Poll position
Girl group T-ara beat One Direction in Billboard fan poll
There is always something appealing about rooting for the underdog.
And girl group T-ara, perhaps one of the biggest underdogs of K-pop, had the last laugh last week when their massive fan base - who go by the collective name Queens - scored a monumental victory against UK boy band One Direction's famously maniacal fans called Directioners.
In the Fan Army Face-Off semi-final poll organised by US music site Billboard, Queens chocked up more than 1.7 million votes.
That whopping figure made the Directioners' 1.1 million votes seem pathetic, paltry and pitiable.
I, for one, rejoiced wildly at the results by blasting T-ara's infectious hit, Roly-Poly, on replay mode until my hubby screamed at me to turn it off.
Take that, 1D! Feel the ferocious power of us K-pop fans!
Bottom line is, fans are EVERYTHING. Especially in glitzy K-pop land, where idols are worshipped like gods and goddesses.
When it comes to any contest whose outcome is decided entirely by public voting, you can be sure that the sole K-pop act will triumph.
BigBang's mostly-female fanbase, VIPs, came out in full force to ensure their boys were crowned Best Worldwide Act at 2011's MTV Europe Music Awards.
So did Girls' Generation's fervent supporters SONEs, who voted like crazy for GG to snag Video of the Year - beating the likes of Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga - at the inaugural 2013 YouTube Music Awards.
Personally, it is even more gratifying to see T-ara win the Billboard battle against One Direction.
SCANDAL
Unlike their smooth-sailing peers GG, the gorgeous sextet have weathered scandal-ridden days.
In 2012, they were embroiled in a bullying controversy - they reportedly ostracised and ousted a new member - that threatened to cut short their showbiz careers.
Luckily for them, international Queens are fiercely loyal.
Today, T-ara officially boasts the largest fan base in China among all K-pop groups and singers.
We're down to the final poll of the Billboard Fan Army Face-Off and Queens are currently duking it out with US pop diva Beyonce's Beyhive.
No surprises as to who's leading by a mile though.
This time round, I'm going to celebrate by blasting Bo Peep Bo Peep.
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