BTS
Members
- Jin (진) – vocalist
- Suga (슈가) – rapper
- J-Hope (제이홉) – rapper
- RM – leader, rapper
- Jimin (지민) – vocalist
- V (뷔) – vocalist
- Jungkook (정국) – vocalist
The group formed as teenagers under Big Hit Entertainment and released their debut single album, 2 Cool 4 Skool (2013). Subsequent works—such as their first U.S. Billboard 200 entries The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2 (2015), The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016), and Wings (2016)—helped establish BTS' reputation as a socially conscious group. Wings became BTS' first album to sell one million copies in South Korea. By 2017, BTS crossed into the international music market, leading the Korean Wave into the United States and breaking numerous sales records, becoming the first Korean group to receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their single "Mic Drop". The band is the first Korean act to top the Billboard 200 with their studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018) and have since hit the top of the U.S. charts with their albums Love Yourself: Answer (2018), Map of the Soul: Persona (2019) and Map of the Soul: 7 (2020), making BTS the fastest group since the Beatles to earn four number one albums in less than two years. Love Yourself: Answer broke the South Korean Gaon Album Chart's all-time monthly record previously set by their own Love Yourself: Tear and became the first Korean album to be certified platinum in the United States.
Having sold over 20 million albums on the Gaon Music Chart, BTS is the best-selling act in South Korean history, and their album Map of the Soul: 7 is the country's best-selling album. BTS was the second best-selling artist of 2018 worldwide according to the IFPI. The group has won four Billboard Music Awards, including Top Social Artist three years in a row and Top Duo/Group. BTS has also been named as one of Time's Next Generation Leaders, one of Time's 25 most influential people on the internet (2017-2019), and one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world (2019). Forbes Korea named BTS the most influential Korean celebrities in 2018 and 2020, and BTS ranked 43rd in the Forbes Celebrity 100 (2019). They placed fourth on Billboard's Top Social Artist of the 2010s and 45th on their Top Touring Artists of the 2010s, the highest-ranked Asian act and the only non-English speaking act on the list. They were speakers at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly and honored as the youngest recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit from the President of South Korea. As of 2019, BTS is purportedly worth more than $4.65 billion to South Korea's economy each year, or 0.3 percent of the country's GDP, and attracts one in every 13 foreign tourists that visit South Korea.
On June 12, 2013, BTS released their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool, the first installment in their "school trilogy" series, simultaneously with its lead single "No More Dream", which peaked at number 124 in Korea before quickly falling off the charts. While the album peaked at number five in South Korea and eventually sold over 145,000 copies, it was not a major hit, selling only 24,000 copies in 2013. Their subsequent single "We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2" failed to chart. In 2 Cool 4 Skool, BTS employed an old-school hip-hop sound with scratches from the 1980s-90s and excessively fierce visuals. From their inception, BTS were convinced that telling their story was the only way for the younger generation to relate to their music. The lyrics of the album primarily reflected on the misunderstanding and prejudice towards them, criticism of the society that diminishes their dreams, and their anxiety and determination towards their future. During the production of the album, Suga and RM rewrote the lyrics of "No More Dream" more than 20 times. The single album's release was followed by several appearances on Korean music shows. Despite being unpolished, these early live performances demonstrated BTS' potential with their intense and charismatic stage presence. Expanding their endeavors to Japan, "No More Dream" was later re-recorded in Japanese and released in June 2014.
In September 2013, BTS released the second part to their "school trilogy," the extended play O!RUL8,2?, along with its single "N.O," which peaked at number 92 in Korea.[25] The EP peaked at number four in Korea and has sold over 160,000 copies to date, including 34,000 copies in its release year. Musically, BTS did not fundamentally change their sound as compared with 2 Cool 4 Skool, utilizing fiery rapping along with trap beats, brass, and soulful melodies. Lyrically, the EP expanded on the theme of dreams and happiness, revealing their frustration under the harsh Korean education system and their determination to confront the struggle of proving themselves. Despite several performances on Korean music shows, the single quickly fell off the charts. That same month, BTS starred in their own variety show, SBS MTV's Rookie King Channel Bangtan, based on a fake broadcast station, "Channel Bangtan", through which members parodied variety shows such as VJ Special Forces and MasterChef Korea. At the end of the year, BTS has recognized with several New Artist of the Year awards, including the 5th Melon Music Awards, 28th Golden Disc Awards, and the 23rd Seoul Music Awards.
