The first time I saw BTS at the BBMAs in 2017, I was blown away by their cute faces and their catchy songs. Three years later, those same boys have been smashing records and creating a name for themselves around the world. Their incredible songs, energetic choreography, and flawless music videos have created a powerful influence which can be seen all over the world: even right here in Savannah.
BTS may be rocketing into fame now, but they have been working for a long time to get where they are. Having debuted in 2013, they came from a relatively small label which was soon to be bankrupt and there weren’t very high expectations that this group would change anything.
However, the band soon went about proving the world wrong. They won several awards throughout the 2013-2014 awards season, showing everyone that they were here to stay.
After gaining a loyal following in Korea, it was only a matter of time before they would set their sights on LA, the land of dreams.
That same year, their album Skool Luv Affair hit number 3 on the world charts and the boys went on to play their first fanclub show in Korea, a concert in Berlin, and their first non-Korean Asian tour. Finally, the boys were getting worldwide recognition.
As they made their way into the following years, their popularity only grew until finally, this past week, they were invited to perform at the Billboard Music Awards for the second time and their latest album, Map of the Soul: Persona, is smashing records all over again.
If that wasn’t enough, the journey is far from over; just ask BTS’s fans.
Adorable Representative MC for Youth, or ARMY for short, is the name that BTS fans are known by, and boy, are they as powerful as their shortened name suggests. They have launched their boys right into the stratosphere and there is nothing these fans can’t accomplish when they put their minds to it.
The thing is, many of these fans aren’t just distant representatives of a very specific culture; many of them are right here in Savannah.
One such fan is April Bunch. I met her through her boyfriend, a coworker of mine, and we discussed our love of BTS and how much merch both of us had bought. I told her about my BT21 (the cartoon line created by BTS) t-shirts, keychain, and pillow; she told me about how hard she worked in order to get tickets to one of their stateside concerts and the countless nights she spent watching Burn the Stage and other BTS videos. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for these boys,” she told me. “They’ve saved my life.”
April isn’t the only one, either. I’ve seen countless other individuals walking by with BTS’s cartoon creations hanging from their backpacks or splayed across their chests on t-shirts. It’s a subtle way of identifying one another, of opening an avenue of discussion that would only make sense to those that know the K-pop scene. Questions like “Who is your bias?” may sound strange to others, but to the K-pop fans, it’s a standard way of asking which member of a group you like the best. You’ll hear a lot of Korean words slung around, too, in these circles; words like “maknae” and “hyung,” for instance. I personally have started learning more Korean because of my introduction to BTS and other K-pop groups, hoping that I can glean the meanings of the songs on my own eventually.
I sat down with Sue Kim, a Korean student here at SCAD, to discuss the impact of BTS and K-Pop in general. “In Korea, I heard that k-pop was getting very popular,” she explains, “but I didn’t believe it. Then I came here and saw how popular they became. I feel proud of that.”
When asked what made it such a point of pride, Sue explains, “I think if many foreigners hadn’t heard of K-pop, they wouldn’t know South Korea well. Many foreigners would say, ‘Oh, I haven’t heard about Korea. Where is Korea?’ But after K-pop and many Korean cultures became popular, foreigners learned about the country.”
It is important to point out, however, that while BTS may be the most influential of the K-pop groups active today, they are far from the only ones. Bands like GOT7 and EXO are also coming into the spotlight and Blackpink was the first Korean girl group invited to perform at Coachella; and of course, in any discussion of K-pop it’s important to discuss Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” which was one of the first Korean songs to really catch fire in the west.
“At the time, many foreigners knew Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ and loved it, but I think it was just a passing fad. After that, Psy made many other songs, but it wasn’t as popular,” she tells me. “Psy was a worldwide star, but he isn’t these days. Because of that, I’m a little worried about this K-pop syndrome. Maybe it will be a passing fad, too.”
While only time can tell, BTS shows no signs of stopping now and the popularity of other K-pop groups is growing as well. If it is a passing fad, it’s a pretty long-lasting one so far.
There are, of course, other downsides to the growing demand of K-pop. Most of these groups are put together by big production companies that are out to make as much money as possible. As a result, the stars are pushed to the limit—mentally, physically, and emotionally. As each group vies for the attention of the public, the training regiment is only going to become stricter, the schedules more demanding.
Depression is a common struggle in the world of K-pop stars, and it has claimed the lives of young artists in the past. Just a couple years ago, it claimed the life of SHINee front-man Jonghyun. This tragedy is only one result of the machinations of big production companies.
The Full Text of Jonghyun’s Suicide Letter
Sue explains, “There are positive and negative impacts. They have more money so the videos are nicer and the concepts are designed well, but there’s negative too because they have no privacy in their lives and no freedom to live. Many Korean musicians in production companies feel depressed because of it. It is a little difficult for them creatively. It’s like they are in factory.”
Sue, who worked for the Korean Broadcasting System, has some personal experience with the demands of production companies on their stars, as well. “I saw many girl groups and boy groups, but on their stage and when they sang, they would have happy and energetic songs and dances, but after their performance they looked very tired and unhappy. Their production companies required them to have such a tight schedule and I think it’s very bad for the musicians.”
Let’s hope that, moving forward, the growing popularity of K-pop worldwide will lead to better management of the artists, rather than worse. Maybe it can even start here in Savannah, with the local fans pulling together to demand more time off and rest for their favorite idols. In the meantime, please enjoy the following BTS playlist on Spotify:
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