UPDATE: Round 3 is now open! CLICK HERE TO VOTE.
UPDATE: Round 2 Is now closed. Come back on July 21 for Round 3!
Which fan army is the strongest? Billboard hopes to answer that question with the Fan Army Face-Off, a bracket-style tournament in which various fan armies will square off to prove that they are unequivocally the loudest voices in the pop sphere.
With over 4.5 million votes cast in round 1, several upsets occurred. The Killer’s Victims overtook Justin Bieber’s Beliebers, Thirty Seconds to Mars’ Echelon beat Beyonce’s BeyHive, Taylor Swift’s Swifties were no match for Bruno Mars’ Hooligans, BIGBANG’s VIPs and Girls’ Generation’s Sones defeated Rihanna’s Rihanna Navy and Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters respectively. Vote in round 2 below, polls close on July 18. (And click here to see the entire bracket.)
Fan Army: The Victims
Artist: The Killers
Twitter to watch: @fans_thekillers
Fan Army: The Goud Diggers
Artist: Ellie Goulding
Ellie on her fans: “Fans have bought me like Swarovski things. Quite incredible things, like hats and clothes, necklaces. They make necklaces that say ‘Gould Diggers.'”
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Fan Army: The Musers
Artist: Muse
Muse on their fans: “Our fans are the most dedicated in the world.”
Fan Army: The Aliens
Artist: Tokio Hotel
Twitter to watch: @TokioHotelUSA
Fan Army: The Hooligans
Artist: Bruno Mars
Twitter to watch: @BrunoMarsFans
Fan Army: The Barbz
Artist: Nicki Minaj
Nicki on her fans: “I’m very aware that millions of people on Twitter have no idea what we’re talking about. That’s because we kind of have our own language. I used to think it was just a Queens language or a New York language or an East Coast language, but now it’s a Barb Nation language. I have South African Barbz, Japanese, German, Saudi Arabian. You can be a Barb wherever you live.”
Fan Army: The Animals
Artist: Kesha
Kesha on her fans: “Without you here, supporting me and liking my music, I’d still be a waitress, and a very terrible one at that. So, thank you for your love and support. And I really think that I bond with my fans because I feel like we’re all kind of in this together.”
Fan Army: The Echelon
Artist: Thirty Seconds to Mars
The band on their fans: “If it wasn’t for the Echelon, we wouldn’t have ever won a single award. I think that’s the blessing of living in this digital age, is that people have a voice, and the Echelon Nation out there has made their voice heard again and again, and we’re so proud that they’re able to gather together, to organize themselves, to fight for a common cause and to make dreams a reality. It’s pretty special.”
Fan Army: The Panheads
Artist: Skillet
Skillet on their fans: “The fans are the reason we’re here. I love having all different types of fans.”
Fan Army: The Azaleans
Artist: Iggy Azalea
Twitter to watch: @WeLoveAzalean
Fan Army: The Glamberts
Artist: Adam Lambert
Adam on his fans: “They’re why I’m doing what I’m doing. Their belief in me, response to the music, dedication to coming to the shows. It’s great.”
Fan Army: The Katy Cats
Artist: Katy Perry
Katy on her fans: “Fans are great, but a community is what it’s about. I try and not categorize them as ‘my precious little fans.'”
Fan Army: The Selenators
Artist: Selena Gomez
Selena on her fans: “I have incredible fans that are on a whole other level. They are really special. They are like my friends, in a way. They have more faith in me than I do. When I’m onstage, I can see what the music does to people.”
Fan Army: The VIPs
Artist: BIGBANG
BIGBANG on their fans: “We are extremely thankful to all the fans… We would like to continue visiting various countries around the world and to meet every BIGBANG fan out there. In order to do that, we have to constantly evolve and challenge ourselves and grow as artists. We hope that all of you will support for us.”
Fan Army: The Lovatics
Artist: Demi Lovato
Demi on her fans: “I HAVE THE BEST FANS IN THE WORLD! I’ve been so touched and inspired by the personal stories you’ve shared with me. Every one of you is truly special, and I love you all so much!”
Fan Army: The Sones
Artist: Girls’ Generation
Girls’ Generation on their fans: “None of Girls’ Generation would be possible without the fans. We’ve grown into a family. This is just love and support for one another. I hope we can repay that through good music, good performances and staying together as a band.”