in my life.

I started taking formal piano lessons at six years old, followed by musical theatre and choir at seven years old. At 12, I began playing clarinet in my middle school band and, by freshman year, had advanced to the school’s highest-level symphony orchestra. Outside of school, most of my time revolved around music, whether I was creating it or simply enjoying it.

Discovering K-pop Fandom

At 13 years old, I joined my first fandom as a superfan – the BTS ARMY. I had known about K-pop for a while, but it never became part of my own world until I got hooked by a silly fan-made video about BTS on YouTube in the summer of 2018. Despite the language and cultural barriers, I was instantly captivated by their humor, natural charisma, and genuineness. Like most superfans, I soon fell down the rabbit hole of their music, content, and online fan communities. My newfound involvement in K-pop fandom led me to countless fan events and concerts, making music an even bigger part of my life. 

Realizing Music Could Be a Career

When junior year of high school rolled around, I struggled to pick a major– none of my school subjects interested me in the slightest. That’s when my mom suggested I look into Music Business at NYU, knowing I had both relevant experience and passion. Up until then, I had never considered the music industry a career path, but once I did, I could not imagine doing anything else. Nothing seemed cooler or more fulfilling than the thought of being involved in the decision-making for a K-pop group’s next comeback concept, marketing strategy, or fan activation. At this point, all my friends and family knew me as the music girl obsessed with K-pop. With 4 years under my belt as a K-pop superfan and over 10 years as a musician, I was confident I had the right knowledge and experience to succeed in the industry.

Finding Opportunities as a Student

I did my first major internship the summer after freshman year of college at Weverse America, the American subsidiary of K-pop giant HYBE’s own fan platform. I cannot put into words how ecstatic, lucky, and grateful I felt to intern there. I remember stepping into the office on my first day and being absolutely in awe of all the K-pop merch decorating the walls and shelves.

One piece of advice that helped me get my first major internship was identifying where my superpower and passion intersect. What does that mean exactly? Your superpower is what makes you unique, what differentiates you from your industry peers. My superpower is the combination of formal music business education and firsthand experience within fandom, especially K-pop. Experiencing K-pop’s rise into the U.S. mainstream gave me a strong understanding of fan behavior, engagement, and community-building. Framing this perspective in tandem with my passion for K-pop marketing helped me land that internship at Weverse America. Even now, my fascination and passion for K-pop’s approach to fan engagement continue to fuel my career ambitions. Since September, I’ve been especially inspired by CORTIS’s marketing and branding strategy, and I hope to work with them in some capacity post-grad.

Since my internship at Weverse America, I’ve interned at The Syndicate, Roc Nation, and, most recently, Live Nation. This summer, I’ll be interning in Music Touring at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Each of these experiences has helped me grow both professionally and personally, especially in how I carry myself and communicate with others in workplace environments. Additionally, I’ve found that other than the work itself, the most valuable parts of my internships have been building my network both vertically and horizontally and learning from driven, knowledgeable people.

My recent internship at Live Nation felt especially full-circle. As someone who grew up attending concerts as a fan, working behind the scenes in tour marketing gave me a completely new perspective on live music. It showed me the level of detail, coordination, and strategic planning required to create memorable live experiences. Being able to contribute to that process definitely confirmed that this is the industry I want to build my career in. 

Concluding Advice

If you’re a fellow superfan looking to work in the music industry too, here are my five biggest tips I’ve learned so far:

1. Advocate for yourself. If I had to leave you with one piece of advice, this would be it. After all, closed mouths don’t get fed! As a natural introvert, it was extremely difficult initially to network and advocate for myself. Think of yourself as a product you need to actively market so others can understand your value. It’s important not to overstep, but make sure to ask for the opportunities you want.

2. Be genuine. Tell people about the new release you’re obsessed with, who your favorite artist is, what excites you, etc. Most people in the music industry genuinely enjoy connecting over music. If you’re like me and worried your favorite artist might not be relevant enough for industry professionals, don’t be. I used to be hesitant to geek out about K-pop, but I’ve come to realize that truly successful industry professionals always invite the opportunity to learn about a new artist or genre.

3. Prepare without over-rehearsing. Go into things prepared, but not overprepared. Thoroughly research companies and interviewers online, but don’t let that information guide your entire conversations. Make sure to let the conversation flow naturally as well. Read the room and go off the other person’s vibe.

4. Effort creates opportunities for luck. You need a combination of effort and luck. That means doing everything in your power to position yourself for opportunities when they come and increasing your chances of being in the right place at the right time. This could be learning new skills, networking, improving your professionalism, sharpening your elevator pitch, etc. For example, I want to work in K-pop, so I’ve been learning Korean for the past few years to raise my qualifications and competitiveness as an applicant. 

5. Try Different Roles Early On. This is something I have intentionally prioritized since my internship at Weverse America, and I am grateful I did. Since then, I have had the opportunity to wear many different hats across organizations with different company cultures. Experiencing a range of roles and work environments has given me valuable perspectives on the kind of work, teams, and culture I want to pursue full-time in the future.

The hardest internship to get is often your first. It’s like the thought of how do I get my first job if they all require experience that I have yet to gain?? In my case, I already had relevant experience from high school that I used to strengthen my application to NYU’s Music Business program. But I believe there are many ways to independently achieve this running start. For example, starting your own fan account for your favorite artist, helping market local bands or venues, working for your college’s concert committee, etc. 

Looking back, it’s funny that my career path started with a BTS fan video on YouTube. I recently attended the Las Vegas stop of their ongoing Arirang Tour, and it reminded me just how full-circle this journey has been. I thought back to seeing them for the first time in 2019 and then again in 2021, when I became certain I wanted to pursue a career in the music business. What began as a side hobby eventually became the foundation for my professional goals. Being part of fan communities showed me the power of music firsthand, and now I hope to help create those same experiences for others.