Fans are one of the most important aspects to have when it comes to being a musician. Your fans are your life. They are your positive reinforcement to being successful, and you can always count on them to be there.
You give them music and they return the favor by providing an unconditional love that almost can’t be compared to. When your fan group becomes large enough to form a fanbase…well, then your world is in their hands. Just about everyone knows about the existing super-mega fanbases like Justin Bieber‘s Beliebers, Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters and One Direction’s Directioners. But what about the fanbases for those smaller musicians that you only know that one popular song for? Don’t they exist too?
Oh don’t worry because here at THE RADICAL, we’ve got you covered. Below is an elongated list of lesser-known fanbases.
BASTILLE: “STORMERS”
Based on a tweet from frontman Dan Smith, it has been confirmed that fans of Bastille are called “Stormers.” The name is a play on words from the phrase “storm(ing) the Bastille” which is an event where an angry mob attacked a French state prison in 1789. In an interview with HelloGiggles, the “Pompeii” singer said, “I think most of our fanbase has come from word of mouth. Which is really nice ’cause I feel like a lot of people that engage with our music are quite genuine.”
CARLY RAE JEPSEN: “JEPSENERS”
This fanbase name is an obvious play on the singer’s last name. “Call Me Maybe” was an extremely catchy track that dominated all radio waves in 2012, which created a lot of love for the Canadian singer and inspired many, many parodies surrounding the track’s title. That mediocre pool of Jepseners, however, still exists today on all sorts of social media…just play Jepesen’s newest music video for “Boy Problems” and I can guarantee you people will swarm. In fact, Este Haim of HAIM is actually a huge Jepsener, so that’s a plus to the fanbase. Maybe you can convince them to collab?
CHARLI XCX: “ANGELS”
Two years ago, Charli XCX officially agreed to her fanbase’s name on this Facebook post. After Charli considered “Charli’s Angels” for a fanbase name, an unknown fan meshed together a poorly-edited yet hilarious fan art photo of Charli XCX and the film poster for Charlie’s Angels. Amused by the photo, she said: “Ok so I never named my fanbase because I always thought it was kinda weird but then today I was just like, you know what Charli’s Angels is really such a cool name so I kinda HAVE to put it to use. Then someone made this. Then I was sold. So if u want to…You can be my Angels.”
CHVRCHES: “FANCLVB”
Last September, CVHRCHES officially launched a fan club called….wait for it…”FANCLVB.” The “u” in “club” is that way because of the spelling of the band’s name, and it also makes it look 10x cooler. The Scottish trio have an official website for their fans to join where they can have access to meet and greets, pre-sales, and discussion-board forums. The forum is very interactive as fans are helping out other fans by clarifying confusing press release posts or gawking at Lauren Mayberry’s cuteness. You can check out / sign-up here and be a part of FANCLVB.
ELLA EYRE: “EYREHEADS”
These fans have labeled themselves as “Eyreheads” after Ella Eyre‘s stage surname. Ella Eyre is very adamant about not interacting with her fans on social media – she explained in an interview with Telegraph UK that she doesn’t want her fans to feel insecure by liking one fan’s tweet and not another’s, so she treats them equally by not responding. However, her Eyreheads are very interactive on social media with showing their support for her…someone even created a Twitter account dedicated to Ella’s hair called @EllasCurls.
ELLIE GOULDING: “GOULDDIGGERS”
This may be the coolest fanbase name creation. (See Also: The Killers). The origin of the name came from a necklace that Ellie received years ago from a fan; the necklace said “gould digger” so fans found that to be an opportunity. On the Ellie Goulding Fandom Wiki Page, the fans specifically say that they are NOT gold diggers nor do they like their name to be misspelled: it’s two “D’s” not one. Activities of Goulddiggers include attending every one of her concerts and drooling over her workout videos on Instagram.
