Kpopmap Fan Interview: A MOA Talks About Her Favorite Group TXT & Her Bias Huening Kai Who One Day Grew In Her Heart (And She Loved It)

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There are K-Pop fans across the globe who share the same passion. But on online platforms, it is hard to know about each other' stories and K-Pop life. Even if we are in the same fandom, it is hard to get to know each other.

So at Kpopmap, we started the Kpopmap Fan Interview Project to get to know more about K-Pop fans from different countries: more about their K-Pop life and tastes and to give them the opportunity to share with our readers about their favorite group(s) and bias.

Mariana from Venezuela is the next fan to answer our questions. She is a fan of TXT (TOMORROW X TOGETHER) and more particularly of Huening Kai! Check out how she entered the fandom, the songs and content she advises to new fans, and much more!

TXT Official

Can you introduce yourself? Where are you from?

Hello ^^ My name is Mariana, my pronouns are she/her, I'm 25 years old, I am from Venezuela, but I currently live in Chile. I am a part time English teacher, full time dog person and I majored in Liberal Arts.

Mariana's picture

How and when did you enter the fandom?

I entered moaville officially on August 17 of last year (2021). I can pinpoint the date exactly because it was the very day "The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape" was released. I had been lurking around since "The Chaos Chapter: Freeze", but it was not the first time I had heard about TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), since I knew some other of their title tracks. I liked them from the very first moment YouTube Music threw 'Crown' at me, also known for the Korean title "One day, a horn grew from my head". It was not even the music video, just the official audio, and it caught my ear immediately. The title of this interview is a reference to this, hehe.
Anyhow, I had also seen them in the New Year Live event from 2020-2021. I originally watched it for BTS, but I remember very clearly that my dad, who was watching too, asked me “what’s MOA? is it like some country?” when the members were talking after their performance (I watched the whole thing, even their behind the scenes). “I don’t know”, I said, and indeed, little did I know back then, which is extremely funny in retrospect. However, what sealed the deal for me, after 'Blue Hour', a few funny video compilations, their English track 'Magic', and “omg their light stick is the prettiest I have seen!”, was MOA Diary, the song they wrote for the fans. From the very first moment I heard it, I just needed it to be about me, so I went headfirst into TOMORROW X TOGETHER all by myself very proudly. I know I was simply meant to meet them and be a MOA. Maybe I am not a predebut MOA, or a MOA from their very first years, but I shall witness how much they will continue to grow and be a part of that growth. We found each other just at the right time.

TXT Official

What are the reasons why you love your favorite group?

Explaining why you love your favorite group is like explaining the feeling of the wind brushing your cheek: you can try your best to put it into words, but you must feel it to fully understand. If I had to put it in a simple way, I would say that I resonate with their music and overall artistry, their sense of humor, and their eccentric yet endearing and honest personalities. They are an all-rounded charismatic group with incredible stage presence that explore so many different genres through diverse melodies, choreography, and lyrics. It’s moments of always being delightfully impressed and proud with them.

TXT Official

What is one thing that you think is unique about your bias/bias group?

It was very difficult to narrow this down to just one thing, so I didn’t. There are several that I just need to talk about. Firstly, when it comes to their performance as a group, one of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s strongest suits is how synchronized they are when they dance. Their choreographies tend to rely on the members following very specific sequences, tempos, or detailed moves, but you can also find fast paces in slower songs. I should also point out the long, quirky names of their title tracks in Korean, since I find them to be fun: 'One day a horn grew on my head' ('Crown'), 'You and I, discovered in the sky at 5:53' ('Blue Hour'), 'Waiting for you at Platform 9 & ¾' ('Runaway'), and so on. Now, regarding some other aspects, TXT overall has the message of “being your truest self and tuning in with your feelings or thoughts is for the best, even if you are not always happy and if it’s not pleasant nor easy to do so”. All their eras convey this, sometimes through upbeat sounds that hide dark lyrics, others with a beat that matches said dark lyrics, and happier songs with a real optimistic note. The message always gets across through the members’ expressions, dancing, and vocals when they perform. When Huening Kai says” I just killed me with all that stress”, the audience feels the spite he spits out in his dance moves, his voice, even with the piercing, furious look in his eyes. He will make you feel as if he is going through it too, both the sadness pain and the angry pain; Kai and the rest of the members have done it through this and all the different concepts of their career. You can resonate with all their work, individually and as a group, not just as performers, but also lyricists, composers, producers and even through their visuals. This, along with their talent and personalities, makes TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s essence unique.

