Over the last decade, K-pop has gradually gained recognition as a music genre among Western media. As groups like BTS and Blackpink become household names, and more members of Gen Z become enamored with the bright and energetic world of K-pop (with me becoming the number #1 K-pop spokesperson if anyone ever asks me a question about it), I can only imagine how popular the genre will become in the future.
K-pop acts have also begun collaborating with Western artists for various solo projects and vice versa, with American rapper J. Cole featuring on BTS’ J-Hope’s single “On The Street” and Coldplay helping to co-write BTS’ Jin solo release “The Astronaut,” among other examples. With K-pop having such a stronghold on pop culture today, fans go crazy when they hear Western celebrities also express their love for K-pop — whether through social media, interviews, or attending K-pop concerts — and for good reason. Celebrities rarely talk about their favorite K-pop artists, so when they do, it creates a sense of commonality and fun moments!
That’s why I scoured the internet for 40 celebrities who you might not know are also K-pop fans — and some of these even surprised me.
- PinkPantheress
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To start the list, the “Boy’s A Liar” singer has previously expressed her love for NCT and her status as an NCTzen. In a TikTok video, the English star was hanging out with American rapper Ice Spice and revealed that she was going to have her pick a bias from a photo of her fave K-pop group, NCT 127. PinkPantheress selected member Haechan (I can’t believe I get to say I have the same K-pop bias as Pink Pantheress), while Ice Spice chose leader Taeyong!
- John Cena
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In a 2018 interview promoting his film Bumblebee, the wrestler and Hollywood actor expressed his love for BTS and impressively announced, with the help of the interviewer, that he was an ARMY in Korean. In an interview with James Corden on The Late Late Show, he admitted that J-Hope and RM were his favorite members of the band.
When asked how he fell in love with the group in a 2020 interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, he initially stated that he was drawn by their rapping but eventually fell in love with the messages that BTS brings in their music, whether it’s advocating for self-love or breaking the stigmas revolving around mental health.
- Lil Uzi Vert
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You read that correctly, the rapper is a fan of the South Korean girl group GFRIEND. Not only is he a BUDDY (the official GFRIEND fandom name), but he has been following their releases since their debut in 2015. He has praised the girls for their new songs, dance moves, and vocal talent in tweets over the years. Lil Uzi took to Instagram live after learning of the group’s disbandment in 2021, sharing his heartbreak and his unwavering support for the group no matter what.
- Emma Stone
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Before hosting Saturday Night Live with special guest performers BTS in 2019, Emma Stone stopped by Conan O’Brien’s talk show in 2015 to discuss her most recent obsession: K-pop. She mentioned that her favorite group at the time was 2NE1 and that she shared the stage with them at the premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man in Seoul back in 2012.
- Barack Obama
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Yes, Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, was a K-pop fan. In 2017, while attending the 8th Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul, he addressed K-pop’s global expansion and influence in the West, as well as the U.S.-South Korean alliance through the boy group SHINee. During the conference, he stated, “Some of our young people are learning Korean so that they can keep up with the band SHINee.”
He also commented on SHINee’s love of In-N-Out burgers, to which SHINee member, Key, responded on Instagram. Key thanked the former president for mentioning the group in his speech and shared photos of the SHINee members eating at In-N-Out Burger while on tour in the U.S.
- Ryan Reynolds
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After Stray Kids performed a Deadpool-inspired performance for one of their competition live stages on Mnet’s survival competition Kingdom: Legendary War, the Deadpool actor became interested in Stray Kids as a group, and the two began frequently exchanging gifts. Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids, and Reynolds spoke one-on-one via video chat to commemorate the release of Reynolds’ film, Free Guy.
Reynolds mentioned in the interview how he often watched Stray Kid’s No Easy album teasers and told Bang Chan: “I love you guys! I’m such a huge fan. Not only do I love what you guys do, but I love how you do it because you do it with joy, and you do it with authenticity. You guys do it in inventive ways.” Don’t you just love celeb bestie pairings?
