Is BTS That Special? ⌠What Sets Them Apart?
For me, who has to deliver the most âhotâ news every morning, the word âidolâ was a weak existence. Although there are those hundreds of aspiring people who make it through to be broadcasted live for an audition and become the object of envy, that was sufficient enough in terms of worldwide news that targets many demographics. Although itâs centered on pop culture, itâs difficult to think about idols that emerge with the title âHallyuâ without attaching the criticisms on their ability to make plans and export.
My email has been filled with media content sent by big agencies with the titles such as 'American Debutâ, 'Number 1 on Chartsâ, and 'World Tourâ for a long time. During my school days, I filled my piggy bank so that I could go to an idol groupâs concert with my friends, and even joined their official fan club. But these days, I can only be cautious to some degree when it comes to 'Hallyu Idolsâ.
âI donât know Korean, but I know BTSâ
But one day out of the blue, I met BTS at an EBS Educational Broadcast. On the well-followed program 'World Theme Travelâ, a girl from Tahiti happily greeted a Korean production crew member by saying âIâm a BTS fanâ. For a small village that couldnât possibly be able to broadcast things like a BTS Special Documentary, it went to show the strength of âHallyu feverâ that BTS was bringing.
Theyâre an idol group that has 'something that sets them apartâ. Thereâs no news that say they came from a big agency or did a showcase with other artists, and it wasnât like any of their members received attention for coming abroad and speaking fluently in a foreign language. They had a completely different start compared to those who belong to large agencies and had impressive marketing abilities to make their names known before debut.
But they were undeterred and went on to have 4 of their albums enter the Billboard 200 in a row. A New York Times article read, âHow did a group that sings and raps in Korean sell out 2 shows in New York?â, garnering even more curiosity towards their story.
âIs 'BTSâ really that special?â
Before I met BTS, Iâve delivered news about them on the morning news 3 times. This past March, news about BTS began to emerge on their âfootsteps overseasâ rather than domestic entertainment. Particularly, interviews involving Billboard, which measures the flow of pop culture around the world, were outstanding.
Aside from the announcement that notified them of their interview, there were 7,000 SNS users that tuned in to watch their interview live. This is the highest record of viewers for a Billboard live broadcast. BTSâ musical abilities have already proven themselves by entering the Billboard Album chart, but the new interest they were garnering about themselves have already surpassed that of a âworld starâ.
Thankfully (!), surprisingly (!), BTS was the only Korean group to be nominated for a Billboard Award, and after their win, talk about BTS changed from âAre they that special?â to âIt seems they are specialâ. Awareness of the group began to spread even beyond the news.
âConsistency and sincerity produces the best contentâ
The BTS members made a comment in regards to their BBMA win. It wasnât about anything else, just steadiness and sincerity. Although they didnât start communicating with fans through SNS as a 'strategyâ, it seems like their consistency and sincerity shown on stage has helped them get to where they are.
âWe just wanted to tell the story of what the young people living in this time are feeling. But thereâs also certain emotions that young people all around the world of the same age feel. Thatâs why our story seems to invoke similar feelings, and has them realizing that these far-away friends from Korea are taking to a cool stage to tell other peopleâs stories. Thatâs why weâve been gaining attention. I believe that sincerity produces the very best content. (Rap Monster)â
The 'adultsâ who have listened to the 'School Trilogyâ and 'Youth Trilogyâ music and watched their music videos know. The songs speak even to the times of my youth and the dreams and thoughts I had back then. Different from the groups that put out hook songs that fill our ears, their music has spread across the world because it contains 'our storyâ. The narratives that they have put into their music and music videos only makes us garner more interest and empathy for the group BTS.
When KBS Main News wished to have the opportunity to introduce them as an idol group that was different from the others, BTS was able to show their sincerity by contacting them just before their arrival and lend a bit of their time.
They are the first winners to raise the bar since the Top Social Artist category was created and the award was handed out on stage. They are currently the top influential artist in terms of worldwide SNS. The members followed by modestly saying this was all due to it âbeing better timesâ.
âI believe itâs because the times have gotten better.
âThe reason why I think the times have really improved is because whatever stories we share, whatever Tweet we post, whatever we say, theyâre immediately translated. Thatâs why I think that if the contents are good, then thereâs a better chance of winning. (Suga)â
Itâs true that the world has changed. Using social networks, people around the world are able to break language barriers and time barriers and share their thoughts in real-time. The offense pushed forward by capital can no longer compare.
BTS seeks out their fans through their social networks by focusing on music and other content. The 'global fandomâ has become more powerful than any sort of capital. They have surpassed 6 million Twitter followers and have millions of followers on Youtube and Instagram. BTSâ music and behind-the-scene stories has given them the impression of âfriends I want to meetâ rather than mechanical idols. BTS has provided a vital place for people to talk to each other.
âShould we give a notice of the KBS News Appearance?â
âOur BTS! What time is the news?â After yesterdayâs portal-site Q&A corner (!), reportersâ emails were flooded with an inquiry. The anecdote article titled âBTS KBS News Appearance Noticeâ was made this way.
The time for one news report is 1 minute and 20 seconds. Unmistakably, itâs an insufficient amount of time to deliver news on their music, content, and member anecdotes. I could only focus on how they broke the traditional entry path taken for K-Pop, and how they gained the most influence through SNS in order to earn the Billboard trophy.
âSomething Iâd like to brag about in regards to our fans is that even if we upload in Korean, there are many fans weâre thankful to around the world that translate it for us. Weâre working hard in order to live up to their expectations. (Rap Monster)â
When BTS takes to SNS to announce a news appearance, how does it spread? I remembered the photo reporters, followers, and global fans who would wait for any news on BTS. At the end of the interview, Jung Kook happily agreed to this 'experimentâ.
While hundreds and thousands of people press the âLikeâ and âShareâ button, there are also different translations of the news that is spread across the world. BTS has shown that if you have good content and âeven if youâre mainly active in Koreaâ, you can still become a global artist.
âWe will sing in Korean. But we still study other languages.â
Often when discussing 'globalizationâ, you canât disregard the language barrier, which is something a 'global artistâ must definitely take into account. Even with 'good musicâ and a 'strong support groupâ, wouldnât there be situations where language was lacking when meeting fans and giving overseas interviews during their world tour?
âWe will continue to release albums in Korea, and continue to sing songs in Korean like we have been doing. Rather than trying a different method because weâre getting a good reaction, we should focus on making good music. (Suga)â
Member âRap Monsterâ, who was in charge of the interview, gave a sincere reply.
âIn order to live up to the thankfulness, I will work even harder to study other languages. When I first had an interview with Reuters in 2014, I memorized two words for two hours and did the interview. But as I kept learning, along with the fact that I want to improve, I also feel responsibility because if we do end up walking on that Billboard stage, I canât be stuttering. (Rap Monster)â
Millions of followers, rebellion of those lower in society, Billboard⌠These various things make up BTS. I sincerely wait for the day for these boys, who have overcome the prejudice of being an 'idolâ and created a place for people to enjoy this universal story, to return to KBS News again. Â
[orig. article]
Trans cr: Christie @ allforbts
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