BTS also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band that was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produces much of their own output.
BTS are a part of Korean popular music or better known as K Pop. It’s a music genre that blends together electronic, Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock, R&B and even Rap. Although this genre of music can be traced back to early 90’s, it only rose to popularity in the early 2000’s. Most boy band groups in Korea rely on TV for popularity, so when they were traveling or visiting other countries for concerts, they would lose out on the publicity they can potentially get, if they were on Korean TV. To remain relevant, available, and visible, K-Pop stars had to be in the country and not tour as much.
BTS did it differently because they used social media and relied on their global fans all over the world rather than focusing on television appearances for just fans based in Korea.
Their lyrics, often focused on personal and social commentary, touch on the themes of mental health, troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, and individualism. Their work also often references literature and psychological concepts and includes an alternative universe storyline. BTS covers subjects that other bands may not like bullying, elitism, and mental health. Their ability to be relatable, humble while still being entertaining is rare.
No band can have success without its fans and BTS has some of the most loyal, dedicated fans that the world has EVER seen with 23.6 million followers on Twitter and 30 million on Instagram. People are scared to mess with them because the fans recently cast an unbelievable 300 million online votes to ensure that the group won their Billboard award. And in Autumn 2017, they watched the video for ‘DNA’ 50 million times on YouTube in just one month!
BTS is exactly what the world needs right now. They are on a path that covers today’s issues. They do this through music, dance and words. They fit like a puzzle part in a very complex and surreal time with a message of humbleness, acknowledgement, mindset shift and possible solutions.
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