The Press and A Fan
- Humans of Monta Vista
- Jun 7, 2020
- 3 min read
Q: How did you become a journalist for@allkpop?
A: I’d really say it was good timing on my part because I never read allkpop before actually. This one time when I happened to read one of the articles, at the bottom there happened to be an opening for a content feature writer, so that’s when I applied. It just happened to work out and in 10th grade that’s when I started writing for allkpop.
Q: What happened after you applied?
A: The process itself was pretty simple. [...] Because I was already in El Etqoue and I happened to be in the entertainment section at the time, I already had a few written samples. It was really just sending a resume and attaching a few samples of my work. Within a week, I started writing. At first, I started with more simple, universal articles. 3ish months in is when I started doing interviews and more in-depth stories.
Q: What’s the coolest experience you’ve had?
A: I’d definitely say it’s being able to go to concerts for free, taking photos, and interviewing kpop artists just because it’s not something I ever imagined I would be doing. I think through the interviews especially I just see so much more of the kpop artists than what’s portrayed on the screen or through media. Kind of having real human conversations I’d say is my favorite part.
Q: What have you learned from doing all of this?
A: This might sound really cliche, but there’s really so much more to celebrities than you see and it’s weird because in the first interview I did, I thought I’d get super nervous because it’s this global star I’m talking to in person, but in that moment it just felt like I was talking to a regular person and that’s when I realized they might show up on TV and they might have millions of followers and fans, but they’re just normal people in the end.
Q: Do you think you’ll continue this into college?
A: Yeah, definitely just because even aside from the fact that it give
s me extra spending money, it gives me a lot of really cool experiences and connections. I feel like in college I’ll be even more stressed, and being able to go to concerts frequently and being able to relieve that stress is something I'm interested in continuing.
Q: Is there ever a conflict with your school work and how did you overcome it?
A: There were a lot of times where there’d be concerts the day before tests. Like I remember last year there was a concert the day before a DBQ and I got super freaked out at first and I brought all of my study materials. Usually at concerts, if you’re taking photos they ask you to come 30 minutes to an hour before it starts, so I just stood in the pit holding my notes and I studied while I waited for the concert to start. So that’s how I would deal with things or I would study in the car.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share from your experiences?
A: I’d just say that allkpop has given me the most memorable moments in my life. [...] Actually, one of my favorite memories is recently I took photos for a concert for Stray Kids and that was one of the kpop groups that I personally had been following for a long time. That was a special moment for me and that concert was also special because I forgot to bring my SD card to the concert in San Jose, so I drove down to the LA concert. That was something that made everything more memorable.
Q: How many concerts do you think you’ve been to so far?
A: With allkpop, I think 20 at least.
Q: Who are some of the coolest people you’ve met?
A: Oh that’s a hard one, I think for groups I’d say SF9, just because that was the first group I had ever interviewed and that was in Korea. Actually SF9 and Red Velvet were both the first groups that I interviewed, so that left a lasting impression. Winner and Stray Kids are just personal favorites. I’d say for solo people, Crush and Zico. Those are people I really really like and respect and so being able to go there and see them in person, listen to their music live, while also taking photographs was really memorable.
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