Last Updated on May 28, 2023 by Eden
When k-pop artists take the stage, whether it’s for a concert, music show, awards show or another special event, chances are you’ll hear fan chants during the performance. Kpop fan chants are a staple in South Korea and they’re also used by a lot of fans internationally to show support for their favorite groups during live performances.
If you’re new to the k-pop world, this guide breaks down everything you need to know about kpop fan chants.
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Table of Contents
What Is a Kpop Fan Chant?
K-pop fan chants are a form of audience participation and expression for k-pop fans. A fan chant involves a group of fans chanting or cheering specific phrases together in support of their favorite kpop artists or groups.
Some of the places you’ll hear fan chants include:
- K-pop concerts
- Music show performances
- Music award show performances
- Music festivals and other outdoor concert events
Basically, anywhere k-pop acts are performing on stage can be an opportunity for fan chants to happen.
While it’s largely associated with Korean music fans, the practice of chanting during live performances reflects a long tradition in the nation’s traditional performing arts culture.
In a pansori performance, for example, a singer recites a long narrative to the beat of a drum that’s combined with singing. Audience members respond to the performance with exclamatory words to show encouragement or appreciation.
Korean madang geuk performances, which are traditional outdoor plays, also incorporate audience participation, as do protest songs. Modern Koreans have used protest songs to voice their concerns during periods of political unrest and times of crisis.
Related post: Kpop Fansign: What Is It and How to Win
How Do Kpop Fan Chants Work?
Kpop fan chants work by following a dedicated script. As k-pop idols perform, fans follow the script and chant at different points in the performance, often while waving their light sticks.
A kpop fan chant can be a general chant that lists the name of each group member, usually starting with the leader first, then moving through the rest of the members in age order. The chant usually ends with fans shouting the name of the group.
For example, if you’re a BTS fan, then a standard fan chant might go like this:
Kim Namjoon
Kim Seokjin
Min Yoongi
Jung Hoseok
Park Jimin
Kim Taehyung
Jeon Jungkook
BTS!
Kpop fan chants can also be lyrics from specific songs or phrases, or fans might cheer the fandom name instead. Each one has its own rules for which words or phrases are used and when.
Members of the group’s fan club or fanbase can decide what the chant should be, then share fanchant guides on social media. Some of the biggest fanbases have an unrivaled level of organization that allows them to coordinate chants on a broad scale.
Fan communities can also put together special events for an upcoming show separate from fan chants. For example, when Ateez visited Toronto to wrap up the North American leg of the group’s 2022 Fellowship: Break the Wall Tour, fans shared a special video project that was completed with the help of Hello28.
A lot of groups and solo artists also make up their own fanchant guides for fans and share them on YouTube or TikTok. Those are common when a group or idol is having a comeback with new music, though you’ll also see them when groups are promoting a debut album.
Fan chants are common for both boy groups and girl groups, as well as solo artists.
Why Do Kpop Fan Chants Exist?
K-pop concerts and other live performances rely heavily on fan participation to make them fun. The mood is meant to be upbeat and idols often thrive off audience responses to keep the energy going.
Imagine sitting in a room of 15,000 k-pop fans as part of a completely silent audience watching your favorite idol group perform. The atmosphere of the overall concert might feel more like a funeral than a celebration.
Not much fun, right?
Fan chants help to set the mood so that live events have a fun-loving spirit. It’s similar to the way fans chant at sporting events to cheer on their favorite teams. For example, if you’ve ever been to any baseball games in the U.S. you’ve probably heard the standard “Let’s go [team name], let’s go”.
Kpop fan chants allow fans to show group support, something k-pop groups certainly appreciate, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The spread of coronavirus prompted a temporary shutdown of live performances. As they resumed, the South Korean government enacted a cheering ban at live events.
That meant kpop fans had to get creative to show their support. Instead of chanting and cheering, fans of groups like BTS and Ateez resorted to using some pretty impressive sounding clappers to give encouragement at live events held in South Korea.
Fan chants made a triumphant return in May 2022, as the government lifted the ban to the joy of Korean fans and international fans alike.
Kpop Fan Chant Examples
Still not sure what a kpop fan chant looks like?
Here are some examples of kpop fan chants from top artists, including Stray Kids, Red Velvet, Le Sserafim and Monsta X’s Joohoney who made his solo debut in May 2023. And of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without some of the fan-ranked best fan chants, including iconic performances from Super Junior and Wonder Girls.
Tips for Learning Kpop Fan Chants
Whether you’re planning to see your favorite artists live or simply cheer them on from home, learning fan chants can help you get into the fighting spirt. Here are a few tips for mastering your favorite kpop fan chants.
- Watch fanchant guides. Fanchant guides are on YouTube for a reason–because your favorite groups want you to use them! Watching fanchant video guides is a simple way to learn the phrases you’ll need to know. And if it feels really overwhelming, you can always slow down the video to learn at a more comfortable pace.
- Write it down. Writing things down helps me to remember them and if you’re a visual learning, it can help you too. You can write out the chant, then practice repeating it back to yourself so you can get the rhythm down.
- Watch performance videos. If your faves are releasing new music, chances are they’ll be promoting on music shows like Show Champion or Music Bank. Watching group performances or individual fan cams is a great way to hear how the audience is chanting, and when, without being drowned out by loud music.
- Practice! The best way to learn a kpop fan chant is simply to practice it over and over. Spending 5 to 10 minutes a day repeating the chant can be enough to help you memorize it in time for your first (or next) kpop concert.
Final thoughts on kpop fan chants
Learning a fan chant or two is a simple way to be more involved at a kpop event. Speaking from my own experience, it’s always a thrilling feeling being in a room with thousands of people shouting the same thing in unison. And that’s just how it feels as a fan–it must be that much more exciting for the artists themselves. If you want to become part of the massive sing-along culture that’s part of kpop, then brushing up on your fan chant skills is a good place to start.
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