When Your Passion Doesn't Come With Belonging: A Black K-Pop Fan's Experience | S1 Ep. 5

Black K-pop fans have always existed. Kenyah was one of them in 2008 — before most Americans knew what K-pop was and long before anyone called it cool. By college, it wasn't just a hobby. She majored in Korean language and culture, joined the Korean Students Association, became president, and spent years trying to bridge the gap between Black culture and Korean culture on a campus where the two communities rarely overlapped.  Senior year, she was quietly asked to step down. And told she wouldn't be getting the choreography role she'd spent four years working toward. There was also a Black woman who'd warned her freshman year that this exact thing would happen. This episode isn't about K-pop. It's about what it costs to build a life inside a community that was never fully built for you — and the specific exhaustion of being the person who always has to explain themselves. What You’ll Hear in This Episode Being a K-pop stan in 2008, before the genre had a Western mainstream What her family, her Black peers, and her Korean peers each said — and why none of it fully landed The social cost of committing to one community on a campus where communities don't mix Cultural appropriation in K-pop, and the specific frustration of loving something that sometimes disrespects you Being plus-size in K-pop dance spaces — the uniform that had to be special ordered, the hair that wouldn't cooperate The racist Yik Yak post that happened on her watch as president Getting pushed out senior year — and the woman who called it freshman year Listener Takeaways Being welcomed and belonging are not the same thing Loving a culture doesn't mean it will protect you inside it Every space that wasn't built for you comes with a daily negotiation You can understand why something happened and still not be over it Passion is a legitimate reason — a five-year plan is not required The person who warns you usually knows something worth hearing ✨ Follow Unpopular Decisions on your podcast app and @unpopulardecisionspod on instagram ✨ Want to help us grow? Write us a review with what you love about these conversations ✨ Check out Kenyah's bookstagram: @thecultivatedreader formerly thekindlyreader. The conversations on Unpopular Decisions are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal, financial, medical, or professional advice. Every situation is different — if you're navigating something significant, please consult a qualified professional who can speak to your specific circumstances.