yes! yes, you can 😊. Kuroko simp club part ??

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Come here so I can give you some Smooches 

One of the first things I have noticed is that K-ARMY and I-ARMY reacted differently to the success of these 3 songs. Korea has been so proud of BTS, even sharing online how much they cried to see the boys top the Billboard Hot 100 again and again. They even trended on twitter multiple times their thanks to American ARMY, expressing their genuine gratitude for how hard the American fans are pushing for the boys’ success in the US. What I-ARMY is choosing to ignore is how much this means to K-ARMY, let alone Korea as a whole.

It has dawned on me why I-ARMY, predominantly those from America, Canada, and the UK, don’t understand the push for BTS to make a stake in the American music industry, and ultimately a Grammy win. The reason is quite simple. To those I-ARMY from America, Canada, and the UK, you must realize that the American market and the Grammys have always, ALWAYS, been accessible to your artists. The biggest names in music history have won Grammys, but only because they all fit into the pretty box of European features and English lyrics. They didn’t have to try to fit a mold. They didn’t have to break into the market. They just walked right in, practically invited with the door wide open. It really wasn’t until recent years that even African American artists were winning the biggest awards of the ceremony.

This is a MUCH bigger deal to Korean and Asian fans than it would be for western fans. I don’t think others realize how much this means to us. People like us have been marginalized forever, and given little to no respect or recognition by the American market, let alone the Grammys. To Koreans, having one of our own be able to come as far as BTS, is truly inspiring and makes us feel validated in a way we’ve never felt. The American market and the Grammys may not seem like a big deal to you guys, but for our people, this means the world. We feel proud. We feel accepted. We feel we finally have a place at the table. The Grammys may not seem to be worth much to you, but to Korean and Asian artists, it is the very pinnacle of recognition and respect in the music industry. This award has eluded our people for as long as it’s been handed out, and now there is hope. There is a chance. BTS is Korea’s pride for a reason. They’ve changed so much already for us. We hope for their success. Their success is OUR success. The respect they receive brings pride in our culture and our identity as Koreans, as Asians. It is more than you could ever imagine.

It breaks my heart how little people regard K-ARMY and Korea’s reaction to all of what BTS has achieved in America when forming their opinions on BTS’s quest to be regarded as worthy artists for the biggest award in music history. You don’t have to like their English songs. You don’t have to like their approach. But just understand it’s not easy for them as a Korean boy band to be taken seriously. If these boys could, they would write their own English songs. But they can’t. It’s not as easy as you would think. Especially for rap line. The songs they are given are appreciated by BTS, and they are thankful for those who help them in a different language for a very different market. They’re saving their lyricism where they can get their full heart and message across – The Korean market. Meant for THEIR people, in THEIR language. If you are unhappy with the American singles, just hold on and believe in the boys. They know what they’re doing.

I understand why they are doing this,and how important it is to them. They are running towards their goal,and I watch them in awe,as usual. I understand that for them,this Grammy is the one confirmation they need that they have indeed achieved something big. They treat the Grammys like the college entrance exam. I think I only realized that in the nomination night video. When Jungkook said he could die happy now. When Jimin said,incredulously 'we're pretty ok after all?'

I don't know if I would feel the same if it was an artist from my irrelevant non-english speaking country breaking all these barriers and ending up on heights no one could ever dream of. Probably then I would feel exactly the same as Koreans. I would only want BTS  to keep paving the way for all of us. So I understand how you feel. But instead now I just worry that they will lose a big part of themselves in the process.

I know this is Korean culture. To care about the group or country before you care about yourself. To push yourself past breaking point and do anything it takes to win. BTS were always like this. K-pop is like this. It's not a kind or fair industry either and It's not like they only did what they wanted before,or had a lot of freedom. But I don't even know myself,why this type of sacrifice or compromise seems different than the others before. Maybe because the stakes are higher? But maybe I'm wrong and they prefer this era to their previous struggles. Only BTS knows.

Still,I can't feel differently right now. I discovered them because of their music during HYYH so now it's hard to look at them gradually become basically Olympic athletes representing Korea,and not feel pain,too. They are amazing performers with clever songs and incredible depth of feeling and expressiveness. Will the US,or even Korea,allow them the freedom to actually express themselves through their songs again? Or will they always have to be representatives of some sort,always careful about politics and how they conduct themselves?That's a huge burden and a huge debt. Everyone wants a piece of them now,so that's why these English songs depress me so much.

