MY INTEREST IN KPOP (BTS) — WHO ARE BTS

The South Korean boy band BTS, often known as the Bangtan Boys, was founded in 2010. The members of the group—Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-write or co-produce the majority of the songs they perform. Originally a hip-hop group, they expanded their musical style to include a variety of musical genres. Their lyrics have mainly dealt with issues related to mental health, difficulties associated with young adulthood, loss, the journey to self-love, individualism, and the effects of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature, philosophy and psychology, and includes an alternate universe storyline.

BTS made their Big Hit Entertainment debut in 2013 with the release of the album 2 Cool 4 Skool. BTS released their first Korean and Japanese-language studio albums, Dark & Wild and Wake Up respectively, in 2014. Wings (2016), the group's second Korean studio album, becoming their first to reach a million sales mark in that country. BTS became the first Korean group to receive a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their single "Mic Drop" and the first act from South Korea to reach the top of the Billboard 200 with their studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018) by the end of 2017. By 2018, BTS had entered the international music market and established the Korean Wave in the United States. As of 2023, BTS is the best-selling artist in South Korean history according to the Circle Chart, having sold in excess of 40 million albums. Their studio album Map of the Soul: 7 (2020) is the third best-selling album of all time in South Korea, as well as the first in the country to surpass both four and five million registered sales. 

Bangtan's Achievements

26 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS have been attained by BTS and for the MOST VIEWED video/music video on YouTube in 24 hours, achieving the latter every year since 2018 and most recently with "Butter". With Love Yourself: Answer (2018) becoming the FIRST KOREAN album to be certified Platinum by the RIAA, BTS became one of the few acts to chart four US number-one albums in less than two years in 2020. They also made history by becoming the FIRST ALL-SOUTH KOREAN act to top the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200 with their Grammy-nominated single "Dynamite." They became the FIRST ARTIST to achieve four US number-one singles since Justin Timberlake in 2006 thanks to the release of their follow-up hits "Savage Love," "Life Goes On," "Butter," and "Permission to Dance. The group was inducted into the record body's Hall of Fame in 2022, after claiming 13 WORLD RECORDS in 2021 alone. They have CONSECUTIVELY won the Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist since 2017; are the ONLY K-pop group to win Top Duo/Group, at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards and are the  MOST AWARDED GROUP in BBMA history as of 2022, with 12 wins overall. They are also the ONLY K-POP GROUP to win Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock and Favorite Social Artist at the American Music Awards, and in 2021, became the FIRST ASIAN act in the show's history to win Artist of the Year. They are the FIRST KOREAN pop act to receive a Grammy Award nomination, and the FIRST KOREAN artist to be nominated for a Brit Award. With 30 awards overall, including a record FOUR CONSECUTIVE WINS for Artist of the Year (Asia), BTS are the MOST-AWARDED foreign artist in the history of the Japan Gold Disc Awards. They have also placed on the Time 100, in 2019, and are THE YOUNGEST recipients of the South Korean Order of Cultural Merit. In July 2021, South Korean President Moon Jae-in appointed them Special Presidential Envoy for public diplomacy.