- Sabrina Carpenter
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Sabrina Carpenter has never shied away from expressing her love for K-pop. She has posted songs such as “Bad Boy” by Red Velvet and “DDU-DU DDU-DU” by Blackpink on her Instagram story, and in 2018, she famously met the Red Velvet members and adorably took candid shots with them, as well as meeting AKMU’s Suhyun. Carpenter has repeatedly expressed her admiration for girl groups, stating that she would like to work with either Blackpink or Red Velvet for a musical collab in various interviews. Carpenter even learned TWICE’s Japanese comeback release of “Candy Pop” to perform for her fans during her 2018 tour in Japan. She also commented “so cute tf” on Enhypen’s Tikok page after member Jake posted a video with her viral song “Nonsense.” Can someone get this girl a feature already?
- Dylan O’Brien
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The television heartthrob is also a Blackpink stan. In 2020, Blackpink released their own Netflix documentary titled Blackpink: Light Up The Sky, which O’Brien eagerly anticipated. In an interview with Netflix Brasil, he stated that the documentary was his favorite and urged people to watch it. At the 2022 VMAs, O’Brien became a TikTok meme for his reaction to Blackpink’s performance, where he can be seen struggling to find his camera to record it and shouting “I love you” to Lisa when she appeared on stage. He’s so real for that.
- Max Minghella
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The Babylon and Spiral actor is a huge fan of BTS. Minghella revealed on The Late Late Show with James Corden that he and O’Brien went to see BTS live in concert. (Oh — did I forget to mention that O’Brien was also a BTS fan?) O’Brien was actually the one who introduced Minghella and Elle Fanning to K-pop, and the two quickly became obsessed. Minghella revealed in the interview that he was trying to learn the group’s dance moves but was unsuccessful, and Corden later quizzed him on his BTS knowledge, which he passed with flying colors.
- Nick Cannon
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Before K-pop became as globally recognized as it is today, Nick Cannon was already one of the first to open western audiences to the genre. Cannon previously collaborated with the Wonder Girls for their TeenNick film in 2012, but in 2015 he became executive producer of another Nickelodeon work, Make it Pop.
Make it Pop followed a fictional girl group whose main inspiration came from Korean pop culture and popular Korean girl group acts at the time, such as Girls’ Generation, Wonder Girls, and 2NE1. In a Billboard interview, Cannon explained how he became interested in Korean pop culture after witnessing the wave while traveling abroad and becoming acquainted with the Wonder Girls.
- Erika Titus
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The TikTok star is known for her outgoing personality and for showcasing her life online through fashion hauls, comedy videos, and beauty/skincare routines, but what some may also admire about Erika Titus is her love of K-pop. She admitted to having a double bias for V and Jungkook, and she even went to BTS’s Permission to Dance on Stage concert in November 2021 and the Las Vegas performance in April 2022. Not only does she enjoy BTS, but she also follows other K-pop artists on Instagram such as Seventeen, NCT, aespa, TWICE, Enhypen, and IU — just to name a few.
- Jaden Smith
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Jaden Smith made a series of tweets in 2016 claiming that he wanted to be a K-pop star, and said that he was gearing up to release a K-pop single. It doesn’t look like that ever came to fruition, but he is a big fan of BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, even calling him his “inspiration” at one point.
- Will Smith
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Like father, like son! According to Soompi, Will actually took Jaden to YG’s headquarters in South Korea in 2013, which was three years before Blackpink even debuted. Since then, it seems like the whole family have been keeping up with the superstar girl group, with Will writing on Instagram that he and wife Jada Pinkett-Smith are “officially fans” after Blackpink’s Coachella performance in 2019.
- Keke Palmer
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Ahead of the 2020 VMAs, Keke Palmer was asked by Teen Vogue about her thoughts on BTS and their upcoming performance of “Dynamite” during the awards ceremony. “I’m a fan,” she admitted in the interview. “My brother is the biggest K-pop fan and BTS is his favorite group. Same for my older sister, so I know a lot about them. We’re all just shook because it’s iconic for a K-pop group to be hitting the VMAs stage, and it’s overdue, baby.” Palmer went on to explain the world of K-pop and the fan culture on ATTN in 2021 through her Facebook Watch segment, I Stan with Keke Palmer.
