"Hit with DDU-DU-DDU-DU" | BLACKPINK Fan-Signing

As stated in my previous blog "Yonsei Orientation", I went to M2U Records in Sinchon and bought some albums; as promised, here is the other story behind that! I hope that this blog can introduce the fan-signing culture of Korea, keeping you more informed about these rare events.

Since I follow BLACKPINK on their social media, I was notified about a possible fan-signing event where customers that buy their album at the M2U Records Sinchon during the promotional time are entered into a drawing to attend. Honestly, I did not really have good luck with drawings or things like that, so I did not have any hope that I would be attending; I bought two albums: a black version for myself and a pink version for my friend. At the location, I received a poster along with my purchase and completed a drawing slip with my personal contact information. When the promotion at that store ended, they released the official list of people who are invited to this exclusive event; only 110 people were able to attend. It was released on the M2U blog on Saturday, June 30 at 10 PM. When I first checked it, I skimmed the page and did not see my name. I was slightly disappointed, so I went to sleep. Just to make sure, I checked once again on the morning of Sunday, actually reading the entire post and to my surprise, I was listed as one of the people invited! Due to my handwriting, the name enlisted was "Kewn" instead of "Kevin", so I did not see it until I compared the phone numbers next to the names.

BLACKPINK advertises their new album in U-Plex underground.

On Sunday, July 1 at 7 PM, I arrived on the 12th floor of the U-Plex Department Building. I checked-in by showing my identification and received a pass with my seat number. The workers also provided sticky notes and a pen to label which page in the album you want to be signed for the members as well as to place your name in front. After waiting for several minutes, BLACKPINK finally appeared and greeted the audience; the fan-signing immediately started afterward. Rows of people were told to stand and line up to meet each member; you may not bring your camera or phone up to the stage. Before heading onto the stage, a security guard checks the pages of the album to ensure the safety of the K-pop members. Various amounts of fans brought cute presents and gifts for each of the members, such as stuffed animals and a crown. If I had known I would be attending this, I would have gotten them some leis from Hawai'i. 😜

Rose and Lisa pose together, making a huge heart sign for their fans.

The actual fan-signing portion is a very quick process, giving the fan only a couple seconds to interact with the group members. I was very starstruck when I met them and felt a bit awkward at first; but because of their kind and friendly personalities, I was quickly relieved of the tension. When I met the members, I started the conversation by introducing myself and asking them a basic "How are you?" question. Firstly, I met Rose; we had a quick conversation about where I was from. When I replied with "Hawai'i", she was really intrigued and said that they almost went to Hawai'i for their reality TV show, BLACKPINK House. Secondly, I met Lisa; she also asked where I was from, but we had to cut the conversation in order to keep the line going. The third was Jennie; I was nervous (because she is my bias) and felt slightly awkward with a pause in the conversation. In the end, I just ended it with an "I love you" declaration which was probably even more awkward. 😅 Last was Jisoo; out of all the members, she knew the least English. When we met, she started talking to me in Korean as she wrote my name in Hangul. Being lost in the conversation, I said that I was a foreigner in Korean. "외국인입니다 (wi-guk-in-ib-ni-da)" is literally translated to "foreigner + (I) am." After realizing that, she rewrote my name in English and put many hearts with her signature. Since it was the end of my round, I ended the conversation with Jisoo by saying "사랑해 (sa-rang-hae)" which means "I love you" and giving the heart hand signs.

BLACKPINK meets 110 persons at their fan-signing event in Sinchon.

After all 110 people got their albums signed, BLACKPINK spoke to the audience for a bit about random things. They were fooling around, playing with various stuffed plushies while talking. Towards the end, they started thanking the fans for everything. I really liked how Rose talked in English when thanking the international fans at the fan-signing for coming to Korea. Finally, we took a final group picture and BLACKPINK took their leave. This experience was so surreal, being able to see my favorite music group in-person, and I will definitely treasure this moment!

BLACKPINK finishes the fan-signing event together!