Why Is BTS So Successful In America? Finally Explained
- Jessie Li
- Mar 16, 2021
- 3 min read
AMRIGANKA CHAWLA
BTS is a 7 member boy band that originates from South Korea, Seoul, and it is estimated as per CNBC that BTS adds $3.6 Billion to the Korean economy every year and more than $1 Billion dollars in consumer exports. But how did we get here and why are BTS such a bid deal?
We dive deep and then take a look at all the records BTS has broken over the years in honor of them performing again on America’s Got Talent, tonight!
What Does BTS Stand For?
Unlike popular assumption, BTS are not just some random letters strung together, instead, their full name is Bangtan Sonyeondan, which when translated to English, means Bulletproof Boy Scouts. Although some people do also assume that it means Beyond The Scene but any true Army member will tell you the true origin of their name
What Is BTS’ Genre?
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
How Are BTS Different From Other K-Pop Boy Bands?
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.
The band also c chas full control of their social media and they often live-streamed their practices and interacted directly with their fanbase, now called the Army. A point to note is that none of the band members have their own social media accounts and they concentrate their following to one account per social media platform.
How Did BTS Come To be?
The boys were brought together by a series of auditions held in 2010 and 2011 by Big Hit entertainment. Coincidentally Big Hit entertainment was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2007 but all that has clearly changed since the rise and rise of BTS.
The group, comprised of Kim Tae-hyung (better known as V), Jung Ho-seok (J-Hope), Kim Nam-joon (RM), Kim Seok-jin (Jin), Park Ji-min, Jeon Jung-kook, and Min Yoon-gi (Suga)
Finally, Why Is BTS So Famous In America?
Foreign boy bands making it big in America is not a new thing, from The Beatles to One Direction, boy bands have always had a special place in young American’s hearts. After One Direction split up, BTS came to the forefront and now has become the biggest boy band to ever exist.
Yes, you might love The Beatles and the resemblance you see between The Beatles and BTS is not you trying to make fetch happen, it is intentional. A little bit of old, a little bit of new and a whole lot of classic — that what makes their music fresh.
K-pop is growing in popularity and everybody wants to listen to it, which in itself is an advantage for BTS. According to Billboard, their album ‘Love Yourself: Tear’, which is sung in Korean, became “the first primarily foreign-language No 1 album in over 12 years.”
BTS’s music is also a success because of the subject of their music. While many K-pop songs are about relationships and love, 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.
BTS’ Performance Makes Their Song Better
There’s no point of having amazing songs if you can’t sell them to the world and BTS has got this down by making sure their performance is entertaining and their shows are different that the rest.
With their slick dance routines and extremely impressive music videos, their talent stands out and they have amazed a fandom that is often referred to as the army.
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!
There are countless pages, profiles, and sites set up all over the world where the Army members post content, send messages and share their love for the 7 boys.
BTS Records: Most Viewed YouTube Video
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