What it Means to be a Superfan

Written By: Katie Bresnahan

When it comes to being a part of a large fan base, a fan can find his or herself feeling discouraged. It is hard to feel connected to your favorite artist when you’re grouped together with sometimes millions of others just like you. As fans, we spend hours choosing the perfect concert outfit hoping to stick out and get that one in a million chance to meet a band member.

But never fear! The magic wouldn’t be possible without you. Khalila Douze writes in her article for Spotify, “...being a superfan in 2019 means spending time following an artist’s every move on Instagram, tweeting at them in the hopes of sparking conversation, and in some cases… rallying a community of equally passionate individuals around a concerted effort to build momentum and help a performer garner even more visibility.” Superfans work so hard for the artists they love and are ultimately the foundation that artists’ careers are built on.

One band with a rapidly multiplying fan population is Why Don’t We, and their growth is all due to their superfans. “The fans that we had before we were a band were passionate about who we were,” says Daniel Seavey, one-fifth of the band. “When we came together, it was all these diehard fans coming together and meeting each other. One thing that we always want to hold on to is how much we appreciate our fans and making sure we take those seconds to message a fan and checking our notifications.” You can read more about the band’s story here.

Carson is from Indiana and she’s been supporting Daniel Seavey for five years and another member of WDW, Jack Avery, for six. “When they came together in the band, I fell in love with all of them,” she says. “They just inspire me to be a better person, especially Dani and Jack. There are many times where I’ve been self-conscious and they post things that just tell me to love myself and to believe in myself. I really connect with their music and [it] just makes me a better person. It makes me feel as if they are singing right to me. Especially their newest album in songs like “In Too Deep,” “Hard,” or “8 Letters” they all hit close to the heart, and I’m just glad [I’ve supported] Dani and Jack for that long [and] that they brought me to the band with them.”

Carson has the cutest way to show her support for the boys of Why Don’t We. She and her best friend have created a fan project for the show in Cincinnati on August 26th. During the song Don’t Change, those who are involved with the project will hold up purple hearts to show their love and support for Jack’s daughter, Lavender. Not only does the project represent Lavender, but also how deep the mutual love is between the band and their fans. “It’s also about how the boys always tell us they love us for who we are and that they would never want us to change,” says Carson. They have 15-20 other fans involved with the project and are looking for more.

This project is so important because it showcases the comfort that comes from our favorite artists. The great artists create incredibly strong bonds with their fan bases and that is what distinguishes them. Whatever you’re struggling with, you as a superfan can know that you are loved so very deeply by the artists that you support. And although you might feel like one of many, the strength that comes from numbers starts with one person. That artist sees you and loves you just as much, if not more than you love them. ❤️

Thank you Carson for sharing your story! We can't wait to see pictures and videos of your project at the concert!

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