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List of Live Performances

BTS World Tour: Love Yourself

BTS has performed in five concert tours, four fan meeting tours, one joint tour, 5 showcases, and 8 concerts. In 2014, BTS embarked on their first concert tour, BTS Live Trilogy Episode II: The Red Bullet , which visited Asia, Australia, North America, and South America and attracted 80,000 spectators at 18 cities in 13 countries. During The Red Bullet Tour, BTS also held their first Japan Tour, Wake Up , to 25,000 fans. BTS commenced in 2015 their The Most Beautiful Moment in Life On Stage Tour , which visited various cities in Asia and sold over 182,500 tickets. In 2017, BTS embarked on their The Wings Tour , which visited 17 cities in 10 countries around the world and attracted 550,000 spectators. BTS will further promote the releases of Love Yourself: Her and Love Yourself: Tear in the BTS World Tour: Love Yourself . Following the release of Map of the Soul: Persona , BTS have decided to extend the previous tour to a stadium exclusive tour, BTS World Tour Love Yourself: Speak Yourself .

• 3 Fan meeting tours
• 5 Showcases
• 6 Joint tours and concerts
• 7 Performances on award shows, television shows and specials
• 8 Navigation

Concerts [ ]

Fan meeting tours [ ].

• HAPPY BTS DAY PARTY (2016)
• BTS HOME PARTY (2017)
• BTS PROM PARTY -RE;VIEW & PRE;VIEW- (2018)

Showcases [ ]

Joint tours and concerts [ ], performances on award shows, television shows and specials [ ], navigation [ ].

• SuperStar BTS
• Puzzle Star BT21
• LINE Hello BT21
• BTS Universe Story
• Rhythm Hive
• BTS Island: In the SEOM
• Hip Hop Monster
• 1 Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco)
• 2 Begins ≠ Youth

BTS Tour History

Top Tours · Just Announced · USA · Europe · 2025 Tours

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All Setlists

• All setlist songs  ( 295 )

Years on tour

• 2022  ( 14 )
• 2021  ( 25 )
• 2020  ( 27 )
• 2019  ( 59 )
• 2018  ( 48 )
• 2017  ( 33 )
• 2016  ( 27 )
• 2015  ( 36 )
• 2014  ( 22 )
• 2013  ( 4 )

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• BTS Japan Official Fanmeeting Vol.4 ~Happy Ever After  ( 2 )
• Highlight  ( 4 )
• Live Trilogy Episode II. The Red Bullet  ( 22 )
• Live Trilogy Episode III. The Wings Tour  ( 26 )
• Love Yourself  ( 63 )
• Permission To Dance On Stage  ( 12 )
• The Most Beautiful Moment in Life On Stage  ( 22 )
• WAKE UP: OPEN YOUR EYES  ( 6 )
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In 2013, BTS (aka the Bangtan Boys) stepped onto the K-pop scene thanks to record label Big Hit Entertainment. Members Kim Namjoon (RM), Kim Seokjin (Jin), Min Yoongi (Suga), Jung Hoseok (J-Hope), Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung (V), and Jeon Jungkook.

All seven members hail from layered backgrounds like hip-hop and professional dance, proving their expertise in the entertainment industry. Originally a hip-hop group, BTS quickly became a force in South Korea – and around the world – thanks to the constant growth of its music, lyrics, and on-stage charisma.

BTS released its first single, “No More Dream,” from its debut album 2 Cool 4 Skool in 2013. The album’s hip-hop elements set the tone for BTS’s early career. The group showed off its talent with various multi-language album releases in Korean and Japanese. Dark & Wild, Wake Up, and The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1 & 2 offered glimpses into BTS’s potential in K-pop.

In 2016, BTS’s second Korean LP Wings sold one million copies in South Korea, solidifying its spot as a rising group in music. Singles like “Blood Sweat & Tears” helped the album skyrocket. An official part two release of Wings titled You Never Walk Alone continued where the previous album’s left in 2017. A resounding message of hope remained a recurring theme throughout the lineup of must-have records.

As BTS’s success continued to grow, so did its worldwide status. The septet’s 2017 singles “DNA” and “Mic Drop” kick-started its rise on the U.S. charts. It was no surprise the initial EP release Love Yourself: Her was also highly successful.

By a new all-time high in South Korea and number seven in the U.S., the nine-track album secured another win for one of K-pop’s best. Love Yourself: Her experimented with a variety of genres, including electro-pop and hip-hop. Not only did BTS stick to its roots, but it also delivered a sneak peek into its creative versatility.

Following a string of U.S. TV appearances, BTS set out to take the world by storm. Like the band’s previous albums, Love Yourself: Her was the beginning of a unique three-album series. First, BTS released the Japanese-language LP Face Yourself. Later, the follow-up Love Yourself: Tear marked the band’s first U.S. number one hit.

A collaboration with Nicki Minaj on the single “Idol” helped the next LP, Love Yourself: Answer, gain more traction. Not only did BTS sell over one million copies of the third installment of the Love Yourself series in South Korea, the album also topped charts in the U.S.

BTS’s status as a worldwide pop phenom took a significant turn with its Map of the Soul: Persona era. Additional collabs with famous American artists like Halsey on “Boy with Luv” helped the group obtain a third number one LP in the U.S. Soon enough, BTS became one of the most in-demand musicians in the pop industry. It continued to break records with Map of the Soul: 7 and Map of the Soul: 7 — The Journey in 2020.

More recent singles like “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “Permission to Dance” were radio hits. BTS’s signature high-energy sound and lyrics captivated fans and casual listeners alike. In the meantime, concert documentary films, mobile games, award show performances, and collaborations featuring artists like Snoop Dogg, Coldplay, Zara Larrson, and Charli XCX allowed BTS to break down barriers as a South Korean artist.

Along with incredible album sales, BTS embarked on sold-out world tours. With choreographed dance sequences and flashy stage setups, the boy band put on quite the show for its loyal fanbase.

Individual style sets BTS apart from the typical boy band. Perhaps that’s why the septet’s status as a music phenom is an undeniable feat.

Along with incredible album sales, BTS embarked on several sold-out world tours throughout its career. With choreographed dance sequences and flashy stage setups, the band put on quite the show for its loyal fanbase. The same went for TV appearances on late-night talk shows, award ceremonies, and more.

Despite BTS’s recent hiatus announcement, its popularity continues to grow, especially with a long list of music awards under its belt. Some of them include nine AMAs, 10 MTV VMAs, and 12 BMAs. Not to mention two well-deserved Grammy nominations from the Recording Academy.

Live reviews

Going into this, I didn’t know what to expect. I have known bts for a very long time and all army’s know that you should expect the unexpected from bts because they’re all amazing!!! I was extremely excited when I had gotten the tickets, but I had no clue what I was in for till I arrived in Hamilton and stood in front of the First Ontario Centre! Once I stood there everything became so real and couldn’t believe that I would get to see bts in just moments. My sisters and I went to see the merchandise. There were many army’s dancing and singing to all of bts’s amazing songs, it made me smile. Sadly we didn’t get any merchandise, but we took some amazing pictures and the true prize was being able to spend the whole evening with bts. Once we entered the stadium and found our seats, my heart stopped! There were lights everywhere and their old music videos were playing on the big screen. Many army’s were singing along to the songs while we waited for the moment of truth! Finally it was 5 minutes till the beginning of the concert and my heart was racing!!! This was finally it. I was going to see bts for real!! And then it happened! Bts appeared from the stage and I began to cry. I myself am still confused as to why I was crying. Maybe it was because of shock, maybe because I was seeing my idols for the first time, but I like to think it was because these are the most amazing people on earth, they show their love to thousands and work tirelessly every single day and it’s all so they can spread their message. Their message of hope, love, ending violence, trashing stereotypes, and loving yourself. I think we need more people like bts in this world. Despite me crying through the opening song I managed to sing along to all of their songs and screamed till my heart was content. The visual effects and lighting were out of this world. The whole time I thought I was dreaming, but it was all true. Time seemed to fly by the fastest when they were on stage, but I enjoyed every moment of it! This concert was definitely the most breath taking and inspiring concert I have ever seen (it’s also my very first concert!). The music was so loud and everyone single person was enjoying it. I felt nothing but pure joy. My day before the concert was a difficult one and I am a student who has to work hard in school, so I had many worries before the concert. But as soon as the first song started and they appeared, every problem seemed to disappear. I felt extremely enlightened and happy that I had the opportunity to see these one of a kind people. If someone asked me if I would go to another bts concert, my answer would be an immediate yes!! Bts are very inspiring people and I can’t even begin to imagine what they went through to get where they are today, but I’ll take the time to thank bts now for becoming the amazing boys we all know and love. I know that they will make even bigger accomplishments in the future. Soon enough everyone will know bts as those boys who changed their lives. I hope millions of people can give them a chance and see what they have to offer because I cannot imagine going through life without knowing who bts is. If I could request bts of anything it would be for them to stay happy. I won’t even try to imagine how hard it must be for them at times and I don’t think many people understand what you all go through from day to day. But if my message can lighten your worries even a bit, I would be satisfied! I want you all to stay happy and enjoy all the moments that come your way. Whether it’s good or bad. BTS, army’s love you always!!!! We purple you always!! And will always stand by your side!!!

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Hello to whoever is reading this! If you are planning or debating to go to a concert, or simply just here to read the review on their concert, the experience was absolutely amazing! Meeting armys, to waiting in line, to actually seeing BTS perform their songs LIVE, every single thing about it was ecstatic.

I have read a lot that ARMY’S are all very sweet and it is indeed true. While I was waiting in line for merch, there was a particular moment that I will not forget for a while. I already had a reserved seat and I was waiting at 4 am (on the concert day) in the GA Line. GA (General Admission), the pit, where people stand in front of the stage. It was useless for me to wait in the line because I had a reserved seat. These ladies behind me asked me if this was the GA line and I told them I was unsure. They went to the front of the line and asked and apparently, it was indeed the GA line. I had no absolute idea, and they were kind enough to actually go all the way to the back to let me know I wasn’t waiting in the correct line.

I also met more ARMY’s in the merch line! They told me all about their experiences and their bias and many more. ARMY’s are all really sweet and they are amazing people who share the same passion as you! I also met some people from behind my mom and I. My mom befriended them first, then she introduced them to me! We then went back to the GA line to look for people giving out free things. The girl behind me also had to use the restroom, so we all walked across the street to a paint store and while I was in the restroom, turns out someone almost spilt blue paint on her homeade jacket!!! The experience with ARMY was absolutely amazing and I will never forget how kind and welcoming they were.

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a soundcheck winner as well, so I was able to see BTS perform without any makeup on and with their normal clothes. While waiting, I also met ANOTHER fellow ARMY, of course haha. She was so kind to me and while we were waiting in the arena for BTS to come out, she actually gave me Shooky sign that she had purchased from the LINE store, unfortunately, I left it behind on accident after the concert.. She was also so kind to me and was extremely nervous to finally see BTS. When BTS came out, I was on the verge of crying. Before, I wasn’t that nervous and I was ready to see them. It was so amazing to see them in person when you’ve seen them on a tiny screen on your phone. They are real. Seeing them so up close and in person was a different feeling. They look the same in person as they do in videos and pictures, except they are way more beautiful. They’re features are really sharp and they really glisten. The feeling is unexplainable and it is very hard to understand until you actual experience it yourself. They performed 3 songs: I Need U, DNA, and Anpanman. This lasted for about 15-20 minutes.

The concert itself was so hype. They all sound amazing live. However, you can hear how tired they were, from all the difficult choreographies and traveling so much. It was evident they hasn’t had enough sleep. They had one day to rest because after their FOUR day concert (straight) they flew to Oakland already. It is a differnet feeling when you hear the song in such a way. You are just absolutely jamming out and having the best time of your life. If you could go to one concert, I would reccomend a BTS concert.

I think that if i have to describe it in just one word i will say: PERFECT.

It was the best experience of my live, also it was my firt concert ever.

Everithing went perfect, im from Barcelona, Spain, so i had to take a two hours flight to go to Paris, i woke up at 3 am because the flight departure was at 6:30 am, I arrived there (the hotel) at 11 am on the 18, after that, i went to eat breakfast/lunch and while i was eating i went to look around the concert area. When i went there i saw a lot of people camping out to be one of the firt so i decided to do the same. My friend and i went to get water, food and a jacket to go with the others to camp out there. We stayed from 1 pm to 10 pm camping until they gave us a number so that people could leave the place to rest a bit, we decided to do so because we couldn't sleep the previous day because the flight that we had and also it was only 6 degrees and we were only wearing a short t-shirt and a jacket.

We woke up at 4 am to go to our place, after waiting four hours more we went to get merchandising so we had to wait 3 hours until we got the army bomb ver. 3. After that we waited until 5 pm when they let us enter the concert hall, in there we waited 3 hours more until the happiest moment in my live where the 7 most handsome mens appeared surroundered by the screams of the fans, the lights, and the fireworks. Their voices are incredible in real life, they are a hundred more times handsome in real life than in pictures and videos, they were respectful and thankful with all their fans and even tried to talk in french, Jungkook danced for the fans even if he was injured, Taehyung was sick and his voice wasn't at full, but i couldn't realise it until he said so. Seokjin was a bit sick, but he didn't show any sight of so. The others were fantastic too, the blue-haired Jimin, the president Namjoon, the handsome Hoseok (in my opinion he is the one that changes the most from pictures to reality, he is really, really hot, and he is so energetic and happy), and Yoongi, who killed my with his voice, his dance, his appearance, his rap, in one word: seesaw.

Also my bias was Taehyung and i can say that getting to see him was extremely awesome, he is so perfect, he is indeed the most handsome man of the world, and even if he was sad because he couldn't give his best, his performance was absolutely perfect, i couldn't be able to ask for more.

All in all, the best experience in my live, i hope maybe next year they come to Spain so that the people that couldn't go can see them.

The BTS concert was the most shocking experience that I ever had.

Queuing all day was not a problem, I met a lot of ARMYS from all over the world with the same motivation to see our boys. We were all day singing, sharing experiences and exploring the venue. Nevertheless, the O2 regulations were very specific about camping and how prohibited was it and even so they honoured the queue started by campers sooner than expected by the rules. That fact was heartbreaking because a lot of armys synchronized their flights to get there in time as well as others had to spend money on a hotel (me included) to stay during the night to respect the regulations.

Once inside was kind of a war, mostly if you are standing. People pushed from every corner of the space (which is comprehensible) to get a better view and that conditioned the experience a lot. In my case I was on the right side of the stage (relatively close) but I was so stucked into the crowd that I couldn't even refer to my friends who were behind me. Anyways this was not anyone fault, I'm just relating my experience without blaming.

As soon as the boys were on stage I got paralyzed. I just couldn't believe that something that I'd been following for so much time through media was suddenly in front of me (and looking damn good). Song after song the only phrase on my mind was: this cannot be real.

Going to a BTS concert is like the last level and thing that an army can do/achieve to feel closer to her/his idols. I just wish that there could be a way to express my love to them that didn't involve money. Dreaming is free right?

In conclusion, we had no problems with the tickets, in the venue the staff treated us very kindly (they offered us water during the show) and it was totally worth it, money cannot tell how valuable was the experience. I've just wished that that same morning the O2 had communicated about the queue news because I found out thanks to anonymous Twitter users.

BTS said that they would definitely comeback to the UK which makes me very happy. This announcement motivated me to be a better person for the next time I see them because as I said, I really felt like I didn't deserve it, I didn't deserve so much love and dedication from this wonderful people. They've helped me and other people in such a way, that I just want all the love, best and heaven for them.

It was surreal. I've never thought i would ever get to see BTS in real life nor to join one of their concerts. They came to Amsterdam, ziggodome. I was in line for GA since 8 am, it was a chill line untill we all had to move around 3 pm. People started cutting in line, pushing etc. We had to stand real close in the sun for another two hours. It went rather unfair, people who arrived at 11 or 12 am were standing in front of me in the concert.And we still had to wait another three hours untill the show actually began. I didn't move a muscle once I was in the concert venue and yet I managed to get further back once it was almost time for the show and my friends were even further behind me. But it was worth all the hassle. I didn't get to look at the boys well even though I was decently close to the side of the stage (probably 5 or 6 rows before me) and that was puerly because people in front of us decided it was needed to film the whole concert so we were looking at beautiful phones almost the whole 3 hours.

Even though it felt like I was never there and it never happened. Even though it went unfair and my view was mostly blocked because of others. It was still worth it. Maybe not worth the price we had to pay for the tickets. Next time maybe make sections in GA as well. It seems unfair for people who pay equal amount and ended up in the back.

The music was amazing, the boys and their speeches were adorable.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. All the time. The screen? No I want to look at them in flesh, but the boys are spreaded all over the stage nor I couldn't see because of the phones blocking my view. It was hard to decide and I think this is also why it feels like I missed out on so much.

Next year I'll go for VIP or seating. The stress and lining up hours before, pushing etc in GA was just not it for me and for only 50 euros more you'd have a guaranteed good spot AND soundcheck. It just seems a bit unfair.

But the concert itself was amazing and I would go through all of that all over again. I made friends and had a great moment I'll think about the rest of my life.

Honestly the concert was great and BTS is way hotter in person it was hard to believe they were real. The problem I had was how TGM made us wait outside in the cold, rainy weather. I happened to be standing outside 5 hours and I was seated in the last row. I have read other reviews saying things like the security guards pushed them. Thankfully that didn't happen to us but we were still screamed at and we didn't get to hold their hands we just walked down the line and slightly high five them. Another thing I had a problem which is that the local artist played more songs than BTS themselves. The local artist played 5 and BTS played 4 or 5. Even if both BTS and the local artist both played 5 songs the local artist shouldn't have the same amount of songs as BTS because that's why most people were there. To see BTS. I happen to be black so standing in the rain for 5 hours made my hair get really big and I happened to look like i had a bad hair day. It also messed up my makeup. If you want to know what I looked like just imagine Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz gone goth. I happened to be wearing a black t-shirt and a choker and my hair was down but from standing in the rain my hair got really big and puffy so I tried restyling it. The only way that it didn't look too bad was when I put my hair in braids BAM goth dorthy. I honestly don't think I will ever go to another TGM event unless I make sure to buy VIP. VIP's were lucky enough to enter before us, see BTS before us, and stay to take a group with BTS after we left. Another thing that was a problem was that my friend who was supposed to meet me inside the venue wasn't allowed in as they said there were no more seats. There were plenty of seats left for her, her mom, and her sister. The only problem is that they wouldn't be together. There were many spots were 2 seats were open but they still weren't let in. The good thing is that they got a full refund, a hitouch, and a group photo since they weren't able to see the concert.

A memorable night at the O2 as BTS kicked off their first European tour in London. The boys pulled off a very enjoyable and impressive night, even with Jungkook not being in best condition and with the late start to the concert (which I assume was done because plans changed since rehearsals).

Before the show fans qued up outside just to take photos with the giant billboard showcasing the tour poster.

I was with my dad who had no clue what to expect really, so this was maybe not such a good start.

I was not trying to scare him off, believe me.

Unfortunately, all merchandise except light sticks had been sold out by the time we entered the arena, although, I wasn’t really suprised considering the circumstances. I regret not buying a lightstick in the end because in a BTS concert WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS?! I do not have a phone to hold. When I tried clapping or dancing the girl next to me started to slowly back away. At one point, I swear to god she was so far away that she was in the isle (fire hazard, or what?).