TXT Official

Who caught your attention at first and why?

As I said before, the first time I heard TXT they caught my ear with 'Crown'. Then I saw the 'Blue Hour' music video with the legendary dance break, and the first member that caught my eye was YeonJun with his pink crop top and hair. To this day, I fondly refer to that look as the Barbie YeonJun, confident, stylish and against gender norms. After I started looking them up and reading their Weverse replies, one by one they made their way into my heart.

TXT Official (Mariana's favorite picture)

Who is your bias, and why?

That one guy that is taller than me (I am 1.65cm, they all are between 1.78 and 1.86cm) (please don’t ask me in any other metric system). You know, the talented one that sings and dances very well? The one that changes his hair color all the time? Hehe, that one >< I love all my boys dearly <3 I have different sets of feelings for all of them, and today I am going to talk about Huening Kai (Huening, Kai, my sweet sweet boy that I love so much). He especially calls out to me with that amazing voice of his because he feels like a very optimistic and warm person. I always think about that one time he said, “I just want people to be happy with my music”, and how he is always oriented towards that goal wholeheartedly.
It's a good thing he is so tall, it's the only way to fit such a big heart. He can recognize musical notes just by hearing them one time, his vocal range is insane, going from the high notes that fit the pop rock genre, to the lower register of R&B, and overall, very stable tones (says she, as if she were a musical expert). He can go from the cute puppy ears guy in 'Cat and Dog' to the Joker with the manic laugh in the special performance of 'Frost', but also solve sudokus at 8PM on a Monday night, produce his very own song 'Dear Sputnik' that made into "FREEZE", as well as lyrics and melodies, found in 'Lonely Boy' ("Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child") and 'Roller Coaster' ("The Dream Chapter: Magic"), just to mention two out of the top of my head.
Occasionally, you might find him talking to a few thousand MOA about Pikachu while casually playing Beethoven on the piano like it’s nothing, one of the few instruments he knows how to play. He followed his heart and became such an amazing artist that is both talented and a hard worker, but also a reliable person. For instance, during their first award as rookies when Yeonjun wasn’t there and the other members were so moved they could not stop crying, he took the mic and thanked everybody for the honor without any hesitation. He went through something like what I lived, and probably many other hardships I know nothing about, yet he managed not only to live his dream, but make sure others feel that their lives have as much purpose as his.
In other words, he uses his talent and passion to inspire everyone around him. The only downside is that he is getting more and more handsome every day, I’m afraid he’ll have to continuously apologize for being so good looking and charming. During the teasers of 'Good Boy Gone Bad', I thought for a wild second that he had fake arm tattoos. Turns out it was just the black silk pattern of his sleeve, but it was enough to send me into cardiac arrest.

TXT Official (Mariana's favorite picture)

What about your bias do you relate to the most?

I think I can relate with how Kai seems like a cute, happy pill that can do no wrong. While this is true, there is also a lot of chaotic, eccentric mischief in him every now and then; looks can be deceiving, ya know. Said mischief is mostly for fun though since he has a similar quirky sense of humor as the rest of the members and MOA. Afterwards, he does things just to see others around him happy and make them feel appreciated. I also relate a lot to his background story because I have also lived in 3 different countries (and counting) with the rest of my family, which is a rather big one as well (I am the eldest and only sister of three younger brothers, he’s the middle brother and has two sisters) and my parents are divorced too. I know adjusting to so many changes is difficult since I went through them myself, but he turned out to be such a nice person, I just like to think I take some of it after him. Despite all that struggle, he found his home with the other members and their music, as I did too. Most of his Spotify playlist has songs that I really like, and he auditioned for BigHit with one of my favorite songs ever ('Sunday Morning'), so it’s nice to think we have that in common. Most importantly, I love plushies too.

TXT YouTube Screenshot (Mariana's favorite picture)

Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans?

One of the great things about TOMORROW X TOGETHER is that their discography has a lot of variety, so you get to pick pretty much whatever you want. If you are into bubblegum, catchy sounds, 'Blue Hour' and 'No Rules' might be your thing. Do you like rock punk? You’ll probably love '0x1=LOVESONG' and 'Frost', or their latest title track, 'Good Boy Gone Bad'. Ballads with high notes? Jazzy sounds with falsetto? I gotchu, you’ll absolutely adore the B sides '20cm', 'Antiromantic', and/or 'Fairy of Shampoo'. Hip hop? 'Angel or Devil'. I really love 'Crown', 'Can't we just leave the monster alive', and 'Opening Sequence'.

Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers?

