by Orville Tan
Comeback Season—Ready, Set, Fighting! Every K-pop fan knows that a “comeback” means a group or soloist releasing new music and kicking off a whole promo cycle.
Unlike Western artists who might drop an album and chill, K-pop comebacks are grand events with elaborate concepts, music show stages, and awards on the line.
And us fans? We’re the warriors on the front lines, armed with Wi-Fi and walang tulugan mindset.
Picture it: It’s 11 p.m. (Midnight KST) and your idol’s MV just dropped. X is on fire, group chats buzzing-“GO GO GO stre4m na, mga bes!” You’ve got multiple devices streaming the YouTube MV, Spotify on loop, one hand voting in a fan poll, and maybe an iPad tracking multiple charts. Intense? Absolutely.
Welcome to comeback season, where laban kung laban (fight, if we must) is the motto.
Streaming 101—YouTube and Music Platforms: One of the first things a rookie fan learns is how to stream properly.
It might sound funny, but we have rules. Fan bases in the Philippines often share beautifully designed “streaming guides.”
For YouTube: Watch the music video in full (no skipping!), at least 480p quality, volume not muted, and don’t just keep hitting replay on one tab-use a playlist or take short breaks so YouTube doesn’t flag you as a bot.
Basically, act like a human, not a spam bot, so all your views count. (Fun fact: when BTS’s “Dynamite” MV came out, Filipino ARMYs even rented cyber cafés in malls pre-pandemic to stream together—parang block screening ng movie, but for an MV!).
On Spotify or Apple Music, we also avoid looping just one song endlessly. Instead, fans make playlists mixing in other tracks or some silence in between plays.
All these tricks help ensure our streaming efforts register as legit. It clearly works—Filipinos are sipag when it comes to streaming. In fact, the Philippines was the #2 country in the world streaming BTS on Spotify in 2022 (only the U.S. streamed more). We even rank among the top nations tweeting about K-pop, proving that Pinoy fans are a force online!
Of course, it’s not just about racking up views-it’s about showing love. When we see our idols trend or break a YouTube record, we feel proud. It’s like cheering for Team Philippines in a way. And streaming together is a bonding experience: it reminds us we’re part of one big fandom family working towards a common goal.
Voting Mania—Click, Tap, Vote, Repeat: After streaming comes voting-another battlefield altogether.
K-pop has weekly music show awards (Inkigayo, Music Bank, etc.) and big year-end awards where fan votes often make a crucial difference.
Filipinos have a bit of a reputation as vote monsters (in the best way)—mabilis ang mga daliri (our fingers are fast)! Fan clubs set up “voting teams” to guide everyone on which apps to download, which hashtags to tweet, and when voting periods start and end. Popular voting apps include Mnet’s M Countdown, Idol Champ, Mubeat, and more.
For domestic voting, FanFlare is a must. Every fandom’s PH Voting Team on X or Facebook gives step-by-step instructions and even schedules mass voting times where everyone taps furiously in sync.
It’s actually thrilling to watch because all of us are voting sabay-sabay.
We’ve even seen different fandoms help each other out. Like if two groups aren’t competing directly, their fans sometimes exchange voting support—bayanihan style. Multi-fandom stans might split their day (“morning for voting BTS, afternoon for EXO,” etc.). The sense of solidarity is amazing.
A proud moment was in 2021 when P-pop group SB19 got nominated for Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards—the first time a Filipino act ever made that category.
Fans from various K-pop fandoms in PH rallied alongside A’TIN (SB19’s fandom) to vote, feeling like kahit pambato natin ‘yan (even though they’re our representative) on the world stage. Seeing SB19’s name up there with BTS, Blackpink, Ariana Grande, and Seventeen was a win in itself.
And when the results come in and our artist wins? Grabe! We cry, we scream, we flood social media with congratulatory posts and fancams. Because it’s our win too. We remember the open tabs, voting on every device, and feel it was all worth it in that triumphant moment. When BTS first hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 or when TWICE snagged a Song of the Year Daesang, Filipino fans celebrated like we won Miss Universe.
Charting & Achievements—Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Beyond streaming and voting, fans also keep a close eye on music charts—Korean, international and local.
It might feel like our individual effort is a drop in the bucket, but collectively Pinoy fans make a splash. We contribute to Billboard Global 200 streams, YouTube trending metrics, even X trends that some awards count.
Did you know in 2021 the Philippines was the third-biggest country in the world in terms of K-pop fandom size on X? (Yes, mas madami pa tayo than even South Korea in that stat!).
We’re loud and proud online, and the world notices. When an MV is nearing 100 million views, you’ll see Filipino fan groups hosting “stream parties” or countdown hashtags to push it over the milestone.
Local media even writes articles giving shout-outs when Filipinos played a big role in a streaming record or voting coup, which gives us a patriotic kind of kilig. Like, “Pinoy fans ‘yan – buo ang suporta!”
Ultimately, all this comeback hustle boils down to love and pride. We stream and vote like crazy because we want our idols to succeed. They pour their heart and soul into their music, so we want to give back in our own little ways. It’s our love in action.
And let’s be real, it’s also about showing the world what Filipino fans can do. When PH fan contributions are mentioned in global stats or our faves thank the Filipino fandom for a win, we feel a patriotic swell in our chest. Supporting our idols becomes a way of also putting the Philippines on the map in K-pop fandom.
Amid all the frenzy, fan leaders often remind everyone: Take care of yourself, too. Fandom should be fun, not toxic or harmful. It’s okay to rest if you’re exhausted.
The beautiful thing about fandom is that it’s a relay—when one gets tired, others will pick up the baton. Fighting lang, fam. We got this, together. At the end of the day, whether our idol tops the chart or not, the experience of working together with fellow fans is its own reward. The comeback may last only a few weeks, but the friendships and shared memories? Those are what truly last.
So, to all the newbies gearing up for your first comeback, welcome to the wild ride! And to the veteran stans, alam nyo na ‘yan. When our fandom mobilizes, walang tatalo sa Pinoy. Together, we make the K-pop world brighter and much, much louder, Laban! 💪
