BTS is Rewriting History in Pop Music
Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment
From left to right, BTS members Suga, Jungkook, J-Hope, RM, V, Jin, and Jimin finish their opening stage at their sold-out stadium show at Rose Bowl, Pasadena on May 04, 2019.
May 24, 2019
Like it or not, BTS is conquering the world.
Seven-member South Korean pop sensations, Bangtan Boys (BTS), is the fastest group in this decade to earn three #1 debuting albums in the US, surpassing the Beatles record in 1996. With their incredible live vocals, rap, visuals, choreography, and personalities, they just keep growing.
Debuting in 2013, from small-town boys in South Korea to now worldwide superstars, BTS has made a name for themselves. They are all in their twenties and members include: their leader RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and last but certainly not least, Jungkook. These young, humble men are constantly breaking and making new records.
BTS released their EP, “Map of the Soul: Persona” on April 12, 2019, consisting of 7 new songs and debuting at #1 on the US Billboard 200. The album did numbers on the charts worldwide and their music video for the lead single, “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey, now holds the YouTube record for most views in 24 hours with over 74 million views in one day.
This is their third album release in the span of one year.
BTS has paved the way for other Korean acts in the United States. They are the first Korean group to perform at the American Music Awards in 2017, nominated for the Billboard Music Awards for two consecutive years, were nominated and presented an award at the 2019 Grammys and recently performed to an a screaming crowd on an episode of Saturday Night Live April 13, 2019.
“They’re huge,” said junior, Jordan McFarland. “Whenever I go onto Twitter, there’s always some sort of tag trending for them. I saw their performance for the BBMAs and the screams from the fans were overwhelming.”
Their dedicated fans are called ARMY and they are massive. BTS has created a loving relationship with their fans because of their social media and their deep lyrical messages.
With topics varying from self-love, mental health, school issues, and even songs dedicated to their fans in their discography, BTS has broken the language barrier and touched the hearts of many on a global scale.
They started the year with the launch of the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself World Tour, hosting sold-out stadium shows at Soldier Field in Chicago, Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, and the Wembley Stadium in London.
Recently, BTS had 2 sold out shows at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
“There are honestly no words to describe what going to a BTS concert is like,” junior Karen Hernandez describes, “It’s amazing seeing so many people come together. It was surprising to see a mixture of all different ages, genders, and races despite the crazy fangirl stereotype.”
Other students attended the 52k two-night sold-out stadium show.
“The Rose Bowl felt so open and loud, which made the performances more fun and exciting,” reveals freshman Michelle Ortega.
When asked about her favorite performance, Ortega stated: “I’ll be honest, I loved all of them! They’re all so amazing, I just can’t choose one.”
Junior Andrew Saldaña said, “The experience was fun, I think the best part of the concert was the live performances with choreography, they had a ton of energy and hype from fans. I’m definitely going again.”
Just one of the concert photos reporter Ana Moreno took at the sold out show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
The group finished their concert with an emotional fireworks show and an incredible sunset-like scenery onstage at their May 05 show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
With the rise of BTS in the United States, many K-Pop groups have gotten the opportunity to do the same and present themselves around the world. K-Idols Blackpink have made history by being the first K-pop girl group to perform on stage at Coachella 2019. NCT 127 have begun their North American tour and presented in spanish morning television show, Despierta América. This year, both groups have performed on Good Morning America. With so much xenophobia and discrimination in the industry, it’s incredible how K-pop has had such a great amount of impact.
Referred to as the princes of pop by Time Magazine and the next Beatles, BTS has raised the bar for many; it is a significant moment in global pop culture for an Asian band to be compared directly to The Beatles themselves.
You don’t have to be Korean to understand their music, their performances, their energy, or love. With an open mind, give K-pop and BTS a try, they are not here to disappoint.
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Ruby Cruz • Sep 23, 2019 at 5:49 pm
In this article, I learned about K-pop culture and a group called BTS (Bangtan boys) who have accomplished so much with they’re THRONG of fans. BTS has broken records and not only them but other k-pop groups have as well with their ADROIT performances. BTS also has an outstanding relationship with their fans calling them fans “ARMY”, meaning fans will always be together with BTS. BTS has devoted strong messages within many topics with fans such as self- loving, school issues, and mental health. BTS has created a strong diverse community upon them and shown us their success and impact with the ARMY!