KPOP-TV sat down with Byron Montilla for his first-ever interview!
Byron is a comedy YouTuber from Antioch, CA who is known for his goofy content, as well as his meme-worthy edits on JaeSix (the YouTube channel of Day6‘s Jae). Byron chatted with our intern Lauren Jiang about his rising fame in the K-Pop community, roasting Jae, and the importance of being yourself.
You worked at the Flower Boy Cafe this year at KCON. What made you want to be a part of that experience?
On Twitter, I saw KCON put the advertisement up for the Flower Boy Cafe and it [became] a running joke. I thought, if I work this, I’ll probably troll a lot or be like ‘Oh my God, I sarang you so much, thanks for coming to my cafe!‘ I started out like that.
Even on my application, it said what are your special talents? And I wrote: “I hit that TWICE ‘What is Love?’ swag.” Then they sent me an e-mail saying: “We’d like to interview you in Los Angeles.” I thought are you serious?! Okay, sure! A week later they called me back and said: “We’d like to offer you a spot at the cafe.”
I told my following: “Oh God guys, the joke went a little too far — I’m a flower boy now!” That’s how that happened, but it was fun!
What was the most memorable part about being one of the flower boys?
Being able to be myself. At home, I listen to K-Pop a lot and I learn the dances. Just being at KCON in the Flower Boy Cafe, if there was a dance that came on — like “BAAM” or any TWICE or Blackpink song — I would do the dance and people would get it. I didn’t feel awkward; everybody knew why I was dancing or where the references were from. Ultimately, I was able to express myself while happily working at the cafe; the overall experience of letting me be me was the most fulfilling.
Did people recognize you?
A lot. I was stopped every minute; even on my break at the Flower Boy Cafe people would stop me to take pictures! This is the first year I decided to take my [YouTube] content more seriously. I went the K-Pop route because one of my videos got traction and the Hallyu wave took over. Surprisingly at KCON a lot of people recognized me for my own content — content that came from my heart. It was moving to know there was support for my channel and for doing the things I do.
What were your expectations about KCON? Did it compare to the reality of the event?
My expectation was that it was a convention made for K-Pop, K-Drama, and Korean culture fans. I had high expectations for it, because I know that artists come to interact with the fans. I went there with high expectations and KCON blew me out of the water. I had looked at Instagram, random play dances, and the concert before, but until you actually go and experience it for yourself you don’t know how exciting it can be. It was everything I wanted and more.
What got you into K-Pop?
I was playing MapleStory and someone started spamming lyrics in the chat: I want nobody nobody but you. I thought, why are they saying nobody twice? That’s kind of weird. Is that a song? I’m very passionate about culture and learning about languages and I hadn’t heard the Korean language in a song before [“Nobody“]. The first time I heard it I thought, this is really pretty! I started doing more research and I ended up loving every aspect of it, because K-Pop is the whole package. You have pretty and handsome faces, the dances, and the catchy upbeat music — instantly, I was hooked.
What are your current favorite K-Pop groups?
The running gag is that since I work for Jae and edit his channel, if I don’t put Day6 then he’s going to fire me. That’s the gag with my content — I have to promote Day6. It’s why my favorite movie on my Flower Boy bio was Chicken Little! I wrote, loving my oppa Jae from Day6. But I really do like Day6’s music, especially “Shoot Me.” When it came out, I was going through a tough time, and it clicked with my emotions. I resonate with that song.
How did you get the job editing YouTube videos for Jae from Day6?
My roommate knew someone in college who was in Jae’s fraternity. Jae needed an editor, so he came to America to seek some advice from YouTubers. He passed by the JustKiddingFilms office and I pitched him an edit with K-Pop in it. He asked: “you like K-Pop?”
I said: “maybe just a little bit.” I straight up lied; I didn’t want to freak him out!
I edited a video for him, sent him the first draft, and he liked it and wanted me to do more. It’s been a whole year since that happened. I still work for him technically, but we finished season one of JaeSix. Season two is going to come back soon but I’m not sure when; I’ll leave that to him to release.
How long does it take you to edit a YouTube video?
For JustKiddingFilms, it takes an hour. For Jae, it depends on what he wants me to create for JaeSix. One of his videos — the Cake Bake video — took three or four days, but some only take four or five hours like the Q&A with Amber. It depends on the concept and how many cameras and microphones he has. Especially for the look that Jae wants, it depends.
What are your goals for your own channel (ByronVids)?
I met one of my primary goals for the year. I started at 18,000 subscribers, and now I have 61,000 subscribers — that’s a lot of growth in the eight months that I’ve been doing it!
I started my Instagram following at 36,000 followers at the beginning of the year and my goal was match my Instagram following to my YouTube following. Now, my Instagram is at 48,000 followers, and my YouTube channel is at 61,000 subscribers. So my new goal for the end of the year is 100,000 subscribers. I think it’s possible, with the amount of growth my channel is getting; all you can do is create and hope that something hits. Above all, you get fulfillment in your life from making content you personally enjoy.
What do you hope people take away from watching your videos?
Be unapologetically yourself. I was bullied in high school for liking the things that I liked; people would look at me weird for learning dances or being interested in weird things. I was in a relationship where I wasn’t allowed to listen to K-Pop because she didn’t like it, so I deleted it from my playlist to make her happy. I got out of that relationship, and I realized you shouldn’t hold back from being yourself.
Even if someone tells you otherwise, find other people who accept you for the person that you are. Being 25 now, I have a good grasp of who’s there to empower you and who’s there to put you down. Even if it’s not about K-Pop, I want my audience to know it’s okay to be who you are. Even if you’re extra… or you’re a dangerous driver! Obviously that’s something you shouldn’t do, but still.