HOWEVER, part of me dreams that when they achieve the ungettable Grammy the boys will say, all right, we did it, fuck all this English crap and boring mainstream American beats, we’re going back to making the witty emotional fusion we used to make. My logical mind, though, tells me that if they achieve the peak with these awful English tracks, they will continue to pursue that path as the “correct” one that will please the  majority of their fans.  Like, I HOPE they know many of us are not buying 40 digital tracks of the same song because we LIKE it, but because we are supporting their goals. As a Western fan, I glommed onto BTS because they were fresh, exciting, different, awe-inspiring performers. On top of being 100% lovable humans.  They brought something new to my life and my musical library. I do not WANT boring American shit. I have an entire industry of boring American musicians to choose from; Had I been satisfied with that I wouldn’t have had to look beyond my own borders.

 On the other hand, I also know that there are some unadventurous American mainstream fans who only know and love BTS from their tracks in English, and won’t those new fans be disappointed and turned off if they go back to singing solely in Korean?  Do those fans matter less because they jumped on the bandwagon late in the game?

No.  Of course not.

In a way, i understand what Koreans might feel with regards to BTS. I feel the same way for the Indian cricket team (lol). But honestly, it’s extremely mean to say that BTS are losing their Korean identity by releasing songs in English- especially if its the fans and the members themselves who proclaim that music has no boundaries. If you are here for the exoticism, then fucking leave because its demeaning.

Hi @lololypopy ! Thanks for the Ask. And it's okay; if someone wants to start drama that's on them. We're gonna have a mature discussion.

These days, many people view marketing as manipulative because marketing is about persuading consumers they need whatever what the brand is selling: a service or a product. But many times brands are really selling ideas and values, too, and this is the case with Hybe, BH and BTS. [Hybe is the parent company, while BH is the record label and the specific brand (end product) is BTS.]

INSEAD says that marketing should be influencing not manipulation. They want marketers to make this distinction more clear, too. Manipulation for them is the use of deception or underhanded tactics to influence consumer behavior instead of using facts. Basically, if a consumer wouldn't choose a brand if they knew the truth about important aspects of the product or brand, then that is manipulation in marketing. A prime example is when Volkswagen fooled its customers into thinking its cars were more green than they were. That level of deception is also criminal.

The reason people find BH's marketing tactics manipulative is because of the false reality and social media addiction they create through their content. Content is delivered near-daily, and sometimes several times per day. This creates constant engagement, addiction and reliance on the brand as part of their consumer's daily lives. The normal and healthy boundaries between brand/consumer and artist/fan are blurred. Participation in activities related to the band becomes almost compulsive (hello, here we all are on Tumblr... lol).

It also heightens an already intense para-social relationship between consumer and brand, where the consumer becomes an object of love and appreciation of the brand ideologically (such as MOA or ARMY), which intensifies brand loyalty. There is a false sense of reciprocation there, and it is driven further through certain narratives. Being labelled as ARMY strips consumers of their identity, too. We become an unknowable collective instead of indivudals withour own needs and values. This is rather cultish, but that's a post for a different day. :D

In this type of setup, fans are made to believe they must act to defend the brand and help the brand achieve its vision. The brand's vision becomes the consumer's vision, which is genius or diabolical, depending on how you look at it.

Also, considering the pandemic situation, it is very hard for artists to earn money- even harder for huge entertainment companies to work their stuff- especially with the sort of budget that bh allocates for their releases. So, the newer products and the shoots etc, all them make up for their lost earnings. The ‘extravagant’ performances which some people seem to hate on- actually give employment to many people who work behind the scenes. This is something that is synonymous to ALL big corporations. To pick and choose because hybe is the most visible one is biased.

Next the member- member interactions. Can we know about those a 100 percent? No. Because the content we get in just a small glimpse. You cannot expect certain people to behave in a certain manner and then get snarky because they dont. Was the BE ‘essential’ re- release a money grab? Yes. But in the same sense, the Evermore vinyl release worked in the same manner- it even charted. Did bts release a lot of remixes? Yes, they did. But so did Lil Nas X with his Old Town Road. The thing is, major artists do that, because its a part if the business too. Honestly, the way some people perceive them is like they have all the luxuries in the world and so the hatred, especially considering they are not western- is VERY VERY visible- is not present at all. People can ignore that because it doesn’t fit their narrative of villainising bh, but again, thats just silly. Once again, wilful vilification of a company shouldnt translate to mocking the artist.