The show started with a few of their new songs (like IDOL and I’m fine). Everybody cheered when they introduced themselves and I will admit that I lost my voice within 10 minutes of the concert.

In between segments short videos would play or the members would talk to the audience. They were very sweet overall and it made me happy to see them still able to express themselves so well in such a new environment where they cannot speak the language with a lot of confidence.

I had to leave during the truth untold because I had to catch a train but what I did see has made me even more eager to come back and watch a full concert with my best friend who could not come this time.

As for my unwilling a dad, he said that he was suprised that he liked it and that it was one of the best performances he has been to. For next time though, he said introductions could be shorter.

I can not wait until next time!!! ♥️

.... Come to Ireland plz

I have to add more so

We're now going to progress to some steps which are a bit more difficult

Ready, set, and begin

Bighit exclusive, exclusive

포기를 선택한 삶으로

But 세상에는 있지

변하지 않는 몆 진실

시간은 앞으로 흐른다는 것

까마득해질 만하면 생각나 그 시절

악마의 손길과 운명의 recall

궁금해 아직도 왜 다시 불렀는지도

매일 ask me, guess it, 채찍, repeat, oh

변할 건 없다며 결국 또

걱정을 억지로 잠궈, close

How much love? How much joy?

위안을 주며 stay calm, alone

그래 I don't care, 전부 내

운명의 선택, so we're here

내 앞을 봐, the way is shinin'

Keep goin' now

(Ready, set, and begin)

그 길로, 길로, 길로

Wherever my way

오직 ego, ego, ego

Just trust myself

(2 Cool, 2 Cool 4 Skool)

문득 스쳐가는 j-hope이 아닌 정호석의 삶

희망이란 없고 후회만 가득했겠지 'til I die

춤은 뜬 구름을 잡을 뿐 나의 꿈을 탓할 뿐

살아 숨쉬는 거에 의문을

Oh my God (God, God, God)

Uh, time goes by

7년의 걱정이 드디어 입 밖으로

가장 믿던 그들의 답은 내 심장으로

하나뿐인 hope, 하나뿐인 soul

하나뿐인 smile, 하나뿐인 너

세상 그 진실에 확실해진 답

변하지 않는 그 어떤 나, right

이제 I don't care, 전부 내

믿는 대로 가는 대로

운명이 됐고 중심이 됐어

힘든 대로 또 슬픈 대로

위로가 됐고 날 알게 됐어

Map of the Soul, map of the all (Map of the Soul)

That's my ego, that's my ego

Map of the Soul, map of the all

That's my ego, that's my ego (Map of the Soul)

I was so happy I was going to a BTS concert but unfortunately I got up late because I wanted to be the first one there (new that would happen) but I got dressed and did my hair but a mixed girl to do my hair needs about 30 minutes to get ready and after that i went there and so many people were in line

( new that would happen too) when I had got in line a girl stepped on another girls foot and told me to leave I could not believe my eyes what army would hurt another army (like we are on your team) but me being the angel I am (not really) i went up and told the girl to stop and she got mad at me (bad choice) she was yelling at me so I tried to walk off and she grabbed my hair by this point I was mad and I slapped her she let go and started to cry a guy who was buff came up and then said that i would have to leave but the girl who got her foot stepped on stood up for me her name was akana and she and i did not end up leaving but akana and me talked and we were friends once we reached the beginning of the line it was my turn and akana was waiting inside so they said that My ticket was invalid honestly I could not believe it after all this I looked like crap but just at that moment I found a vip pass on the ground I picked it up even though I did not pay for it I felt bad but finally after a while I was seated and when the concert started I screamed at the top of my lungs when it ended I found akana we got to stay after the concert and took pictures with BTS

(what pure luck) I wanted to die but today still me and akana are still huge fans of BTS and best friends now even if i know that akana is dying from cancer she will fight through and make sure to see another BTS concert with me and to become a KPOP singer she will pull through support her pray for her please.

Ummm the concert was good I ended up getting bronchitis from the cold and due to the fact my asthma kicked in but it was hilarious because when I called my little sister she thought I was a man I never laughed so hard in my life and I don’t like to smile or laugh so I was kinda glad I got sick but then it hurt to even talk or drink water so that was bad but the concert was wild. I ended making a friend and she is older than me...(I always end up being the youngest but I look older than what I am) and she gave me a talk about how high school is going to be like. The only reason why I was able to go was because of my cousin and I am happy she was able to take me. I studied too much the day before no not even EVERYDAY before the concert because trying to go to high school...so I was numb with knowledge and forgot what excitement was but when we walked into the stadium I had anxiety but I ended up getting pass it after I realized that I sang before on a stage and people actually like it and it was a huge stage so I felt better and then blah blah blah lost my voice blah blah blah almost fell...lies I did fall like multiple times but that was because I am the biggest klutz blah blah blah nervous but SOOOO HAPPY blah blah blah screamed out high notes (that was were I made my mistake) blah blah blah then was being a goofball on my way out of the stadium with my cousin when we went to the car and met up with my uncle...so basically I enjoyed it and wow did I write a lot...probably should shorten this but I have bracelets to make and sell and they aren’t going to do it themselves so GREAT JOB BTS and to the amazing staff and yeah EVERYBODY THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE YOU GUYS AND GALS ARE AMAZING AND YOU GUYS AND GALS SHOULD KNOW THAT!

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Find out more about BTS tour dates & tickets 2024-2025

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A timeline of BTS: how the K-pop superstars took over the world

From their humble beginnings to becoming household names, we take a look back at how the seven-piece built their empire.

BTS through the years: the K-pop band at the Korean Culture Convention (K-Con), held at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena on August 10, 2014. AFP

With news that K-pop superstars BTS will be taking an “extended break” from the music scene, we revisit how they became one of the world's most famous bands. The seven-piece – made up of Jimin, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jin, V, Suga and RM – have myriad albums, best-selling singles and feature films under their belt, built up over the last decade.

Here's an in-depth look at how they crafted an empire:

September 30, 2010:   For the first time, the name BTS (or Bulletproof Boy Scouts) is used, as the band collaborates on songs with artists such as rapper J-Lim, 2am and Lee Seung Gi.

July 2011: BTS create their Twitter account (at the time writing, it has 21.3 million followers).

December 17, 2012: The band introduces themselves to the world on Twitter.

워썹! 방탄소년단입니다.드디어 방탄소년단 트위터를 공식 오픈하네요~짝짝짝!데뷔 전까지 상상 그 이상의 이상하고 재미난 것들이 업로드됩니다. — 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) December 17, 2012

June 13, 2013: The band release their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool which features their first single No More Dream .

September 11, 2013: The band release their first EP titled O!RUL8,2? that consists of 10 tracks.

November 13, 2013: BTS wins their first major award when they're recognised as Best New Artist at South Korea's Melon Music Awards. They would go on to win many other similar awards throughout the 2013 to 14 awards season.

February 12, 2014: Their second EP Skool Luv Affair releases and peaks at number three on the World Album chart.

March 29, 2014: The group holds their first fan club concert in Seoul.

July 14, 2014: BTS makes their first trip to the US with their Show & Prove concert in Los Angeles.

July 27, 2014: They continue overseas with a fan meeting in Berlin.

August 19, 2014: The boy band release their debut studio album Dark & Wild that features 14 tracks with Danger as its lead single.

November 13, 2014: BTS performs their first Asian concert outside of Korea by heading to Kobe, Japan as part of their Live Trilogy Episode II: The Red Bullet tour.

December 24, 2014: The group releases their first Japanese album Wake Up .

April 29, 2015:   Their third EP The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1 debuts on the Heatseekers Albums chart at number six.

May 5, 2015: The group perform on The Show , one of South Korea's weekly music shows, and win with their song I Need U .

November 30, 2015: A new era is set for the band as their fourth EP The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2 releases and becomes their first album to debuts on the Billboard 200 at number 171.

March 25, 2016: In their first Middle Eastern appearance, BTS comes to Abu Dhabi to perform as part of the sold out KCon 2016.

May 2, 2016: They release their first compilation album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever and it peaks on the Billboard 200 at number 107.

September 7, 2016: BTS release their their second Japanese album Youth and it debuts at number one on the Oricon chart (Japanese music chart).

October 10, 2016: Showing no signs of slowing down, the group also release their second album Wings which lands at number 26 on the Billboard 200.

October 29, 2016: The band tops the Social 50 Billboard chart for the first time.

November 20, 2016: They win the coveted album of the year at South Korea's Melon Music awards for The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever. This would just kickstart the trend of the numerous awards won by the group throughout the year.

February 18, 2017: The group begin their The Wings Tour , which kicks off in Seoul and includes 40 shows in total. Much of it is featured in the YouTube series Burn the Stage.

March 11, 2017: The band head to South America for the first time with gigs in Chile and Brazil.

March 17, 2017: They perform in Mexico City as part of KCon Mexico.

May 21, 2017: BTS appears at their first Billboard Music Awards where they win the top social artist award, dethroning Justin Bieber who had previous won the award for the last six years.

May 26, 2017: They take The Wings Tour down under with a performance in Sydney.

September 18, 2017: The band releases their fifth EP Love Yourself: Her . At the time, it becomes the highest-charting Korean album as it hits number seven on the Billboard 200.

October 2, 2017: Their song DNA peaks at number 67 on the Hot 100 Billboard, also becoming the highest K-pop song at the time.

November 15, 2017:  They appear on The Late Late Show with James Corden , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Jimmy Kimmel Live and make other US television show appearances for the month ahead of their performance at the American Music Awards (AMAs).

November 19, 2017: BTS performs DNA at the AMAs – marking their US TV performance debut.

November 24, 2017: A collaboration with Steve Aoki and Desiigner releases – Mic Drop (Remix) becomes the group's highest charting song at the time when it debuts at number 28 on the Hot 100 chart.

December 5, 2017: Twitter reveals that BTS is the most tweeted about celebrity for the year.

December 31, 2017: The group continues making history in the US as they become the first K-pop group to perform on the iconic Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve programme. They perform DNA and Mic Drop .

February 12, 2018: DNA and Mic Drop (Remix) are certified Gold (for selling 500,000 copies) by the RIAA

March 28, 2018: The Burn the Stage series comes out on YouTube. It follows the 300-day journey of the group's sold-out Wings Tour .

April 4, 2018: They release their third Japanese studio album Face Yourself . It breaks into the Billboard 200 and peaks at number 43. It gets certified platinum by the RIAJ.

April 26, 2018: The group announce the dates for their Love Yourself World Tour . It features the band heading to the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, Japan and Taiwan.

May 15, 2018: Fake Love gets released as the first single from their new album Love Yourself: Tear . The song debuts at number 10 on the Hot 100, becoming the group's highest-charting song.

May 18, 2018: BTS releases their third studio album Love Yourself: Tear . It debuts at number one on the Billboard 200 and makes history, as it becomes the first Korean album to top the US charts.

May 20, 2018: The group performs at the Billboard Music Awards for the first time. They are nominated (and win) the top social artist category for the second year.

August 24, 2018: The group release their compilation album Love Yourself: Answer with the lead single Idol . The album becomes the band's second one to reach number one in the US market.

August 28, 2018: BTS begins their Love Yourself World tour in Seoul.

September 12, 2018: The band stops at America's Got Talent to perform Idol for American audiences.

September 24, 2018: BTS give a speech at the UN headquarters advising young people to join global efforts against discrimination and poverty. The speech goes viral as #BTSxUnitedNations trends worldwide on Twitter.

October 12, 2018: Their agency BigHit Entertainment announces Burn The Stage: The Movie . The film documents the group behind the scenes of their 2017 The Wings Tour . It features live performances, award show highlights and interviews with members.

October 17, 2018 : The group signs a contract renewal for seven more years with BigHit Entertainment.

February 10, 2019 : They present an award at the 61st Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

March 11, 2019: BigHit announces the next BTS album called Map of the Soul: Persona .

March 26, 2019: Mattel unveil BTS dolls based on the seven members and inspired by their Idol music video.

April 12, 2019: The music video for BTS and Halsey's Boy With Luv releases on YouTube.

April 13, 2019: The group make history as the first K-pop act to perform as musical guests on Saturday Night Live .

April 17, 2019: BTS appear in Time 100's list of most influential people with a paragraph written by American artist Halsey.

May 2, 2019: They perform Boy With Luv with Halsey at the Billboard Music Awards. They also win the top social artist again for the third year.

May 21, 2019: The group lights up the Empire State building in New York City. The iconic building announced it would be sparking purple for five minutes every hour from sunset for the band their fans.

June 1, 2019: BTS sells out London's Wembley Stadium while also making history as the first Korean act to do so.

BTS have once again made history by becoming the first Asian Act to sell out Wembley Stadium! #BTSxWembley #BTSSoldOutWembley Congratulations @BTS_twt , we're so proud of you! 💜🎉 pic.twitter.com/Rb7YC6NQzz — BTS Mauritius⁷ (@BTSMauritius) March 1, 2019

July 14, 2019: It's announced that BTS will perform at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh as part of their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour.

August 11, 2019: BigHit Entertainment releases a statement that BTS will be taking an "extended break" so that they can get a "chance to enjoy the ordinary lives of young people in their 20s".

[공지] 방탄소년단 공식 장기 휴가 알림 (+ENG) pic.twitter.com/fV4Aw5UNY4 — BIGHIT MUSIC (@BIGHIT_MUSIC) August 11, 2019

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BTS Announce World Tour To Include Six North American Cities

The group have revealed a total of 22 shows around the globe, including dates in Asia, Europe and North America

BTS gave fans all over the world a nice surprise on Apr. 26, announcing a world tour that will take the pop superstars to 11 cities across Asia, Europe, and North America. News of the tour came via Big Hit Entertainment 's twitter account and promised additional shows will be added.

Coined the Love Yourself World Tour after the group's series of releases by the same name, the trek kicks off in Seoul, South Korea Aug. 25-26 before heading to the U.S. for shows in Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif. Additional North American dates include: Fort Worth, Texas; Hamilton, Ontario; Newark, N.J. and Chicago. The tour then heads to four European cities, wrapping up (for now) in Paris Oct. 19-20.

On May 18, BTS will release Love Yourself: Tear , the latest in the aforementioned series following 2017's Love Yourself: Her EP. The new album will be their third full-length following 2014's Dark & Wild and 2016's Wings .

BTS will also make a U.S. appearance on May 20 when they take the stage in Las Vegas at the Billboard Music Awards. The group has also promised to debut a brand new song at the event.

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This isn't the first world tour for these Korean pop sensations. BTS mounted a 40-date tour after the release of Wings that took the group through Asia, South and North Americas, and Australia.

Ticket information for the Love Yourself World Tour is still forthcoming.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

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Stream RM's New Album 'Right Place, Wrong Person': See The Tracklist, "LOST!" Video & Special Guests

The second solo album from BTS' RM further displays his knack for genre-bending experimentation, while also delving deeper into his vulnerable side. Listen to the new album here, and get to know the project's featured artists, tracklist and more.

As the world patiently awaits the return of BTS in full force, each member continues to deliver solo projects to show off their individual talents. And 18 months after his last album, RM is back.

With a discography that hops between pop, R&B, and hip-hop, RM returns to the spotlight with his second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person . The project tells the relatable story of an individual who is a creature of habit, but slowly comes to find solace in foreign spaces.

Below, listen to RM's latest album, and discover more about how he's revealing a new side of his artistry with Right Place, Wrong Person .

The Tracklist

After RM's debut solo album, 2022's Indigo, had 10 tracks (including features from the likes of Erykah Badu , Anderson .Paak ), he ups the tally with an 11-song tracklist this time around.

Here is the complete tracklist for Right Place, Wrong Person :

1. Right People, Wrong Place 2. Nuts 3. out of love 4. Domodachi (feat. Little Simz) 5. ? (Interlude) 6. Groin 7. Heaven 8. LOST! 9. Around the world in a day (feat. Moses Sumney) 10. ㅠㅠ (Credit Roll) 11. Come back to me

The Creative Visuals

Two weeks before the album dropped, he unveiled the music video for "Come Back to Me," the lead single from Right Place, Wrong Person . Directed by the critically acclaimed actor Lee Sung Jin, the music video narrates the tale of feeling like an outsider and yearning for a sense of belonging in unfamiliar surroundings.

Then, on the day Right Place, Wrong Person arrived, RM added to release-day excitement with another intriguing visual, this time for "LOST!" The five-minute clip sees RM as the star of "The Lost! Show," where he and a group endure an eerie whirlwind of scenarios they can't seem to get out of. It's equal parts dramatic and slapstick, and another clever display of RM's creative versatility.

Noteworthy Guests

The featured artists on Right Place, Wrong Person — British rapper Little Simz on "Domodachi" and art-pop artist Moses Sumney on "Around the world in a day" — underscore RM's ability to interlace his own musical style with artists from various genres.

The album also has some notable behind-the-scenes collaborators as well. Production credits include Kim Han-joo, keyboardist and vocalist from the South Korean rock band Silica Gel, on "LOST!" and GRAMMY-nominated jazz duo DOMi & JD Beck on "? (Interlude)."

On "Come back to me" — which RM initially debuted last August during a surprise performance at BTS bandmate Suga's encore concert in Seoul — he delves into the album's central theme of wanting to venture into unknown areas, but feeling the intense urge to stay with what's already known. The track was composed and arranged by OHHYUK from the South Korean indie-rock band Hyukoh, but also features credits from artists Kuo, JNKYRD, and San Yawn.

But no matter who RM is working with, his own talent and prowess as a creator always shines. Right Place, Wrong Person presents a diverse array of tracks marked by sheer vulnerability, honesty, and sensitivity — a masterful continuation of a remarkable solo journey.

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Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

J-Hope's Road To 'Hope On The Street Vol.1,' From Falling Back In Love With Dance To Tying Together His Global Influences

After 11 years in BTS, j-hope revisits the passion that started it all: dancing. Ahead of his new docuseries and special album, 'Hope on the Street Vol.1,' discover the full-circle journey that brought him back to his roots.

"Just dance," j-hope commands on his 2018 BTS solo track.

For the international sensation, that's what it's always been about: expressing himself through movement. Now, 11 years after the launch of the seven-piece group, j-hope takes a U-turn to where it all began, before his K-pop idol days, street dancing between his hometown, Gwangju, and Seoul, South Korea.

Out March 29, j-hope's new special album, Hope on the Street Vol.1 , is a musical ode to dancing that boasts a "vibrant collection of six tracks spanning a diverse array of sounds and moods that showcase j-hope's musical prowess and depth." Like j-hope's global perspective of dance, the EP expands borders and sounds, featuring appearances from HYBE labelmate HUH YUNJIN of LE SSERAFIM as well as American stars Nile Rodgers and Benny Blanco .

The mini-album will also be accompanied by a docuseries of the same name, premiering on Amazon Prime Video on March 28. According to a press statement, the six-part project will "highlight j-hope's story and love for dancing as he begins a new journey."

Ahead of Hope on the Street Vol.1 's arrival, take a look at how j-hope's origins inspired the project — from his enrollment in a local dance academy to songwriting with J. Cole on their 2023 single, "on the street."

Finding Purpose In Dance

Long before becoming a global superstar, j-hope (born Jung Ho-seok) first discovered his love for dancing on the playground.

"The school I went to had a dance lesson for 30 minutes in the morning. They would play a dance video, and we would copy it as exercise," j-hope recalled in a 2013 interview for the BTS Japan Fanclub magazine. "My friends around me would praise me, saying, 'You're really good!'"

