KPOP START UP: BTS

I have a confession to make....I love KPOP. Now that might not be much of a confession to most of you, actually some of you might not even know what I'm talking about. And that's ok! I'm going to teach you.

Yes, I have a new segment on 96.1 KISS FM talking and teaching all about the world of KPOP and Korea in general because most of you have probably at least been aware of just how big the "Korean Wave" is getting.

Now when I sat down and thought of who I should introduce for our inaugural segment, I couldn't think of anyone better than BTS. BTS is more than an "idol" group (KPOP artists are known as idols for obvious reasons I should think), they are a global phenomenon. I'll illustrate this with just one point, KPOP as an industry is worth over 5 BILLION dollars. BTS? They bring in over 3.6 of that 5 billion. Let that sink in.

BTS (Beyond The Scene to some, Bangtan Sonyeondan to most) stands for "Bulletproof Boyscouts" in Korean. The whole MO of the group is to be a force of good for the youth of the world (RM, the leader of BTS even gave a speech at the UN this year??!) and they put a lot of time and energy into making music that will lift the spirits of young people all over the world. One of their main mottos is "Love Yourself", what else could be better for children and teens in the world we live in today? This level of care and heart along with their giant online presence (they have an online reality/variety show a la The Monkees that I thoroughly enjoy) allow the youth of today to know them as people as well as talented musicians.

BTS is comprised of 7 members:

  • Jin(진) – vocalist
  • Suga(슈가) – rapper
  • J-Hope(제이홉) – rapper, main dancer
  • RM– leader, rapper
  • Jimin(지민) – vocalist, dancer
  • V(뷔) – vocalist, dancer
  • Jungkook(정국) – vocalist, dancer, maknae (youngest member: age is a big deal socially)

Image via Getty Images

When you "stan" (a stalker like fan) a certain group you usually have a "bias". Which again, is fairly self explanatory. Your bias is your favorite member of the group and fans (or stans!) take it veeeery seriously. Personally I can't pick just one, so I picked three! (RM, V, and Jungkook in case you were wondering). Anyway if you're still reading, thanks! You can check out our new segment below plus some videos of the songs we highlighted this week. 감사합니다!

KPOP Start Up Part 1
KPOP Start Up Part 2

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