Today we’d like to introduce you to Boba Pop.
Originally BobaPop started as A.K.A. Kpop back years ago, which stood for the original members’ names: Ana, Kristien, and Alejandro. We created the group for performance and didn’t think much of keeping the brand, as it was just a quick setup of friends who appreciated K-Pop, or Korean pop, and danced for the fun of it. Along the way, we loved the aspect of performing together on the same stage, feeding off from the energy of dancing to our favorite K-pop songs. A.K.A. Kpop was born! During that time, music video reaction videos were a small thing – just a handful of people who recorded themselves reacting to the eclectic videos of the genre. As a group, we hopped on that train, and that’s when we built this platform of music video reactions along with other YouTubers and kept up with that kind of content on the channel.
Then, it came to dance covers, which as a group of three it’s pretty difficult to create formations from 6-member groups to fit our 3-member count, also finding locations to film. Mind you, all three of us lived on opposite ends of Miami. That’s when we started recruiting people to create the ideal large group. In Miami, there’s a large community of us fans who love Korean culture, the music, the food, but a select of us who are in respective dance cover groups. The South Florida K-pop Fans group or SFKPOP, help fan meetups every month, and there would be mini dance events to let fans dance in contests or dance parties. That’s when we sought out people to join AKA Kpop. Along the way, came Kanesha and Gabi, who was formerly part of another group, and then came Rachel.
As six people, we performed in local anime conventions, official stages at KCON, and recorded covers for YouTube to try to put Miami on the map for K-pop exposure; however, most of us dealt with school and work, and social life with our families got in the way with most of our schedule. A lot of changes leading up to disagreements, interruptions with dance practices – it was no easy feat with six people, six different social lives and six schedules to work around. It leads to a lengthy hiatus. It was a dark time, because not only were we a group that had 30k subscribers on YouTube, but we were friends at the end of the day. It jeopardized our friendship. Juggling YouTube content and keeping up with a friend is easier said than done; however, it a period of self-reflection on everyone, and we rebranded as BobaPop! Boba derived from our love for this Asian tea drink with boba pearls, or tapioca pearls. Kitschy, we know, but it represented all of us. Danny, then, came in as our last recruit, our friend.
We’re a concoction of six different personalities that make one refreshing experience to the K-pop dance and music video reaction community. We all live in areas from Coral Gables, Kendall, Miami Springs, Pembroke Pines, and Homestead, and yet all of us come together to create creative content for our now 40k subscribers and we hope to show that we’re a family of friends to express our love for this grand music genre and put a stamp in the Miami K-Pop scene.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was easier said than done to juggle social life, work, and school to keep up with the reactions and dance content, as well as trying to build a brand of our specific niche of six Miami K-pop fans. Women in this community, especially those who are starting out, dominate the fan culture for K-Pop on YouTube. It’s almost like the bar is raised so high for women to have the “perfect image” in K-pop content to emulate the idols. Honestly, the best advice is to put a halt to those expectations, look at what you love and express it with your own voice. There’s no one to stop you, there’s no one who can stop you from wanting to get up and dance, record yourself and sing your favorite song, and starting a blog for Korean fashion. There’s room for voices, this world is big enough to hear everyone and to see their passion for K-pop.
What should we know about BobaPop? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We mostly do music video reactions and dance covers. Danny helps out with any of the videography and equipment, Alejandro specializes in editing and Rachel comes up with a lot of the content and dance practices. We’re proud of creating this carefree, “hair down” discussion about specific groups we like. Our logo and business cards are part of our best work to put out our name in the South Florida community and spreading the word of K-pop. We performed at an Asian Culture Festival in Homestead at the Fruit and Spice Park in March, and that was a monumental moment for us. Not only did we represent Korea amongst other performers in the event, but we were able to spread the word out about groups like us.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Don’t allow the expectations of others rule how you want to pursue your dreams. Every woman has an instinct, so follow it. It’s an uplifting feeling of following on the path that was destined for you to walk on, and keep focused on the career that will bring you happiness and success.
Contact Info:
- Email: officialbobapop@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/bobapop_?igshid=1i3ifi76kf7l1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobaPOPdancegroup/
Image Credit:
Amanda Vila, one of our close friends, and photographer
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