Eventually, those recess workouts turned into a passion. J-hope began practicing moves at home and freestyling at local talent shows. By the sixth grade, he told his parents he was serious about it, enrolling him in Gwangju's Joy Dance Academy.

While at the Academy, j-hope also joined the underground dance crew, NEURON, building a reputation under the name "Smile Hoya." Though he hasn't participated in the troupe since his pre-BTS days, he still recognizes it as one of the most influential parts of his career.

He'll even honor the crew with Hope on the Street , which includes a track called "NEURON," featuring Gaeko and yoonmirae . He will also return to Gwangju in the closing chapter of the docuseries.

It's not the first time j-hope shouted out Gwangju, either. His 2019 collab with Becky G, "Chicken Noodle Soup," paid tribute to his beloved upbringing: "From Gwangju, one gang of you-know-what/ Geumnam Chungjang Street, that's my Harlem." (The same track also foreshadowed his latest release: "Hope on the street, now it's my own way.")

Forging A New Life In Music With BTS

J-hope continued to have a diligent mindset as a trainee at Big Hit Entertainment. But as revealed in BTS' 2018 docuseries, Burn the Stage , training and dieting became emotionally and physically tolling. At one point, j-hope even considered leaving the group.

"I couldn't do things I wanted to do," he revealed during a 2021 You Quiz on the Block segment . "To be honest, I wanted to play games. I want to go out and hang out. I wanted to stay with my family. I had to give up a lot of things from that perspective."

The stress became so intense that he bought a one-way ticket to Gwangju. But ultimately, the brotherhood and love of music he formed with BTS gave him the courage to return: "I came back because I trusted you," j-hope recounted.

And they trusted him, too: "I told [Big Hit] that we needed Jung Ho-seok. We couldn't debut without him," RM responded. Meanwhile, Jung Kook delivered a tearful speech to encourage him to stay with the band.

The longer he stayed, the more j-hope began to love other sides of music, like producing and songwriting. Now, he has become one of the main writers for the group's tracks, alongside RM and Suga , and has co-penned all of his solo projects, including Hope on the Street .

Spreading His Wings With Two Full-Length Solo Projects

After nearly 10 projects with BTS, j-hope delivered his debut mixtape, Hope World , in March 2018.

"My fantasy had always been making a music video and performing with the music I had created. I wanted to put my own story to music and share it with the world," he told Time magazine upon Hope World ’s release.

It's an introduction to j-hope the artist, inviting listeners to step into Hope World , a colorful kaleidoscope of different cultures and styles — something that has also been a key part of his dance journey.

Though, j-hope still wanted to dig deeper into his artistry. He developed his sound, becoming more vulnerable in his lyricism on tracks like 2020's "Outro: Ego." By 2022, he was ready to drop his first studio album, Jack in the Box .

Where Hope World showcases j-hope's dance performance, Jack in the Box highlights "my artistry in music ." But Hope on the Street paints the full image of the phenom — part musician, part dancer.

Laying The Groundwork With "On The Street," Featuring J. Cole

One of j-hope's earliest musical influences was J. Cole. The rapper inspired j-hope's stage name and the title of his mixtape, which pays homage to 2011's Cole World . In 2022, j-hope honored Cole with "Born Singer," the BTS re-write of Cole's "Born Sinner." So, a celebratory meeting was in order when they were both scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza (where j-hope made history as the first Korean soloist to headline).

"[He's] my idol," j-hope said to Variety in 2023. Since they met, he "couldn't stop thinking about how great it would be if we could make music together." He reached out to J. Cole, and "on the street" was born.

As j-hope told Variety , the "street" concept became a metaphor for life: "The street is a place where people can actually encounter and feel real lives of people: a child's innocent mind; first encounter with someone and falling in love; someone in an urgent moment;" and so much more. It's the place where he learned to love dance — and where he grew a love for music and artists like J. Cole, who called their collab "a blessing" in the behind-the-scenes footage .

And thus, "on the street" became the springboard for his forthcoming project, Hope on the Street .

Unveiling A Docuseries And A Multi-Part Project

By the tail end of 2023, each member of BTS had enlisted in mandatory military service. But even during the septet's hiatus, j-hope managed to serve up a surprise announcement of Hope on the Street on Feb. 17 with a fitting montage of dance videos.

The joint docuseries and album follows j-hope's journey of self-discovery, accompanying his former instructor, Boogaloo Kin, as they dance their way through the streets of Osaka, Seoul, Paris, New York, and his hometown while meeting other dancers.

" Hope on the Street , my roots, the most important part of my life. This is how j-hope danced. I wanted to share this story with you," he said in an interview for the documentary .

After years of breaking records and making history as a member of BTS, it was "a chance to look back on my life," he explained in another trailer . "I realized the answer was in song and dance."

Culminating j-hope's skills in both art forms, Hope on the Street is a love letter to everything that's made him who he is today — and proof he'll never forget it.

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9 Essential K-Pop/Western Collabs: From BTS And Megan Thee Stallion, To IVE And Saweetie

From Jungkook and Usher's tribute to their shared musical idol, to BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez' sugary sweet collab, K-pop and Western artists of all genres are joining forces to create killer hits.

It’s impossible to ignore the growing global popularity of K-pop. Although Korean pop has been around for decades, the genre's meteoric worldwide success over the past 10 years is reminiscent of Beatlemania and the early 2000s American boy band craze. With a steady increase year-over-year in album sales and K-pop groups touring the U.S. and Europe, interest in K-pop shows no signs of slowing down .

Initially launched in South Korea as a music subgenre with Western pop, R&B and hip-hop influences in the '90s, the K-pop industry is valued at around $10 billion .

Given the worldwide appetite for K-pop, several Western musicians are keen to partner with K-pop acts crossing over into more international markets, often with songs sung partially or entirely in English. While K-pop artists do not need Western artists to be successful — BTS sold out London’s Wembley stadium in under 90 minutes back in 2019, and BLACKPINK made Coachella history twice with performances in 2019 and 2023 — K-pop's massive fanbase and multi-genre influence make it an ideal collaboration for everyone from rappers and singers to electronic DJs.

But don’t take our word for it. Here are nine of the most iconic K-Pop/Western collaborations (not in any order; they are all great songs!).

Usher and Jungkook - "Standing Next to You (Usher Remix)" (2024)

The maknae (the youngest member of the group) of global K-pop superstars BTS and the King of R&B are both having banner years: Jungkook released his debut solo album, and Usher just performed at the Super Bowl . 

The Bangtan Boys have cited Usher as a significant influence (even singing a callback to his 2001 hit "U Got It Bad" in their No. 1 song, "Butter"), so BTS fans were delighted when the Jungkook tapped Usher for a remix of "Standing Next to You." The song marks the fourth single from his Billboard 200 chart-topping debut album, Golden . 

Both singers count Michael Jackson as a major influence. In their collaboration video, Usher and Jungkook pay tribute to the King of Pop as they slide, pop, and lock across the slick floor of an abandoned warehouse. 

John Legend and Wendy of Red Velvet - "Written in the Stars" (2018)

R&B singer/pianist John Legend was the perfect choice for an R&B ballad with Wendy, the main vocalist of K-pop quintet Red Velvet. The final song on the five-track SM Station x 0 , a digital music project, "Written in the Stars," is a beautiful, mid-tempo love song. A bit of a departure from K-pop’s typical upbeat sound, Wendy and Legend are in perfect harmony over a warm yet melancholic rhythm.

As Red Velvet’s main vocalist, Wendy was the ideal voice for this collaboration. Additionally, she split her childhood between Canada and the U.S., and has been comfortable singing in English since Red Velvet debuted in 2014. This wasn't her first collab with a Western artist: In 2017, she released an English-language version of the pop ballad " Vente Pa’Ca " with Ricky Martin . 

BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez - "Ice Cream" (2020)

A powerhouse debut single, BLACKPINK collaborated with pop royalty Selena Gomez on the massive 2020 hit "Ice Cream."

An electropop-bubblegum fusion filled with dairy double entendres, "Ice Cream" was an enormous success for both Gomez and the BLACKPINK girls. The track peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has racked up nearly 900 million YouTube views to date. 

Written by a consortium of hitmakers, including Ariana Grande and BLACKPINK’s longtime songwriter and producer Teddy Park (a former K-pop idol himself), "Ice Cream" shows that YG Entertainment’s golden foursome and Gomez were the correct partnership for this track. The pop-trap bop marked the first time a K-pop girl group broke the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and immediately solidified BLACKPINK as global superstars. 

Snoop Dogg and Monsta X - "How We Do" (2022)

West Coast rap godfather Snoop Dogg has quietly become one of the go-to Western acts for K-pop collabs, working with Psy, BTS, Girls’ Generation and 2NE1. K-pop is the Dogg Father's "guilty pleasure, " and he performed at the Mnet Asian Music Awards with Dr. Dre in 2011. Without Snoop's love of K-pop, the world might not have gotten this fun and energetic collaboration with Snoop and Monsta X, a five-member boy group under Starship Entertainment.

The song appears in The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run in a dance segment where Snoop, decked out in a pink and purple Western suit, is accompanied by zombie dancers. Though we do not see the members of Monsta X, their harmonious crooning is the perfect accent to Snoop Dogg’s trademark casual West Coast flow.

BTS and Steven Aoki - "MIC Drop (Steve Aoki remix)" (2017)

No K-pop list is complete with a nod to the magnificent seven, and "MIC Drop" is one of their catchiest Western collabs to date. 

"Mic Drop" is quintessential BTS: a nod to hip-hop with a heavy bass line and fun choreography. While the original version of "MIC Drop" is excellent, the remix with EDM superstar DJ Steve Aoki and rapper Desiigner cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the first of many hits for the Bulletproof Boy Scouts. 

Released at a time when BTS were just starting their ascent to chart-topping Western dominance, the track's boastful lyrics and tension-building electro-trap production offered an excellent introduction to the group that would soon become international superstars. 

JYJ, Kanye West and Malik Yusef - "Ayyy Girl" (2010)

A truly deep K-pop cut, you’d be hard-pressed to find many people who know that Kanye West collaborated with a first-generation K-pop group over 13 years ago. Released as the lead single on JYJ’s English-language album The Beginning , West’s signature bravado and wordplay are on full display over a track that sounds like the Neptunes produced it.

The song garnered attention in the U.S., but after a string of bad luck (including a severely delayed U.S. visa process and issues with their management company, SM Entertainment), JYJ could not capitalize on their American success. The group continued to see success in Korea and Japan in the early 2010s but never made a splash in the Western market again.

IVE and Saweetie - "All Night" (2024)

A reimagining of Icona Pop’s 2013 song of the same name, "All Night," sees fourth-generation K-pop girl group IVE partner with rap’s resident glamor girl Saweetie for a funky, electronic-infused pop song that’s perfect for dancing from dusk till dawn. 

"All Night" is the first English song for the Starship Entertainment-backed group. Interestingly, none of the members of IVE have individual lines in the song, choosing instead to sing the lyrics in a six-part harmony. This choice is exciting but fun, giving listeners the feeling that they are more than welcome to sing along. 

The girl group embarked on their first 24-date world tour in January 2024, with stops in the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America. Given their quest for global dominance, there’s a good chance "All Night" won’t be IVE's last English-language release.

BTS and Megan Thee Stallion - "Butter (Remix)" (2021)

BTS’ "Butter" had already spent three weeks atop the Billboard charts and was declared the "song of the summer" when the group’s label announced Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion as the guest star for the song’s remix in late August 2021. The GRAMMY-nominated septet is no stranger to collaborating with Western musicians, having worked with Halsey , Jason Derulo, and Coldplay . 

Though only slightly altered from the original (Megan’s verse was added in place of the song’s second original verse, along with several ad-libs), the remix was praised by both fans and critics alike, catapulting the song’s return back to the No. 1. Although the collaborators did not release a new music video featuring the group and the self-proclaimed "Hot Girl Coach," three members of BTS’ "dance line" (members J-Hope , Jungkook and Jimin ) released a specially choreographed dance video . Additionally, Megan was a surprise guest during BTS’ record-breaking Permission to Dance LA concert in November of the same year.

LE SSERAFIM and Niles Rodgers - "Unforgiven" (2023)

GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Nile Rodgers ' first foray into K-pop was a partnership with LE SSERAFIM , a fourth-gen girl group from the same parent company behind BTS. "Unforgiven" was released earlier this year as the lead single from the group’s debut album of the same name. 

A darker take on the familiar K-pop formula with A Western feel and look (the young quintuplet dons cowboy hats, boots and bolo ties in the song’s accompanying music video), "Unforgiven" is about rebellion and being a fierce, strong and independent risk taker. That riskiness drew Rodgers' ear. 

"It seems like a lot of the K-pop that I'm hearing lately, the…chord changes are a lot more interesting than what's been happening [in other music fields] over the last few years," he told GRAMMY.com in 2023. "I come from a jazz background, so to hear chord changes like that is really cool. They’re not afraid, which is great to me."

15 K-Pop Songs That Took 2023 By Storm: From Seventeen’s "Super (손오공)" to NewJeans' "Super Shy"

PHOTO: AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC

6 Takeaways From 'BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star'

In honor of BTS' 10th anniversary, Disney+ released 'BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star.' Two of the eight episode docuseries are available to stream; read on for a deeper look at the septet's history, accomplishments, and behind-the-scenes moments.

Today, it’s hard to avoid BTS . You might have heard their GRAMMY-nominated singles "Dynamite" and "Butter" playing at a random store. Maybe you learned about another record they broke in the news. Or, you probably know at least one person in their passionate, loyal fanbase, also known as Army.

But before there was BTS, the international sensation, there was Kim Seok-jin ( Jin ), Min Yoon-gi ( Suga ), Jung Ho-seok ( J-Hope ), Kim Nam-joon ( RM ), Park Ji-min ( Jimin ), Kim Tae-hyung ( V ), and Jeon Jung-kook ( Jung Kook ), seven hopefuls from across South Korea with one dream and thousands of hours of dedication to their craft.

A decade ago, it might have seemed impossible for a group like BTS to be at the top in their home country — let alone one of the biggest groups on the planet. In Korea, it was only likely to become successful if you had one of the legacy names, such as SM Entertainment, backing you, and they came from the virtually unknown Big Hit Entertainment (now Big Hit Music under conglomerate HYBE).

Year after year, the septet defied odds, from winning Best New Artist at the esteemed Melon Music Awards in 2013 to earning Top Social Artist across the globe at the Billboard Music Awards consecutively between 2017 and 2021. They have amassed 26 Guinness World Records and became the first Korean act to receive multiple nods from the GRAMMYs.

In honor of their 10th anniversary as BTS, Disney+ released BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star . The docuseries offers a deeper look at the septet's massive accomplishments, tracing back to their initial auditions in 2010. The first two of eight episodes are available to stream now.

Below, discover everything we learned thus far about the icons in their latest docuseries, BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star .

The BTS Grind Never Stops

You see their flawless choreography, calculated facial expressions and glamorous outfits, but you never know the amount of preparation it takes to get there.

For example, BTS rehearsed the lead single, "Danger," from their debut studio album, Dark & Wild , until the wee hours of the morning for weeks. They then traveled to Los Angeles to promote the single and, despite Big Hit’s unstable financial state, implemented a huge budget to produce the music video. The goal was to win the television competition "SBS Inkigayo."

"As expected, we didn’t place first and left the charts in a day," RM remarks in the episode.

The intense training and dieting caused them to question if their slow traction was worth the battle. "To be honest, I didn’t think this was fun in the past," Jin tearfully mentioned in a 2013 fan meeting. "There were a lot of things they couldn’t get started because they weren’t sure what path we were on."

Through their frustrations, BTS never gave up, and eventually, the perseverance led to their first mega-hits, "I Need U" and "Fire" in 2017. They obtained their desired results and still never decreased their work ethic, which skyrocketed their career to an even higher level. "We’ve always worked hard, whether there was a crisis or not," Jin explains.

Everyone Had Their Unique Strengths

What makes BTS a powerhouse is that each member had a clear-cut reason they joined, and as Suga notes, it took "countless" changes to perfect it into the current lineup.

According to HYBE chairman and the group’s creator, Bang Si-hyuk, he was impressed by RM’s "depth of character and base of knowledge"; Suga had a unique sarcastic, dark side; J-Hope was "the personification of diligence" and a strong dancer; Jin’s handsome features would easily attract a fandom; Jung Kook had "a lot" of potential; V was effortlessly charming; and Jimin was instantly talented and intrigued the team.

They’re More Than Colleagues — They’re Family

It’s common for manufactured groups not to bond beyond the stage. However, BTS see themselves more like family than co-workers.

Showing up for one another’s personal affairs was second nature. Without question, they watched Jung Kook enter high school, taking photos and teasing their younger brother, or maknae . The docuseries also flashes back to J-Hope’s surprise birthday party, where the six created a sentimental video of his family.

"I had found my place," J-Hope shares. "I believe that [joining BTS] was the most fateful moment of my life."

Being A K-Pop Idol Wasn’t Always Respected

For many aspiring musicians, especially those of Asian heritage, becoming an idol is the ultimate goal. You completely surrender to your art, spending nearly every waking hour doing what you love. If you’re lucky enough to debut at a company like HYBE, you will undoubtedly join the ranks of K-pop’s most influential. Better than anyone else, BTS knows that wasn’t always the case.

"There was a strong negative view of idols," Suga recounts of their breakthrough EP The Most Beautiful Moment in Life . "Nowadays, we are acknowledged for our achievements and performances overseas, but it was a really agonizing time for us back then. We had a lot of unreasonable controversies."

They became "desperate and spiteful," but because of the support from the Army, they overcame the rough patch and switched the narrative. As a thank you to their fans, they wrote "2! 3!" to say, "Let’s forget it all."

The United States Was A Turning Point In Their Career

By 2016, BTS knew they were stars in Korea. They performed in the biggest venue at the time, the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, with a capacity of 25,000 people. They won the Mnet Asian Music Awards' most coveted honor: Artist Of The Year.

"In a movie, the credits would start rolling. At that point, we’d done everything we could as Korean artists," Suga says with a laugh. So, what’s next? Conquer the rest of the world.

The following year, BTS performed at the Billboard Music Awards, certain that nothing would come of it. To their surprise, they won Top Social Artist, which had previously only been awarded to Justin Bieber .

"It was the start of raising people’s awareness of us as the group BTS," RM reveals. Things continued to snowball: they performed at the American Music Awards and dropped a remix with Steve Aoki.

By early 2022, BTS were making history. The group performed their smash hit "Butter" onstage at the 64th GRAMMY Awards.

They Believe In The Power Of Art

When the pandemic began in 2020, entertainment was the first sacrifice. "‘Concerts may never be held again. People are unable to gather,’" Suga recalls hearing on broadcasts. They began to wonder if there was a point in releasing music.

After two years of self-reflection and improvement, they knew COVID-19 could not be the end. Music gave them purpose. "That was the driving force," J-Hope says. "I wasn’t completely aware of how important music and dancing was to me. I realized that I shouldn’t take it all for granted."

The lockdown also showed them the impact Army had on their lives. They motivated them to keep going because they knew how much the band meant to their fans. They witnessed it constantly when they saw the fervent cheers and tears on tour. BTS has brought together millions of people. As Namjoon promises, "Art can change the world," and "Music transcends languages, nationalities and races."

