‘BTS RM’s Fan’ Hanroro, Who Is She That Keeps Catching My Eye… Added Idol Beauty to Indie Sensibility

Singer Hanroro is gaining popularity, recently drawing an audience of 10,000 at a concert after receiving a shout-out from BTS member RM.

Hanroro held her solo concert ‘Hanroro 4th Solo Concert Grapefruit Apricot Club’ for two days on October 22-23 at the Hwajeong Gymnasium at Korea University in Seoul. She is known to have mobilized approximately 10,000 spectators over the two days.

This is a significant increase in audience numbers compared to her debut solo concert at the ‘KT&G Sangsangmadang Hongdae Live Hall,’ which had a capacity of 200 people, held over two days two years ago. It can also be compared to her performance in June last year at a venue with a capacity of about 700 seats, where she performed for two days with 1,400 spectators. This means she has more than doubled her fandom size in about one year and five months.

Hanroro also performed as a guest at the global band Coldplay’s concert ‘Coldplay ‘Music Of The Spheres World Tour” held in April.

Debuting in March 2022, Hanroro gained public recognition with her debut song ‘Ichun’. At the time, it became a hot topic when BTS member RM recommended it. In 2022, RM posted a screenshot of his phone screen playing Hanroro’s ‘Ichun’ on his Instagram story. With this song, she was also nominated for Best Modern Rock Song at the 2023 Korean Music Awards.

Hanroro’s songwriting style has been a key factor in the success of her debut song ‘Ichun.’ She is praised for touching the emotions of the MZ generation with her literary sensibility. The organizers of the Korean Music Awards commented on Hanroro’s ‘Ichun,’ stating, “The poetic lyrics are sharp yet not piercing, and the rock melody is poignant without being tragic.” “This is why it evokes the wistfulness of youth. It gives older generations nostalgia, and the current generation their first experience.”

‘I Will Love You’ is the song that ranks highest in popularity on Melon, a music streaming site, for Hanroro’s music. This song tells the story of someone who seeks to learn to love again despite the pain of love’s end. Through lyrics like, “Oh, what made me so jealous that it stormed so much / Nevertheless, I will forgive you and love you,” she expresses her will to continue nurturing love without letting go, even when her heart is hurt and regrets arise.

Hanroro’s writing skills, honed through songwriting, are also evident in her work as a novelist. In July, she released a short story titled ‘Grapefruit Apricot Club.’ The novel, which shares the same name as her mini-album, tells the story of children who want to die and their desire to be ‘apricots’ (a wordplay on ‘wanting to live’).

One fan praised her literary sensibility, saying, “‘Grapefruit Apricot Club’ is the book that made me cry the most.” “I thought about whether I, as an adult, could comfort someone in a more mature way than I could as a child.”

Many fans were drawn to Hanroro’s cute appearance. Fans praised Hanroro’s beauty on online platforms like ‘X,’ commenting, “I’m sorry, but you are so lovely and beautiful,” “You are truly lovely and cute, but your power to command the stage is amazing,” and “Blonde hair suits you so well.”