WHY FILIPINO GEN Z CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF K-POP (AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH)

Step into any café, jeepney, or TikTok scroll, and you'll hear the unmistakable beat of K-pop.

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RM of BTS has been open about his struggles with mental health.

(Photo from IM's FB account)

From BTS and Blackpink to Stray Kids, Seventeen, and NewJeans, Korean pop culture has swept through the Philippines like a musical monsoon — stylish, synchronized, and unstoppable.

Spotify reports that the Philippines ranks among the world's top five countries for K-pop streaming, with millions of daily plays. Filipino fans don't just listen; they live the experience — learning choreography, collecting merchandise, joining fandom groups, and even celebrating idols' birthdays as community events.

But beyond the glitter and glamour lies a deeper question: Why does K-pop resonate so powerfully with Filipino Gen Z—and is this global obsession actually helping or harming their mental health?

K-pop's global rise is no accident. Its secret lies in emotional storytelling wrapped in audiovisual precision.

Each song is a narrative — about friendship, heartbreak, self-discovery, or resilience. Music videos unfold like short films, rich in symbolism and color.

Filipinos, known for emotional expressiveness and love for drama, easily connect with this storytelling style. It mirrors the Filipino psyche: passionate, hopeful, and resilient amid struggle.

For Gen Z navigating anxiety, academic pressure, and the loneliness of the digital age, K-pop becomes a safe emotional mirror — a way to feel deeply in a world that often demands numbness.

A 2023 Frontiers in Psychology study found that fans often form "para-social relationships" with their idols one-sided bonds that, surprisingly, can provide comfort and emotional support.

When K-pop groups speak openly about mental health, self-worth, or burnout, young fans feel validated. Idols like RM of BTS, who openly discuss therapy and self-doubt, have become unlikely role models for emotional honesty.