• 1 BTS Announce World Tour To Include Six North American Cities
• 2 Stream RM's New Album 'Right Place, Wrong Person': See The Tracklist, "LOST!" Video & Special Guests
• 3 J-Hope's Road To 'Hope On The Street Vol.1,' From Falling Back In Love With Dance To Tying Together His Global Influences
• 4 9 Essential K-Pop/Western Collabs: From BTS And Megan Thee Stallion, To IVE And Saweetie
• 5 6 Takeaways From 'BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star'

• Manage Account

How BTS Took Over the World: A Timeline of the Group’s Biggest Career Moments

Just in time for BTS' 10th anniversary, here's a look back at the history-making K-pop group's decade-long career.

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BTS has come a long way since releasing their first album in 2013, and in the decade that has passed, the K-pop stars have managed to become the biggest group in the world.

While the 2020s have seen the group’s seven members — RM, Jin, Jungkook, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin and V — releasing solo projects , smashing records (both as a group and in personal endeavors), going on tour or fulfilling their civic duties, the past decade has been a ride for the K-pop group, who, after multiple album and single releases, have created a career that only few storied music acts can dream of.

BTS Unveils New Single 'Take Two': Stream It Now

BTS’ illustrious music career formally kicked off when they debuted with 2 Cool 4 Skool . Though a far stretch from the group’s newer, chart-topping hits like “Butter,” “Dynamite” and “Permission to Dance,” the poppy crossover singles that would later cement the group’s international superstar status, the mini album established the septet as a force to be reckoned with, one that would only continue to grow with the aid of the group’s devoted ARMY fanbase.

Following the release of the new single “Take Two,” the group will celebrate the milestone anniversary, which will consist of a series of fun activities across several landmarks in Seoul, South Korea (where it all started for the septet). And to gear up for the event, Billboard is taking a look back at the past 10 years of BTS.

Have a look back at some of the band’s biggest career milestones in the timeline below.

Sept. 30, 2010

The first time the name Bulletproof Boy Scouts is used in collaboration with features from RM and rapper Iron on Lim Jeong-hee’s (J-Lim) “Ashes.” The name would be used on pre-debut tracks on several occasions, including songs by  2AM , Lee Seung Gi , and Kan Mi Youn .

BTS opens Twitter account . As of publishing, it has over 48.4 million followers, and is the most-followed Korean account.

Dec. 17, 2012

The group introduces themselves on Twitter with a message that reads: “Wassup! We’re BTS. Finally, the BTS Twitter account is officially open~ Clap clap clap! We will be uploading fun things beyond your imagination here until our debut.” The first selfie from a member was posted on Dec. 23, and features Jin showing off his lower lip.  He was recognized at the BBMAs for his good looks.

June 13, 2013

Debut with the 2 Cool 4 Skool album, featuring their first single, “No More Dream.”

Sept. 11, 2013

Release of BTS’ O!RUL8,2? EP.

Nov. 13, 2013

Recognized as Best New Artist at South Korea’s Melon Music Awards, their first major award. They would go on to win several similar awards throughout the 2013-2014 award season.

Feb. 12, 2014

Release of Skool Luv Affair , the group’s first album to appear on the World Albums chart, hitting No. 3.

March 29, 2014

First fanclub concert in Seoul.

July 14, 2014

Holds Show & Prove concert in Los Angeles, their first Stateside show.

July 27, 2014

Holds fan meeting in Berlin, their first European show.

Aug. 19, 2014

Release of  Dark & Wild album.

Nov. 13, 2014

Performs in Kobe as part of their Live Trilogy Episode II: The Red Bullet Tour . It is their first Asian concert outside of South Korea.

Dec. 24, 2014

Releases Wake Up , their first Japanese album.

April 29, 2015

The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1 starts off a new era for BTS. It debuts on the Heatseekers Albums chart at No. 6.

May 5, 2015

“I Need U” wins on The Show , marking BTS’ first time taking first place on one of South Korea’s weekly music shows.

Nov. 30, 2015

The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2 is released. It was the group’s first album to debut on the Billboard 200 , at No. 171.

May 2, 2016

Release of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever . It peaked on the Billboard 200 at No. 107.

Sept. 7, 2016

 Release of second Japanese album Youth . It debuts at No. 1 on the Oricon chart.

Oct. 10, 2016

Release Wings . It lands at No. 26 on the Billboard 200, the highest-charting K-pop album at the time. The act broke their own record with Love Yourself: Her in 2017.

Oct. 29, 2016

Week in which BTS top the Social 50 chart for the first time. Before the chart became inactive in 2020, the group spent 210 weeks at No. 1.

Nov. 20, 2016

Wins album of the year at South Korea’s Melon Music awards for Young Forever , their first time being recognized for the honor.

Feb. 13, 2017

Release of Wings’ extended version, You Never Walk Alone . The single “Spring Day” appears on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at No. 15.

Feb. 18, 2017

The Wings Tour kicks off in Seoul. It runs through Dec. 10 and includes 40 shows in total. Much of the tour is documented in the YouTube Red series Burn The Stage .

March 11, 2017

Wings tour heads to Chile for first of four South American concerts, two there and another two in Brazil.

March 17, 2017

Performs in Mexico City at KCON Mexico.

May 21, 2017

Appears at the Billboard Music Awards, where they receive the top social artist award.

May 26, 2017

Brings Wings tour to Sydney.

Sept. 18, 2017

Love Yourself: Her released. It becomes the highest-charting Korean album ever on the Billboard 200 albums chart when it hits No. 7 and is the first K-pop album to have broken into the top 10 of the chart.

Oct. 2, 2017

“DNA” peaks at No. 67 on the Hot 100, the highest charting K-pop song ever at the time. 

Oct. 31, 2017

UNICEF Korea launches Love Myself campaign in collaboration with BTS and Big Hit Entertainment. 

Nov. 15, 2017

Appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live , one of several television show appearances the act makes throughout November while Stateside for the AMAs.  

Nov. 19, 2017

Performs “DNA” at the AMAs, the first time a K-pop group has performed during a major U.S. award show.

Nov. 24, 2017

“Mic Drop (Remix)” produced by Steve Aoki and featuring Desiigner is released. It debuts at No. 28 on the Hot 100 chart, then the group’s highest-ranking song on the chart.

Dec. 5, 2017

Twitter announces  that BTS was the most tweeted-about celebrity of the year.

Dec. 11, 2017

Appears at No. 10 on the Billboard Year-End Artists  chart.

Feb. 12, 2018

“DNA” and “Mic Drop (Remix)” are certified Gold by RIAA, the first songs by a Korean group to be recognized as such.

Feb. 27, 2018

A video of Jungkook singing Park Won’s “All of My Life” is posted to the band’s Twitter account. It goes on to become one of Twitter’s most-liked tweets.

April 4, 2018

Release of  Face Yourself . The Japanese album breaks into the Billboard 200 at No. 43 and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.  

May 18, 2018

Release of Love Yourself: Tear, the group’s third LP.

May 20, 2018

Performance of “Fake Love” at the Billboard Music Awards. The group was nominated for top social artist for the second year, and they won twice in a row.

May 30, 2018

BTS hits No. 1 on Billboard ‘s Artist 100 chart, making the group the first Korean artist to ever do so.

June 2, 2018

BTS officially scores its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Love Yourself: Tear (released May 18). “Fake Love” also charts at No. 10 on the Hot 100 following the album release, giving BTS the highest-ever position for a South Korean group to that point as well as the highest-debuting Korean song.

Aug. 24, 2018

BTS’ album repackage album, Love Yourself: Answer , is released alongside the video for “Idol,” which in the span of three days time becomes YouTube’s highest 24-hour debut ever .

Sept. 6, 2018

Nicki Minaj hops on the remix for “Idol,” and it becomes another chart success for the Bangtan Boys, peaking at No. 11 on the Hot 100. Two days later, Love Yourself: Answer debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (and spends a total of 100 weeks on the chart).

Sept. 24, 2018

The group makes its first ever visit to the United Nations and gives a speech at the general assembly for the launch of “ Generation Unlimited ,” a program to increase youth education and empowerment. RM speaks on behalf of the group on not succumbing to social pressures.

“Even after making the decision to join BTS, there were a lot of hurdles. Some people might not believe but, most people thought we were hopeless, and sometimes I just wanted to quit. I was very lucky that I didn’t give it all up,” he tells the audience .

Oct. 11, 2018

BTS is named TIME ‘s Next Generation Leaders , and in an interview with the magazine, Suga lets slip one major aspiration he has for the group. “I’m just throwing it out there,” Suga says, “but maybe we could perform at the Super Bowl someday.”

Dec. 1, 2018

BTS wins a total of seven awards at South Korea’s Melon Music Awards, including album of the year ( Love Yourself: Tear ) and artist of the year. (Two weeks later, on Dec. 14, the group wins nine out of 12 of its nominated categories at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.)

Feb. 10, 2019

The septet makes their debut on the Grammy Awards stage, presenting   H.E.R with best R&B album of the year for her self-titled EP.

RM speaks for the group and says, “Growing up in South Korea, we always dreamed about standing on the Grammy stage. Thank you for all our fans for making this dream come true. And we’ll be back.”

April 12, 2019

BTS releases Map of the Soul: Persona , and the set hits No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — the group’s third effort to do so. The music video for “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey is also released and breaks the record for most-viewed video on YouTube in 24 hours. The track peaks at No. 8 on the Hot 100.

April 13, 2019

On the heels of Perona ‘s release, BTS makes its Saturday Night Live debut to perform “Boy With Luv” and “Mic Drop.”

April 17, 2019

BTS is named one of TIME 100’s most influential people . “Boy With Luv” collaborator Halsey writes about the boys’ dedication to their craft.

“I have known ‘the boys’—as I and other fans affectionately call them—for years and had the pleasure of traveling to Korea to hang with them on multiple occasions,” she writes. “Outwardly, they are polished and professional, but hours of laughter, secret handshakes and gifts exchanged show those around them that underneath this showstopping, neatly groomed movement are just some guys who love music, one another and their fans.”

May 1, 2019

BTS takes over the 2019 Billboard Music Award with a rousing performance of “Boy With Luv,” with Halsey taking the stage for an assist. The group wins the top social artist award for the third year in a row as well as the top duo/group award.

Sept. 25, 2019

The Bangtan Boys officially join TikTok and, of course, break a Guinness World Record in the process — BTS’ account became the fastest to reach 1 million followers .

Nov. 30, 2019

At the 2019 MMA, BTS win eight awards, including a daesang “all kill” — winning all awards in the major categories — making the group the first to ever do so.

Dec. 4, 2019

BTS finishes off the year with yet another clean sweep. The group has another daesang “all kill” — the first group to do so — at the 2019 MAMA Awards.

Jan. 26, 2020

BTS perform at the Grammy Awards for the first time, joining Lil Nas X for “Old Town Road,” also alongside Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo and Mason Ramsey.

Feb. 21, 2020

BTS releases Map of the Soul: 7 . The set debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and lead single “ON” debuts at No. 4 on the Hot 100.

June 4, 2020

BTS land among the world’s highest paid celebrities on Forbes ‘ Celebrity 100 list, ranking at No. 47 with $50 million.

June 6, 2020

In collaboration with their label Big Hit Entertainment, BTS donates $1 million to Black Lives Matter.

June 7, 2020

The group gives an inspiring commencement speech to the Class of 2020 in Korean and English, in which they spoke about their past graduations and performed singles “Boy With Luv” and “Spring Day” from the National Museum of Korea.

June 14, 2020

BTS hosts Bang Bang Con: The Live  — a virtual concert — for the first time, which allowed fans to watch the septet perform tracks from  Map of the Soul: 7 . Big Hit reports 756,600 fans from 107 regions tuned in to watch, and as a result, earns the event “the biggest audience for a paid virtual concert” honor on the  Guinness World Record list .

July 15, 2020

Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey ~ , BTS’ Japanese album consisting of several of the group’s hits throughout the years, is released.

Aug. 21, 2020

“Dynamite,” BTS’ first single in English, is released. The track debuts atop the Hot 100 and becomes their first No. 1 single on the chart.

Aug. 22, 2020

And just like that, BTS breaks yet another YouTube record. The video streaming platform confirms that the video for “Dynamite” earned 101.1 million views within its first 24 hours, making it the video with the biggest first day debut.

Aug. 30, 2020

BTS takes the stage at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, and dazzles the crowd with a high energy performance of “Dynamite.” The septet also takes home the award for best group, while their single “ON” takes home best K-pop, best pop and best choreography.

Sept. 23, 2020

BTS returns to the United Nations a second time for the 75th General Assembly to give a speech about how the COVID-19 generation will be affected by the pandemic in the future, as well as to give fans watching hope.

“Some people might not believe, but most people thought we were hopeless, and sometimes, I just wanted to quit,” RM says on behalf of the group. “But I think I was very lucky that I didn’t give it all up. And I’m sure that I, and we, will keep stumbling and falling like this. BTS has become artists performing in those huge stadiums and selling millions of albums right now, but I am still an ordinary 24-year-old guy. If there’s anything I’ve achieved, it was only possible that I have my other BTS members right by my side, and because of the love and the support that our ARMY fans all over the world make for us.”

Oct. 10, 2020

BTS holds its second virtual concert, Map of the Soul: ON:E , for ARMY. The event is a smash — per Big Hit, the online concert draws 993,000 viewers from 191 countries over a two-day span.

Oct. 12, 2020

BTS nets another No. 1 single, this time, thanks to their “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” collaboration with Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo.

Nov. 20, 2020

BTS releases its fifth studio album, Be , which features “Dynamite” and lead single “Life Goes On.”

Nov. 24, 2020

It finally happens: BTS gets its first ever Grammy nomination in the best pop duo/group category for “Dynamite.” The nomination marks the first South Korean pop act to ever be nominated for a Grammy.

Nov. 30, 2020

“Life Goes On” debuts on the Hot 100 — the track becomes BTS’ third No. 1 on the chart in a whopping three months, and also marks the first Hot 100 No. 1 in the chart’s 62-year history sung predominantly in Korean.

Dec. 10, 2020

BTS closes out the year with another major accolade: The group is crowned TIME ‘s Entertainer of the Year . The feature says BTS is “the biggest band in the world” and “ascended to the zenith of pop stardom” despite “a year defined by setbacks.”

Dec. 14, 2020

Billboard crowns BTS as the Greatest Pop Stars of 2020 , ending the year with a photo finish.

March 4, 2021

IFPI names BTS its Global Recording Artist of the Year for 2020 , making the group the first Asian and first non-English speaking act to top the ranking.

March 14, 2021

Though BTS does not take home the Grammy award for best pop duo/group performance for “Dynamite,” the group takes the stage from Seoul to deliver a high energy performance of the track and is the first Korean nominated artist to grace the Grammy stage.

March 17, 2021

“Dynamite” becomes BTS” first double platinum single, as certified by RIAA.

May 21, 2021

“Butter” is released as BTS’ second English-language single. The track debuts at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and becomes the group’s fourth No. 1 in nine months. BTS becomes the first act since Justin Timberlake to accumulate their first four No. 1s so quickly. Among groups, they’re the fastest to land their first four No. 1s since the Jackson 5 in 1970.

May 25, 2021

“Butter” breaks a series of Guinness World Records across YouTube and Spotify. The video for “Butter” earned 3.8 million viewers for its countdown, earning it the most viewers for the premiere of a video on YouTube.

“Butter” also becomes the most-viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours,   with 108.200 million views. On Spotify, the track becomes the most-streamed track in 24 hours on the platform.

July 9, 2021

“Permission to Dance” is released, and marks the group’s third single in English. Like “Butter” and “Dynamite” before it, “Dance” debuts at No. 1. on the Hot 100 and becomes the group’s fifth leader on the chart.

Sept. 1, 2021

BTS is inducted into the Guinness World Records Hall of Fame for breaking a total of 13 records in 2021 alone. The institution states “ever since rising to international fame in 2018,” BTS “collected a jaw-dropping 23 Guinness World Records titles across music and social media – an amazing result achieved also thanks to enthusiasm of their fans, the ARMY.” (See their full list of records here .)

Sept. 20, 2021

BTS heads back to the United Nations with an address to fans, but adds a performance this time with “Permission to Dance.”

Sept. 23, 2021

“Butter” gets certified double platinum in the United States by RIAA, tying with “Dynamite” as their most certified single.

Sept. 24, 2021

BTS release their “My Universe” collaboration with Coldplay, which becomes the first single featuring two groups to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. The track also becomes BTS’ sixth No. 1 hit on the chart.

Nov. 21, 2021

BTS takes over the AMAs and performs “Butter.” The group, in addition to winning favorite pop duo or group and favorite pop song for “Butter,” wins the coveted artist of the year award and becomes the first Asian artist to do so.

Nov. 23, 2021

“Butter” is nominated for best pop duo/group performance for the 64th GRAMMY Awards. It marks the group’s second nomination.

Nov. 27- Dec. 2, 2021

BTS heads to Inglewood, Calif., for the Permission to Dance On Stage — L.A. concerts. The series of shows grosses $33.3 million from 214,000 tickets sold, making it one of the highest-grossing events of 2021 following venues’ reopening in the pandemic.

Dec. 14, 2021

Billboard ranks BTS at No. 6 on its Greatest Pop Stars of 2021 list.

March 4, 2022

BTS sets another three Guinness World Records for being the most-followed group on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram.

March 10 & 12-13, 2022

The septet holds three limited capacity concerts titled Permission to Dance—Seoul at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium. The event draws 45,000 attendees, one of the largest music gatherings the South Korean government approved since pandemic restrictions .

April 4, 2022

The boys grace the Grammys once more for a James Bond-inspired performance of “Butter.” BTS was nominated once again in the best pop duo/group performance category for “Butter,” but did not take home the award.

April 8, 2022

BTS earns a whopping seven Billboard Music Awards nominations , including the top duo/group award (fourth year in a row), top song sales artist, top selling song (“Butter” and “Permission to Dance”), top Billboard global artist (excluding U.S.), top Billboard global song (excluding U.S.) ( “Butter”) and top rock song (“My Universe” with Coldplay) categories.

The group also kicks off two of its four Permission to Dance—Las Vegas concerts April 8-9, with the latter two happening April 15-16. The four shows earn $35.9 million and sell nearly 200,000 tickets, giving them the biggest box office of the group’s career and the only artist not from the U.S. or the U.K. to gross as much at a single venue.

May 15, 2022

The Bangtan Boys adds another feat to their roster. Following the BBMAs — during which the group performed “Butter” — BTS becomes the most awarded group in the show’s history after nabbing its 12th win.

May 31, 2022

BTS heads to the White House to meet with President Biden to discuss the uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic.

June 10, 2022

BTS release Proof , an anthology of hits, fan favorite tracks and previously unreleased demos scattered throughout the group’s discography. “Yet to Come” is released as a new single for the project, and debuts/peaks at No. 13 on the Hot 100. The compilation LP later debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

June 14, 2022

BTS announce that they’re pausing group activities to give each member time to release their own solo music and complete their required military time.

Aug. 28, 2022

BTS wins group of the year — again — at the VMAs for the fourth consecutive year, the first time any group has achieved the feat.

Sept. 24, 2022

BTS earns its sixth platinum single certification from RIAA with “My Universe” alongside Coldplay. “MIC DROP,” “Boy With Luv,” “Idol,” “Butter,” and “Dynamite” received the honor in prior years.

Oct. 31, 2022

The decade is still young, but BTS manages to become the only artist with six No. 1 s on the Hot 100 in the decade (so far).

Nov. 13, 2022

BTS becomes the first group to surpass 30 billion streams on Spotify.

