BTS

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BTS
BTS at the White House in May 2022 From left to right: V, Jungkook, Jimin, RM, Jin, J-Hope, and Suga
BTS at the White House in May 2022
From left to right: V, Jungkook, Jimin, RM, Jin, J-Hope, and Suga
Background information
Also known as
  • Bangtan Sonyeondan
  • Beyond the Scene
  • Bulletproof Boy Scouts
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active2013–present
Labels
Members
Websitebts.ibighit.com
Korean name
Hangul방탄소년
Hanja防彈少年
Japanese name
Kanji防弾少年団
Hiraganaぼうだんしょうねんだん

BTS or Bangtan Boys (Hangul: 방탄소년단; RR: Bangtan Sonyeondan), is a South Korean boy band made up of seven members. They were created by Big Hit Entertainment in 2013. The members include RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. The group debuted on June 13, 2013 with their EP 2 Cool 4 Skool. They have since released five Korean studio albums: Dark & Wild (2014), Wings (2016), Love Yourself: Tear (2018), Map of the Soul: 7 (2020) and BE (2020). Their most famous song is "Dynamite".

In 2015, they found success in the American charts with their fourth extended play, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2, entering the U.S Billboard 200. The group is recognized as those who led the Korean Wave into the United States and have broken several sales records, becoming the first Korean group to receive an award by the Recording Industry Association of America for their single "Mic Drop". They are the first Korean act to top the U.S. Billboard 200.

Along with their success in selling albums, BTS have also been included in Time's "100 Most Influential People In The World". They have also donated to charities[3][4] and launched the Love Myself campaign[5] which helped programs stop violence against children and teenagers.

Name[change | change source]

The name BTS is from Bangtan Sonyeondan (Hangul: 방탄소년단; Hanja: 防彈少年), which is Korean for "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" and later revealed on 5th July 2017 to extend the identity as "Beyond The Scene". According to member J-Hope, the name was chosen to show the group's desire "to block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets".[6][7]

Their name in Japanese is Bōdan Shōnendan (防弾少年団), which means the same thing.[8]

In July 2017, BTS announced that their name would also stand for "Beyond the Scene".[9] This extended their name to mean "growing youth BTS who is going beyond the realities they are facing, and going forward".[10]

History[change | change source]

We started to tell the stories that people wanted to hear and were ready to hear, stories that other people could not or would not tell. We said what other people were feeling—like pain, anxieties and worries. That was our goal, to create this empathy that people can relate to.

2010–2014: Formation[change | change source]

The CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, Bang Si-Hyuk, met with the group's leader RM and was impressed by his rapping. BTS was supposed to be like a hip hop group, but Bang decided that young people nowadays need "a hero who can lend them a shoulder to lean on, even without speaking a single word". He decided that those heroes would be the members of BTS and so the group was reorganized into a more traditional idol group.

On June 12, 2013, BTS released their album 2 Cool 4 Skool. This was a song with a single song, "No More Dream". It was not a commercial success.

In September 2014, BTS released their extended play, O!RUL8,2? (Oh! Are you late, too?) In it were songs that criticized the Korean educational system and talked about finding themselves in the world. It was more successful than their first album.

2022[change | change source]

In June 2022, it was announced that the group was taking time to make solo projects. Their record label confirmed that this was not a hiatus (pause).[12]

Charity[change | change source]

In June 2020, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment donated US$1 million to Black Lives Matter in response to the killing of George Floyd. Their fans also raised US$1 million within 24 hours.

Controversies[change | change source]

BTS has been criticized over their problematic and racist behavior which has caused outcry from their black fans.[13] They also gained controversy over their apparently fraudulent streams on majority of their songs.[14]

Members[change | change source]

BTS has seven members.[15]

Stage Name Birthname (Korean) Birthday Position
RM Kim Namjoon (김남준) 12.09.1994 Leader, Main Rapper, Composer, Lyricist
Jin (진) Kim Seokjin (김석진) 04.12.1992 Vocalist, Visual
Suga (슈가) Min Yoongi (민윤기) 09.03.1993 Lead Rapper, Main Producer, Composer, Lyricist
J-Hope (제이홉) Jung Hoseok (정호석) 18.02.1994 Main Dancer, Rapper, Sub-Vocalist, Dance Leader, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Performance Director
Jimin (지민) Park Jimin (박지민) 13.10.1995 Lead Vocalist, Main Dancer
V (뷔) Kim Taehyung (김태형) 30.12.1995 Vocalist, Visual, Lead Dancer
Jungkook (정국) Jeon Jungkook (전정국) 01.09.1997 Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Sub Rapper, Center

Albums[change | change source]

BTS has released five Korean albums, six EPs and four Japanese albums.[16]

Korean Albums[change | change source]

  • Dark & Wild (2014)
  • Wings (2016)
  • Love Yourself: Tear (2018)
  • Map of the Soul: 7 (2020)
  • BE (2020)

Korean EPs[change | change source]

  • 2 Cool 4 Skool (2013)
  • O!RUL8,2? (2013)
  • Skool Luv Affair (2014)
  • The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 (2015)
  • The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 (2015)
  • Love Yourself: Her (2017)
  • Map of the Soul: Persona (2019)

Japanese Albums[change | change source]

  • Wake Up (2014)
  • Youth (2016)
  • Face Yourself (2018)
  • Map of the Soul: 7 ~The Journey~ (2020)

References[change | change source]

  1. "シングル「血、汗、涙」を5月10日にリリース!". BTS Universal Music Japan Page. Universal Music LLC, Japan. March 23, 2017. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  2. Friedman, Roger (August 25, 2018). "Crazy Rich Asians: South Korean Boy Band BTS First US Release Explodes Gangnam Style, Swamps iTunes Singles, Album Charts". Showbiz411.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  3. "KPOP NEWS - BTS Donates to Families of Sewol Ferry Victims | Mwave". 2017-04-23. Archived from the original on 2017-04-23. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  4. "BTS donates 7 tons of rice for charity". kpopherald.koreaherald.com. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  5. "About LOVE MYSELF". LOVE MYSELF (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  6. "방탄소년단 "팀명 후보, 빅키즈 영네이션 있었다"(야만TV)". Newsen (in Korean). June 22, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  7. Trabasso, Giovanna (May 29, 2016). "BTS Is Tackling Problems That Are Taboo". Affinity Magazine. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  8. "BTS" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  9. "방탄소년단, 팬클럽 아미와 연결된 새 BI 공개 "문을 열고 나아가는 청춘"" (in Korean). Naver. July 5, 2017. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. "BTS Brand eXperience Design Renewal". Behance. September 26, 2017. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  11. Bruner, Raisa. "Backed by Passionate Fans, BTS Takes K-Pop Worldwide". Time. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  12. "K-pop supergroup BTS says it's making time for solo projects". AP NEWS. 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  13. Nast, Condé (2020-06-03). "The BTS Fandom Needs to Check Its Anti-Blackness". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  14. "BTS' label issues warning over concerns of financial fraud and impersonation scams". India Today. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  15. "PROFILE | BTS | Big Hit Entertainment". www.ibighit.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  16. "DISCOGRAPHY | BTS | Big Hit Entertainment". www.ibighit.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.