Korean pop is not just popular in the home soil but around the entire world! K-pop is basically a musical genre that consists of an assortment of other genres such as electronic, hip-hop, rock and R&B music. Thanks to the internet, especially YouTube, K-pop has gained acclaim and an enormous fan following from people across the globe and still continues to rise in popularity on the global stage. Music does not require an understanding of the language that it speaks. Music is said to be a universal language for all. It can be used to communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries . Hence, the ability to understand or speak Korean is not a prerequisite for listening to K-pop, which is evidenced by the numerous fans it has around the world.
An example of this cultural phenomenon is BTS or Bangtan Sonyeondan, a seven member group comprising of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, under Big Hit Entertainment. Their musical style has evolved to include a wide range of genres. Their lyrics, often focused on personal and social commentary, touch on the themes of mental health, troubles of school-age youth, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, and individualism. BTS are also influenced by many literary, psychological, artistic, and philosophical mediums. Their album Wings (2016) was inspired by Hermann Hesse’s coming of age novel, Demian. Their 2019 album Map of the Soul: Persona gains its name from Murray Stein’s Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction.
Starting from handing out flyers for their free concert on the streets of LA, attended by 200, to selling out the Wembley stadium twice, BTS has clearly show what hard work and dedication can bring. The album ‘Most Beautiful Moment in Life’ is their first album to debut in the Billboard 200 at no 171. BTS topped the Billboard Social 50 Charts for the first time in 2016. 2017 saw a peak in their career receiving the Top Social Artist Award at the Billboard Music Awards and being the first Korean act to perform at the American Music Awards. In 2018 their album Love Yourself: Tear debuted at No 1 on the Billboard 200 becoming the first k-pop album to top the US albums chart, followed by Love Yourself: Answer. They were also the first Korean act to perform at the Billboard Music Awards. BTS had been chosen as one of Time Magazine’s “Next Generation Leaders” and becoming the first k-pop group to grace the cover of ‘Time’ magazine. BTS became the first k-pop group to speak in front of the United Nations for the upcoming UNICEF program, in an effort to empower the young people.
2019 started with the group releasing the album “Map of the Soul: Persona”, their third No 1 album at the Billboard 200, with its lead single Boy With Luv breaking highest 24 hours in YouTube history. They made history at the Grammy Awards being the first k-pop group to present the award for R&B Album of the Year. They also won Top Duo/Group and Top Social Artist Awards, three times in a row, at the Billboard Music Awards. They are the first Korean act to headline a stadium tour in the US, ‘Speak Yourself’ Tour grossing $196.4 Million, selling Wembley Stadium, in London, in just 90 minutes after tickets sales opened. In the beginning of 2020 the group announced their comeback album Map of the Soul: 7, the most anticipated upcoming album. BTS made history by being the first Korean act to perform at the 62nd Grammy Awards, performing a collaboration stage with Lil Naz X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, Diplo and Nas.
BTS is not just limited to K pop now, they have broken stereotypes and explored beyond the horizon. They showed us how a South Korean group dominated over an entirely English speaking American market even after singing and speaking in a completely different language, which is a proof of how music transcends the barriers of language and race, and with the most dedicated fanbase the BTS ARMY they are here for World Domination!
We a group of BTS ARMYs have prepared a fun video for you! Watch us play “GUESS THE BTS SONG” :
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