Career
2010–2014:
BTS began forming in 2010 when Big Hit Entertainment CEO Bang Si-hyuk met with group leader RM and was impressed with his rapping.BTS was originally intended to be a hip-hop group similar to YG Entertainment's 1TYM, but between their initial formation and their debut, Bang Si-hyuk decided that the contemporary youth needed instead "a hero who can lend them a shoulder to lean on, even without speaking a single word". The group was meant to debut in 2011 and featured on several tracks by artists such as 2AM and Lee Seung-gi before their debut was postponed and the group was reorganized into a more traditional idol group. The lineup was then finalized with Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook in 2012. Six months prior to their debut, they began to gain attention for their presence on various social media websites, as well as song covers on YouTube and SoundCloud.
In September 2013, BTS released the second part to their "school trilogy," the extended play O!RUL8,2?, along with its single "N.O," which peaked at number 92 in Korea. The EP peaked at number four in Korea and has sold over 160,000 copies to date, including 34,000 copies in its release year. Musically, BTS did not fundamentally change their sound as compared with 2 Cool 4 Skool, utilizing fiery rapping along with trap beats, brass, and soulful melodies. Lyrically, the EP expanded on the theme of dreams and happiness, revealing their frustration under the harsh Korean education system and their determination to confront the struggle of proving themselves. Despite several performances on Korean music shows, the single quickly fell off the charts. That same month, BTS starred in their own variety show, SBS MTV's Rookie King Channel Bangtan, based on a fake broadcast station, "Channel Bangtan", through which members parodied variety shows such as VJ Special Forces and MasterChef Korea. At the end of the year, BTS has recognized with several New Artist of the Year awards, including the 5th Melon Music Awards, 28th Golden Disc Awards, and the 23rd Seoul Music Awards. On June 12, 2013, BTS released their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool, the first installment in their "school trilogy" series, simultaneously with its lead single "No More Dream", which peaked at number 124 in Korea before quickly falling off the charts. While the album peaked at number five in South Korea and eventually sold over 145,000 copies, it was not a major hit, selling only 24,000 copies in 2013. Their subsequent single "We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2" failed to chart. In 2 Cool 4 Skool, BTS employed an old-school hip-hop sound with scratches from the 1980s-90s and excessively fierce visuals. From their inception, BTS were convinced that telling their story was the only way for the younger generation to relate to their music. The lyrics of the album primarily reflected on the misunderstanding and prejudice towards them, criticism of the society that diminishes their dreams, and their anxiety and determination towards their future. During the production of the album, Suga and RM rewrote the lyrics of "No More Dream" more than 20 times. The single album's release was followed by several appearances on Korean music shows. Despite being unpolished, these early live performances demonstrated BTS' potential with their intense and charismatic stage presence. Expanding their endeavors to Japan, "No More Dream" was later re-recorded in Japanese and released in June 2014.
In August 2014, BTS released their first Korean studio album, Dark & Wild, which peaked at number two in Korea and sold over 200,000 copies total. It was supported by two singles: "Danger" and "War of Hormone" (Korean: 호르몬 전쟁; RR: Horeumon Jeonjaeng), which peaked at number 58 and number 173 in Korea, respectively. The album served as a narrative extension of the "school trilogy" and a transition into their next series. Musically, the album fused the grungy electric guitar sounds of rock within the framework of hip-hop and continued to expand their sound towards R&B. The central theme of the album's lyrics focused on expressing the sentiments of maturing, youthful desires, and impatience for romance. During the production of the album, BTS recorded their single "Danger" in a makeshift studio in a garage in Los Angeles. Following several appearances on Korean music shows, BTS embarked on their first concert tour, 2014 BTS Live Trilogy Episode II: The Red Bullet, from October to December, held in various halls and theaters in six cities: Seoul, Kobe, Tokyo, Manila, Singapore, and Bangkok.
Their first Japanese studio album, Wake Up (2014), released that December peaked at number three on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart and sold 28,000 copies. Along with re-recorded Japanese versions of older songs, it also contained the original tracks "Wake Up" and "The Stars." In support of the album, BTS held their 1st Japan Tour 2015 Wake Up: Open Your Eyes in February 2015 to an audience of 25,000 fans in four cities. After ending their Japan tour, BTS held their second solo concert in Korea, BTS Live Trilogy Episode I: BTS Begins, in March to a crowd of 6,500 fans.