- Chloe Grace Moretz
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Chloe Grace Moretz is living every fangirl’s dream. The Hollywood actress appeared on the Korean variety show Problematic Men in 2016. She was asked what she likes about Korean culture and if there are any artists she is currently interested in. “I’m completely in love with MAMAMOO. ‘Taller Than You’ [a track on their first album, Melting] is incredibly good,” she said in the interview. Moretz was even able to meet the MAMAMOO girls in person during her visit and receive a signed album from them. She also mentioned CL, G-Dragon, and BIGBANG as some of her other favorites.
- Jonas Brothers
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After the release of their 2019 song “Sucker,” the Jo Bros were asked if they know BTS in an interview with Beats1 Radio. The answer? “Love BTS!” Kevin Jonas said. He also revealed that his brother and bandmate Joe Jonas watched “24 straight hours of K-pop videos.” Nick Jonas even added that BTS and Blackpink’s approach to visual content inspired the “Sucker” music video. Also, here’s a bit of history: Wonder Girls were an opening act on the 2009 Jonas Brothers world tour, so it looks like these guys go way back with K-pop.
- Bryana Salaz
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This Freeridge star and singer-songwriter loves BTS and Blackpink. In an interview with Her Campus, Salaz revealed that her biases are V, J-Hope, and Lisa — she even has a matching tattoo with her best friend that’s a reference to V.
- Huddy
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Chase Hudson, also known professionally as Huddy or Lil’ Huddy on TikTok, is a viral influencer and TikTok sensation who also happens to be a longtime fan of BTS. Huddy has expressed his love for BTS on TikTok by reciting the fan chant of all the members’ names and by uploading a video of himself dancing to BTS’s “Pied Piper.” Not only does he demonstrate that he is a fan online, but he also attended BTS’ Love Yourself concert in 2019 and documented it in a set of Twitter posts with the caption “I Purple You” — referencing a term of endearment created by V for ARMY.
- LaurDIY
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LaurDIY, the queen of DIY, won the hearts of Blinks (Blackpink’s fandom name) with her outfit rendition of Lisa’s costume in the “Ice Cream” music video featuring Selena Gomez for her YouTube channel. LaurDIY first became introduced to K-pop through a reaction video she made with her then-boyfriend, Alex Wasabi, in which she reacted to artists such as BTS, EXO, Girls’ Generation, and others. Since her reaction video, she has subtly mentioned her love of K-pop on Twitter, showing her enjoyment of BTS’ “Dynamite” back in 2020.
- Anderson .Paak
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Anderson .Paak’s most well-known association with K-pop is probably BTS — he collaborated with RM on “Still Life,” he played the drums for one of their “Yet to Come” performances, his wife biases Jin… you get the point. But his love for K-pop extends beyond BTS, too: Multiple outlets reported in 2022 that .Paak is set to direct and star in a comedy-drama film titled K-POPS! about, well, K-pop (and fatherhood).
- Justin Bieber
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While Justin Bieber may not be as immersed in the K-pop world as other celebrities, that doesn’t mean he isn’t interested in some of the songs the genre has to offer. When asked in a video by fans in 2018 if he has ever listened to BTS, he stated that he hasn’t, but did mention that the first K-pop song he listened to was “Instagram” by Dean, which led him to become more interested in the genre. Dean’s “Instagram” leans more toward K-R&B, focusing on the sad and gloomy moments of aimlessly scrolling through Instagram late at night.
- Camila Cabello
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Camila Cabello is a fan of TWICE! She stated that while on press tours in Japan, she fell in love with TWICE’s Japanese release “Candy Pop,” but fans also noticed on the singer’s Spotify account that she was listening to TWICE’s “Yes or Yes” in 2019.