My mom gave me life, and Huening’s cover of 'Youngblood' gave me the will to live it, that’s all I have to say.

Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group?

If you are going to listen to 'No Rules', you must watch the performance from the Mnet Comeback Show. They also performed 'Good Boy Gone Bad' in the Kelly Clarkson Show. It’s not for the weak hearted though, watch it while you are sitting down as a precaution. You should know that all the songs I mentioned before have performances as well, make sure to look them up! and again, brace yourself to fall head over heels.

Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics?

The translated lyric (courtesy of moaville’s backbone and queen translating TXT) from 'Good Boy Gone Bad' that goes “Erase that boy inside of you, then fill it up with the wreck that I’ve become, I’m like a zombie dead alive, born on the tomb of love”.

What is your favorite group/bias' influence on your daily life?

TOMORROW X TOGETHER brings a lot of comfort into my life. They tend to sing and express very specific feelings from our generation, so I feel understood. They have also helped me put in perspective what’s important to me and what can I do to stay true to myself. As a person that tends to overthink, it feels nice to have a corner of your head where you can either sit down with the devil’s little deeds whilst five other people are cheering you up, or simply explore other types of thoughts such as “does a straw have one or two holes?” “I wonder if they would like plantains. Fried bananas, what a concept huh” “is this cat picture a spoiler for the next comeback?” “I think Huening would like this playlist. Yeah, we’d vibe a lot”. I have always been a rather serious and uptight person, so they balance out my life by bringing fun into it.
I am a truer, more eccentric, and goofier version of myself now. Us MOA and our boys are really thankful for each other: Thank gyu for debuting! Thank gyu for being born and being MOA! We belong with each other, and that's so pretty to think. Among other pretty things to think about, Kai also reminds me that it’s okay to be a soft and sweet person. These personality traits tend to be overlooked or frowned upon “you have to be tough!1!” “Be badass, don't be naïve!1!” “The world is a terrible place and the only way to thrive is by being an awful person before someone is awful to you!1!”, and then there’s Kai who yes, is competitive, does his best to win during TO DO’s and likes to annoy his members with aegyo sometimes, but mostly he doesn’t dwell too much on his losses. Of course, he must feel mad or upset occasionally, he is only human after all. He is a very talented person, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t face difficulties. He recently said in an interview that learning the choreographies was very hard for him at the beginning, during his trainee days, so he consistently worked on this, narrowing it from one month to a few days. Now, his moves blend in perfectly with the rest of the group. He also shared with us his struggles with the recording of his subunit song with YeonJun, 'Lonely Boy (The Tattoo on my Ring Finger)' during "T:TIME", their behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube. So yes, he feels frustrated like anyone would be every now and then, especially with a job as demanding as his.
However, most of the time, he is the kind of guy that just goes with the flow, willing to help and give in as long as it brings a smile to everyone’s faces or lend a shoulder where you can cry on while he hugs you, as he did with Soobin during the first day of this year’s fanlive. He managed all these accomplishments, and those that are yet to come, also aced the badass, heartbroken bad boy concept on this latest comeback, while still choosing to be his sweet, soft, good boy self; Kawaii Kai from Hawaii that wears skirts, paints his nails, and nails pop rock or any concept that you throw at him. He helps you believe that everything will be alright (alright alright) by constantly choosing kindness in the face of difficulty. He adapts to the circumstances and challenges while staying true to himself since there is no limit to who he can be, something that I really admire and appreciate.

TXT Official (Mariana's favorite picture)

Are there any words from the members you would like to share?

“It’s okay to be different” “Don’t give up, cheer yourself on and talk to someone” “Don’t stop dreaming and show the world what you’ve got” “If you feel stressed out, just stay true to your emotions. Smile when you want to smile, and cry when you want to cry, then everything will be better” are a few of the things Huening has said that bring me a lot of comfort.

What is your favorite group/bias' influence on your daily life?

