Kristine Fel
22-year-old Kristine Fel (a.k.a. @k.fel) is a Toronto-based TikToker who has some of the app’s most distinct content. She uses the platform mostly for fun, but also to practice Japanese. However, her videos serve as so much more than a learning technique for her. Millions of people use her videos as mini-lessons on the beautiful language themselves. Since her first video back in April, she’s gained 1.1 million followers. Her videos routinely get hundreds of thousands of views, and she’s amassed 17 million likes overall. To put it simply: she’s one of the most popular educational accounts on the entire app. Not to mention the fact that her anime impressions and creative POV’s are guaranteed to please. We recently spoke with Kristine about how she first got started on the app, her plans for the future, and more!
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! I'm Kristine, also known as k.fel. I'm a 22-year-old Filipina-Canadian Designer born and raised in a city outside of Toronto, Canada. When I'm not creating videos for TikTok, I'm probably baking bread, watching anime, or listening to true crime podcasts. I started studying Japanese when I was 16, and since then I've had the chance to visit Japan three times - the first time to do a two-week exchange program in Osaka, the second to finally visit Tokyo, and the third to work as an intern at TeamLab HQ. Also, my personality type is INFP!
Did you have any specific plans or ideas when you joined TikTok?
None at all! TikTok never really appealed to me until one of my good friends started sending me multiple links over iMessage, so I just thought to myself, "Guess I better download the app now huh?"
Who are some of your favorite creators on the platform today?
I recently discovered this account called @tofu and there's really no way to truly describe how OBSESSED I am with that account. It's literally a shiba dog with a man (who I assume is the owner) doing their voiceovers and I love it so much! I probably watch each of their videos at least 5 times a day for an extra energy boost. I've also been loving @themanuelsantos - their confidence is everything!!
You have an incredibly niched form of TikTok content. How did you come up with this unique style of video making?
I get this question a lot, and the best answer I can give is that my content is extremely reflective of the type of humor I tend to gravitate to in TV shows, anime, and even in people! I think my best ideas come to me right before I fall asleep - my imagination knows no limits at those times haha.
How has the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic affected you, both as a TikToker and in your personal life?
At the beginning of the pandemic, the situation seemed so surreal and dystopian to me that I was feeling restless about what the future would look like. Though, I think with any new challenges in life, there will be a period of adaptation that feels unfamiliar and scary. I was able to navigate away from any negative feelings by honing in on what was within my control, and not feeling too attached to what was beyond it. Creating videos on TikTok has actually been somewhat of a positive distraction during this pandemic for me as it gave me a reason to look forward to something and be imaginative in the process.
In less than half a year, you’ve gained a huge following of over 1.1 million followers. Did you ever expect your account to blow up in the way it did?
I feel like a shared experience with many content creators is the uncertainty of success when first starting out. Funny enough, at the beginning of January I had this random late-night revelation of life and was telling my boyfriend that 2020 is the year that I make an impact, even if I wasn't sure what kind or how it was gonna happen. While I never expected this to actually come into fruition, I'm really thankful for all the support I've received since then!
What is your favorite song out right now?
One of my favourite artists of all time is Bruno Major and he recently came out with an album called To Let a Good Thing Die. I'm currently playing “Regent's Park" on repeat all day everyday.
What inspires you to make content?
I really only started TikTok to practice my Japanese, though I quickly realized that in doing so I was able to inspire others to pursue or continue learning the language! I love receiving DM's and comments from people sharing that my videos brighten their day or made them laugh. We're all progressing through life with different circumstances so it's awesome to hear that positivity and humor is something that unites us.
If you could add any feature to the app, what would it be?
Something a lot of people probably don't know about me is that I work as a product designer! When it comes to apps, I can be pretty critical of them. It's difficult for me to pick one feature so if I may, here are my top 3 ideals: 1. The ability to pin comments to a video 2. A shortcut for sharing to groups of people, or even better - group DM's 3. The ability to create and add to different favorited video "collections"
Anything special planned for the future?
Although this is entirely dependent on when we're out of quarantine, I am fully ready to book a plane ticket to Japan to continue making content. But, in the interim I'm planning on expanding my platforms to Youtube and Twitch so definitely keep your eyes and ears peeled for that!
