If you’re a pop culture junkie like me, then you probably watched the 2017 American Music Awards, where some of the country’s biggest acts attended, including Selena Gomez, Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Lady Gaga, and more.
While many of these artists are from the U.S., there was one group in particular who traveled thousands of miles to attend and perform at the prestigious award show: BTS.
Known as A-listers in their home country of South Korea, BTS is just starting to make its mark here in the United States. They first caught the attention of the Western media earlier this year in May, when the group became the first K-Pop act to ever win a Billboard Music Award. Since then, the group has only continued to gain popularity in the U.S, booking not only the American Music Awards, but also The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Late Late Show With James Corden.
If you happened to watch BTS perform live on any of these shows and are looking to find out more about them, then look no further because here’s an introductory guide to help you.
Who is BTS?
BTS (also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan, Bulletproof Boyscouts, Bangtan Boys, Beyond The Scene, etc.) is a seven-piece boy band from Seoul, South Korea who formed in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. They first started out as a hip hop group, but have since released music of different genres, with songs that address important social issues that relate to youth. Love Yourself: Her, BTS’ latest album, debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200, becoming the highest-charting album for a Korean act. Their most recent achievements also include having the fastest K-Pop video to reach 150 million views (for their “DNA” music video), and having the most-followed Twitter account in South Korea (@BTS_twt). They also recently partnered with UNICEF for the Love Myself #Endviolence project, named after their Love Yourself album.
There are seven members of BTS: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.
RM
Formerly known as Rap Monster, RM is the leader of BTS. His real name is Kim Namjoon and he’s the only fluent English speaker among the seven members. He’s also one of the group’s three rappers and has collaborated with several artists in the past, including MFBTY, Primary, Don Mills, Gaeko, and Wale. You can listen to his mixtape on Soundcloud.
Jin
Jin’s full name is Kim Seokjin. He’s one of the group’s four vocalists and is the oldest member. Jin’s signature move is a “flying kiss” and he always refers to himself as “worldwide handsome.” This past May, his looks made headlines at the Billboard Music Awards when Twitter users referred to him as the hot “third member from the left.”
Suga
Suga’s real name is Min Yoongi and and he’s one of BTS’ three rappers. He’s also a songwriter and producer. Suga has released a mixtape under the name “Agust D,” as well as two music videos, “give it to me” and “August D.”
J-Hope
Living up to his stage name, J-Hope is the group’s ray of sunshine. His real name is Jung Hoseok and his positions in the group include being both a dancer and a rapper. You can catch him introducing himself by saying, “I’m your angel. I’m your hope. I’m J-Hope.” Having a background in dance, J-Hope is always helping the other members with their choreography.
Jimin
Jimin’s full name is Park Jimin and he’s both a vocalist and a dancer for BTS. Among all the members, Jimin is the one who uses social media the most. He often shares selfies and videos on the group’s shared Twitter account (@BTS_twt).
V
V’s real name is Kim Taehyung. A vocalist for the group, he’s known for having a deep tone in his voice, which you can hear on his solo track “Stigma.” Apart from music, V also enjoys drawing, taking photographs, and acting. He has appeared in the Korean television drama Hwarang, and recorded a song for the show’s soundtrack in collaboration with fellow BTS member Jin.
Jungkook
Jungkook’s full name is Jeon Jungkook. He’s BTS’ youngest member and is known as the “golden maknae” of the group, meaning “golden youngest member.” Jungkook’s nickname is taken from the fact that he’s exceptionally talented, and is frequently front and center of the group’s performances. He’s both a dancer and vocalist for BTS and has also rapped in the group’s earlier songs. Jungkook has also released several English covers, including songs by Charlie Puth and Justin Bieber, two artists he would like to collaborate with in the future.
These are just the basics about BTS, but if you would like to know more about them, I suggest you search “BTS” on YouTube.
On Friday, November 24th, BTS released a remix of their hip hop track “Mic Drop,” a collaboration with DJ Steve Aoki and Desiigner. You can watch the music video by clicking here.
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