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| Photo Courtesy of ARMY Zine Club |
With BTS FESTA fast approaching and with the fandom eagerly counting down the days, it got me thinking of the incredibly creative fans within the community. Like many K-pop fandoms, their creativity knows no limits, whether it be through dance, art or carefully curating their personal collections of K-pop albums. From Fan to Creative will offer a glimpse into the stories of fans who turned their passion into side businesses or events, all sparked simply because they are inspired by their favourite artists.
Besides cup sleeves and merch, many ARMYs are exploring new ways to branch out through different types of events. While club nights remain incredibly popular, some fans gravitate towards creative sessions that involve a more relaxed environment. Meet Aagya, the person behind ARMY ZINE CLUB. Going on to launch a fun and unique way that offers space for ARMY to meet new friends and unleash their artistic side.
It’s the perfect activity for those who are bursting with ideas whirling around their head or simply looking to leave their comfort zone and try something new. On May 31st, the club will celebrate the one-year anniversary of RM’s incredible album Right People, Wrong Place with a special themed zine. I talk to the lovely people behind ARMY Zine Club to get an insight into the logistics and, of course, their journey into BTS.
What inspired you to start a zine club, especially since it’s quite a unique event for ARMYs compared to things like cup sleeves or club nights?
Zine Club: Part of it was driven by wanting to make more ARMY friends – I became an ARMY during the pandemic, and as fun as the online sphere was, I really wanted friends in real life that I could fangirl about BTS with. I went to cup sleeves to try and do this but found them quite intimidating, as often people come together in big groups, and it’s hard to approach them. So, I thought about hosting my own events, and zine-making as an activity is really social and beginner-friendly (because there’s no wrong or right way to make one!), so I thought it would be the perfect avenue for it. BTS + BTS ARMY are so creatively inclined too, and it felt right to tap into that by providing fans a safe space to explore their creativity (with a lot of BTS music in the background).
Had you attended any zines or been involved in creative communities before launching your own?
Zine Club: Yes! I’d previously done workshops at the Tate and Wellcome Collection. I didn’t really think of starting anything then, but combining it with my love for BTS seemed like a perfect match.
How do you go about organising and planning the workshops, particularly when it comes to the scale and material needed for those attending?
Zine Club: I wish I could say I have a set method, but the planning is quite sporadic – I often look at if there are any album anniversaries coming up. The focus currently has been on celebrating their solo work, so I’ve got Jin in the pipeline somewhere and maybe an OT7-themed one later on in the year.
As for the actual materials, the trick is just to overprint! I try to do about 8-10 pages of images, 2-5 photocopies of the lyrics booklets and a tonne of free magazines that I start collecting once I know a zine club is on the horizon. I’ve also had attendees contribute magazines/stickers/printouts during the session, and they bring enough to share, which is really lovely!
My biggest challenge at the moment has been trying to find a venue – I’m a one-woman team, completely self-funding the event, so my budget can’t stretch super high for a lot of space hires in London.
For first-time attendees, what can they expect, and do you have any tips or tricks for creating a good zine?
Zine Club: Each session begins with me running through how to make a zine – and if I’m really organised – I usually have examples on hand that people can look through to get inspiration. There’s also BTS playing in the background and a lot of chatter – some silent moments too when people lock in to make their zines. In general, everyone is really lovely and welcoming; you might start a conversation with someone by asking them for their glue stick and then spend the rest of the session cooing about Jungkook (it has happened before).
There’s no one way of making a zine; it’s really about what draws you to the album we’re focusing on. It’s also very fair if you just want to create a little booklet filled with pretty pictures of BTS – it’s all allowed!
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Have you always been a creative person, or did BTS inspire you to start getting involved in organising events?
Zine Club: I’ve always dabbled in creative activities – keeping a scrapbook journal, writing, photography and (very recently) lots of bracelet making – I think I just enjoy having a creative outlet. Although I never thought about hosting my own events, that part I can definitely attribute to BTS!
