BTS – The Breakthrough in Western Media

 Who is BTS and what is “Hallyu”?

BTS, also known as “Bulletproof Boyscouts” have established a name for themselves in the past few years. With the new release, of their three-part anthropology album “Proof”, they’ve broken “numerous records” on the music streaming Platform Spotify alone.  In May 2022 BTS has visited the White House in Washington DC, where they’ve spoken up as youth ambassadors against the rise of Asian violence. The Korean Pop Wave is influencing the western Music World immensely due to Artist such as BTS.

These Artists do not only influence the World of Pop and glamour but also to the growth of the economy in South Korea. Due to the Korean Pop Culture Trend “Hallyu” more and more people are willing to learn more about the Korean culture and language.  As KF president Lee Geun said “Hallyu has become not only global content but an important asset in public diplomacy”, it is not only a short Trend but a Wave that has been established to be a huge factory of success, which even influences South Koreas economic circulation.

Bumpy road to Fame

The members of BTS perhaps had a strong dream but could’ve never seen this coming. Since the start of their career, they have not been welcomed with open arms in the music industry. The South Korean entertainment industry is very structured, which leads to the so called “Big 3” Companies to only be successful. So in conclusion all other artists from so called “little companies” are doomed to fail. Big Hit Entertainment collected the seven-member group from 2010-2011 through auditions from all over South Korea.

The group was finalized with the members:

• Jimin
• J-Hope
• Jungkook
• Jin
• V
• Suga
• RM

On June 13, 2013 the Band officially debuted with their first Single “No More Dream” which hasn’t sparked major interest in the western world yet.

The Kpop fanbase in South Korea was really divided and had many opinions about the newcomers. But even in 2016, 3 years after their debut BTS still had to fight for their dreams. The Band was invited to attend and perform at the “Melon Music Awards” Show, which is a big Show to honor successful Bands, Singers and Performers. When it was BTS time to perform they were greeted by a so called “Black Ocean”. Light sticks are a huge part of the Kpop Fan Culture and are a big sign of support towards the artist. In this case everyone turned their Light sticks off to show that they are not supportive of these performers. The biggest turning point in their career was the massive mega hit album “Love Yourself: Her”, which was released in May 2017. The Song “DNA” from the mentioned album peaked at number 67 on the Hot 100 Billboard, which lead BTS to be the highest Kpop Song to peak at that time.

2022

Fast forward to 2022 the company Big Hit Entertainment has expanded immensely, thanks to the success of BTS. Hybe, which is the head company of Big Hit Entertainment now, has been proclaimed by Fast Company to be “the most innovative media company of 2022”. All in all, we can conclude from BTS to never stop working hard for our dream, no matter how bumpy the road is we should always be focused on our main motivation – our goal!

„Life is tough, and things don’t always work out well, but we should be brave and go on with our lives.” – BTS

As in right now, the group has decided to go on a break and focus on solo activities, to find new inspirations for future projects. The band has confirmed that this is not a permanent separation, but more of a creative break to see who the’ve become as people and gain new experiences.