Nov. 15, 2022

BTS earns another three Grammy nominations, this time in the album of the year ( Music of the Spheres ) best music video (“Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)”) and best pop duo/group performance (“My Universe”) categories.

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BTS is one of the biggest music sensations in history. Here's a look back on their meteoric rise to stardom.

• BTS is a seven-member K-pop group that has become a global sensation.
• They were originally discovered in 2010 and released their first album in 2013.
• BTS fans call themselves A.R.M.Y., which stands for "Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth."
• From their thoughtful lyrics to fans' digital activism, Insider chronicled BTS's meteoric rise with insight from K-pop and music industry experts.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

BTS might be the most popular boy group the world has ever seen.

With record-setting views for their YouTube music videos and album purchases along with their money-making star power — the group brought in $130 million in 2019 sales from merchandising alone, according to The Hollywood Reporter — the seven-member K-pop group has become a worldwide sensation. 

Insider took a look at BTS's meteoric rise to stardom and how the members have transformed the music industry with insight from K-pop and music industry experts as well as a recently published Harvard Business School case study that analyzed the band's success.

The BTS members were first discovered in the fall of 2010.

BTS members were first discovered in 2010 by their current management company Big Hit Entertainment, a South Korean entertainment company.

Entertainment companies like Big Hit have a few different ways to recruit talent whether it's online or in real life, according to a recent Harvard Business School case study  that analyzed the global success of BTS.

For example, BTS member Suga was discovered through an online audition in the fall of 2010 while Jungkook told a Korean talk show that he was discovered by talent agencies after auditioning for "Superstar K," a Korean show similar to "American Idol." 

Before they became a band, they started as trainees for Big Hit Entertainment.

After being discovered, the new recruits become trainees who received coaching to prepare them to be superstars. This includes dancing and singing lessons as well as acting and media training.

"Think of it like college," Bang Si-Hyuk, the founder and Co-CEO of Big Hit, said in the HBS case study.

Many of these trainees are young teenagers between the ages of 13 to 15, according to the study. The boy group's youngest member, JungKook, now 22, was 14 when he first started as a trainee for Big Hit before debuting a few months before turning 16. He shared his journey dating back to his beginnings as a trainee in his single "My Time" that was released in BTS' album "Map of the Soul: 7" this past February.

Training to become a K-pop band can take up to three years, according to the case study.

Trainees prepare to debut as K-pop artists after about three years of training, according to the case study.

It's a pretty cut-throat process — according to the Harvard case study, there are around a dozen trainees for every person that makes it. That means upwards of 80 people may have auditioned for BTS, but RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook are the ones who made it.

As for this rigid process of talent development, Bang told scholars of the study that the concerns of "manufacturing" groups, at the cost of individuality, is valid. He says the company strives to "strike an ideal balance between the efficiency of the system and respect for each artist's individuality," according to the study.

BTS was originally envisioned as a hip-hop group, but the band pivoted to the "idol model."

Initially, BTS was going to be a hip-hop crew focused on rappers. In the HBS case study, Bang said that the company shifted away from this pure focus on hip-hop and eventually pivoted to the "idol model." 

Youngdae Kim, a Korean music critic best known for his book "BTS The Review: A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS," told Insider that idols usually refer to K-pop artists who combine singing and dancing in their performances.

BTS debuted the band's first album in 2013.

BTS officially debuted as a seven-member K-pop idol group in the summer of 2013.

Their first album "2 COOL 4 SKOOL" saw a fair amount of success, placing tenth on a monthly Korean music chart a month after release. The album's title song, "No more dream" can be interpreted as a commentary on the pressures of growing up as a teenager in Korea. 

Their music often carries messages around social issues, which has become part of the group's musical identity.

BTS music typically includes a message about social issues for fans.

"The whole company's philosophy is to make music that matters," Tamar Herman, a Billboard K-pop correspondent, told Insider. Herman said that she believed BTS's music delved into K-pop's "early roots" where idol groups like H.O.T. grappled with social issues in Korea.

Around the time BTS debuted, however, Herman said it was "pretty rare" that groups used their music for explicit social commentary. 

One fan told Insider that she was drawn to the group's music that consistently shares messages that collectively come together as an "overarching storyline" that follows the group's growth as well as her own. 

"A lot of their songs are interlinked with each other, so their lyrics aren't in a vacuum," Jiye Kim, a fan of BTS who is well known in the BTS fandom community for her English translations of BTS content , told Insider. "I'm able to grow alongside them."

BTS also strongly embraces their identity as Korean artists in their music.

Youngdae Kim told Insider that BTS's music is centered around their identity as Korean artists, which he says was rarely seen in the industry previously.

The group incorporates social commentary on issues local to Korea, includes Korean dialects in their music (their song "Paldogangsan" is literally a rap about Korean regional dialects, dubbed "Saturi"), and wears traditional Korean Hanbok clothing (Suga dressed in Hanbok for the music video of his latest single "Daechwita").

"In the beginning, BTS embraced their Korean identity, because they wanted to share narratives that were authentic to them, as Korean citizens," Youngdae Kim told Insider. "Now, I think they see it as a responsibility — they're the largest K-pop group right now, and they're not going to hide their Korean identity... because that's who they are." 

While Korean heritage is an important part of the group's musical identity, Jiye Kim told Insider that for fans, it's been an "uphill battle" to see coverage from people who understand Asian and Korean culture.

Around a year after their debut, fans formed an official fan club called "A.R.M.Y." to support BTS.

Around a year after BTS debuted in 2013, their official fan club came together. The fan club, called "A.R.M.Y.,"  is short for "Adorable M.C. for Youth."

Jiye Kim teaches at a high school in Sydney, Australia, during the day but volunteers her time  — sometimes up to 15 hours a day around an album release — to translate BTS content in English for fans around the world. She says she's forged many friendships from interacting with other fans through social media and feels that volunteering her time to translate content is a way of giving back to the community. 

"I translate not for BTS, but my fellow fans who through BTS find a sense of comfort or joy," Kim told Insider. 

"A strong alliance between the artists and the fans is a fundamental part of K-pop fandom culture," Ju Oak Kim, an Assistant Professor of Communication at Texas A&M International University, told Insider. Many other K-pop groups such as BLACKPINK also have official fan clubs that support them. 

BTS fans have grown their presence in the age of social media.

BTS and other K-pop fans have become a movement unto themselves online.

Most recently, BTS fans have received national attention for their viral digital activism such as matching the K-pop group's $1 million donation to the Black Lives Matter movement . K-pop fans also said they reserved thousands of tickets for President Donald Trump's rally in Oklahoma before not showing up ( rows of seats remained empty at the rally though it's unclear if the viral campaign by K-pop fans was the reason why).

Ju Oak Kim told Insider that fans are no longer passive consumers of their artists' work. Kim says that today, fans are able to see the tangible impact they can make as consumers and are "empowered" to be proactive about using their social capital as a collective fandom.

For example, Jiye Kim said that she had already made several contributions to organizations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement after seeing many of her fellow BTS fans share messages of solidarity and support. She told Insider she also commissioned some BTS fan artists who used proceeds for their art to donate to the movement. 

"The moment that we heard (where BTS stood), we were able to use BTS's name explicitly to muster the forces," Kim said. 

BTS has set numerous records since 2013.

A few years after their debut in 2015, BTS came in first place on a weekly music performance show on one of Korea's three major television broadcast networks with their first single with "I NEED U" from their third mini-album, "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1."

Since then, the group has continued to shatter records. This past March, BTS' "Map of the Soul: 7" album marked the group's fourth No.1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. The album recorded 347,000 album sales and over 74 million on-demand streams, making it the "largest week for any album in 2020," Billboard reported at the time .

For the music video for "ON," the album's lead single, the Head of Culture and Trends at YouTube confirmed that they " set a new record for peak viewers for a premiere ."  

Most recently, BTS topped a Guinness World Record for most viewed concert livestream in a virtual concert that was viewed by over 700,000 fans globally. 

BTS became the first K-pop artist to present at the Grammy Awards in 2019. The year after, the group became the first K-pop artist to perform at the award show.

In 2019, BTS became the first K-pop artist to present at the Grammy Awards. The following year, they became the first K-pop artist to perform at the award show. 

However, fans on social media criticized the music show for not including the group's music in any of their nominations. Halsey, who collaborated with the group for their single "Boy with Luv," supported the group by saying that the " US is so far behind ."

—h (@halsey) November 20, 2019

The sky's the limit for BTS.

BTS will likely continue to dominate the music industry into the 2020s.

Their latest album "Map of the Soul: Journey" was released in Japanese in July . The new album includes Japanese versions of a number of their latest songs like "Boy with Luv" and "IDOL," in addition to four new Japanese songs. Upon release, it dominated Japan's Oricon chart, opening up yet another region in the world for BTS to shine. 

Meanwhile, "Map of the Soul: 7" became the only album released this year that sold over half-million copies, according to Nielsen Music and MRC Data's midyear report . The report also places BTS as the second most consumed genre artist, following Billie Eilish and ahead of Taylor Swift. 

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How BTS Became One of the Most Popular Bands in History

By E. Tammy Kim

I’ve long been hesitant to write about BTS. When reporting on South Korea, I resisted the expected topics: Korean skin care, plastic surgery, dogmeat, and, yes, K-pop . I absorbed Western critiques of K-pop’s girl and boy bands: that they’re fluffy, manufactured, and exploitative of their members—as if the same weren’t true of New Kids on the Block. But, earlier this year, BTS became inescapable. The group was everywhere, and everyone seemed to be into them. To continue ignoring the BTS phenomenon was to risk missing something bigger than Beatlemania.

I first glimpsed the swell of hallyu , the Korean wave, a decade ago. In the winter of 2012, I was writing a story about Latina day laborers in Brooklyn who cleaned Hasidic homes before the Sabbath—when women’s work accumulated to the point where outsourcing became necessary. I had heard that many employers paid low wages or didn’t pay at all; some workers reported verbal abuse and sexual harassment. Standing among the women on a street corner in a black puffy coat, I tried to make conversation in my terrible Spanish. One morning, a worker approached me and asked, apropos of nothing, if I was Korean—not “Chinese or Japanese?” This precision was new. When I said yes, she beamed. “My daughter—she loves Korea,” she said. “She loves K-pop.”

E. Tammy Kim discusses her reporting on BTS .

The woman took out her phone and had me speak with her daughter, Karina, a young mother and deli worker in New York. Karina wanted to learn Korean so she could better understand the lyrics of boy bands such as Super Junior and SHINee. I agreed to teach her, and, in exchange, she agreed to be my interpreter. We established a semiweekly routine: meet in the morning to interview day laborers, then study Hangul at a nearby library. Karina practiced writing the alphabet, ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ . . ., and pronouncing basic phrases. She read Bruce Cumings’s “ Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History ,” and composed a report that gushed about King Sejong and his invention of the Korean script. “I myself find it to be a beautiful language,” she wrote. “When you hear the words being spoken, it sounds as if it’s a melody.”

Three years later, a friend on Long Island told me that teen-age twins who she’d met in town were obsessed with all things Korean. Like Karina, they were the daughters of Latino immigrants and bilingual in English and Spanish, but it was Korean that they wanted to know. They’d taught themselves the basics, and began texting with me in short bursts of Hangul, with emojis and exclamation points. When I invited them over for a home-cooked Korean meal, they brought along a friend, another Latino Koreaphile, and a Korean cake garlanded in candied fruits.

A few years after that, my parents and I were on a ferry in Greece, during a trip to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary, when a young Greek man in shorts came up to us, smiling broadly. “Are you Korean?” he asked. “I love your culture. K-pop!” He asked us to speak Korean, as though he might inhale the sounds along with the salty sea air. Korea was trendy. It had successfully hawked its cultural wares in the global marketplace. Still, I knew nothing of its best-selling product: BangTanSonyeondan, a.k.a. BTS.

A friend warned, at the start of my BTS journey, “This is the hardest story you’ve ever done.” What he meant was that there was so much material (nine years of music, dancing, articles, and tweets) and so much potential to get things wrong (a staggeringly rich subculture and legions of fervent, fact-checking fans). In April, BTS was performing in Las Vegas, as part of a short international tour—the band’s first live shows since before the pandemic. I bought an overpriced resale ticket and started to cram.

Acquaintances who proudly identify as members of BTS’s ARMY —which stands for “Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth” and describes both individual fans and its fandom worldwide—delighted in making recommendations. They sent links to music videos, concerts, and the band’s self-produced variety show, “Run BTS,” of which there are more than a hundred and fifty episodes. I tried out fan-made choreography tutorials (embarrassing but fun) and watched mini-lectures to learn the seven members’ names. I scrolled through Twitter fan accounts, read BTS monographs, and listened to a podcast called “BTS AF.” On the last day of May, Asian American heritage month, the boys appeared at the White House for a careful mix of politics lite and P.R., condemning “anti-Asian hate crimes” (in Korean) and making finger hearts with President Biden in the Oval Office.

Then, on June 14th, just days after releasing a new album, BTS made a shocking, if not unexpected, announcement. In a video to celebrate their ninth anniversary, the members sat around a long, lavishly appointed dinner table, in the style of da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” All was festive—wine and crab legs and laughter—until minute twenty-one. SUGA, one of the band’s rappers, said, “I guess we should explain why we’re in an off period right now.” A sober go-around followed: the members were tired; they wanted to try new things, each on his own. They cried. Many ARMY s concluded that BTS was going on hiatus, and some feared a breakup. Hours later, after the stock price of the band’s parent company fell by nearly thirty per cent, the band member RM issued a statement of reassurance. The members were simply taking a break to pursue solo projects. “This is not the end for us,” he said.

Débuting in 2013, BTS was the creation of the producer and songwriter Bang Si-Hyuk and his K-pop label, Big Hit Entertainment. Bang, who studied aesthetics at South Korea’s prestigious Seoul National University, started his career at J.Y.P. Entertainment, one of the “big three” corporations that built K-pop into a five-billion-dollar industry, with generous government support. During the Asian financial crisis of the late nineties, President Kim Dae-jung, whose inauguration was attended by Michael Jackson, had taken a cue from Hollywood and J-pop (Japan’s popular-music industry) to invest heavily in culture. The spending paid off, and K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean genre films became a source of Korean soft power.

When Bang left J.Y.P. to start Big Hit, in 2005, he set out to make a different kind of K-pop. His recruits would still come through auditions and undergo months, even years, of training in song and dance. They would still learn English and Japanese (and Korean, if they were coming from somewhere else) and cultivate a pale, dewy complexion. And they would still be expected to practice total romantic discretion, if not chastity. But, unlike at the Korean big three, Bang would allow his idols to express themselves, both by writing their own music and by interacting directly with their fans. This relative freedom would make BTS the most popular band in the world and turn Bang into a billionaire.

Bang initially envisioned BTS as a smaller hip-hop group. He began with Kim Namjoon, a.k.a. RM (formerly Rap Monster), a preternaturally confident m.c. and fluent English speaker. Then came Min Yoongi, or SUGA, who’d gained renown for making beats in his provincial home town, and Jung Hoseok, or j-hope, a hip-hop dancer who would lean into his sunny moniker. From this three-member rap line, Bang kept growing the band, adding singers and visuals, meaning lookers. Kim Seokjin, or Jin, the oldest member, born in 1992, had perfect lips and thespian ambitions. Jeon Jung Kook, the youngest, or maknae , had proved his all-around talent on the show “Superstar K.” Kim Taehyung, or V, had a tender voice and sultry eyes, while Park Jimin was a competitive dancer of implacable sweetness.

It was unusual for a K-pop group to start from a base of rap and hip-hop. It was even more unusual for a group to speak and sing openly of the struggles of youth. The members vlogged their adolescent musings and posted variety-show episodes to the video-streaming service V Live. On the app Weverse, they offered pay-for-play content to supplement what was already on YouTube. Every day, there was something new to consume, and watching the members rehearse intricate dance moves, eat takeout, play video games, and gently bicker felt like eavesdropping on an endless slumber party. As the ethnomusicologist Kim Youngdae has observed, BTS mastered the craft of storytelling across platforms—what contemporary scholars call “transmedia” and what Heidegger called the “total work of art,” or Gesamtkunstwerk . The band’s prolific, consistent production relays an impression of authenticity. BTS fans experience a deep attachment to the boys and call them by nicknames—“Oh, Hobi,” “Oh, Tae”—as real in their daily lives as friends and family. When I asked fans, “Why are you so devoted to BTS?,” they would respond, nearly identically, “Because they do so much for us.” The boys habitually extend affirmations of self-love and gratitude to their fans. Jung Kook has “ ARMY ” and a purple heart tattooed on his right hand.

But BTS has done more than soothe and entertain. Its first three albums, the school trilogy, reflected the concerns of teen-agers and young adults trying to survive South Korea’s high-pressure education system. In the glossy photo book that accompanies the third in the series, “Skool Luv Affair,” the baby-faced seven, eyes lined in black, wear tousled school uniforms and exhort rebellion. After a ferry capsized off the southwestern coast of South Korea in April of 2014, killing hundreds of teen-agers on a school trip and becoming a symbol of state corruption, BTS released what’s thought to be a tribute ballad, “Spring Day.”

ARMY culture spread from Korea to the rest of East Asia, the U.S., Southeast Asia, South America, and beyond. A recent census of BTS’s fandom found ARMY s in more than a hundred countries and territories. Ajla Hrelja Bralić, a fan and mother of two fans in Zagreb, Croatia, told me that BTS opened her up to “Korea, Japan, China, all those countries we don’t know much about.” In 2014, BTS was billed as one of many acts at KCON , a showcase of Korean culture, in Los Angeles. By the fourth KCON , in 2016, BTS was the main draw. The band continued to produce high-concept, multi-album releases, but layered more pop, E.D.M., and world beats onto its rap and R. & B. The youth trilogy, comprising three albums titled “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life” (or “화양연화”), emphasized the band’s vocals. The four-part series “Love Yourself” alluded to a Sino-Korean storytelling structure (기승전결: introduction, development, turn, conclusion) and doubled down on the theme of self-acceptance. More recently, BTS has sharpened its therapeutic tack by invoking Jungian psychoanalysis. The albums “Map of the Soul: Persona” and “Map of the Soul: 7” refer to Murray Stein’s 1998 book, “ Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction .” As Stein told the K-pop journalist Tamar Herman, BTS’s music addresses the gap we all face “between ourselves and the social world around us.”

In 2017, BTS performed its high-energy song “DNA” at the American Music Awards, the moment many ARMY s in the U.S. cite as their introduction to the boys. (The music video for “DNA” has 1.5 billion views on YouTube.) The band became beloved repeat guests of Ellen DeGeneres, James Corden, and Jimmy Fallon, and clocked wins at the A.M.A.s, the MTV Video Music Awards, and the Billboard Music Awards. Their collaborators have included, among others, Nicki Minaj, Halsey, Steve Aoki, and the choreographer Keone Madrid. Meanwhile, individual members of BTS have produced and composed their own rap mixtapes, music videos, and singles, including for the Korean hip-hop group Epik High and for popular K-dramas such as “Itaewon Class” and “Our Blues.” Next month, j-hope will perform solo at Lollapalooza. The boys have also lent their imprimatur to sell vast numbers of cars, phones, face creams, and even novels: RM, the designated “literature idol,” has been known to read such varied books as Plato’s Phaedrus , Han Kang’s “ Human Acts ,” and Carl Sagan’s “ Cosmos .”

