No one is doing it – or has done it – quite like BTS. In seven years, the South Korean boyband has become the biggest musical act on the planet, dominating the charts in their home country since 2016 and breaking through into the international market in 2017. BTS (or Bangtan Sonyeondan, meaning bulletproof boy scouts in English) were the first K-pop group to be nominated for, and win, a Billboard Music Award; the first to perform on an American award show; the first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with Love Yourself 轉 Tear, which was quickly followed by Love Yourself 結 Answer and Map of the Soul: Persona, making them the first band to have three Number 1 albums in a year since The Beatles.Their last album 'Map of the Soul: 7' is the first album of 2020 to go Platinum.
The septet – comprising Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook and their leader RM – have already cemented their place in music history, all before the age of 30. BTS’ origins as a hybrid hip-hop/K-pop group from a small label might have made them industry underdogs, but it’s now considered one of the reasons for their success. K-pop has a reputation of an intense studio culture, with thousands of teenagers auditioning to be selected as trainees who undergo years of rigorous music, dance and personality sculpting. Most won’t make it and the few who do debut as idols, are expected to be nothing less than perfect. Big Hit wanted to form a different kind of idol group, one that was more relatable to young people, that put the music first. Given relatively more freedom than their peers, BTS write and produce their own music. From the get go they’ve addressed subjects considered taboo for idols, singing and rapping about their mental health, societal issues and peer pressures. Listeners related to BTS’ candour and an early loyal fan base, combined with Big Hit’s guerrilla social media marketing, soon exploded into a diverse global fan network called ARMY (an acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth).
Two albums in one year? That's how Korean pop group BTS is blessing fans in 2020. The group's management agency, BigHit Entertainment, announced on Twitter that "BE" will be released November 20.“The new album imparts a message of healing to the world by declaring, ‘Even in the face of this new normality, our life goes on,’” said Big Hit. “For this album in particular, the septet took a step further and was involved not only in the music-making process but also in the overall production: concept, composition, design, etc. This new project offers an even richer musical spectrum experience as well as the most ‘BTS-ish’ music yet.”