Ultimate bias: Memorabilia, K-pop and fandom identities

Abstract

This article puts forward a sustained approach in the perception of the processes of construction ofindividual and collectivemeanings and identities in relation to the musical (sub)genre Kpop.Thus, contrary to the logic that emphasizes the loss of relevance of the CD, we tried to demonstrate thatas an object of memorabilia and musical consumptionit remains alive within the K-pop culture.In fact, not only the CD, but also other memorabilia items that emphasize the creation of visual and identity narratives, in the sense that they are seen as a means to establish, maintain and cement a relationship with the idol.Thus, in parallel to the fact that K-pop, as a musical genre, has a global character, it also highlights individual, regional and local aspects, mainly due to the variety of products that are produced, following a personalisation logic at the same time as we are facing a mass selling process.Thus, through the use of a qualitative methodology (Guerra, 2021; Pink, 2020), we intend to analyze the memorabilia items of seven Portuguese K-pop fans, in order to perceive the processes of identity creation, but also to denote the symbologies and meanings that are built around the items.

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