Up next is a song that was originally called “Call Me Daddy” but that was, well, uh…
EXO is one of the powerhouse boy groups currently active. Honestly, it was hard to choose a song because I really, really love the video for “Overdose.”
Recently, it was announced that member Chen was not only in a relationship with a non-celebrity, but marrying said woman, and said woman was seven months pregnant with his kid. How does this happen?
Having been a kpop fan for going on ten years, and being a woman in her damn mid 30s, I am happy to see idols date and marry. It’s about time that more members of older groups start settling down and pursuing happiness outside the idol world, in whatever way they choose. I honestly don’t remember what I felt as a teenager and how I dealt with dating rumors, but I think most of us were actually rooting for Justin and Britney to stay together, and Jessica and Nick were #goals.
Cultures are different, and the way brands are marketed vary culture to culture. Mint M&Ms were a thing in the UK long before they came to the US, for example. We plaster our supermarket aisles with crappy magazines detailing the inner worlds of celebs, and nothing, it seems, is off limit.
In Korea, idol groups are brands unto themselves, and a lot of the appeal of an idol is their availability. These are not just good lookin’ men and women, but they are single and available and maybe if you buy enough of their albums, you’ll be able to “hi-touch” them at a fan sign event. People freak out when they discover that their idol might possibly be dating someone, so idols keep their dating lives secret. And then fans get upset that their idol kept their dating life secret, so it’s really a lose/lose situation.
People were angry when it was exposed that Chen was going to marry and be a daddy, some even called for his removal from the group. Their excuses are all silly, in my opinion: either it was exposed at the “wrong time” and distracted from the group’s events, or now the group would be unable to be seen as anything other than “that group with the dude who is about to be a married father.” Married people are unprofitable, I guess.
But wait, there’s more… Singer Lee Jae-Hoon also came forward to say he was married with two kids. He confessed that he actually got married in 2009, but it was only announced in 2020.
And Hyuna (formerly of 4Minute) and E’Dawn (formerly of Pentagon) were kicked out of Cube Entertainment when their relationship of two years was exposed.
Can we just do away with all this secrecy? As a fan, you should wish for happiness for the idols you hold dear. It’s okay to feel sad to hear that your favorite idol is dating someone you deem unworthy but only they know what’s best for themselves. I honestly hope that the idol culture changes as we see the second generation of kpop stars get older and become more open about their relationships.
Koffee & Kpop 