Korean Pop, K-Pop, has been taking over the world recently, and leading the pack, in more ways than one, is the seven-membered group, BTS.
BTS, or Bangtan Boys, recently broke K-Pop history by debuting within the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200 album Chart, for Love Yourself: Her ; As well as Billboard’s Top 100 with the song “DNA,” which debuted at No.85.
Billboard reported the group earned their way onto the Top 100 list by having 5.3 million first-week U.S. streams and 14,000 downloads sold last month.
The accomplishments don’t stop there, the group was also awarded 2017 Top Social Artist by Billboard, beating out artists such as Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.
They have also received attention from the Grammys’ Recording Academy about their appeal. Music experts from Billboard Also discussed the possibility of BTS being nominated for Best New Artist earlier this month.
With all this success, critics take to social media.
The majority of the critiques stem from the fact that Korean Pop is (shockingly) Korean. The artists tend to title most songs in English, but the majority of the songs are in their native language.
Comments such as these make a statement that for a song to be considered ‘good,’ it must be performed in English. Apparently, the only ones exempt from this rule are Shakira, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Pitbull, and many others.
Does this mean that speaking English is necessary, or rather that the artist must be American?
One of the greatest things about living in a mostly technological world is we have the knowledge and ability to translate words within minutes, so language barriers are almost a thing of the past.
Music itself is a feeling. It can travel overseas, touch the hearts of millions, and be enjoyed by everyone. The emotions they carry do not speak English, Spanish, French, or Korean, because everyone interprets sadness, love, and happiness in the same way.
Congrats to BTS for all the accomplishments they’ve reached and will reach in the future.