2015-2018:
Following the depiction of growth and temptation in Wings (2016) and consolation in You Never Walk Alone (2017), BTS embarked on their "Love Yourself" series which sought the enlightenment of self-love through the "起承轉結" (Korean: 기승전결; RR: Giseungjeongyeol) narrative sequence of "beginning, development, turn, and conclusion." In September 2017, BTS released the first part of the series, their fifth EP, Love Yourself: Her. The track "Best of Me" featured production from The Chainsmokers' Andrew Taggart. The EP was supported by two singles: the lead single "DNA" and a Steve Aoki remix of their song "Mic Drop" featuring American rapper Desiigner. In the narrative sequence, the EP represented the "承," or "development" of the series and is considered by RM to be one of the major turning points in BTS' career. Within the larger narrative, Love Yourself: Her described the joy and happiness of falling in love. Sonically, the EP served as "a dual exploration of the group's electro-pop and hip-hop leanings," with the first half consisting of "dance tracks that emphasize the group's vocals" while in the second half "the act's hip-hop side arrives in earnest...delivering powerful rap performances.
In November 2017, BTS became the first K-pop group to perform at the American Music Awards, raising their profile internationally. That same month, Guinness World Records revealed that BTS had earned a spot in their 2018 edition for "having the world's most Twitter engagements for a music group". In December, they also became the first K-pop group to perform on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve to welcome the new year and made their Japanese TV music show debut on TV Asahi's Japan Music Station Super Live. At the end of the year, BTS won their second Artist of the Year at the 19th Mnet Asian Music Awards becoming the first act to win the award two years in a row. They also became the first artist outside of the "Big Three" to win major awards at the Golden Disc Award and the Seoul Music Awards, respectively.
In December 2017, "DNA" and "Mic Drop" were released as a triple-A side single in Japan with the new song "Crystal Snow", which topped the Oricon Chart and became the highest-selling single from a K-pop artist within a week. The single sold more than 380,000 copies by the end of the year and BTS became the only foreign artist to have a single certified double platinum by the RIAJ that year
In May 2018, BTS released their third Korean-language studio album, Love Yourself: Tear in conjunction with an appearance at the 25th Billboard Music Awards. At the show, BTS debuted as performers with the premiere of their lead single, "Fake Love" and won Top Social Artist, making them the only Korean artist to win the award two years in a row. In the narrative sequence, the album coincided with the "轉" or "turn" of the series, touching on the tortuous enlightenment of loving without being loved and encouragement to those without dreams. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Caitlin Kelley from Billboard described the album as "one of their most thematically cohesive yet sonically varied albums, with maximalist production erupting against lyrics about emptiness," while Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork wrote that the album "formula is a slick, loosely thematic album about love and loss, with a stronger focus on rapping than ever before" and that it "aims for cohesion and produces fun, prismatic songs in the process."
Crossing over to film, BTS released Burn the Stage: The Movie in theaters worldwide in November 2018 to commercial success. In the United States, it accumulated $1.2 million on opening day for a total of $3.54 million over the three day weekend, breaking the record for the highest-grossing event cinema musical production which was previously set in 2014 by the band One Direction. It ranked at number ten in the box office despite selling at only 620 locations compared to the 2,000-4,000 locations for the other top ten sellers.
2019-2020:
In February 2019, BTS attended the Grammy Awards for the first time as award presenters following their appearance at the L.A. Grammy Museum in 2018. In April, BTS became the first Asian act to surpass 5 billion streams on Spotify and was named as one of Time 100's most influential people of 2019. Their sixth EP, Map of the Soul: Persona, was released on April 12 with the lead single "Boy With Luv" (Korean: 작은 것들을 위한 시; RR: Jageun geotdeureul wihan si), featuring American singer Halsey. They became the first Korean act to perform on Saturday Night Live; the group's appearance was one of the most highly anticipated in the show's history.
