intrbloo origin: a melophile's story

 intrbloo origin: a melophile’s story

<my entrance into the Korean music scene>

by desi | 데지 (intrbloo)

            A wonderland. That’s the best way I can describe my entrance and journey into the sphere of Korean-music enjoyers – if you can even call it an entrance. It was more like a clumsy, accidental fall down the infamous musical rabbit-hole back in 2016. The catalyst? Everyone’s favorite R&B singer of the century, Dean himself. You see, I was never much of a fan-girl for anything up until this point of my life… well nothing important at least, unless you count the criminal obsession with turquoise chevron pattern in 2013 or my ability to recite an embarrassing percentage of the Despicable Me movie script. But there was something about the Eric Bellinger x Dean collaboration that my older brother discovered that completely changed my world. Hopscotching from 130 Mood: TRBL to BTS’s Wings album, I was suddenly very interested in what the Korean music industry had to offer. From there it was a very quick, graceless tumble into the multifandom-multigenre lifestyle, as I found myself nose-deep in the wonders of K-Pop, KHH & KR&B. 

Averaging about 20,000 streams every year and listening to over 1.5K different artists, I think it’s safe to say I’ve cultivated an impressive little garden of diverse music – each artist and genre manifesting as their own unique microcosm in my brain. Some have even claimed permanent residency upon my being in the form of beautiful tattoos; (to name a few) a calla and daisy flower on my shoulder carry the depth of Wave to Earth’s beautiful lyrics, while a mason jar of contrasting fishies represents two of my favorite water signs, oceanfromtheblue and Maddox. While this selection of artists gives a peek into the calmer, dreamier realm of indie R&B I consume, it’s really only a small slice of my listening pie (a gooey apple pie to be specific, extra cinnamon). I can’t deny that my weak spot is definitely a classic R&B melody with sentimental soul elements, so seeing some of my favorites, like Thama, Sole, Baekhyun and Jooyoung perform live are moments I hold dear in my heart. But sometimes I like to switch up the vibe for something stronger, something hard-hitting – like Fleeky Bang; Nafla; Simon Dominic; Coogie. In fact, I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to see almost all of my Top 30 artists live in concert, notably Bloo, Sik-K, Ahn Byeong woong, and Sion – and miraculously, BTS! 

It feels like a fever dream, a faux retelling of a fabricated moment. But I really did see them live! Though I can’t seem to remember most of the details without referencing video proof… but that’s the fault of one of my deepest and earliest experiences of PCD – post concert depression. 2018. The end of the Love Yourself era; a year that I learned so much about myself and the world around me. Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena. The first of hundreds of concerts I would attend from my favorite artists. A night that I felt so genuinely and completely happy; a feeling that I would continue chasing for years. Though I had attended multiple concerts before this night, being a member of a family of music enthusiasts, I think the Love Yourself tour really solidified concert-going, music bonding, fangirling and my overall passion for the industry. From that moment until 2020 I attended various shows, from Dean in Paris, the Finger Heart Festival in Mannheim, and dozens in Berlin. But then when COVID hit, not only was I dealing with the hurdles of the pandemic, but I was fresh out of high school, 17 years old, and moving. To Seoul.

The slippery slope of K-Culture enthusiasm in 2016/2017 led me to a 10-minute YouTube video explaining the Korean alphabet, which turned into a collection of TalkToMeInKorean books, and 3 years later I found myself entering the front gates of Korea University as an undergraduate freshman. An antipode move in the middle of a worldwide pandemic all by myself at 17 years old was definitely not on my lifetime bingo card, but I survived the journey and made some pretty incredible memories along the way. Of course, it took a while for restrictions to be lifted, but when the time came that events were being held again, it made the wait 100x more worthy. Festivals, pop-ups, free shows, concerts across the country… I’ve experienced it all, and I couldn’t be happier. Documenting my memories through video and writing, primarily via my fan account on Twitter (@intrbloo), I decided I wanted to take it more seriously and (finally) open a blog to share my work. Eventually putting my anxiety to the side earlier this year, I decided to make an exaggerated leap with my first post, writing 3,000 words which I printed physical copies of and hand-delivered to some of the artists featured. With clammy hands and a pounding chest, I pitched myself and my work to John (W2E) and Sion… and I was met with such genuine and precious reactions which immediately eased the fear and uncertainty in my nerves. 

            Suddenly, so many of my dreams and aspirations felt just a little bit more attainable. While life as a fan is incredibly fun and fulfilling in various ways, I realized that my passions for writing, music, and sharing make me a perfect candidate for marketing in this incredibly competitive industry. Album analyses. Concert recaps. Chitchats with creatives. Doing what I can to support the vulnerability of artists I respect, and highlight the efforts and talent that may get overlooked – I can say with confidence that this is my ultimate goal. And while I clearly have an affection for words, for writing in an imaginative manner, I believe that the core of my passions have and will allow me to learn many other skills that may be beneficial to this mission. I’ve been using social media since my early teens, and have since rebranded my accounts numerous times, but I think I’ve finally found my niche in this identity as “@intrbloo / desi ⁷ 데지 ᵗʳᵇˡ𐙚 🪑🫧🌷,” which I hope can extend past the margins of a random fan account, and become a valuable asset to this community of creatives and unconditional artistic advocates.