- Emma Myers
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The Wednesday star is a fan of many K-pop groups, but her favorite is none other than Seventeen. Emma Myers was tasked with introducing the group and their concept to anyone who was curious to learn more in a viral interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she fangirled over her love for the group, explained that she’s been a fan of theirs for the past five years, and explained how Seventeen got its name (just so you know, it’s because there are 13 members, plus three different sub-units, plus one team, which adds up to Seventeen).
- Ansel Elgort
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Ansel Elgort met BTS while they were performing at the 2017 Billboard Awards. Elgort has continued to express his love for BTS by following the members’ personal Instagram accounts, and even changing his Twitter profile photo to a picture of BTS member V in 2018.
- Finn Wolfhard
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The Stranger Things star enjoys playing Monopoly, but not just any Monopoly — Blackpink Monopoly specifically! Finn Wolfhard shared a series of photos on his Instagram story in 2020, showing off his signed copies of Blackpink’s THE ALBUM. He then posted photos of a Monopoly gameboard inspired by Blackpink (how and where can I get one for myself?) with the caption “Friday night is secure.”
- Olivia Rodrigo
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Olivia Rodrigo and besties Conan Gray and Iris Apatow were spotted attending Blackpink’s BORN PINK North American tour stop in L.A together. The appearance makes sense, as Rodrigo has expressed in a Teen Vogue interview that she is friends with member Rosé, adding, “She’s absolutely the best, couldn’t sing her praises enough. She’s so talented.”
- Conan Gray
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Gray, in addition to attending Blackpink’s concert, has also attended BTS’s Permission to Dance on Stage concert in 2021 and even met V during the 2021 American Music Awards. If he wasn’t already living out my dreams enough, Gray was given a tour of SM Entertainment by none other than SHINee member Key while in South Korea for the Haus of Wonder Festival. During his stay, Conan was able to interact with other K-pop celebs like Wendy of Red Velvet.
- MAX
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Max Schneider, better known as MAX, expressed his desire to collaborate with K-pop artists in a 2020 interview with Edaily. “I like K-pop,” he said. “I think it’d be an honor to have the opportunity to collab with BTS, Stray Kids, DAY6, MONSTA X, and BLACKPINK.” MAX got his wish, and a few months later, he was able to have Suga from BTS feature on his track “Blueberry Eyes,” which became popular on TikTok. MAX continued to show his appreciation for the genre by covering artist Seventeen’s “Ready to Love” in a YouTube mashup cover with his song “Checklist” on Youtube. Members Joshua and Hoshi even gave MAX signed copies of Seventeen’s Semicolon special album in 2021.
- Bella Poarch
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Bella Poarch and singer Melanie Martinez were spotted at BTS’ Permission to Dance On Stage concert in L.A in 2021. During the concert, she was even seen wearing an “I Love RM” hoodie — a member she shared as her favorite through tweets!
- Dua Lipa
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Dua Lipa was asked in a 2022 interview with Vogue Korea if she had any other K-pop artists in mind to collaborate with, after working with both Blackpink and MAMAMOO’s Hwasa. Lipa did not have anyone in particular in mind, but she did mention that she enjoyed K-pop and that she still talks to the members of Blackpink “like friends.”
- Lorde
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In a Universal Music interview all the way back in 2013, Lorde mentioned her love for the genre of K-pop as a whole, saying, “Their melodies and songs are very interesting. Their melodies are a lot more charming than the Western pop which I grew up listening to. If it is pop music, it should be to that extent.” During the interview, she also stated that she admires artists such as Lee Hi and 2NE1 and would like to work with them if given the opportunity.
- Halsey
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Not only did Halsey appear on one of BTS’ most popular hit songs, “Boy with Luv,” in 2019, but she has also been a fan of the group since 2017. She has gone on to praise the boys for their hard work and craft over the years, and in a 2019 interview on The Zach Sang Show, she defended the ARMY fanbase by mentioning how she believes they are misrepresented in the media.
“They’re the opposite; they’re like intelligent, they’re funny, they’re tasteful, they’re charitable,” she said. “Can you imagine if everyone’s fans thanked them by organizing charity in their names?”