Map of the Soul: Persona became the first Korean-language album to reach the number one position in both the UK and Australia and the group's third consecutive album to top the Billboard 200 and the third within eleven months, joining the likes of the Beatles, who achieved the same from 1995–96. BTS became also the fastest group to earn three number one albums since The Monkees in 1967. The EP became the best selling physical album in the US for the year of 2019, with 312,000 physical sales. Map of the Soul: Persona later became the best-selling album ever in South Korea, with more than 3.2 million sales in less than a month. Prior to BTS, the best-selling was dominated by the late 1990s albums, making BTS the only act formed after 2000 to be featured in the top 10 best-selling list. "Boy With Luv" debuted at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest in history for a Korean group, and its music video became the most-viewed online video within the first 24 hours as of 2019, accumulating more than 74.6 million views. "Boy With Luv" was certified in multiple countries, including Australia where it was certified Gold for selling 35,000 units, and the US where the RIAA certified it Platinum for selling over one million units. "Boy With Luv" was also certified Silver by the BPI, for selling over 200,000 units, making it BTS' first single to attain this certification in the UK.Map of the Soul: Persona also attained Silver in the UK and Gold in France, selling over 60,000 units and 50,000 units respectively
In November, BTS became the first K-pop group to win the Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock at the 2019 American Music Awards and the Favourite Social Artist award consecutively in 2018 and 2019. In December, they attended both the 2019 Melon Music Awards and 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards. The group became the first artist in the history of K-pop to receive all grand prizes from both ceremonies; getting four from each award show. At the end of the year, BTS ranked number fifteen on Billboard's year-end Top Artist Chart and were also the number two act of the year in the Duo/Group ranking, only behind Jonas Brothers. They were named as 2019 Hitmakers Group of the Year by Variety. They were also the most-tweeted-about musicians of 2019. On December 31, 2019, BTS performed in New York City's Times Square for ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. At the 34th Golden Disc Awards, BTS became the first artists in history to win grand prizes in both the physical and digital categories in a single year. Map of the Soul: Persona was named the second best-selling physical album of 2019 in the U.S. by Nielsen Music only behind Taylor Swift's Lover and was ranked sixth overall on the chart of Top 10 Albums (Total Sales) in the U.S. BTS finished 2019 as the fourth most successful group on Billboard's Top Billboard 200 Artists - Duo/Group ranking, behind only Queen, Imagine Dragons, and The Beatles.
With strong global sales of 2.5 million pure album units, Map of the Soul: Persona was named as the third best-selling album of 2019 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, making BTS the first Korean artist to be listed on the Global Top 10 Album Chart for two consecutive years. Map of the Soul: Persona was also the second best-selling global album by a band only behind Arashi's 5x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019. Attributing to the album's critical and commercial success worldwide, the IFPI named BTS as one of the best-selling artists of 2019 for a second consecutive year, making them the first non-English speaking act to achieve this.
In January 2020, BTS released "Black Swan" along with a choreography art film performed by Slovenian-based MN Dance Company as the first single from their fourth Korean-language studio album, Map of the Soul: 7
Map of the Soul: 7 was released on February 21 to universal acclaim. The album was supported by the lead single "On" and an alternative digital release featuring Australian singer Sia. In just 9 days of its release, Map of the Soul: 7 sold more than 4.1 million copies, surpassing the record of their previous album Map of the Soul: Persona to become the best-selling album in the history of South Korea and the first album to be certified Quadruple Million in Gaon Chart history. The album debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 with a first-week tally of 422,000 album-equivalent units, making BTS the fastest group to earn four number one albums since the Beatles in 1968. The album marked the biggest Billboard 200 debut in 2020 and maintained the record until The Weeknd's After Hours was released on March 20. The album debuted at number one in countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., making BTS the first Asian group to top the charts in the world's five largest music markets. The lead single "On" debuted at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 86,000 downloads, becoming BTS' first top-five and their biggest sales week for a song. It became the group's third top ten and highest-charting single on the chart, making them the Korean act with most top 10 hits on Hot 100. In support of the Map of the Soul series, BTS were set to embark on their fourth worldwide concert tour and second stadium tour, Map of the Soul Tour, beginning in April. However, the initial Seoul dates were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the rest of the world tour was eventually postponed.
Awards and achievements
BTS have received many awards and honors, including 24 Mnet Asian Music Awards, 23 Melon Music Awards, 20 Golden Disc Awards, 14 Seoul Music Awards, 13 Gaon Chart Music Awards, 4 Billboard Music Awards, 4 Korean Music Awards, 4 American Music Awards, and 2 MTV Video Music Awards. Having sold over 20.3 million albums on the Gaon Music Chart, BTS is the best-selling artist in South Korean history. In South Korea, BTS holds four multi-million albums and three platinum streaming singles. As the first Korean group to receive an RIAA certification, BTS has one platinum album, three platinum singles, two gold singles, and one gold album in the United States. In Japan, BTS is the first male foreign act to receive a Million certification for a single; they also have two multi-platinum singles, one multi-platinum album, one platinum album, and four gold albums. BTS are also the first Korean group to receive certifications in the United Kingdom (British Phonographic Industry), with one silver single certification for "Boy With Luv" and three silver album certifications for Love Yourself: Tear, Love Yourself: Answer and Map of the Soul: Persona.
