How BTS Captured the Heart of a Highschool Student

If you follow pop culture, you may know that recently Korean music has been gaining popularity. The culprit behind this sudden Korean wave is the group, BTS. Known for their unique styles, these seven boys steal women and men’s hearts. With their honey vocals and charming rap, BTS creates music unimaginable from the K-pop world. Their charismatic performances send fans through the roof.

With their unbelievable talent, it was no doubt that I would come to love them.

Watching them through the years was like watching a baby grow up. On June 13, 2013, a small hip-hop group debuted under a new, small company called Big Hit Entertainment. This group debuted with a hope of success in their minds. Through the years of 2013 - 2015, they wrote songs on the topic of working insanely hard to achieve their dreams. On May 5th, 2015, BTS’ song won the Korean award show, The Show. This achievement was the first of many to come. On November 30th of the same year, BTS’s album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life made the Billboard 200. This was around the time I began to like BTS. In October 2016, BTS tops the Social 50 chart for 82 consecutive weeks. During the Billboard Music Awards on May 21, 2017, they won the top social artist award.

That same year on September 18, the Love Yourself: Her album was released. The album placed 7th on the Billboard 200, the highest any Korean album has gotten. When they collaborated with Steve Aoki, “Mic Drop (Remix)” made the Hot 100 chart at 28th, the highest any Korean song has gone on this chart, in November 2017. On February 12, 2018, BTS’ songs “DNA” and “Mic Drop (Remix)” were certified Gold by the RIAA. This was the first time any Korean has received such recognition. Their immense growth from 2015 to now has made me a bigger fan than before. Although their achievements are what made me like them more, what made me a fan in the first place?

1. Message

During the last few years, BTS has been making a series of albums that contribute to an ultimate story and message. The albums’ names start with “Love Yourself.” The overall message that they send in these albums is that no matter what you do, you must learn to love yourself. Throughout this series, they show the different stages of learning how to accept yourself. In a way, it’s as if BTS walks with you on the journey to know and love yourself. BTS also shares about their struggles and journey to loving themselves. Some of the group members talked about how they were alone for most of their lives, feeling lost and down with no hope of getting back up. They don’t want others to go through such hard times alone, so BTS created these albums for that sole reason. I think many people like me were able to relate to their feeling of being lost and not knowing where to go next. I continue to turn towards the comfort of their music for guidance, hoping for a similar prosperous future like BTS.

2. Talent

It does already take a lot of talent to become an artist, but BTS goes beyond that bar. The member, Jung Hoseok (also called J-Hope), was a street dancer in Korea before becoming a K-pop idol. As a result, he is good at lots of dances from hip hop to popping. Just by that, you could say that’s real talent. After becoming an idol, he was able to expand his palette with other style dances like covers of girl group songs (seen below dancing on the right).

Another member with pure talent is Kim Namjoon or RM. Although you may say it's genetics, it takes skill to be a genius not just being smart. With an IQ of 148, RM scored top 1.3% on the Korean national entrance exams. In comparison to the rest of the world, RM is among the top 0.1% of the global population. He uses this skill in his songwriting. An example of this is their song “Ddaeng.” He uses lots of wordplays to create an ultimate, genius diss track.

3. Looks

Of course, like any celebrity either Korean or Hollywood, they must be good looking. The member Kim Taehyung is renowned for his good looks. A plastic surgeon in Brazil evaluated his face, and he claimed that Taehyung has the most perfect face in the world. Many fans like him because of his perfectly proportioned face and deep vocals.

 

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Along with his ranks is Kim Seokjin. He is the visual of BTS. A visual is a person in the group that is usually self-proclaimed most handsome. His soft but sharp features attract many fans.

 

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 After reading this, you probably think it wasn’t surprising that these seven, handsome boys were able to capture my heart with their message, talent, and looks. Many people are scared to try things that aren't familiar to them. Take a break from your Pop or Rap music and try listening to BTS. You may like it more than you think you will!