Here’s how ARMY Rachelle Galang turned a spontaneous scroll on Facebook into a moment of a lifetime.
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It’s been a couple of weeks since Hobi took over MOA Arena for the best concert weekend ever. But the PCD is strong af and we still haven’t gotten over what went down the weekend of April 12-13. Filo ARMYs from all over the country came together for this highkey historic moment, but one ARMY could definitely say the weekend was one of the best she’s ever had.
If you watched the concerts or were in the area during the shows, you may have noticed lamp post banners of Hobi around MOA Arena that were apart of the larger Hopeful in Manila fan project. They adorned the nearby streets and even got the attention of a few members of J-Hope’s team. Those banners were actually designed by 22-year-old Filipina ARMY Rachelle Galang, and to hear her story on how she got into all of this is an example of the right time finding you.
RACHELLE GALANG, THE ARMY
Rachelle, a recent interior design graduate who currently works as a creative director for her family’s event styling business, is a big ARMY and has been in the fandom since 2021. She admits that it wasn’t always the case as she would begrudgingly watch the BTS clips her friend would send her. That is until she found herself watching the video on her own, and she credits the music video for ON for really hooking her into the group. “I think doon ko narealize na parang, grabe sila magperform. Grabe yung passion nila, for music, for their craft, for their dance as a whole na sobrang galing po talaga nila,” she tells NYLON Manila.
For good measure, she watched their Bon Voyage travel show after that solidified the deal. Rachelle counts Jimin as her bias, as evident by the lifesized Jimin cutout that was noticeable at the back of her room during our video interview. As for her bias wrecker, that honor goes to J-Hope, which made the recent events that much more fitting.
ALL FOR J-HOPE
Oddly enough, Rachelle’s participation in making the lamp post banners was by chance. As a big fan, Rachelle was already looking forward to Hobi’s world tour. One day last January, she was scrolling on Facebook, something she admits she rarely does these days and happened upon a post from ARMY Cavite Fanbase calling for graphic designers. After messaging and offering her services, she was looped into the many projects local fanbases were preparing for J-Hope’s Manila concerts. And that was when she learned about the lamp post banners projects.
They say you miss all the shots you don’t take, so Rachelle felt that the project was one she needed to be involved in. “Feeling ko po is like mas massive or mas grand siya na project and possible na makita ni Hobi,” she shares, adding that it was all for welcoming Hobi in his long-awaited return to Manila.
With how many people were involved, there wasn’t a guarantee Rachelle would be chosen to do it. But after her initial designs were picked, she locked in. “The initial motivation is all because I’m a fan, talaga, like, massive fan po, and I didn’t expect na I would land on this project, but because I love BTS and Hobi so much, that’s kind of what was in my head throughout the design process.”
Design-wise, Rachelle stuck to the vibe and aesthetic of the main concert poster but also incorporated her style for an output that was easy on the eyes. “Yung graffiti type of style, street style, very Hobi style. Very Jack-in-the-Box style. Edgy, cool, and stylish rather than cutesy.” From the shade of red and the photos used, which she sourced across the internet, every decision was intentional.
Speaking of photos, those were a mix of Rachelle’s favorites of Hobi and requests from local fanbases, and there’s one in particular she used that stood out to her. “One of them was actually from a show na I attended kaya nandoon siya, sa Busan,” she shares, referring to BTS’s Yet To Come free concert in Busan, South Korea in 2022.
As the Gen Z digital native that she is, Rachelle’s designs were made in Canva, and when all was said and done, she made around 19 designs for the banners. Despite a tight deadline to meet the concert, Rachelle saw it through, and with help from another graphic designer who assisted in the overall design of the banners.
Even with the pressure of tens of thousands of people seeing her designs and potentially even her bias wrecker of the group, what mattered to the young creative was that it was a passion project that came from her heart. “Inisip ko nalang yung outcome niya, how Hobi is going to feel if he sees it, anong mafefeel ng fans, ng ARMY, yun po talaga ang nasa mind ko. It’s gonna be worth it naman.” And worth it it was.
Not only were they seen by tens of thousands of people, but the banners were also shared by J-Hope’s tour drummer and a couple of his dancers on their Instagram Stories. “Honestly, sobrang crazy feeling po nung nakita ko siya,” she says. “Sobrang nashock po ako na parang if nakita ang drummer niya, possible na nakita na rin niya. Feeling ko na-achieve ko ng super ultimate maximum fangirl moment.”
Hobi weekend in Manila was a bit of a wild ride for Rachelle in general. The day he arrived in Manila, Rachelle went on an 8 km jog around BGC to calm her nerves, and it was her friend who informed her about Hobi’s drummer posting the banners on his IG Stories. Crazy is an apt way to describe what Rachelle was feeling at that time. “I’m obsessed with BTS, and I didn’t ever think that makakarating ako sa ganitong spot, na I worked on an actual project about a person I love the most. Super insane feeling po siya for me.”
While we don’t know if J-Hope acknowledged the banners, it’s still a flex that out of all the ways your fave could or might have noticed you, it was through your art and creativity in an effort they would appreciate. But that wasn’t the only sana all experience Rachelle would have with her bias wrecker.
A CONCERT GIRLIE GETS HER LIFE
Given the true ARMY that she is, Rachelle was ready for J-Hope, and that included VIP Hope Package tickets for both days (ok queen). It was on day one that proved particularly memorable for Rachelle as she was able to secure barricade, especially during send-off. “When I got to the barricade, sa may exit po kami ng arena. Yun pala, dun siya lalabas from the back going to the front. Yung literal na first glance was from me and mga katabi ko.”
If you only had at most ten seconds to talk to one of your ultimate idols, what would you say? For Rachelle, she practiced her Korean to ask J-Hope for a selfie, which he did. She could have told him that she was the one behind the posters outside the arena, but her inner ARMY knew that there was something better to say. “당신의 음악 영원히 응원해요” which translates to “I’ll support your music forever” is what Rachelle would have told J-Hope but sadly didn’t as he was already on to another fan.
“I wanted to tell him more about the music, about them, about him, about BTS rather than my own,” she explains her reasoning behind the phrase. Still, it’s safe to say Rachelle won at life when all was said and done.
HER DRIVING FORCE
It’s been a hectic couple of months for the Gen Z ARMY. Given how it ended, it was one for the books. But aside from getting to do a project for one of her ults, the moment showed her the value of meeting the moment once it presents itself. “Go for it,” she states. “I feel like you should just take every opportunity na magland sa iyo and you never know where you’re gonna end up after. So you should just keep going forward, pushing forward.”
What Rachelle did was born from a place of love and passion for who she admires and what she likes to do. It was an unexpected coming together of pieces that just fit. “Dahil sobrang love ko sila, I don’t think an ounce of stress went into me. It’s all because I love them na po so much that it doesn’t even matter. I wanted to do it for Hobi talaga.”
The Blue Cloud Wall at the UARMYZONE at Mall of Asia, which Rachelle also designed/ Photo by ARMY Cavite Fanbase
Everything seemingly came into place and Rachelle went all out. She put herself out there with an opportunity, grabbed it, and showed her way of appreciation for J-Hope. With how the events played out, you could say she was rewarded for it. So take it from Rachelle and remind yourself that the right moment comes when you’re ready, so go for it. You never know where the universe will lead you in the end. “Kailangan mo talaga i-embrace yung moment na yon. In my case, yung right moment is going to come when you least expect it.”
Interview conducted by Erica Luna
Photos courtesy of Rachelle Galang
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