But none of these bare facts completely explains the intense passion of the BTS fandom. BTS is arguably the most popular band ever, with the most dedicated following. As BTS’s ARMY has grown, it has developed increasingly elaborate practices. Fans confess their “biases” (favorite members) and “bias wreckers” (the members who threaten the primacy of those favorites), and abide by rules of conduct, such as a prohibition against accosting or identifying a member who’s on vacation with his family. Of their own accord, ARMY s have organized to maximize BTS’s streaming numbers, raise funds for charity, and agitate against movements perceived to oppose the values of BTS. In one famous example, from 2020, ARMY s registered en masse for a Trump rally in Tulsa, with no intention of attending, causing the then President an embarrassingly low turnout. Earlier this year, fans in the Philippines mobilized widely, though unsuccessfully, to prevent Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos, Jr., the son and namesake of the country’s notorious dictator, from being elected President .

ARMY ’s devotion to textual analysis is astonishing. A Korean lawyer and mother of two in Singapore, who tweets as @BeautifulSoulB7, told me that she spends a chunk of every morning translating BTS articles, videos, and social-media posts from English to Korean. Aneesa Mahboob, a video editor in California, created the YouTube documentary series “ The Rise of Bangtan ,” which includes twenty-one half-hour installments. On V Live, most episodes of “Run BTS” can be watched in more than a dozen languages, including Azerbaijani and Bahasa Indonesia, thanks to the contributions of multilingual fans. None of this work is done for pay.

Professor Candace Epps-Robertson, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has described BTS fans as an army of librarians. Their methods, she wrote in the journal Rhetoric Review , “include tracking and documenting Twitter hashtags, participatory archives of materials related to research and teaching, blogs to archive translations of songs, and an emerging archive of fans narrating their personal experiences of survival and growth.” Epps-Robertson has her own growth narrative: In 2019, she began taking care of her mother, who was dying of A.L.S. “I started to play BTS on my way home because I couldn’t stand to be in silence with the many emotions I felt,” she wrote in a blog post. She is especially attached to “Mikrokosmos” (no relation to the Bartók), a synth-y, up-tempo track that affirms the “starlight” in every soul.

In July, Epps-Robertson, whose Twitter name includes a superscript “7” in tribute to the band, will fly to Seoul to attend the third convening of BTS: A Global Interdisciplinary Conference. (One of the keynote speakers is the New Age novelist Paulo Coelho .) Her teen-age daughter, Phoenix, the original ARMY of the family, will accompany her. Before BTS, neither mother nor daughter had much interest in Asia. Now, Epps-Robertson told me, Phoenix attends a Korean-language school one night a week, plus two hours of private tutoring. “I was so in awe of her getting up early to watch Korean news, to research Korean history,” she said. “I was, like, how can I capture that in my own classes—that excitement, that desire to learn more?”

The concert I attended in Vegas, in April, was the finale of the band’s “Permission to Dance” tour. After two years of the pandemic, fans were desperate for a chance to see the group live, and continued uncertainty over if and when the older members would have to perform compulsory eighteen-month stints in the South Korean military added to the frenzy. Still, none of us imagined that the tour might be BTS’s last, at least for a while. An ARMY from New York, who’d flown to Los Angeles for one of the shows, advised me to “dress to the nines.” At the concert in L.A., she said, many fans wore clothes modelled after the members’ slick, gender-bending outfits in music videos and had their hair dyed in homage to BTS’s multicolored coifs. The fan, whose own hair is shaded a pleasing soft pink, giggled at the memory of one concertgoer who came dressed as a tangerine, a reference to SUGA’s love of the fruit.

Before Las Vegas, I did not know that BTS had a favorite color. But perhaps V—who coined the phrase “Borahae,” a composite of “purple” and “I love you” in Korean—was smiling upon me. I happened to pack purple sunglasses, a purplish-pink fanny pack, a violet handkerchief, and a silver slip dress whose lavender sheen I would discover under the desert sun. When I landed at the Las Vegas airport, ARMY s revealed themselves by way of BTS keychains, luggage tags, and T-shirts that read “TAEHYUNG” or “JIMIN.”

That morning, in my hotel lobby, I met a young woman named MK Jourdain, who was carrying an armful of BTS merch and looked out of breath. A Haitian American who wore her hair in braided pigtails and a headband ornamented with two plush SHOOKY baubles, she had flown in from Florida, where she attends college and works at a bank. (SHOOKY is the cartoon character that represents her bias, SUGA, in the universe of BT21, a BTS merchandise line.) She’d joined a queue outside Allegiant Stadium at five-thirty that morning, hoping to have her pick of BTS souvenirs. But, by the time she reached the front of the line, the Permission to Dance blankets and T-shirts were sold out. She did manage, however, to snag some photo cards and a plastic fan decorated with the members’ faces. Jourdain had been drawn to K-pop after getting into Japanese anime, whose fandom overlaps with BTS’s ARMY and shares similar customs of language-learning and translation. Jourdain was studying Korean, and explained that what drew her to BTS, aside from SUGA’s “cute, adorable” rapping and dancing, were the values that the group projected. “I feel more of the Korean and the Haitian culture. It’s very together. There’s a lot of warmth,” she said. In the U.S., by contrast, “It’s, like, O.K., I’m just by myself. No one’s really gonna care.”

Later, standing in line for the BTS “Immersive Journey,” a series of photo-ready rooms that blared recent songs such as “Butter,” I met a bubbly Indian woman in a bright-yellow shirt. Akshata was a recent, work-from-home convert to BTS who’d come from Bangalore, on vacation from her job as an investment banker. She told me that her husband was working in Salt Lake City, and that the band’s message of self-love had helped her become more independent while he was away. When I gave her my business card, which includes my name written in Hangul, she read the Korean aloud. She’d been learning the language in part by bingeing on Korean drama series on Netflix. (She sent me a list of fifty-three and counting.) A few hours after we talked, she got a tattoo of the flower line drawing from the cover of BTS’s first “Love Yourself” album.

BTS as self-care was a theme I heard from many fans. Christina Johnson (bias: RM) came to Las Vegas from Houston, where she works part-time at Kohl’s and homeschools four of her five children. She told me that she was a fan of ’NSync in the past, but in the gloom of the early pandemic, when she was furloughed for several months and stuck at home, she found refuge in BTS. She made a Spotify playlist of nearly two hundred BTS songs and decorated her desk at home with BTS portraits. She hung a floating shelf to display her CDs and little figurines of each of the members, a kind of secular altar. Johnson grew up in foster care; her mother, who is half Japanese, was adopted. She said that BTS had inspired her to look into her Japanese heritage and had given her a stronger sense of being Asian American. When she needs a break from work or from the kids, she puts on her headphones and listens to “Magic Shop” or the “Love Yourself” albums. The band was like “mental-health counselling,” she told me. (When BTS later announced its break, Johnson said in an e-mail that she was having “a bit of a sob fest.” She acknowledged that “they deserve time to themselves, to stretch their wings,” but felt sad because they “have been a comfort to so many for so long.”)

That evening, at Allegiant Stadium, the mood was blissful. The gleaming, two-billion-dollar venue is the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders, but I saw none of the alcoholic rowdiness of a football game or the “Yeah, but have you heard X” competitiveness of a rock or jazz show. Nor was the audience dominated by hysterical teen-age girls. In line outside the stadium, a group of Black men in purple outfits laughed and danced. A young Asian woman, yelling “freebies,” gave me a handmade BTS bookmark and a felted lavender heart. A Latino dad wearing a hat that read “땡” (a rap track by RM, SUGA, and j-hope) was accompanied by his wife and teen-age daughters. He told people nearby that their tickets had cost forty-eight hundred dollars. Inside the stadium, I took a photo for two ARMY s from Spain. One had made a sign that read “Bang PD marry me!,” a reference to the producer who started it all. From my seat in the nosebleeds, I watched the two girls next to me scroll BTS content on Instagram and take pouty duck-face selfies. In the row ahead of us, a couple who spoke only Japanese nibbled on a cookie stamped with BTS’s logo. Nearly all of the stadium’s sixty-five thousand seats were filled, and additional chairs had been set up on the ground. The Jumbotrons played an anti-plastics (but pro-Samsung) environmental P.S.A. starring BTS and an assortment of the band’s music videos to prime the crowd. When the boys finally appeared on stage, unveiled by the lifting of a giant mechanized box, the screaming began. Thousands of ARMY s waved Bluetooth lightsticks (cost: fifty-nine dollars) that synched into undulating fields of color. The audience called out the members’ names in routinized “fan chants.” It was as massive a spectacle as the Super Bowl or World Cup, except that all the fans were cheering for the same team.

Before I knew BTS’s music, I knew of the members as envoys of well-being. In 2017—the same year that Kim Jonghyun, a singer in the K-pop group SHINee, died by suicide—BTS launched a campaign with UNICEF to combat violence against children and teens. The following year, RM represented the band in a speech about self-acceptance at the United Nations, and last year all seven members offered encouragement to young people during the pandemic in the meeting hall of the U.N.’s General Assembly. A music video the boys shot there—singing one of their hits in demure black suits, starting at the green marble rostrum reserved for world leaders, then skipping through the main chamber and onto the grassy edge of the East River—has been viewed some sixty-eight million times.

Fans love the members for expressing empathy for minority groups and talking candidly about their own insecurities, struggles, and mistakes. This may explain how BTS has outlasted the “seven-year curse” of most K-pop bands. Early on, after facing criticism for the misogynistic tenor of the song “War of Hormone” (“Imma give it to you girl right now,” “Perfect from the front, perfect from the back,” etc.), RM reportedly committed to a feminist reading list. RM and Suga have said in interviews that queer people should be able to love whomever they want—no minor gesture in South Korea, where it’s still difficult to be out. An ARMY named Wang in Chengdu, China, who identifies as gay, though not publicly, told me, “There’s a big queer component of BTS. The fandom feels really welcoming.” (Contrast this with the K-pop group Big Bang, whose singers have been convicted of sex trafficking, gambling, and drug crimes.) At the same time, BTS has refrained from wading into public policy. No member has commented on the situation of queer people in South Korea, let alone backed the anti-discrimination bill that L.G.B.T.Q. activists there have been pursuing for more than a decade.

The band’s cautious approach to politics has so far saved it from major controversy. But there have been kerfuffles. Members have had run-ins with Japanese and Chinese fans, based on symbolic quarrels over East Asian history. And, in 2019, j-hope was taken to task for styling his hair into dreadlock-like “gel twists” in the music video for “Chicken Noodle Soup,” a remake of the song by DJ Webstar and Young B. Some ARMY s circulated a post in English and Korean that criticized this choice as cultural appropriation; others condemned the critics. More recently, an intra- ARMY clash broke out after BTS teased the tracklist for “Proof,” a new three-CD compilation album that features a song written in part by Jung Bobby, a K-pop composer who has pleaded guilty to sexual assault. Though Jung’s conduct did not come to light until after the song was first released, some ARMY s asked why the band would reissue the track at all. When Juwon Park, a journalist with the Associated Press in Seoul and a onetime dancer for K-pop singer PSY, raised the question on Twitter, global ARMY s bombarded her with virulent responses. I ran into a similar, if less hostile, defensiveness during my interviews with BTS fans. Many ARMY s feel that the band, and K-pop in general, have been disrespected by the mainstream media, especially in the West. I tried to reassure my sources that I was not writing a hit piece. “I wouldn’t want to say anything that would hurt the boys,” more than one person told me.

At the concert, from my vertiginous perch, I watched seven dots leap balletically on the stage. I could see their creamy faces and kohl-limned eyes only on the giant screens. They sang and danced for nearly two hours, stopping only for costume changes. I recognized most of the songs, including two of my favorites—“Black Swan” and “ IDOL ”—but didn’t know many of the lyrics. Everyone else, it seemed, could sing along to every word. If I were the pre-teen protagonist of an Asian American coming-of-age movie, this is when I would cry: hearing my parents’ language, once a source of embarrassment in my white-bread American home town, now being sung in joyful unison by all the peoples of the earth. The concert closed with “Permission to Dance,” the title track of the tour. It’s an irresistible, high-pitched song in E major, as sweet and flossy as cotton candy. The lyrics, in English, put the pandemic at a wishful remove: “I wanna dance, the music’s got me going / Ain’t nothing that can stop how we move.” After BTS faded out, in a swirl of confetti, a date flashed on the Jumbotrons that broke major news: “Proof” would drop on June 10th.

Exiting into the parking lot, toward the floodlit artifice of the strip, I tried to retain the ecstatic mood that had filled the stadium. But earlier that day, not far from where we were, I had seen a man in a ragged shirt and jeans lumbering alongside peppy sightseers, carrying an extra pair of shoes—with duct tape in place of its sole. I thought of a line from Milan Kundera’s “ The Unbearable Lightness of Being ,” another novel that RM endorsed to fans. In a brief tangent on totalitarian aesthetics, Kundera describes kitsch as “the absolute denial of shit.” Was this what we’d felt in the stadium: a happy but empty denialism? At the start of my BTS journey, I might have said yes. I might have dismissed the band’s music and accompanying œuvre as a sentimental detour from our macabre shared reality. But I have found that BTS ARMY s do not live in a fantasy. They live where everyone else does: in a world of depression, mass death, and ecological ruin. Over the past nine years, ARMY s have not looked to the seven for escape. They have looked to them for joy.

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BTS World Tour “LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF”: Cities And Ticket Details

JeonAe , Kpopmap Editor

2 min to read

BTS Official Facebook

Following a record-breaking 2018, BTS is further cementing their position as the biggest pop act on the planet as they announce their BTS WORLD TOUR ‘LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF’, with a line-up of eight stadiums spanning North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

The global boy band recently made history as the first Korean act to present at the GRAMMY Awards. In 2018, BTS scored two #1 albums on the Billboard 200, embarked on a sold out world tour, landed the cover of TIME, and had the highest-grossing cinema event with “Burn the Stage: the Movie”. While millions across the world celebrate BTS as a culture, the band continues to break ground, connecting with the people through their music.

BTS World Tour “LOVE YOURSELF:SPEAK YOURSELF”

May 4-5, Saturday & Sunday- Los Angeles (Rose Bowl Stadium)

May 11-12, Saturday & Sunday- Chicago (Soldier Field)

May 18-19, Saturday & Sunday- New Jersey (Metlife Stadium)

May 25, Saturday- Sao Paulo (Allianz Parque)

June 1-2, Saturday & Sunday- London (Wembley Stadium)

June 7-8, Friday & Saturday- Paris (Stade De France)

July 6-7, Saturday-Sunday- Osaka (Yanmar Stadium Nagai)

July 13-14, Saturday-Sunday- Shizuoka (Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa)

Oct. 11, Friday- Riyaoh, Saudi Arabia (King Fahd International Stadium)

Oct. 26, 27 & 29, Saturday-Sunday, Tuesday- Seoul (Olympic Stadium)

-Ticket Details-

Los Angeles: Link  (Sales open on Mar. 1, 10 am local time)

Chicago: Link  (Sales open on Mar. 1, 10 am local time)

New Jersey: Link (Sales open on Mar. 1, 10 am local time)

Sao Paulo: Link (Sales open on Mar. 11, 10 am local time)

London: Link (Sales open on Mar. 1, 8:30 am local time)

Paris: Link  (Sales open on Mar. 1, 9 am local time)

Osaka & Shizuoka: Fan lottery on Mar. 22 to 31

London (extra date): Link (Sales open on Mar. 8, 8:30 am local time)

Los Angeles (extra date): Link (Sales open on Mar.8, 4 pm local time)

Chicago (extra date): Link (Sales open on Mar.8, 4 pm local time)

Newark (extra date): Link (Sales open on Mar.8, 4 pm local time)

Paris (extra date): Link (Sales open on Mar.8, 9 am local time)

Riyaoh: Link (Sales open on Sept. 16, 4 pm KSA)

Seoul: Fanclub lottery (Aug. 1) Fanclub pre-sale (Sales open on Sep. 25, 8 pm local time) General (Sales open on Sep. 26, 8 pm local time)

Big Hit Entertainment

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BTS, the band that changed K-pop, explained

The keys to BTS’s success: emotional resonance, sincerity, and an ARMY of fans.

by Aja Romano

In 2012, Rolling Stone published a list of the 10 K-pop bands most likely to make it big in the US. Achieving significant US fame was a newly attainable, if still distant, milestone for South Korean pop groups thanks to the 2000s’tremendous exporting of South Korean culture overseas — a trend known as Hallyu, the Korean Wave. Rolling Stone’s list, which appeared two months before Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” included groups like Big Bang, Girls’ Generation, and 2NE1 — the greatest bands of what’s generally thought of as the “second generation” of pop groups to emerge during K-pop’s rise to international prominence.

It didn’t, however, include a group of teenage boys, then-recently assembled through a studio audition process, who were being meticulously polished and prepped for their debut. On December 22, 2012, the group released a number of Soundcloud clips featuring its sevenmembers rapping in Korean and English — including a rap cover of Wham’s “Last Christmas.”

It was hardly the stuff of attention-getting Korean hip-hop. But the band in question — Bangtan Boys, later officially known as BTS — would go on to completely transform the image of all-male boy bands in South Korean music and shatter conceptions of what breakout success looked like for South Korean bands overseas.

• How K-pop became a global phenomenon

BTS’s rise to prominence has been so immense over the last few years that the band’s latest single, “Butter” — their first since a trio of groundbreaking, historic No. 1 singles in fall 2020 — is a major event.

BTS made headlines in 2020 with the hit single “ Dynamite ,” which became the first K-pop song in history to debut at No. 1 on the US Billboard “Hot 100” chart.

Having already racked up more than 60 million YouTube views in its first 12 hours online, “Butter” already seems positioned to be an even bigger hit for the band.

• With “Dynamite,” BTS beat the US music industry at its own cheap game

These US chart-toppers are huge accomplishments for BTS. The band has spent years building to this point, slowly conquering the American music scene with one milestone after another. Since 2018, when they became the first South Korean band in history to debut an album at No. 1 on the US Billboard chart , they’ve collaborated with major artists like the Chainsmokers , Steve Aoki , Nicki Minaj , Ed Sheeran , and Halsey . They’ve performed everywhere from Good Morning America to Saturday Night Live , from Times Square’s New Year’s Eve concerts to Grand Central Terminal .

In 2020, BTS garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group performance. They’ve even snagged a couple of Guinness World Records for their incredibly engaged fanbase .

So why was BTS the band that finally broke through the culture barrier overseas to make significantwaves in the US? The answer lies in a combination of factors, and most of them are about change: the changing nature of K-pop’s studio culture and the way “idols” are produced; changing depictions of masculinity in South Korea; changing ranges of acceptable expression in K-pop; and, above all, the approach BTS has taken to building its fan base and interacting with its fans.

But to understand all this change, we have to back up a few years to understand how K-pop became the regimented industry it is today — and how BTS subverts that regimen.

How did K-pop become a $5 billion global industry?

Vox explore K-pop’s elaborate music videos, adoring fans, and killer choreography for our Netflix series Explained .

Watch now on Netflix.

BTS is the product of an industry insider who wanted to create a new kind of idol

K-pop began on April 11, 1992, when a hip-hop trio called Seo Taiji and Boys performed in a talent show on a national South Korean network. Seo Taiji and Boys were innovators who challenged norms around musical styles, song topics, fashion, and censorship, which was unprecedented for a culture whose musical production had spent the past few decades subjected to strict government oversight. But it wouldn’t last.

