Members new and old met on Feb. 23 for the K-Pop Club’s first meeting of the semester. This was their first in-person meeting in over three years.

R Quirarte and Jasmine Reyes, the president and vice-president respectively, came together to reunite the members and bring the club back on campus after years of Zoom meetings.

Reyes said that this semester the club is looking forward to meeting more K-pop fans, building engagement on campus, a Korean Barbeque outing, and more comebacks.

“A comeback brings a lot of hype. Both old and new fans start listening because there’s always something fresh to make everyone fall in love all over again,” Reyes explained, “Basically, a comeback is like an album release party.”

K-pop is unique because of the language barrier, but there’s a blend of Korean and Western culture in that it takes inspiration from hip-hop, gospel, and folk music which turns the barrier into a bridge, Reyes said about K-pop’s immense popularity.

She continued noting that some keep their love for the music a secret, but ultimately it’s a way to express oneself.

“I’m more of a casual fan but I’ve seen other people share their passions about K-pop and I saw the community and wanted to bring it together to a place where all the people can share their passions together,” says Quirarte.

The meeting began with members introducing themselves, their interests, and their favorite K-pop artists.

Some proudly displayed their collections of K-pop star photos in mini albums that resembled tradable cards.

To make up for lost time, members shared ideas for outings to make the most out of the semester.

Ethan Ngyuen, a club member stated, “I am expecting to do Korean-based activities like game shows, outdoor excursions, and hanging out with people in the club.”

The club is looking to fill a few positions but very importantly the treasurer position, but Quirate stated, “We’re open to people wanting to help out the club in any way.”

As Reyes explained, K-pop groups often feature different roles from lead vocalist, and rapper to dancing lead. All to highlight the individual talents of each member.

According to Nielsen Music reports, K-pop has doubled in popularity in the U.S. over the last three years, making it the second largest consumer of K-pop, just behind Japan. Korea is the fourth country with the most K-pop streams.

Anyone can join the K-pop club whether you’re a new fan, an old fan, or just plain curious about the music.

“I even welcome the haters,” Reyes joked, “Sometimes people just don’t want to dig deeper, but we are hoping to change that.”

The Cerritos K-pop Club can be found on Instagram at Cerritoskpop where they post updated information about their meetings.

Their Instagram is also full of songs of the week, music videos of the week, and comebacks of the week.

They meet the first Thursday of every month from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. as well as the last Friday of every month from 10 – 11 a.m. in room 109 of the Liberal Arts Building.