BTS have a large social influence and as of 2019, have attained twelve Guinness World Records, including the world record for most Twitter engagements. To date, they have spent 185 weeks at number one on the Billboard Social 50 chart. They were ranked fourth on Billboard's Top Social Artists of the 2010s—the highest group on the list and were the most-tweeted-about celebrities in the world in 2017 and 2018. In October 2018, BTS was awarded a fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit from the President of South Korea for their contributions in spreading Korean culture and language. In 2019, members of BTS were invited to become members of the Recording Academy in honor of their contributions to music.
BTS were the first K-pop act to chart an album on the Billboard 200 for one year when Love Yourself: Answer reentered the chart in November 2019 for its 52nd non-consecutive week. As the first non-English speaking act to be included in the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s the Global Artist Chart in 2018, BTS had the second and third best-selling albums worldwide and were the second best-selling artists worldwide, coming second only to Drake. In 2019, BTS were once again the only non-English speaking act named as one of the top 10 Global Recording Artists of the Year by IFPI. They were included in the Forbes annual list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities ($57 million in 2019). In the United States, BTS accounted for 72.7 percent of the album units generated by K-pop acts in 2018 out of 17 acts. In South Korea, BTS accounted for 41.9 percent of album sales in the first half of 2019, up from their market share of 25.3 percent the previous year. The group placed within the top 50 on Billboard's Top Touring Artists of the 2010s list as the highest-ranked Asian act on the list and the only non-English speaking act. BTS are also the first Asian and non-English speaking act to headline and sell out Wembley Stadium and broke the record for the single highest-grossing engagement in Rose Bowl Stadium history.
BTS Universe
ToursThe BTS Universe, also known as the Bangtan Universe or BU, is an alternate universe created by Big Hit Entertainment that winds through the group's output. The webtoon Save Me closely follows the storyline, along with their book HYYH: The Notes 1. The chronology of the universe began with the song "I Need U" and spans to the present time. It tells the story of the seven members in an alternate reality and depicts their anxieties and uncertainties as they confront their futures. In a corporate briefing held on February 4, 2020, Big Hit also announced the upcoming release of its sequel HYYH: The Notes 2, the recreation of five BTS songs into five picture books, and an upcoming drama to be produced in collaboration with Chorokbaem Media and renowned screenwriter Kim Soo-jin. Speaking to Billboard, Michelle Cho, an assistant professor of East Asian Popular Cultures at the University of Toronto, said: "As an audio-visual experience, "I Need U" inaugurated the Bangtan Universe—the coming-of-age storyline that brilliantly integrates the Most Beautiful Moment in Life [album] trilogy and continues in music videos, "concept videos" (mini-films), and the multiform, open-ended narrative that's been serialized in album liner notes and Twitter and Instagram posts.
- The Red Bullet Tour (2014-2015)
- Wake Up: Open Your Eyes Japan Tour (2015)
- The Most Beautiful Moment in Life On Stage Tour (2015-2016)
- The Wings Tour (2017)
- Love Yourself World Tour (2018–2019)
- Map of the Soul Tour (TBA)
Filmography
Exhibitions
| Year | Title | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Butterfly Dream: BTS Open Media Exhibition" | Korea | |
| 2018 | "BTS Exhibition: 24/7=Serendipity (Five, Always)" | ||
| 2019 | China | ||
| United States |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Burn the Stage: The Movie | Themselves | |
| 2019 | Love Yourself in Seoul | ||
| Bring the Soul: The Movie |
Television
| Year | Title | Network | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Rookie King: Channel Bangtan | SBS MTV | BTS-based reality show, 8 episodes | |
| 2014 | BTS China Job | YinYueTai | BTS-based reality show, 3 episodes | |
| American Hustle Life | Mnet | BTS-based reality show, 8 episodes | ||
| BTS GO! | Mnet America | BTS-based reality show, episode 7 | ||
| 2018 | Run BTS! | Mnet | 8 episodes | |
| 2019 | JTBC, JTBC2 |
Online shows
| Year | Title | Network | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | BTS Bokbulbok | V Live | 5 episodes | |
| 2015–2017 | BTS GAYO | 15 episodes | ||
| 2015–present | Run BTS! | 3 seasons | ||
| 2016–present | BTS: Bon Voyage | V Live, Weverse | 4 seasons of 8 episodes each | |
| 2018 | Burn the Stage | YouTube Premium | Documentary on BTS' Wings tour, 8 episodes | |
| 2019 | Bring the Soul: Docu-series | Weverse | Documentary on BTS' Love Yourself tour, 6 episodes | |
| 2020 | Learn Korean With BTS | Weverse | 30 episodes | |
| 2020 | Break the Silence: Docu-Series | Weverse | Documentary on BTS' Love Yourself tour and Speak Yourself tour, 7 episodes |
0 Comments