In the ’90s, three powerhouse music studios began cultivating what would become known as idol groups. Assembled through auditions and years of grooming within an intense studio culture — the highly regimented system of idol group production in Korean and Japanese music studios — idol groups are polished to perfection, designed to present the very highest standards of beauty, dance, and musicality. Children who enter these studios spend most of their lives enduring rigorous training to become part of an idol group. If they’re chosen, the studio exerts a huge amount of control, not only over the songs they sing and the way their band is marketed but also over their daily lives .

Idol groups have come to dominate the Korean music industry, but there are well-known toxic and abusive elements to idol life. Over the last decade, the Korean government has taken steps to endthe structural exploitation that has been a major part of Korean studio culture. But in the early 2010s when BTS was formed, most studios had a highly regimented, restrictive approach to idol group production. As part of the process, they systematically ironed out most of the personal expression and socially conscious music that Seo Taiji was originally known for — after all, it’s hard to express yourself when you’re contractually forbidden to have a personal life. Even today, idols typically only feel free to open up about their struggles after their studio careers have come to an end .

It was within this environment that a man named Bang Si-hyuk began to quietly build a different kind of studio, and to cultivate the band that would become BTS. A successful songwriter and music producer, Bang was nicknamed “Hitman” for writing a string of popular songs, from g.o.d.’s “One Candle” in 1999 to T-ara’s “Like the First Time” a decade later. He worked as an arranger and producer with the studio JYP until 2005, when he left to form his own Big Hit Entertainment.

But Bang also struggled with his position within the industry. As a studio owner, he confessed to insecurity about his work and said he admired singers who could express their personalities in their music. This combination of ideas — the honest musical expression of one’s creative anxieties — would become a crucial element of BTS.

In 2010, Bang began to assemble a group of teens for a group he called the Bulletproof Boy Scouts. This would go on to become Bangtan Boys, then BTS, but the ingredients of their success were inherent in the original name. Bang intended “bulletproof” to functionas a celebration of the kids’ toughness and ability to withstand the pressures of the world. But he also wanted the band to be able to be sincere and genuine — not immaculate idols groomed amid studio culture, but real boys who shared their authentic personalities and talents with the world.

This approach was quite different from the normal studio approach to idoldom, wherein idols are trained to be pleasant but mild — to function as blank slates upon which viewers can project theirfantasies. By contrast, Bang wanted BTS to be full of figures that audiences could relate to. In a 2018 interview with the South Korean newspaper JoongAng, he described how he originally thought of BTS as consisting of gentle, sympathetic idols who could mentor their fans:

I recently came across a company document from [2012,] the year before BTS debuted, in which we were debating what kind of idol group to create. It said, ‘What kind of hero is the youth of today looking for? Not someone who dogmatically preaches from above. Rather, it seems like they need a hero who can lend them a shoulder to lean on, even without speaking a single word.

To create that band, Bang had to shake up the established precedents for how idol groups are treated. BTS wouldn’t have strict contracts and curfews, and they’d be allowed to discuss the pressures of stardom. Their lyrics would be open about the cultural pressure placed on Korean teens to excel and do well and to repress their anxieties. In short, they would be frank, honest, and natural.

How they did it: a consciously authentic style combined with socially conscious messaging

“We came together with a common dream to write, dance and produce music that reflects our musical backgrounds as well as our life values of acceptance, vulnerability and being successful,” said BTS’s leader, RM, in a 2017 interview with Time . There are six main ways BTS breaks with established precedent for K-pop boy bands to carry out this mission:

• They frequently write their own songs and lyrics.
• Their lyrics are socially conscious and especially attuned to describing the pressures of modern teen life in South Korea.
• They create and manage most of their own social media presence.
• They aren’t signed to “slave contracts,” nor do their contracts have the grueling restrictions of other idol groups.
• They tend to focus on marketing entire albums rather than individual singles.(This is essentially still true despite their recent string of singles in the US.)
• They talk openly about the struggles and anxieties of their career instead of presenting an extremely polished image at all times.

It should be noted that most of these elements have been present in numerous other recent K-pop groups — most notably Big Bang, which probably influenced BTS more than any other K-pop group. What Big Hit Entertainment did, however, was systematize these elements in BTS, and market them hard.

In the earliest videos of the band, from the months before their 2013 debut, the members were styled as young and sweetly innocent , maintaining the common “schoolboy” concept of male K-pop idol groups. When the group officially launched in June 2013, however, it was with a hard style paying homage to old-school gangster rap. Their first single, “No More Dream,” was an ode to teen apathy, a rebellious rejection of Korean traditionalism.

And it wasn’t exactly popular: Early audience reactions included a lot of eye-rolling at what was viewed as a superimposed gangster image the band hadn’t earned. And while they were clearly leaning on the confessional lyrical apathy of Seo Taiji and his early successors, it all seemed contrived rather than real.

A K-pop commentator who goes by the mononym Stephen ran a weekly podcast, This Week in K-Pop , from 2013 to 2017, which chronicled new releases in K-pop and inevitably documented the rise of BTS. But Stephen and his co-hosts were initially skeptical of the band. “Now K-pop has faux hip-hop undertones everywhere,” he said. “But in 2013 there wasn’t really that much, other than Big Bang. So when [BTS] came out with this very in-your-face, ‘We’re hip-hop’ image, it felt a little silly.”

Stephen pointed out that K-pop in general suffers from this problem. “K-pop really likes the look and attitude of hip-hop, but not too much . It’s very surface-level: hip-hop as a culture rather than as a musical genre.”

BTS’s climb to success, then, involved the band finding a way to communicate that this confessional image was real. They did this by mixing their openness on social media with blunt and honest lyrics — and owning their status as an underdog group battling to succeed against other bands who came from established studios with larger budgets. They spoke openly of the influence of Big Bang, which was also known for its socially conscious messaging. And they covered Seo Taiji’s ”Come Back Home”:

In essence, they found a way to imbue their musical style with substance. This led to well-reviewed, pointedly personal works like their three-album series The Most Beautiful Moment in Life , which deftly mixed “theater [and] autobiography.”

Their two most successful singles from this period managed to neatly encompass this new direction. “ I Need U ” (2015) was a refreshing, personalizing step away from hip-hop toward an R&B sound, while “ Dope ” (2015) openly celebrated the endless grind of their lives: “Over half of the day, we drown in work / Even if our youth rots in the studio / Thanks to that, we’re closer to success.”

“Dope” also drew attention to the band’s talent in a major way: It was the moment South Korea realized that these boys could dance.

“‘Dope’ is probably my favorite video of all time,” Stephen told Vox in 2018. “Focusing on dancing like that — they weren’t the only ones doing it, but they were definitely the best ones doing it.”

“And they alternate,” he added. “They do the big, boisterous, in-your-face dance video. But they also do those more emotional mini-art-flick type videos.” And no BTS art flick is better than “Blood Sweat & Tears,” the gothic, gorgeous 2016 single that launched them into a new level of international fame.

Colette Bennett is an entertainment reporter and a huge fan of BTS — but even though she liked their music, it took a while for her to take their message seriously.

“When The Most Beautiful Moment in Life series started, I saw something,” she says. “And that’s when I went back and watched their old vlogs. Up to and after debut, [these] skinny kids all crammed in a studio the size of a broom closet. Just … being honest about how much they poured into what they were doing, humble about being scared and unsure, etc.”

To Bennett, the band’s frank discussion of mental health and the expectations placed on Asian teens was revolutionary. In 2016, she wrote a profile of the band that argued that they were changing the nature of K-pop through their interpersonal approach to image-making. While watching them on their 2017 “Wings” tour, she said, “there was a moment that really stuck out.”

“There’s a song the three rappers do called Cypher 4 . The refrain is, ‘I love, I love, I love myself / I know, I know, I know myself.’

“I looked around me at hundreds of people in their 20s cheering every word, and I thought, ‘My god. They’re using their influence to teach young people — the ones most inclined to grapple with self-hatred — to start considering what self-love means.’”

The BTS ARMY is real, and it is mighty

BTS’s fans — who collectively gained the nickname ARMY for their well-organized and loyal following of the group — responded to that confessional strategy so well that by 2015, tickets for the band’s sold-out limited US tour were reportedly being scalped for more than $10,000 . Since then, the band has sold out all of its four subsequent world tours , including a record-breaking 2019 tour that included a landmark concert at the Rose Bowl, and a 2020 tour that ultimately had to be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stephen told me that it took a while for the hosts of This Week in K-Pop to realize how big BTS had gotten. “We always thought the next big group to cross over would be a girl group, somebody like Twice ,” he told me. “I don’t think it really hit me how big they were until I moved to Korea in 2014 and talked to the children. Every single person in my school system, from teachers to high school students to middle school students to elementary — everybody knew who BTS was.”

• The big business of BTS, the K-pop band that’s changed music

BTS’s international fandom was also hard at work making sure the band had a chance to break through. Throughout 2017, fans systematically bombarded North American retailers like Walmart , Target , and Amazon with pleas to stock BTS’s new albums — and then promptly pushed the albums up the sales charts . The ARMY was so mighty that by the time BTS made their US television debut at the American Music Awards in 2017, the audience was treated to a time-honored K-popspectacle: an auditorium ringing with fan chants .

The international BTS fandom has worked to mainstream K-pop as few other factors have. On Tumblr, the internet’s unofficial home for fandom communities, BTS and its members reign supreme, recalling the vast reach of One Direction in its heyday. In April 2018, Tumblr decided to stop breaking out K-pop as a separate category in its popular weekly Fandom Metrics, an official Tumblr product that measures the popularity of fandoms and related subtopics across the site. By merging K-pop with English-language groups, the account could more accurately reflect the relative popularity of K-pop bands to their Western counterparts.

The first week the categories merged, BTS debuted at No. 1 on the platform, ahead of Beyoncé and Harry Styles.

So who are these guys, anyway?

Bang’s initial idea for BTS was to build not a boy band, but rather a supporting crew around one talented teen: Kim Nam-joon, a.k.a. RM. He quickly opted to go the idol group routeinstead, and it took nearly three years of trying out different combinations of members and styles for the boy band to finally emerge.

Most K-pop groups have band members who occupy fixed, noticeable positions within the band: the leader, the public “face” of the group; the “visual,” whose main role is to be pretty; and so forth. Not every group has set roles, and most roles change over time. And because BTS is trying to be less staged than other groups, its roles are a lot blurrier than other groups. Still, there are a few constants.

The leader and lead rapper: RM

Born Kim Nam-joon, RM is a 26-year-old rapper and the first member recruited to BTS. It’s not exaggerating to say that the entire band was built around him.

RM first made his name as an underground rapper; still in his teens, he was frequently spotted spitting verses alongside his friend Zico, who would go on to become the leader of the K-pop group Block B. After a friend told Bang about the rapping teen, Bang recruited him into his studio, where fans gave him the pre-debut nickname “Rap Monster.” From there, the idea to form an entire idol group rapidly took shape, and the Monster shortened his stage name to RM.

The dancer/rapper: J-Hope

Jung Hoseok, a.k.a. J-Hope, sometimes called Hobi, is most frequently described by fans as a ray of sunshine, thanks to his sweet personality. The 27-year-old is one of the group’s main songwriters as well as a frequent choreographer, its lead dancer, and one of its three main rappers. (He sings well, too!) Since joining the group, he’s had a notable solo debut that landed him in the top 40 on the Billboard 200. And have I mentioned his chin could cut glass ?

The vocalist/dancer: Jimin

No single member of BTS is its “face,” but the spotlight often belongs to 25-year-old singer and dancer Park Jimin. Jimin is frequently positioned as the group’s lead vocalist. He’s also a part of the group’s dance line, for good reason , along with J-Hope, Jungkook, and Taehyung.

The mentor vocalist: Jin

The 28-year-old Kim Seokjin, a.k.a. Jin, is the group’s oldest member, and as such he frequently occupies a mentorship role within the group (complete with dad jokes). He’s one of the group’s main vocalists, and though he’s not officially the group’s “visual,” he seems to have a habit of accidentally going viral for being beautiful.

The prodigy: Jungkook

Depending on when and whom you ask, Jeon Jungkook is either the designated “face” of the group, the designated beauty, the designated main singer, the group’s centerpiece member, or all of the above. But there’s one role that never changes: At 23, he’s the youngest. The group often calls him the “golden maknae,” a.k.a. the golden child, because he’s a bit of a wunderkind in terms of talent. In fact, he was in high demand before he settled on joining Big Hit because he looked up to RM. But he’s unquestionably the baby of the group — and arguably its most popular member.

The rapper: Suga

Min Yoongi, stage name Suga, is one of the group’s three rappers — though it should be noted he, like fellow rappers J-Hope and RM, is also a decent singer. At 28, he’s also one of the oldest members, which makes him something of a group dad. His name comes from his preferred basketball position of shooting guard, but legend has it that Bang chose the name for him because it reflects his “sugary” personality — subtle, yet sweet and generous .

The vocalist/dancer: V

The 25-year-old Kim Taehyung chose the stage name “V” for victory — but it could just as easily stand for “versatile”: He’s one of the vocalists, he worked his way onto the dance line, and he’s even tried his hand at rapping. His playful, quirky personality (let’s call it “singular” ) and penchant for stealing the spotlight have made him one of the group’s most popular members. It also probably doesn’t hurt that he has chemistry with everything that moves.

Each of the members of BTS has been hands-on regarding their own careers from the start. As the group has gained more and more power in the entertainment industry, they’ve also each developed their creative and professional sides. By this point in their long careers, every band member has produced, written, or co-written multiple tracks on the group’s albums, and most of them have also worked on independent productions and songs outside of BTS.

For example, rapper Suga has also released two bestselling mixtapes under his alter ego rap handle, Agust D . And vocalist Taehyung co-produced and co-wrote the hit 2020 single “ Sweet Night, ” released as part of the soundtrack to the popular Korean drama Itaewon Class .

On top of all this, the band members all play a variety of musical instruments, in addition to routinely splitting the duties of dancing, singing, and rapping. They’re an immensely talented group of artists.

But perhaps their biggest asset is their shared ability to directly communicate their love and affection to fans. When the band appeared in the annual Time 100 in 2019, entertainer Halsey wrote their profile, making a point of highlighting BTS’s authenticity:

Outwardly, they are polished and professional, but hours of laughter, secret handshakes and gifts exchanged show those around them that underneath this showstopping, neatly groomed movement are just some guys who love music, one another and their fans.

Stephen told me there’s a real core appeal in what BTS is doing. “A lot of their ballads really do sound like they’re talking to you and confessing to you, more so than a lot of pop standards,” he said.

BTS has pulled off this confessional, one-on-one intimacy all while building an international fanbase, despite considerable language and cultural barriers. And in that respect, BTS has truly become an international revelation.

BTS has made major inroads for other K-pop bands and changed the way we think about international fandom

Understanding BTS’s rise to the top also means acknowledging that they’re not alone in their class: They’ve succeeded and grown alongside other bands that have also been innovating and reaching new levels of international success — like Blackpink, which in 2019 became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella . Collectively, this K-pop generation is rapidly changing the conversation and pushing the limits of what K-pop is allowed to be.

But BTS has also done more than arguably any other band to expand K-pop’s international reach — as well as the way international media and the music industry are forced to contend with K-pop. After all, as the lyrics to “Butter” note , the band’s “got Army right behind us when we say so” — a major brag, but one that’s clearly accurate. And BTS fans aren’t just making themselves visible to the music industry. They were also at the forefront of the 2020 push to drown out racist hashtags on social media, and both fans and the band itself have condemned anti-Asian racism .

As BTS and their fandom gain more attention, they’re diversifying mainstream music in America at a moment when artists like The Weeknd have called out the recording industry for its gatekeeping . Between the band’s undeniable talent and diligent work ethic and the fandom’s immense influence over charts, sales, and media coverage, the BTS phenomenon is essentially unstoppable.

Moreover, whatever groundbreaking changes come next for K-pop will likely be a direct result of BTS’s influence. Already, American production companies are moving to bring even more aspects of K-pop to the US. For instance, MGM recently partnered with K-pop studio SM Entertainment to bring the K-pop reality competition format to Hollywood.

Even more intriguing: On the back of BTS’s tremendous success, its parent studio BigHit recently renamed to HYBE Entertainment and, in a billion-dollar deal , acquired heavy-hitting manager Scooter Braun ’s entire portfolio of clients. That means BTS’s studio now oversees artists like Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande. With that potential industry power, and that much fan support at its back, HYBE and BTS could well be poised to shape the music industry in ways hitherto unseen.

And whatever they do next? Will likely be Dynamite.

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BTS Jimin creates history as his three fastest tracks achieved No. 1's in 110 countries on iTunes

O n June 28, BTS Jimin created history as his three tracks, including Set Me Free Pt.2, Like Crazy, and Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco), became the fastest songs to achieve No.1 position in 110 countries on iTunes Top Songs Chart.

Jimin achieved the following feat after the release of his latest track, Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco), on June 28, 2024, and a music video through HYBE LABEL's official YouTube Channel. The record is the pre-release single of the idol's upcoming second mini-album, MUSE .

BTS Jimin created the latest milestone of owning the three fastest songs to hit No.1 in 110 countries on iTunes charts in less than twelve hours

BTS' Jimin's three tracks, Set Me Free Pt.2, Like Crazy , and Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco), emerged as the fastest tracks of the idol to hit the No.1 position on iTunes Top Songs Charts across 110 countries in less than twelve hours.

Set Me Free Pt.2 came out as a track for BTS Jimin's debut solo studio album FACE on March 17, 2023. The track achieved the No.1 position across 110 countries/regions on the iTunes Top Songs Chart within ten hours of its release. It was penned by Ghstloop, Pdogg, Jimin, and Supreme Boi.

Meanwhile, Like Crazy was the leading track of the idol's debut solo studio album FACE , released on March 24, 2023. The song reached the No.1 position on iTunes Top Songs across 110 countries/regions in less than ten hours and thirty minutes. The track came out in two versions: English and Korean.

While the English Version depicted the weight of stardom and popularity and the fear of losing oneself, the Korean version talked about one's fear of losing a significant other and still being stuck in a reality where their loved ones strived. The song was penned by Pdogg, Blvsh, Ghstloop, RM, Evan, and Chris James.

Jimin's pre-release single, Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco) , achieved the No.1 spot on the iTunes Top Songs Chart across 110 countries in less than eleven hours and forty-five minutes. The track depicted the idol's need to confess an overwhelming love that could not be articulated in words, and the songwriters involved behind the creation of the latest piece include Evan, Gray, Ghstloop, Loco, Pdogg, Steven Franks, Tommy Brown, and Jimin.

The idol's latest achievement circulated on social media, and fans expressed their pride in him. The fandom showcased their encouragement and support for the idol's latest single, Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco), by sharing multiple snippets.

Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco) also achieved an All-Kill in the world's eight biggest music markets of iTunes by securing the No.1 position on iTunes Top Songs Chart, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, and Italy. The track also emerged as the fastest track to achieve the No.1 spot on the iTunes Top Songs Chart in 100 countries within the day of its release.

Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco) also created the record of being the highest and biggest song debut by a K-pop act on Spotify's Global Daily Top Songs Chart in 2024 and debuted with 8,641,850 unfiltered streams on the audio streaming platform for June 2024.

Apart from Spotify, the track has also debuted at the No.1 spot on the YouTube Global Daily Top Music Videos chart. It also entered the Japanese Oricon Daily Digital Single Ranking at the No.1 spot.

BTS Jimin's second mini-album, MUSE, features seven tracks: Rebirth (Intro), Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco), Slow Dance (feat. Sofia Carson), Be Mine, Who, and Closer Than This and will be released on July 19, 2024.

