The life of a fangirl or a fanboy is filled with fun and excitement! Well, at the same time, it’s somehow “stressful” if you’re thinking about buying everything your favorites sell and advertise and if you’re involving yourself in fan wars and negativity. But nevertheless, every fangirl and fanboy can claim that their loved celebrities are their stress relievers at the end of the day! K-pop fans can surely relate to that!
If you are a fan of one or more K-pop artists, an active fan to be more specific, you are aware of the many mobile applications that every K-pop fan has in his/her phone. Well, of course, it’s not a strict requirement to have them, but they are essential if you are totally serious about your interest to follow, support, vote and be updated about your dearest K-pop faves and, more importantly, if you are able to do so.
One of these mobile applications is VLIVE, also called V App. It can be used on PC too. Opened in 2015, VLIVE is a South Korean live video broadcasting service with more than 1,433 channels according to Wikipedia. Naver Corporation owns this free application. Yes, it’s free, but users can pay for VLIVE+ subscription if they want content and features that’s exclusive to VLIVE+ members only.
Now, many new K-pop fans or new VLIVE users are not familiar with this app. On the other hand, most non fans don’t understand what it is about; some hear of it but don’t really know what it is for. Regardless of where you belong to from these kinds of people, the list below will enlighten you about this popular South Korean app. Here are the best things that K-pop celebs and their fans do in VLIVE!
1 – REAL TIME PERSONAL INTERACTION VIA ARTISTS’ LIVE BROADCAST OR CHAT
Interaction is precious, and VLIVE is completely aware of that. It allows K-pop celebs and fans to keep in touch with each other, and the best thing is they can do that in VLIVE in real time! It feels really personal because if you’re the fan watching your favorite K-pop idol’s live broadcast, it feels like you’re just in an exclusive video call with him/her.
When you are following certain artists in VLIVE, you are notified every time their channel goes live. That means you can watch them in the actual moment they are broadcasting live and can send them comments which artists will immediately see as well! Aside from live video streaming, live chat is possible too.
2 – FANS SUPPORT THEIR FAVES THROUGH HEARTS AND V LIGHTSTICKS.
There are quite a lot of cute and entertaining details in VLIVE.
Fans can send hearts to their K-pop celebs as a form of support while watching their live and uploaded content. You can do that by tapping the heart button on the lower right side of the screen. When the total number of hearts reach a million for a certain live broadcast, a bursting effect will appear on the screen of everyone watching the live, including the artist broadcasting; the same thing when they get 100M and other higher amounts specified by VLIVE.
Besides hearts, the V LIGHTSTICK can be used by fans to double the equivalence of their heart taps. It looks like the actual lightstick of the K-pop group or soloist but in digital form. If you want to use one, you have to buy it.
3 – FANS CAN WATCH THEIR REALITY SHOWS AND RADIO GUESTINGS.
K-pop idols do not just bring in their efforts in performing their songs and choreographies on stage. They also show more of their skills, talents and personalities through shows outside music show stages.
Not all but some reality shows and radio guestings can be watched through VLIVE. The celebrity company management’s staff uploads this content for fans to enjoy. Although some of these shows may be available in other online platforms and in the shows’ official channels, finding them in VLIVE is convenient for K-pop fans too. Adding to that, able fans put subtitles to VLIVE videos, so in case there are no English subtitles found in other platforms, VLIVE got you (thanks to hardworking subtitlers!)
4 – LIVE COUNTDOWNS AND SHOWCASES FOR COMEBACKS
One of the most-awaited, if not the most awaited, events for K-pop fans is their favorite artists’ comebacks! This is the golden time when K-pop idols release a fresh album with new songs that their fans will love and that will hopefully attract more people to the fandom!
Comebacks are very special to K-pop artists because it’s the time to finally show the world the songs and dances they have been working hard for. Similarly, fans are so excited to hear and support their brand new music! This precious event is the beginning of a new era, so a live countdown and/or a showcase happens, and it happens in VLIVE!
Live countdowns and showcases for comebacks take place in VLIVE, and there are various segments in these programmes, including album unboxing, games, Q & A’s and first-time performances. Scheduled either just a few hours before the day of the comeback or exactly an hour before the album release, they are truly anticipated by the K-pop artists and their loved fans!
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VLIVE
Interacting with each other is a very important thing for K-pop celebs and their fans. Through it, they get to connect with each other and maintain a strong star-and-supporter bond. Although it’s difficult to personally meet and greet each other a lot of times, there are still many opportunities to communicate through online apps such as VLIVE.
Aside from official fan cafes, VLIVE is used most often by most K-pop stars. It has numerous functional features making users conveniently enjoy their time in the app. These are among the main reasons why VLIVE is really one of the top apps to download and install to your devices if you are a K-pop fan.
Definitely, both the K-pop celebs and the K-pop fans are glad and grateful to have VLIVE because through it, they can get closer to each other even when they are miles and miles apart.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She is a daytime writer for The Fordham Company, one of Australia’s leading celebrity talent management agencies located in Sydney. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.
