[Interview] From Seoul to Soweto – Music Transcends Language

Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones — always focused on sound, stage and substance.

For many K-Pop fans around the world, one of the things that draws them into the genre is the fandom. As someone who has essentially grown up listening to K-Pop, it was rather mind blowing to me to know that the same kind of bonds I had sown through groups like One Direction and Fifth Harmony could be found in other interests too. During my time as a Fifth Harmony fan I found it much harder to find friends in my everyday life who were interested in groups, although I had more success finding Little Mix lovers. This feeling of relative isolation in sharing a common love for an artist and being able to share your thoughts and ideas with someone who understands is almost what happened when I fell into the K-pop wormhole. Almost.

There’s a saying in the BTS ARMY that goes something like “Bangtan finds you when you need them.” So far, so true. For me, before BTS there was GOT7, and before them 2NE1. This was all before I even turned fifteen. I remember some girls in my school already knew so much about Korean music and said that there was nothing different about it, “it’s just music in Korean. They dance and sing, that’s all.” I saw them stay up to watch ASC (After School Club) and wondered if I was ready to do it all again. Clearly, almost fifteen years later, I just did it anyway.

For many fans of K-Pop outside of Asia, Europe and North America, attending concerts feels almost like a far-fetched fantasy. This is in part to K-pop only recently breaking through to mainstream media, at least that is the case in South Africa. Also, however, tour dates seem to miss these locations with live performances in these continents being spread out significantly. This is where the power of fandom comes into play. Fan organized events like cup-sleeve events, markets and even K-pop themed club nights have become some of the key places for fans of Korean entertainment to meet. Here, they can share stories about how they found their favourite artists and other hobbies that have developed from this dip into the Hallyu wave.

Today’s interview is with Sasha-Leigh Henkeman who is the founder of ARMY WHO PARTY (AWP). This group organises K-Pop Events across South Africa. Over the past fourteen years of loving K-Pop, and growing up listening to these artists, it was my hope to experience K-Music at every day events.

Finding Sasha-Leigh in common fan spaces meant two things: K-pop has built yet another friendship, and that it is possible for South African K-pop fans to find each other. Sasha-Leigh and her ability to see things through turned this possibility into a reality when Army Who Party was founded in 2022.

Interview:

When did you first hear about K-pop and what made you want to know more about the genre?

I first heard about K=Pop in 2015, however it was in 2017 when EXO was promoting their new song ‘Power’ that got me intrigued.

What is your favourite part about being a K-Pop fan?

My favourite part is the community that comes with being a K-Pop fan.

What are the top three albums you’d recommend to a fellow South African who wants to ease their way into the K-Pop waters?

‘Exodus’ by EXO, ‘Dark and Wild’ by BTS and ‘Face the Sun’ by SEVENTEEN.

When did you come up with the idea of AWP and what gave you the push to follow through with the idea?

I saw videos on social media of K-Pop fans enjoying these types of events abroad and wanted to experience something like it in my own country. So I messaged a few friends whom I thought would have the same interests and that is how AWP came to be.

What are some of the logistics behind organising these events, do you have a team that helps you?

Main logistics would [be] to find a suitable venue and date to accommodate those that are attending. Yes I have a great team that plans and hosts events in each city. 

What has changed the most between your first event and your most recent event?

At first we started out by only hosting BTS themed events but now we host events catered to different K-Pop fans.

What is an unexpected hurdle you and your team experience while organising events?

We learnt that when we first approach a new venue they are always skeptical about the turnout for the event, but after the first one they would be very surprised at how big our community can be.

Does it ever feel like you are responsible for creating events that mirror the concert energy?

Not exactly replicating the concert experience but we do try to create an environment where attendees can enjoy themselves and meeting or making new friends with the same interests. A place where one can possibly find community.

What are some of your best memories in your experiences as a K-Pop Event Organiser?

Meeting new people. I’ve met some of the best people through these events but hearing other people’s stories of our events is my favourite part. I was once told by multiple of our regulars that they have met some of their closest friends through our events and that if we didn’t host these events they probably would not have met.

What are your hopes for AWP in the upcoming months or years?

We would like to help build that bridge in assisting with getting K-Pop artists/groups to tour South Africa one day. Because right now, companies don’t necessarily see a market within South Africa and AWP could be the representation [for the community that exists here.]

Could you tell us about your collaboration with the Korean Culture Centre of South Africa (KCCSA)? What is it about and what does it mean to make such connections for the K-pop community in South Africa?

It was just to get more people excited for the [Ubuntu* with K-Culture] Festival where Ailee is headlining in Pretoria and winning tickets for some of the best seats at the venue. However we hope that it helps show Korean companies that we are here and we would love for more artists to come here and how much we appreciate their music, work and culture.

What do you want fans and K-pop companies to understand about AWP, and other fan clubs like it, and what it takes to exist and reach people?

 I want people to know that our events can be a safe space for them to openly enjoy the music they love and also to meet like minded people but at the same breathe to try and break the stigma that these companies have when it comes to Africa, that we are here and can show up if needed. 

AWP is now one of many K-pop centred events planners along with others like K-Bops Events, not even mentioning recent university K-pop student societies. For a group like AWP to be invited to collaborate with the KCCSA on an event centred around Ubuntu, a principle that is not easy to define, along with world renowned local groups like Ndlovu Youth Choir is something I could only ever have dreamed of. The intersection of my own people’s culture and creativity, colliding with artists such as Ailee who have opened doors to a whole new realm of entertainment for me is such a wonder to behold. All of this while introducing South Africans to a genre that is rarely promoted and oftentimes misunderstood. 

Watching our South African K-pop community grow has been one of my favourite parts of growing up. Many times when it comes to fandom and interests we pick up in our youth, it becomes very easy to let go of it all as a way to “finally start growing up and be mature”. But maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.

Meeting my friends well over age twenty to go watch a movie about our favourite group is something younger me wrote journal entries about. To be part of a growing fandom feels like becoming living proof that, “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films”. While Bong Joon-ho spoke about film, in this case music, no matter the language, has become the portal to a whole new world.

*Ubuntu loosely translates to humility. The term itself comes from isiZulu, one of South Africa’s twelve official languages. A phrase commonly used to describe the concept is “I am because you are.” The concept exists across indigenous cultures of South Africa as a vast majority are rooted in a culture of collectivism and the inextricable connectedness between self and other. 

Thank you so much to Sasha-Leigh Henkeman for taking the time to speak to us. You can keep up with AWP and their events here:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/armywhoparty/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@armywhoparty

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Armywhoparty-100086170852314/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/armywhoparty