BTS, the Korean boy band has seen its unprecedented success with their breaking records of No.1 hit in US Billboard Chart and earned their title of becoming the most tweeted celebrity. As the most famous boy band nowadays. BTS has performed at the Staple Center on September 5th, starting their world tour. Many fans who camped out for up to 4 days to see BTS and their performance described the experience as wonderful and full of heat. 《Daily News》 claimed that ‘BTS floss dance made the whole Staple Center fans go crazy.’ All the BTS fans had the time of their lives at the performance.
BTS’s popularity seemed unreal, even when they showed up in various TV programs and social media, or when they maintained their No.1 status in the US Billboard Chart. VOX mentioned that BTS’s crazy popularity and their No.1 place in 2017 and 2018 in the Billboard Chart Hot 100 and Billboard 200 has raised much attention, proving that its popularity has skyrocketed at an astonishing rate. BTS became top social artist in the digital records sales industry and went on a ‘BTS Love Yourself Tour’ in LA and New York. VOX’s journalist, Lexie Scalhipitl, tried to find out how K-POP music’s fame spread to America, Finland and even to India. He claimed “BTS did not become a star overnight. It was a result of specifically programmed, hardcore training”. BTS started out in 2010 with its 7 members and saw a huge success with their release 〈I NEED U〉 in 2015. In 2017, 《NY Times》 posted that 12,500 tickets were sold out in Chile concert and the crowd’s cheer reached upto 127 decibels.
The reason behind their bursting success was due to the young Korean celebrities’ endless pursuit and their approach to music, which was a new opportunity to show their love and interest for music. Their determination and somewhat reckless motivation showed up in the LA Staples Center concert. Ben Rabinovich from 《Daily News》 praised BTS with a headline that said “BTS’s floss dance turned fans into a crazy state.” Their amazing performance with 100% effort will be held in Citi Field, New york, the first Korean performance to do so, and the media claims that their moves will bring crowd to a complete awe.
BTS’s true power can be seen in how their tickets get sold out. BTS has full support of its loving fans, ‘ARMY’ who heartedly support BTS through Twitter. This might be the core drive to BTS’s success and their motivation. This phenomenon cannot be seen with the 1st generation of idols, and is a result of the new generation. ‘ARMY’ is a new form of fandom that transcends time and space by working nonstop throughout the world 24/7. New 〈IDOL〉 music video, released right before BTS’s world tour, reached over1.3 million views, which surpasses last year’s Taylor Swift’s 1 million views. BTS is surpassing its popularity expectations with new breaking records. We met some BTS Fans who just watched their performance.
“I am Cailyn, 23 years old from New Jersey. I flew 3,000 miles after a long wait to finally meet BTS.”
“Hello, I am Maria from Texas, and I am 26 years old. I came with 2 younger siblings and 3 friends. I think BTS is the absolute perfect form of what I have always dreamed of but never imagined could be true.”
“I am Sara Park from LA. My daughter is in middle school and she loves BTS so much we came together. I was surprised at the number of international people in the audience and that they were singing along to Korean songs. It made me feel proud in a way.”
Distance, age, race don’t matter when it comes to meeting the BTS. Numerous fans from all over the US came to meet BTS and nearby stores in Korean towns that sell posters were full of foreigners. A certain TV program in Korea had a debate on whether to let BTS members off of their mandatory military service. It is true that even foreign media is looking closely into this issue. BTS and their miracle success is more than just money-making. Where else can we see thousands of crowd singing along to Korean lyrics.
BTS’s No.1 place for 2 years in a row in Billboard 200 might be their own personal ‘tower of Babel.’ We wish that K-POP can hold a strong place in the music industry with support of BTS’s amazing popularity and their performance filled with young generation’s love and passion. With this in mind, we hope that there is a new young generation out there practicing to become the new leaders of the K-POP industry. Now, they will have a chance to become the next BTS and enter the world with new hope.
Jun K / Translated by Mikyung Mun
* 《쿨투라》 2018년 10월호(통권 52호) *
