Each month, we feature a stan account as the Indi of the Month in celebration of their unique personality as a Katy Perry music enthusiast & a member of our fandom community. For suggestions on who we should feature next, message us at @ThePerryAwards.
Country representative groups are one of the biggest contributors to the successful management of fan service by an artist. They often relay information, messages or updates about current news on the artist in a much more connective, nationalistic approach. They also bring forth organization and clarity, by helping fans discover fellow stans who speaks the same language and same cultural background as them, making the stanning experience more than just a hobby, but a way of social living. For Katy Perry fans in China, KatyPerryChina @katyperrychina fulfills this capacity.
KPC holds the responsibility for gathering and sharing news and information about Katy Perry’s musical and personal career activity locally and internationally to Chinese fans, often jotting them onto their official website katyperrycn.net. During last year’s Perry Awards, they were given a nomination for Best International Account for their impressive duty on being a country-representing fanbased account. Being one of the most trusted sources of Chinese-based news about Katy Perry in Stan Twitter, the group’s origin can be dated back in 2010. “KatyPerryChina was established in 2010, (at the beginning of the year) with united people from Tieba.com and some fans from Weibo“. Tieba & Weibo are both social media sites available in China as the equivalent supplement to ATRL and Twitter, both of which are not accessible inside the country’s web domain. “It is not easy as any other fan page”, KPC explains when asked about how they operate given the circumstance of limited access they have. But like any other fan, KatyPerryChina’s desire to provide information for thousands of Chinese Katycats encourages them to find ways. “You know the [Chinese] government has Twitter and Google blocked…..but we have ways to get as much from these sites as possible”
#PerryAward for Best International Account Nominees are:@katyperrybr @KatyPerryFrance @KatyPerryPhil @KatyPerryChina @KatyPerrySpain pic.twitter.com/auCNuB7sxS
— JANSY (@katycatjansy) September 26, 2017
Since then, they have became some of the biggest Witnesses to Katheryn’s wordwide journey as a global pop star. China is one of the biggest music markets in the world, and given the high volume of fans within the Asian powerhouse, it is not surprising that they have intergrated Katheryn into their own cultural language – giving her the unique nickname “shui jo jie” or “Fruit Sister” as a recognition of her prominence in the international stage since her debut with One of the Boys.
…from the album art, single covers, to the tour [setup and costumes], Katy’s first record (from Capitol) [sic] One of the Boys was full of fruit props. That’s why she was nicknamed “Fruit Sister”. It is quite common for fans to nickname celebrities in Chinese Cyberculture.
Katheryn isn’t the first artist to bear a nickname in the Land of the Red Dragon. Artists such as Jennifer Lopez (Lord of Butt), Nicki Minaj (Numbing Spicy-Chicken) and Mariah Carey (Cow Sister) all have their individual identities with Chinese fans. Although it may seem like using the term Sister to refer to Katy connotes an informal address (think stan twitter ‘sis’) or a religous reference (as in a nun), KPC clarified that it is more in the vein of respect. “In Chinese language, the meaning of sister more likely tends to be “Miss” or Lady” so don’t get it confused”. Nevertheless, Chinese fans’ commitment to supporting Katheryn is something not to be doubtful for, since they were able to get Witness to 5x platinum certification in the country, after the record sold over 100,000 copies during its fresh few weeks of release.
Katy Perry’s new album “Witness” Scores 5x Platinum Certification in China pic.twitter.com/unwMrNPM2t
— KatyPerryChina (@KatyPerryChina) June 19, 2017
“This is the first time she released a paid digital album in China. In the past, she only released in streaming media. We are very happy to have so many fans supporting her”, the group happily comments on the incredible feat that the supposed “underperforming” album achieved. But it isn’t really all good news when it comes to Katy Perry and China. Most recently, the biggest issue which most pop culture vulture sites feasted on last year was focused on the apparent rejection of Katy’s visa to play at the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Many speculated this was anything to do with the Taiwanese flag incident back in her Prismatic World Tour concert in Taipei back in 2015, but KPC is quick to refute it as mere rumors:
The truth is, Katy came to Shanghai last year to visit Orlando Bloom’s filming [sic]. She wasn’t banned – “denied of a visa” is more likely the case. They saw a problem with the country’s embassy or consulate [which can be] formalities or documents. That is quite different from being “banned”
And in the group’s defense, they added the story of Katy’s invitation to perform at the Single’s Day Concert hosted by Alibaba, which she cancelled by the last minute. This situation, for KPC was more concerning than the VSFS fiasco. “The bigger problem she [actually] encountered was that she had a Commercial Live performance in November 11, 2016 hosted by China’s largest company, Alibaba. Trump’s victory on Election Day led her to emotionally collapse” KPC details about the “family emergency” situation Katy said was the reason for her abrupt cancellation. “She immediately informed [them] that she could not come on the day of the show…the company that manages the live show needed to devote a great deal of effort revising the content [of the show].”
Whether this was the case that brought bad points to Katy’s visa application, KatyPerryChina’s greater concern is on Katheryn’s health. “As a fan, we are very concerned about her mental pain. [We’re] also very supportive of her political choices. But there is no doubt that she had lost a number of opportunities since then, especially [oppportunities for] private performances and commercials”.
Moving forward to brighter talks, KatyPerryChina was eager to say what their favorite Katy Perry song was, and it is something that only long-time fans may seem familiar with. “My favorite was Long Shot”, talking about the unreleased track Katy originally wrote for her ought-to-be first record with Java Recordings, which ended up getting onto Kelly Clarkson’s 2008 record All I Ever Wanted. “I like the rock & roll Katy (2005-2009) and this song got that vernal freshness….without modification. I like this.”
“Unfortunately, most fans are not active on Twitter [because of the Twitter blockade]”, KPC unhappily responds when asked about some Chinese Katycats they recommend other fans should follow. But they enthusiastically allowed us to know some Chinese words we can use in Stan Twitter.
“Well, for Fans, you can use 粉丝 Fensi…but this word is also for food – cellophane noodles. For Queen – 女王 Nuwang” but when asked about the word slay “we’ll, we don’t have that word…”
Well, no need to apologize, KPC, because we have a word for you: xiexie, as in thank you for being a proud voice of support to Katy Perry in the other side of the globe.
The Perrys 