BTS’ Influence on Western Audience
K-pop was first introduced to the U.S in 2012 by PSY’s Gangnam Style. BTS started becoming bigger in America in 2020 with their first full English hit, Dynamite. This summer they released another full English single Butter. Now that BTS has grabbed the attention of the Western audience, it gives them a chance to get singing opportunities, publicity, and more fans. Ever since BTS released their new two singles Butter and Permission to Dance, BTS has been getting tons of interviews and more singers want to get featured on their songs.
BTS is breaking many records and is the first k-pop group to get big in America. Since they have brought and made their music popular in the U.S, it’s shown a lot of American citizens other k-pop groups. BLACK PINK has also gotten very popular in the U.S ever since they debuted. A lot of teenagers now are k-pop fans because of how much these groups are influencing their music in the U.S.
BTS Throughout the Years
BTS first debuted in 2013 with No More Dream. BTS has come a long way since then. Even when they released Boy With Luv ft. Halsey in 2019, got more attention from western audiences. BTS has changed their style a few times to become the group they are today. When they first started, they were rappers with a dark concept and throughout their years, they became schoolboy rappers.
(BTS members starting from the bottom left: RM, Suga, Jung-Kook, Jin, V, Jimin, J-Hope)
The leader of famous k-pop group, BTS, learned English partly through a well-known show, “Friends” The leader, RM or Kim Nam-Joon, says he learned most of his English through the subtitles of “Friends” It started with the Korean subtitles changing to English and then losing the subtitles entirely. But no matter how many k-dramas I watch, I can’t learn Korean. Although RM did have English tutors, he learned a lot of his English from the “Friends” and even helped his members with their English. With the band getting more interviews because of their recent releases, you can see how much the members have been working on their English and RM still helps translate and helps his members here and there with the pronunciation and/or phrasing.
With their fan base, ARMY, so big and good at trolling this reached the creators and cast of the show, which isn’t a bad thing for once. RM saying this caused the show to have a reunion starring the band. Now they have a guest appearance on the very popular show, “Friends” BTS is scheduled to have a cameo in the show but Ben Winston, the director of the specials, refuses to share any big details on the cameo to avoid any spoilers.
BTS Fan Base
In about 2016, one of the members (Jung-kook) had a dating scandal. Because rumors were floating around, ARMY decided that Jung-kook belonged to ARMY and he couldn’t live his own life as a human being. In response to Jung-kook’s rumors, they started a hashtag called “cutforkookie” Basically what they would do is start self-harming and cutting their wrists and ankles to show Jung-kook that they loved him more than anyone else could. They tried to show him that he was being selfish in dating some girl. ARMY clearly didn’t understand that Jung-kook does not belong to them. Although ARMY has done some very questionable things in the past including trolling and bullying people just because they don’t like BTS, the boys still love them.
The most recent and big thing the BTS ARMY has done is cancel James Cordon. In one of his more recent episodes, he said something that offended ARMY. James said that the ARMY was a bunch of 15-year-old girls that we’re jealous of a bunch of older men in a room with BTS. James also said that it was unusual that BTS would be speaking at the UN when BTS has spoken two other times. ARMY wasn’t happy with it and decided to start rating his show at 1 and canceled him for his remarks.
Out of all the k-pop groups, BTS has the biggest bandom. I have had many friends strictly because they liked BTS. Next to directioners and swifties, ARMY has been the biggest bandom since 2016.