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A group of Chinese tourists leave the port of Gangjeong on Jeju Island and head to a bus terminal for a city tour, June 26. Yonhap

Korea will implement stricter regulations to eliminate large Chinese group tours, also known as "dumping tours" for their cheap prices, which have been identified as a major cause of tourist complaints, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Sunday.

Such tours refer to practices where travel agencies attract tourists with unreasonably low prices and profit by including nonstop shopping activities, earning commissions from vendors along the way.

The ministry revised the guidelines for travel agencies, designated to attract Chinese group tourists, to take administrative measures against those who violate regulations to eliminate these lower-priced package tours that include shopping, beginning from Monday.

Specifically, the ministry will take measures against the so-called "zero-fee tours," where travel agencies do not receive expenses from local Chinese companies, as well as against those who coerce group tourists into shopping and fail to pay legitimate costs to tour interpreters.

The ministry will review and inspect the profit structures reported by travel agencies to see if they rely excessively on shopping fees for profit.

Additionally, the Korea Association of Travel Agencies, the Korea Duty Free Shops Association and duty- free shops will collaborate with the ministry to check whether travel agencies follow the regulation on shopping sites.

This year, the number of Chinese visitors to Korea is estimated to have surpassed last year's total of 2 million between January and June alone. This figure represents 30 percent of all inbound tourists to Korea during that period.

In particular, the proportion of Chinese tourists entering the country on group tour visas has exceeded 10 percent and approached 12 percent, a level comparable to pre-pandemic figures from 2019.

The regulations on low-cost tours aim to address complaints from tourists regarding forced shopping practices among others, especially amid the rapid recovery of inbound tourism from China, the ministry said.

Earlier this year, the ministry, for the first time, suspended businesses of tour agencies that attracted Chinese group tourists at unreasonably low prices or relied solely on shopping fees to make profit.

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Disco’s history is finally told in the new docuseries ‘disco: soundtrack of a revolution’.

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A view of dancers at the popular nightclub Studio 54 circa 1978 in New York City. (Photo by Joe ... [+] McNally/Getty Images)

Disco is a genre of music that people seem to feel passionately about. Many love it, while others despise the sound that took over America in the ‘70s. Much has been said about some of the biggest disco-leaning hits from decades past, such as those from Donna Summer, ABBA, and, of course, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, but there is so much more great work beyond the top of the charts that has never received the retrospective recognition that some of the bestsellers have.

Somehow, there has never been a great film about the history of disco, until now. PBS and the BBC aimed to fix that with their new joint production, Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution . The three-part series airs on PBS in the United States, with the final installment set to go live on July 2. After it plays on TV, viewers can catch it on the network’s app.

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution is so interesting because it’s not a history lesson. It’s enjoyable because the filmmakers focused on not just the hits, but the best and the most important songs in the genre’s rise and its heyday.

Co-director Grace Chapman stated in an interview about the series that, “We're talking about a musical genre, so let's not talk about history.” She shared that when they began the lengthy and complicated research process, they decided to start with the songs they knew had to be in the program and build the history around them.

Fellow co-director and producer Shianne Brown backed up her comment. “The music lends itself to the history,” she explained during the same conversation.

So why hasn’t this film been made before? If the style was so popular—or at least so controversial—what’s kept audiences from watching a piece of media about its development and eventual decline?

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“Maybe the idea of doing a serious documentary has suffered the same fate as disco itself,” Chapman mused when asked why it took until now for this project to come to life. She stated that perhaps some people in positions of power thought, “That's an underground niche. Nobody really wants to talk about it.”

Thankfully, PBS and the BBC ignored such thoughts, and they poured the necessary resources into properly uncovering the history of a genre of music that’s never really earned its due. As the sounds that backed disco return to prominence and hit the charts again via superstars like Dua Lipa, Lizzo, and even BTS, it’s clear that millions are still dancing to it, and that there’s an audience for this type of show.

Hugh McInytre : I was shocked when I got this email that this docuseries didn't already exist. Why do you think this wasn't made in this form until now?

Grace Chapman : I don't know, I think people have dipped into it. I think there have been projects in the past. We wanted [an] actual documentary about it. We wanted to go and talk to people. Previously, maybe the idea of doing a serious documentary has suffered the same fate as disco itself. That's an underground niche. Nobody really wants to talk about it.

Other ones that have come out, they've been either not funded very well or they've had to buy into the kitschy element to get an audience. They've had to go into the ABBA and this and that. I think maybe it's benefited from societal changes and cultural evolution. People go, “Oh, do you know what? It's okay to talk about that now. We need to talk about that now. We've ignored that for so long. We've ignored the influence of Black and Latinx and marginalized communities and women.” Guess what? They all did something that was really creative.

White men made money off it. Then when they thought, “We've milked enough,” they went on to the next thing. Maybe that's part of the reason, that we're broader minded. I'd like to think many people are. Let's see how the election goes here.

McIntyre : Tell me a bit about how you two came to be part of this and how you came up with the idea that disco needs a history lesson.

Chapman : It was actually an idea by BBC Studios. It was something that was worked up by their development department. I think it was coming off a lot of the back of a series that Shianne worked on. They went, “There's this other genre of music that's been completely ignored.” They wrote quite a good development proposal and then came on board and it's like, well, what's that missing? What other bits do we need to tell? That's where the story grew from.

Shianne Brown : With Fight the Power [her previous project], it was looking at the intersection between politics and the hip-hop community and how hip-hop was a tool for social justice and social protest. I think that disco exists in a similar space, where the culture and the movement was born out of struggle and oppression. These communities created—whether that's art, or a culture to feel free to express themselves. It had such a defining take on all of our lives.

McIntyre : When you are going into a project like this, how do you know that this is going to be a two-hour doc, or three episodes? How in depth do you want to get?

Chapman : Fight The Power was three parts, wasn't it?

Brown : Four.

Chapman : Oh, it was four. This one was charted out as three parts, but it was very broad brushstrokes. Certainly what was broadcast at the end was different from what the proposal had been, but the parameters were still three hours.

I think the more you went into it, the more it felt like this is the right duration. At the beginning, there is a void. At the beginning, we created music. There's no footage, it is so underground, it's not got a name. So, it's trying to create and understand the history properly of that moment of the inception of a new movement, I suppose.

It's when you get to the second episode, we're really into moving towards the high point of disco. By the time you get to episode three, there is archive, but again, it's going underground. There are limitations when you're making television as opposed to making a radio show. When you run out of pictures, what do you fill the space with?

McIntyre : Disco might be a good example of how you can talk about a style of music for a period of time, but if you wanted to, you could trace it back as far as you want it to. Every new thing is based on the last thing, and you could connect it for decades into today. How do you stop yourself from elaborating and adding more?

Brown : From my perspective, I think there's a world in which, like you say, you can go on and on and on. There's so many different social...perhaps there's protests or a particular moment in time that there's a cultural or political phenomenon that may have happened or there's a bunch of artists. Our job is that we really have to narrow down the key moments, because it's not a Ken Burns 15-hour docuseries. We really have to pinpoint the ones that we feel had a huge impact. Those stories particularly that haven't been told in the same light.

Once you go through the research stages of speaking to the pioneers, speaking to artists, speaking to cultural commentators, you understand, okay, these are the key moments. In the film, disco demolition, that was a non-negotiable that had to be in there, because if we're looking at the downfall, that's a key moment.

Chapman : Obviously we do reach into the modern day. We are into the contemporary period when we end the series. But we could have gone back and we could have talked about the underground movement in Hitler's Germany, because that's one of the groups that people sometimes say there's an origin in. Is that disco, though?

Also, then it moves into a history program. Then it moves into, let's bring in the historian, let's bring in this journalist. It stops being the story from the people who made it. I think it's one of the things that we are very blessed with in this program. We're extremely fortunate that so many of those pioneers in every single element came on board and talked about it.

Brown : When you are making something like this, you want to make sure that the people who have taken part are proud to be a part of it because they were there. So once you get their cosign of saying, this is it, they touched upon those important moments, you feel as a filmmaker...okay, we've done our jobs well.

McIntyre : You must have whittled a list of songs down and there were many that you wanted to dive into and didn't get to. Can you talk about the process of picking the songs that must be highlighted specifically?

Chapman : When we started working on this, that was one of the things we decided to do. We're talking about a musical genre, so let's not talk about history and then try and lever that in to fit. Let's look at the music, let's look at what's actually happening and check why that's happening. It was doing it that way around, which is I think the right way.

There are lots more tracks, but they had to be able to tell the story, they had to be able to move the story forward always.

We were talking about “Soul Makossa.” A lot of people wouldn't know what “Soul Makossa” is today. It's not ABBA, they don't know that track. But if you were part of that disco underground scene, that's the one that unified people. All these different clubs that were striving to exist, that's one that brought them all together. That's the glue that started the disco movement, in a way.

Brown : The music lends itself to the history. When you've got artists like Candi Staton talking about "Young Hearts Run Free," her experience of that song is completely different to how we may have consumed it later. That's what was really amazing in this process of interviews and speaking to DJs and artists and photographers—they remember when those specific tracks were played in the club. That had a defining and amazing feeling to them. To be able to unpack that, I think that was what was really important. Because the history can then follow, and the cultural and socioeconomic landscape falls into place once you explore the music.

McIntyre : Where did you look for media, information, and stories to tell that people didn't already know? To bring something fresh to this historical view?

Chapman : There was a lot of research that went into this. We were very fortunate in BBC Studios to have a great research team. We all did deep dives.

We had a wonderful archive team. Lorna Lithgow was our archive producer. Nothing was too great for her. Lorna was there at the very start when we were writing. Again, I hope you feel that the images are not wallpaper because just as with the music, we wanted the images to lead the program so people felt immersed in that period that was under discussion.

Brown : I remember Lorna and Katharine had shown me some footage of Paradise Garage, which infamously had a no photos, no film ban. You saw Larry Levan and Keith Haring in the middle of the dance floor. You're like, this is a moment in time and this feels really special. This feels like this needs to be a focal point because it isn't Studio 54, where it's been photographed to death. It's that underground, it's that hidden moment. When you get those snippets of archive and research, that's what makes it so much more exciting and visceral.

Chapman : When we were trying to talk about “Love's Theme” [by The Love Unlimited Orchestra]. We were doing research calls with people, we know how important that is, and we know how it's inextricably linked to Fire Island. You can't show it, because there's no footage of Fire Island. Lorna went out and found a defunct cable station in New York which had shot on Fire Island. We got possibly the only shots inside a discotheque on Fire Island.

Brown : There's archive, but there's also people. I interviewed Sharon White, who was a female DJ. There is nothing about her online, but she was so integral. It wasn't easy to find her. My producer, Emma Burns, she was amazing and tracked her down and we met her and she was like, "How did you guys find me?" She was the first big female DJ and she would go from club to club to club. She was friends with Larry Levan. She went to Studio 54. But again, that part of the history hasn't really been discussed.

Chapman : Can I just add one thing? I know we said very much BBC Studios, but obviously this is a co-production with PBS. They made it together.

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K-pop group Seventeen is rivalling with Taylor Swift and making history in the UK. Here's why they're so popular

Who's the most popular music act in the world right now?

While most would assume it's Taylor Swift, by at least one metric it's actually a confusingly named Korean pop band you might never even have heard of.

Seventeen — the 13-member group who are the biggest thing in the K-pop genre right now — had the biggest-selling album in the world last year, FML, according to data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Demonstrating K-pop's ever-broadening appeal, this week they have become the first Korean act to play at the iconic Glastonbury Festival in the UK.

So who are Seventeen, how did they get so popular and why do they have so many members?

What is K-pop?

K-pop draws on a range of popular music styles and genres and is characterised by highly trained and polished artists and their immaculate synchronised dance routines.

It first became popular in Korea in the 1990s with US-influenced acts like Seo Taiji and Boys.

In the 2000s, artists like PSY, whose hit Gangnam Style was the first to get a billion views on YouTube, and BTS introduced the genre to new audiences worldwide.

According to Sarah Keith, a senior lecturer in media and music at Macquarie University, K-pop is much more than just a style of colourful and upbeat music.

"K-pop describes this way of creating music and artists [being identified] with talent spotting, then training and the packaging of the group, and the marketing," Dr Keith said.

Who is Seventeen?

Seventeen were first brought together in 2012 by Korean talent agency and record label Pledis Entertainment for a live-streaming show, Seventeen TV.

The show's two-hour episodes, which primarily featured the members practising their singing and dancing in their studio, were a big hit and went on for five seasons.

Audiences were able to catch a glimpse into the member's lives and work, creating a sense of closeness and giving them time to develop favourites, or "biases".

Financial difficulties at Pledis delayed the group's launch by two years, but in 2015 they finally made their formal debut in a showcase on one of Korea's biggest TV stations.

While the group initially had 17 members, in line with the name, over the course of the television show, members came and went and by the time they launched they only had 13.

The group is divided into three "sub-units": Hip-Hop (rappers), Vocal (singers), and Performance (dancers).

So with their name already being cemented with the fanbase, they developed a new rationale — with 13 members, and three sub-units coming together as one, they made Seventeen.

All the members have different roles, even if in some they might only sing for a few seconds.

Unlike most manufactured K-pop outfits, the members of Seventeen write and produce much of their own music.

Their first five-track EP, 17 Carat, peaked at number 13 on the Billboard US World Chart.

Their biggest hits, like Super, have racked up 212 million views on YouTube and they have multiple songs in their discography with more than 100 million views.

In 2022, they went on their third world tour, which was made possible through their efforts to promote themselves aggressively abroad, especially in places like Japan, where they cemented a loyal fan base.

By releasing at least 10 songs every year since 2015, in Korean, English and Japanese, they have relentlessly marketed themselves to appeal to more people, while consistently putting out new content for their older fans.

Why do they have so many members?

Even 13 people in a band might seem like a lot but that's not unusual in the K-pop genre.

Other big K-pop groups like Stray Kids have eight, and NCT has even more, with 26 members.

Many of these groups, like Seventeen, have sub-units that allow the members to have their turn in the spotlight, and give the management company the opportunity to play with group dynamics.

"Ultimately, there's not much difference in launching a four-member group to an eight-member group in terms of investment and work, but the eight-member group will give you more value because there are more members for people to enjoy and form connections with," Dr Keith said.

"It also gives the audience more hooks to get into the group."

Why are Seventeen so popular?

Jen, who runs a local Seventeen fan community in Melbourne, told the ABC that she only got into K-pop recently.

"I grew up listening to Fall Out Boy, and then things like EDM [electronic dance music] and didn't think that I liked K-pop," she said.

"During COVID, I was searching through Spotify and getting ads with sounds that I liked and I would shazam it — and it was K-pop."

For many people, K-pop is synonymous with catchy songs with colourful music videos like Gangnam Style and BTS's Butter, but Jen said that it was much more diverse than that.

"I was always into EDM sounds and I listened to [Seventeen's] song Don't Wanna Cry, which has EDM elements, and I was like, 'Where has this been all my life?'" Jen said.

Jen said Seventeen often interacted with their fans directly and were extremely responsive to what their audience wanted, as well as popular music trends, and produced songs accordingly.

"They'll tap into actual music trends as well like, dance music, or they listen to Blink-182 or now Charlie XCX and are aware of what's trending," she said.

Because Seventeen wrote their own music, fans felt a greater connection to the lyrics, she said.

Why do K-pop bands do so well in album sales?

Seventeen's FML sold 6.4 million units worldwide in 2023, more than double Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's version), which sold 2.8 million units, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) Global Album Sales Chart.

But Seventeen are far from the only K-pop act doing well on the albums charts.

Nineteen out of the 20 highest-selling albums globally last year were K-pop groups.

"Some fandoms and fans collectively organise to purchase K-pop albums so that their artist performs well in the charts," Dr Keith said.

Companies also release "lucky draw" albums which each include a random photocard out of a set so fans have to purchase multiple copies to either get the photocard they want, or even the full series.

Fans also trade photocards of their favourite group members, or "biases".

Some of these cards go for up to $3,000 on the secondary market, with fans creating communities to buy and sell cards alongside other merchandise around the world.

While artists like Taylor Swift are now being talked about for actively engaging with her fans through the release of multiple versions of her albums, Dr Keith said she was adopting strategies used in the K-pop industry for years.

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The international documentary market Sunny Side of the Doc concluded its 35th edition in La Rochelle, France on June 27, drawing 2,100 participants from 68 countries. The four-day event, themed “Mapping the Future,” showcased 90 exhibitors and hosted 250 international decision-makers.

The program featured keynotes from PBS, an XR artist, and First Nations Australian voices, as well as the first showcase of Nigerian documentaries and the lineups from French channels and groups like France Télévisions, Arte, Canal+, TF1, M6 and Altice Media.

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Looking ahead, managing director Aurélie Reman outlined plans to expand the event’s global reach. “Our goal is to bring together documentary talents from five continents within an ever more resilient and determined community,” Reman stated.

The organization announced the development of Sunny Academy, aimed at nurturing new generations of storytellers worldwide. As part of this initiative, Sunny Side will organize pitch sessions at the inaugural LatAm Content Market in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from March 10-13, 2025.

Upcoming events include the eighth edition of PiXii Festival in La Rochelle and Rochefort from October 17-20, 2024, and the 36th edition of Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle from June 23-26, 2025.

The market continues to diversify, incorporating various elements of the documentary value chain, including impact actors, archives, and distributors playing an increasing role in pre-financing projects.

Sunny Side of the Doc 2024 Award Winners

PITCH SESSION WINNERS

Best Science Pitch (Sponsored by PBS Distribution) “The Brain Garden” Storyland PTY LTD. (Australia) Director: Randall Wood

Best Global Issues Pitch (Sponsored by RTBF) “Inside Gaza” Factstory, AFP – Agence France Presse (France) Director: Hélène Lam Trong

Special Jury Mention: “Silence of the Lams” EZ Films (Ireland) Director: Ciaran Deeney

Best Arts & Culture Pitch (Sponsored by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel & AJB DOC Film Festival) “The Shape of Blue” Intuitive Pictures inc. (Canada) Director: Sybilla Patrizia

Best Impact Campaigns Pitch “The Myth of Monsters” Gather Together (Malaysia) Director: Beatrice Leong

Best Nature & Conservation Pitch (Sponsored by Blue Ant Media & Love Nature) “Empalikino” Ripple Productions Ltd (Kenya) Director: Eric Mwangi

Best History Pitch “Our Sister Angela: Black Power in the GDR” Florianfilm GmbH (Germany), Dare Pictures (United States), La Lutta (United States) Directors: Jascha Hannover & Katharina Warda

Special Jury Mention: “The Curse of Sugar” Hauteville Productions (France) Director: Mathilde Damoisel

SPECIAL AWARDS

AIDC Award: “Dream of the Wild Oaks” (Iran) Pitch the Doc Award: “A Satellite for Buru Laï” (France) Student Choice Award: “Ba’s Book” (Canada) IMZ Award: “Niemeyer 4Ever” (France) Roch Bozino de l’engagement Award: “Tales and Sentences” (France) Impact Social Club Award: “Every Other Girl” (Gambia) Best Impact Movie Award: “Unwelcomed” (Chile) Institute of Documentary Film Award: “A Satellite for Buru Laï” (France) DocEdge Award: “Yurlu | Country” (Australia) Movies That Matter Award: “Yurlu | Country” (Australia) Al Jazeera Documentary Industry Days Award: “Inside Gaza” (France)

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