- Charli XCX
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We love an artist who publicly tweets about collaborating with a specific boyband member. While looking for artists with whom she wanted to collaborate on remixes for her single “Beg for You,” Charli XCX tweeted, “How can I get in touch with Vernon???” and then directly tweeted Seventeen’s official Twitter to request a collaboration. Vernon responded and enthusiastically accepted the collaboration offer, going on to perform his verse on the song alongside Rina Sawayama. It’s worth noting that Vernon is also a fan of Charli XCX and has mentioned songs he has listened to from the pop princess in various interviews.
Charli XCX is also a fan of Blackpink and BTS and included some of their songs on her Spotify playlist.
- Ross Butler
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The 13 Reasons Why actor demonstrated his talent as a singer in a Twitter post. Ross Butler posted an acoustic cover of BTS’ “Waste It On Me” featuring Steve Aoki in 2018, and stated that he is now a member of the BTS ARMY.
- Khalid
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The “Talk” singer expressed his admiration for BTS and discussed his friendship with the group despite the language barrier in a 2019 interview with Good Morning Britain, saying, “Just because you don’t speak the same language as each other, doesn’t mean you can’t have a friendship.” He also expressed his desire to work with the group in the near future.
- HRVY
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HRVY, a British singer and television personality, not only collaborated with NCT Dream in 2019 on the song “Don’t Need Your Love,” but he also became fast friends with the boys and filmed a vlog of his time working with NCT Dream while in Korea. HRVY gushed about his favorite artists, including K-pop artists, in a Hit Radio UK “Answers The Internet” feature. “I’m a huge BTS fan. You know what, I’m a big fan of K-pop in general,” he said. “I love Blackpink, I’ve also collaborated with a boy band called NCT Dream and they were so cool!” He also commented on BTS’ “Dynamite” music video, saying how groovy it was and how he saw elements of Michael Jackson in the members’ dance moves.
- Usher
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Was Usher influenced by Blackpink’s concert? Yes! Usher expressed his admiration for Blackpink’s performance after being introduced to them by his sons and accompanying them to the Atlanta stop of their BORN PINK tour. “I literally went to a Blackpink concert in Atlanta, and I was like, man!” he said in a GQ interview, “They were putting on a show. Wardrobe, great sequencing, with the lighting and everything working in sync… I loved that.” He went on to say that he mentally recorded the performance and decided to incorporate elements of it into his Las Vegas residency show.
- 5 Seconds of Summer
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The Australian band members are also fanboys of other bands! In 2019, the band appeared on the Korean variety show segment, Welcome, First Time in Korea?, where lead guitarist Michael Clifford asked where the Blackpink albums were and mentioned earlier in the segment how he was adamant about purchasing a K-pop album while in the store. The interaction prompted the other members to express their admiration for Blackpink and the girls’ music. Clifford eventually purchased an album, Map of the Soul: Persona by BTS.
- Chris Martin
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Chris Martin of Coldplay adores BTS. He met them through their collaboration project “My Universe,” which appeared on Coldplay’s 2021 album Music of the Spheres. Since then, the two groups have interacted on numerous occasions, with BTS member Jin performing his solo song “The Astronaut” (co-written by Jin and Coldplay) at Coldplay’s concert in Buenos Aires. Chris Martin praised the supergroup in a BANGTANTV YouTube video, saying he loves their work because it has “very unusual structures and different melodies to the ones [he] hear[s].”
- Steve Aoki
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The well-known DJ and music producer has collaborated with numerous K-pop acts over the years, including BTS! In 2017, Steve Aoki worked on a remixed version of BTS’ “Mic Drop,” which quickly became a hit and became BTS’ fourth music video to surpass one billion views. Aoki was asked by Young Hollywood what it was like working with the superstars and responded by saying they were extraordinary artists and kind-hearted, fun-loving people. He added that when they’re all together, it’s “a ball of laughs.”
When asked about K-pop’s representation of the future of pop music, Aoki said “K-pop bands push the envelope constantly. … Others haven’t even come close to it yet. I feel like everyone else is six months to a year behind.” If that isn’t a sign that you should become a K-pop fan yourself, I don’t know what is.