Everyone Is Talking About BTS—We Give You Reasons To Join The "Army"
FYI, it's "ARMY" day today! The fans of K-Pop group BTS are celebrating today, as July 9 marks the day their fandom's official name was coined.
Who would have thought that a 7-member male K-Pop group, composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, would become arguably the world’s biggest boyband today? BTS has taken the world by storm and conquered every place they went to.
BTS stands for both Bangtan Sonyeondan (which means “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in Korean) and Beyond The Scene, and truly, these seven K-Pop superstars are living up to their group name. From music, fashion, and just about everything they do, they seem to be invincible, and whatever content they release has an in-depth story to tell.
Their music alone breaks a lot of barriers in several ways. Language is one. Since their songs are in Korean, anyone would wonder how foreign fans (including non-Asians) are able to sing-along to the songs that are not of their mother tongue. And honestly, it's quite amazing! Another factor would be the lyrics behind every song they release. As South Korea is known for its very conservative nature, it’s courageous for these guys to sing about sociopolitical issues, gender equality, female empowerment, depression, and other sensitive topics that not a lot of people dare to discuss in public. Last would be the genres of music they produce. From rap, hip-hop, EDM, pop to good ol’ ballads, you name it, they have it, and they deliver well.
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The world of fashion and cosmetics also weren’t able to escape the charm of these boys. Puma, for one, has announced earlier this year that BTS is the brand’s new global ambassador. The brand also collaborated with the band for limited edition shoes, namely the Puma x BTS Court Star last 2017, and the Puma x BTS Turin shoes this 2018.
Aside from this, Korean cosmetic brand VT Cosmetics signed them as their endorsers, and popular skin care brand Mediheal launched four sets of limited edition BTS face masks last year. As for their everyday fashion, they still exhibit versatility when it comes to their sense of style: from the street style Off-White and GCDS, hip Gucci and Balenciaga, to formal and elegant Saint Lauren, which they wore during their memorable and life-changing first Top Social Artist win at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. To top that, they wore Calvin Klein Jeans’ Spring 2018 collection during their exclusive feature and photoshoot with renowned fashion magazine Vogue.
So, just why is everyone talking about BTS? Here are some of the reasons why:
1. BTS is the first K-Pop group to have been nominated and won at the Billboard Music Awards.
Justin Bieber’s 6-year winning streak for the “Top Social Artist” award was broken by none other than BTS during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. They have also successfully snag that same award again this 2018 based on the most number of tweets, as well as votes on Billboard’s official voting site. BTS was pitted against international superstars such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Shawn Mendes.
2. BTS is the first K-Pop group to have been invited to perform at notable events in the US.
Fresh from their first win at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, they have received love calls not only from various American TV shows, but also at huge events in the US. They were first invited to perform at the 2017 American Music Awards, followed by Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2018. They also debuted their latest single “Fake Love” at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.
3. BTS is the first K-Pop group to have achieved 400M+ views on YouTube.
Excluding PSY’s “Gangnam Style” MV (which currently has a whopping 3.1 billion views to date), the record of the most watched MV by a K-Pop group was long held by the iconic group BIGBANG with their “Fantastic Baby” MV with a total of 355M+ views as of press time. This record has been broken just this year by BTS with their music video for “DNA" which has so far garnered 424M views (and counting!).
4. BTS is the first K-Pop group to have an exclusive feature on American Vogue.
It’s not everyday that you see a K-Pop group gracing an American magazine for an exclusive fashion feature. Sporting the Calvin Klein Jeans’ Spring 2018 collection (which, later on, were modelled by the Kardashians), the seven superstars posed, played and toured around LA on a party bus, creating carefree and playful yet fashionable and stylish layouts for Vogue.
5. BTS are very much involved in promoting advocacies for social awareness.
Coinciding with the releases of their albums Love Yourself: Her and Love Yourself: Tear, BTS collaborated with UNICEF for the organization’s LOVE MYSELF campaign to promote anti-violence and make the world a safer place. Aside from this, legendary singer Stevie Wonder personally reached out to BTS to participate in “Dream Lives On," a campaign remembering the heroic leader and activist Martin Luther King, Jr. Other influential artists who participated in this campaign are The Chainsmokers, Katy Perry, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney and former US President Barack Obama.
The latest news is that their song "Fake Love" will be played at the FIFA World Cup 2018 final match after winning in a poll on Instagram. It is certainly a feat for the K-Pop industry to reach this international level.
Turn it up and feel the beat!
— FIFA World Cup ?? (@FIFAWorldCup) July 4, 2018
From the final four, which beat do you want heard inside the stadium? VOTE NOW! ?? #FIFAStadiumDJ
Since 2013, when their group was established, BTS has gained a huge number of fans, who are also known as ARMYs. The group was able to transcend through generations of fans, too—from elementary school kids, to teenagers, young adults and even the so-called Generation X! They have also transcended cultural boundaries as their popularity continues to spread like wildfire all over the world.
Photos from @bts.bighitofficial
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