TOMORROW X TOGETHER brings a lot of comfort into my life. They tend to sing and express very specific feelings from our generation, so I feel understood. They have also helped me put in perspective what’s important to me and what can I do to stay true to myself. As a person that tends to overthink, it feels nice to have a corner of your head where you can either sit down with the devil’s little deeds whilst five other people are cheering you up, or think “does a straw have one or two holes?” “I wonder if they would like plantains. Fried bananas, what a concept huh” “is this cat picture a spoiler for the next comeback?” “I think Huening would like this playlist. Yeah, we’d vibe a lot”.
I am a truer, more eccentric, and goofier version of myself now. I have always been a rather serious and uptight person, so they balance out my life by bringing fun into it.
Us MOA and our boys are thankful for each other: Thank you for debuting! Thank you for being born and being MOA! We belong with each other, and that's so pretty to think.
Among other pretty things to think about, Kai also reminds me that it’s okay to be a soft and sweet person. These personality traits tend to be overlooked or frowned upon “you have to be tough!1!” “Be badass, don't be naïve!!” “The world is a terrible place and the only way to thrive is by being an awful person before someone is awful to you!!”, and then there’s Kai who yes, is competitive, does his best to win during TO DO’s and likes to annoy his members with aegyo sometimes, but mostly he doesn’t dwell too much on his losses. Of course he must feel mad or upset every once in a while, he is only human after all, yet most of the time, he is the kind of guy that just goes with the flow, willing to help and give in as long as it brings a smile to everyone’s faces, or lend a shoulder where you can cry on while he hugs you, as he did with SooBin during the first day of this year’s fanlive.
He managed all these accomplishments, and those that are yet to come, also aced the badass, heartbroken bad boy concept on this latest comeback, while still being his sweet, soft, good boy self; Kawaii Kai from Hawaii that wears skirts, paints his nails, and nails pop rock or any concept that you throw at him. He helps you believe that everything will be alright (alright alright) by constantly choosing kindness in the face of difficulty. He adapts to the circumstances and challenges while staying true to himself since there is no limit to who he can be, something that I really admire and appreciate.

GQ (Mariana's favorite picture)

What is your favorite side of fangirling?

Connecting the dots in the music and performances along with my fellow MOA. It’s very fun to bond over our theories on what they are coming up with next, how the videos are intertwined within their alternative universe, the lyrical references of songs from different albums, or even more simple things like collectively crying over how handsome our bias, also known as the member that just posted, looks. I have met so many cool MOAs from everywhere, and my life is so much better with them in it, so I do my best to give back to them all the good things they have given me. Even though I tend to think I am an old hag (I blame TXT for brainwashing YeonJun, me and anyone born in the year 1999 or prior into thinking this), MOA are my people, and so are the members, despite the slight age difference between us. This does not stop Huening from calling us “MOA babies”, which I find incredibly adorable and cute (also funny due to the duality going on eh).
I take pleasure in finding little things that I have in common with the members, like BeomGyu and I sharing the same MBTI (at least for now), or Kai’s Spotify playlist, them being fanboys themselves, those little things that make me feel closer to them somehow. Speaking of closeness, we all have this funny, chaotic dynamic going on that consists of friends that constantly mess with each other, make each other angry by mocking, provoking, bickering, or saying weird, lowkey questionable things, but at the end of the day we love to be together, sharing even the most ordinary things. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We reassure ourselves “when you need me the most, I’ll be right here”, “I’ll be here for you as long as you call my name”.

TXT Official

If you have a chance to cook for the group, what will you cook for them?

I think about this way more often than I should, especially since TaeHyun is into cooking and I would like him to try new things. I am a decent cook when I don’t burn the food while looking at their latest Weverse updates, so I’d love it if they tried food from my home country, such as arepas, empanadas (the ones from Venezuela made with corn, but also the Chilean ones made of wheat flour) tequeños and/or plátanos fritos (fried plantains) with cheese. They’re food for all kinds of picky paladars, yet very different from Korean cuisine, so I think they would like these dishes, especially since the cheese from Venezuela is way more salty than regular cheese. Arepas and empanadas can have all sorts of stuffing and sauces (I encourage you to try them as well, dear reader! You are in for a treat :] )

TXT Official (Mariana's favorite picture)

If you can spend a day with your bias, where will you go and what will you do?

I believe since both Huening and I are rather chill people, we could go anywhere to just hang out, it’s bound to be a good time if you’re around him, it doesn’t matter if you’re just watching moss grow on rocks. Now now, for real(?), since he is a very lay-back-stay-at-home person, the plan should be lightheartedly fun. Maybe we could walk a bit while talking about our own experiences traveling and moving around the world, or the music we both like. Then we might sit down to exchange playlists and snacks or a proper meal. I am not the world’s best gamer, but since he likes it and I like to try different things, going to an arcade or playing with the Nintendo Switch would be fun too. I would be a bit worried about me talking too much, so playing games could be a good way to keep me focused on something else, I’d get to hear him laugh at my struggle at least. He loves teaming up whenever possible, so I would gladly be in all of his teams.

TXT Official

Can you recall a moment where you cried/laughed with your bias?

