THE COVER GROUP TREND: A Qualitative Study on People’s Motivation for Joining K-pop Cover Groups

Abstract

Joining a K-pop cover group has been a nationwide trend in the Philippines. Covering a K-pop group does not only mean that you will imitate their choreograph and doing adlibs, but also entails copying their appearance, costumes, attitude, and the aura they give whenever they perform on stage. This study utilized a phenomenological research to explain the motivation behind joining K-pop cover groups, and to have an understanding of their lived experience with the said phenomenon, aiming to discover how those groups are formed as well. Nonparticipant observations and one on one interviews were used as a data collection technique with ten aspiring cover group members aged 18-20 years old. A purposive and snowball sampling were used to acquire the needed respondents for the study. The data gathered was analyzed through patterning it with Colaizzi’s strategy in descriptive methodology. Results show that there are five major themes that emerged from the in-depth interviews that were conducted with the research participants: Self-fulfillment, Means of De-stressing, Extended Social Connections, Financial Incentives, and Public Recognition. These themes determined the motivation of individuals for joining K-pop cover groups, and the interviews were able to help answer the research objectives of the study which are to: (1) describe how various K-pop cover groups are formed and (2) identify the motivations of individuals who join K-pop cover groups.