The musical band BTS, one of the most important K-pop or Korean pop groups in the world, has unexpectedly announced their temporary separation after more than a decade of experience and songs that have become global hits such as Dynamite, Butter or My Universe.
The seven members of the group, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook want time to rest, find their “identity” and develop their solo careers. The announcement has been made within the framework of the BTS FESTA 2022, an event that the band organizes every year to celebrate its anniversary.
BTS is an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which means “Beyond the Stage” in Korean. The group was created in 2010, but it was not until 2013 that they officially debuted and rose to fame with the single 2 Cool 4 Skool. The members of this boyband stand out for their vocal quality, but above all for the choreography and montages of the music videos.
In the past ten years, BTS has broken all records in the music industry. Last year they achieved for the second time in a row the title of the best-selling Global Artist in the world, a recognition from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
They have sold more than 30 million records in their country, have made 7 world tours, have won 9 MTV Video Music Awards and 12 Billboard awards, which recognizes the number 1 artists in the United States. In addition, his YouTube videos accumulate billions of views. On June 10 the band released Proof, a three-disc compilation of the band’s main tracks from throughout their career.
BTS fans, known as ARMY, number in the millions around the world and have also contributed to the popularity of the band. Thus, during the pandemic, the group remained active on the internet and social networks to present new materials and maintain the interest of their followers.
However, this huge success has also sparked some criticism among the music industry. The music portal Stereogum, specialized in independent artists, published an article in which it pointed out that BTS’s musical quality did not correspond to the number 1s it was achieving, and that it was their fans who overdid the scope of their music.
More than a music band
The success of BTS has led them to step on some of the most important stages in the world, from the Olympic Stadium in Seoul to Wembley Stadium (London), passing through the famous New Year’s concert in Times Square in New York.
In March, the band performed in their native country, filling the 70,000-capacity Olympic Stadium for three days in a row. In addition, two of the concerts were broadcast by streaming and the third by live view: the most fans were able to follow it in movie theaters in different cities around the world.
Their capacity for mobilization is so great that they were even invited to the United Nations General Assembly to give a message of hope to the youngest after the covid pandemic, encouraging them to work together to create a better world.
The BTS also visited the White House and met with President Joe Biden to discuss discrimination and racism against the Asian community in the United States.
In addition to musical success, BTS generates great economic benefits. That is why the company Big Hit Entertainment, which represents the members of the band and manages their performances, concerts and albums, announced its IPO in 2020: in this way fans could invest in their idols (although, after the announcement of separation, stocks have suffered heavy losses).
K-Pop: mass idols
The concept “K-pop” describes a musical genre based on South Korean pop music that mixes other styles such as hip hop, rap or electronic music. The K-pop genre is very famous in South Korea, but in recent years it has also become popular all over the planet thanks to bands like BTS, Seventeen or Black Pink.
These are groups of boys or girls made up of several components, each with their own personality but with common characteristics: they are handsome, they dress in fashion, they sing well and they also know how to dance. Their melodies are very catchy and their choreographies are thought out to the millimeter.
These artists represent the younger generations and connect with them because they have the same interests: clothes, technological gadgets, applications and social networks… The lyrics of their songs portray the daily life of adolescents, their worries and concerns, that is why they have come to connect with a global audience.
However, this entire music industry hides a darker part: the pressure from record companies to create perfect artists, who must train and train for years before being able to debut. This level of demand and effort fits with the South Korean work culture, which pushes competitiveness to the limit.
On the other hand, the fact of being famous people from such a young age puts them in the spotlight of all the media: they are the center of all criticism and become the target of trolls on social networks. Sometimes this pressure has very serious consequences and leads artists to suffer from depression, withdraw from the world of music or even want to commit suicide.
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BTS is breaking up