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE FANS: “FLOWS”
Everyone knows Florence’s biggest hit “Dog Days Are Over” or have heard it at least once. When she plays this song at a concert, the entire venue turns into a large party with Flows jumping around, throwing glitter everywhere and shouting the lyrics. Like all other fanbases, Flows are very passionate about Florence + the Machine…so much so that they find creative ways to not only unite the fanbase but also include Florence in it too. Whether it’s a book club, a poetry account or an official news updates account, Flows do everything in their power to give back to the red-headed beauty.
HAIM: “HAIMENS” / “BAGEL BITCHES”
“HAIMENS” have got to be the funniest thing that I have ever seen, and the fact that it’s in correlation with HAIM makes it 10 million times better. Word circulating around is that there is a select few that actually call themselves “HAIMENS” (a mix of HAIM’s name and hymen) and kudos to them for being so hilariously clever. However, on a Tumblr ask, a fan asked the band’s Tumblr account if the “HAIM fans have a name?” to which they responded with “we are the bagel bitches.” I’m not sure which one should be the official fanbase name because they are both so great…but HAIMENS is just killing me.
JAMES BAY: “BAES”
I guess it was kind of inevitable for James Bay fans to call themselves “Baes” because it so obviously fits. The slang word “bae” is an acronym for “before anyone else” and James Bay fans have such love and dedication for him that they place James before anyone else. Most of that love, however, is geared towards his gorgeous signature locks. James Bay’s growing fanbase includes some very hardcore fans who seem to recognize him by his shoes, which James claims to be his weirdest fan encounter. I would’ve thought I’d recognize him by the locks (or hat), but that’s just me.
THE KILLERS: “VICTIMS”
Unlike many of the other fanbases on this list, The Killers have actually named their fanbase themselves. It is also one of the coolest fanbase names because killers and victims fit so well together. (Who wouldn’t want to be slayed by The Killers to become a “Victim”?) The Killers also have one of the biggest and most active fanbases to exist, next to the super-mega groups of course. Urban Dictionary says that “Victims” are the official fanclub for The Killers and are interestingly most active on Reddit (which says a lot about the fanbase’s age group, I guess).
MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS: “DIAMONDS”
Surprisingly, I thought that the “Diamonds” part of Marina and the Diamonds was her bandmates, but the Diamonds are actually her fans. Like The Killers, the singer named her fanbase “Diamonds” because she believes that whatever she does or wherever she goes, her fans will always be by her side, so she included them in her stage name. In an interview with Time Magazine, Marina said her fans are “incredibly supportive and quite protective…even though I’m going off into a more left-field, alternative direction, they are with me.” And I think that holds true because each of Marina’s three albums are completely different in their own stylistic ways, and yet her “Diamonds” have been with her since the beginning.
TOVE LO: “TOVELOVERS”
Someone asked Tove Lo on Twitter what her fans should be named and she responded with “#ToveLovers?” Tove Lo pronounces her name as “too-veh loo” so having her fans named “ToveLovers” is an even more interesting pronunciation: “too-veh loo-vers”? Anyway, ToveLovers feel particularly connected to the singer through her lyrics which reveal a lot about her personal life experiences and the pain she suffered. How does Tove Lo show her thanks for their massive support? Flashing her boobs during concerts.
TROYE SIVAN: “TROYEBLEMAKERS”
According to his Tumblr post, Troye Sivan confirmed that his fanbase name is “Troyeblemakers” and refers to the original creator as a genius. His following is so large that it could be considered a cult in some cases. The “Troyeblemakers” have been with Troye Sivan since his beginning days on YouTube and stayed with him through his career transition as a musician. Troye is very interactive with his fans on social media, responding to their every post on Twitter, Youtube, Tumblr, and even Facebook. He’s also helped a few fans come out to their friends and family and encourages others to do the same.
Now that you have a more extended list of fanbases (along with Swifties, Beliebers, Little Monsters and KatyCats), which one will you join?
Photo Credit: Gregory Nolan