Having hosted a few events already, your next one is coming up this weekend, Right People, Wrong Place, celebrating RM’s masterpiece. How do you come up with themed concepts, especially for ones tailored like the event happening on the 31st?
Zine Club: I wish I had a more exciting answer, but often the zine clubs are planned to coincide with the anniversary of an album – I’m a week late for Right People, Wrong Place, annoyingly. I think especially as, in the UK anyway, we rarely do cup sleeves outside of members’ birthdays, the zine clubs feel like a good way to celebrate their artistic efforts.
For the bigger events that we’ve run collaboratively with Generation BTS, it felt more fitting to celebrate OT7 – especially as one of them was hosted around ARMY's birthday! My plan is to hopefully finish sessions around all their solo work (just 2seok to go!) and then move onto all the BTS albums; like, a HYYH era-themed one would be so beautiful.
Of all the events you’ve hosted, which one stands out as the most memorable for you?
Zine Club: I think Indigo purely for the fact that it was the first one I hosted and the response I got was amazing! I just didn’t expect people would react so well to the event, but they showed up, got involved and left really lovely messages and comments about wanting to return. It was nice to get such a warm welcome into the space of hosting events.
You also teamed up with Generation BTS to launch quiz events that combine both zine-making with fun quizzes. Why do you think these types of events are so popular?
Zine Club: I think it’s somewhat linked to the overall shift in our culture where people are seeking out third spaces (book clubs, run clubs, etc.) and a need to establish communities. Obviously in K-Pop we have some existing spaces like that (e.g., cup sleeves, screenings), but the quizzes and zine-making, in my opinion, make it more interactive and easier to socialise with people.
Also with the quizzes, I think it’s so fun that we get to celebrate all the crazy knowledge we have about BTS, where IRL you might get ridiculed for it? Some of my non-ARMY friends are definitely sick of me giving them random BTS trivia, but no one at the quiz/zine club would be lol. It’s really just about unapologetically celebrating our love for the members – and why wouldn’t we?!
Let's touch briefly on BTS and your personal journey with them. How did you first discover them, and what was it that drew you in specifically?
Zine Club: I’m a pandemic-era ARMY, so Dynamite was what drew me in. I’d heard Boy With Luv when it first came out but didn’t think their music was for me – I was incredibly wrong. I think the pandemic just gave me the time to properly delve into their music and the tonnes of variety content. Watching RUN BTS was very much a moment of oh wow, they can sing and dance AND they’re funny and charming? Ticked way too many boxes for me. I also really cherish the BE album and Life Goes On in particular; it was truly such a balm during the tumultuous times.
As the iconic Chapter Two era is seemingly coming to an end, how have you enjoyed this chapter, and which album has been the standout?
Zine Club: I’ve loved it! It’s been incredible to see the breadth of BTS’ talent and see them explore (and enjoy!) all these different creative outlets. I’m sure everyone was concerned after seeing the FESTA 2022 video about the future of BTS and what we would get during this period of enlistment, but we really had no reason for concern – the members truly had everything on lock.
I have two – one, which is incredibly biased, is RPWP because I just love the concept and the sound. I feel like it was quite unexpected of RM but actually fits him so well – from the documentary, it also seemed like an album that he needed to make for himself, so it makes it extra special for me. The other one is D-DAY because the album is such a powerful, honest record of Yoongi’s journey and recovery – I’m deeply appreciative that he was that vulnerable with us. The D-Day tour was also my first time ever seeing any of the BTS members (and my first ever K-pop show!), so it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Finally, what would be the next goal in your creative journey?
Zine Club: Honestly, to keep running the zine club! My ideal scenario would be to run it like a regular monthly session so people can just come by and get creative – not necessarily themed around albums and such. I’d also love to host a zine club internationally, but it might be a bit far-fetched for now (laughs.)
Be sure to follow ARMY Zine Club here. Very few tickets remain for their next event taking place on Saturday 31st May which can be brought here.