I always laugh when I watch "TO DO", their variety show. Huening, I am so sorry for saying this, but I laughed so much when you fell off the chair during that episode where you were in the supermarket and had to get different items from the shelves. I think you laughed too hard and just yeeted out of the chair, it was hysterical. I also laugh nearly every single time he laughs, because he has so many different LOUD and contagious laughs and noises, you can’t help but laugh or smile too. More than one fancam on Twitter of him just enjoying himself during the MAMA performances of 2019 will prove me right; Huening Kai going viral just by being Huening Kai. I watch the "TO DO" episodes with my friend Adie every week, so we both have a great time with the shenanigans of our funny boys. As for crying, I cried during this year’s fanlive, I tear up a bit every time I watch the 'Moa Diary' music video, with the performance of ITO, the first time I read the lyrics of our summer that remind me of home… Long story short, I am a sensitive crybaby, and even more so when it comes to my boys, this is who I am.

TXT Official (Mariana's favorite picture)

What is your biggest dream for your favorite group/bias aside from being Happy and Healthy?

Many years from now, TOMORROW X TOGETHER will keep pouring their heart and soul into their one true love: music and performances. I know it’s not an easy feat, but I trust that we will be together for many tomorrows to come down that long road, consistently and steadily growing. I want to be able to look back and say, “Ah yes, they have grown so much, they are SUCH A BIG ACT, A BIG DEAL, and I have been there this whole time watching them become a bigger and bigger deal, heheheehe”. I will be witnessing their multiple awards (both locally and abroad), recognition, charting, legendary performances, and fandom growth. All of this will be a result of their own hard work; TXT’s success has, and always will be, their own. This is not exactly a dream, I am 304% sure this will be the case, I am more of making a prediction here.

TXT Official (Mariana's favorite picture)

What is your 2022 prediction for your favorite idol?

As I write these words, I just read about them being the first K-Pop group to perform at the Lollapalooza. I think the word proud is not enough to express how I feel about my boys right now (I know they are not boys, they are fine, talented young men, it’s just my term of endearment for them). I see them going up the staircase into even more success from this point on. Putting those long legs to good use as well! xd If difficulties were to come, we will get through them together, per usual. I can’t attend the festival myself, but this just shows how much of an amazing act they are already. It is a dream come true for them, which moves me to the core of my being. I simply know many MOAs will be born on that legendary stage (a pretty cool welcome to the fandom, methinks), awards will be swept, records will be broken on charts, “TXT is the only act” kinda big deal, a lot of great memories from their own tour "ACT: LOVESICK" after spending so long without seeing MOA, you know, awesome things. In Spanish we say “ojo de loca no se equivoca” which I am translating to “my third female eye doesn’t lie”.

TXT Official

Mariana's message to Huening Kai:

Hello 🐧 admin from the @TXT_members account! >3< I hope this letter finds you well XD No seriously, I truly hope you are eating well, that you are feeling healthy, that you are winning all your Pokémon battles, that your villagers in Animal Crossing are happy, and that you are having as much fun with this comeback as I have. I enjoyed all your performances very much, especially 'Opening Sequence' in Mnet and the Kelly Clarkson Gee Bee Gee Bee ('Good Boy Gone Bad'). To be very honest with you, I have been going through a lot lately, so it’s a little bit hard for me to keep up with every single thing you have been doing, please forgive me 🙁 I just wanted to let you know that to me, you are the smell of fresh baked cookies when you get home, the warmth of a bonfire with marshmallows in the middle of the harshest winter, laughs and symphonies that reverberate directly from the soul into the rest of your being. You, the members, and your music are the soundtrack of my life and the beat of my heart. Like a Roller Coaster, I have my ups and my downs; they feel easier to handle and better to live knowing that you are out there too, thriving by doing the things that bring content to your heart, giving your best and receiving so much love from all my fellow MOA, no matter how tough the circumstances might be. This is going to sound extremely silly, but since I know you understand a little bit of Portuguese, I wanted to say você é um bichinho fofinho jajajajaajaa xd as a Spanish native speaker, I find Portuguese very cute, especially this phrase that reminded me of you, so there it goes. Thank gyu for indulging me in my silliness and sensitivity, for being there when I needed it the most, and for giving me hope and a safe space to be myself, with the wide span of feelings it involves. I’ll be there for you as well, from the first day you called me MOA, for as long as you keep calling me so. Let’s be together for many more tomorrows, shall we? Kai is truly the best, I lo♡e you, my Sputnikai.

Thank you for answering our questions, Mariana.

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