Can you ever imagine yourself fist-bumping the PM of your country? Well, it seems impossible to even for a celebrity, but BTS has made it possible.
There is no music group or boy band in the history of the Korean music industry that has crossed over and dominated the international music markets like BTS. From a small Korean boyband to worldwide fame and influence: no other modern band represents the road to success and BTS.
What is BTS?
BTS made headlines in 2020 with the hit single “Dynamite,” which also became the first K-pop song in history to debut at No. 1 on the US Billboard “Hot 100” chart. But the journey doesn’t start from here. In 2010, the boy band was formed and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment.
The septet consists of Jin Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.
The group has a popular unique musical style that encompasses a variety of genres. They are also well known for their lyrics, which focus on themes of troubles of school-age, youth, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, individualism, and mental health. BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) is the first Korean group to receive certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their hit single “Mic Drop.”
But if you think their road to success is an overnight thing, you are wrong! Instead, it manifested years of dedication, talent, teamwork, and hard work.
Many may think their recipe for success to become such an influential band in the world could be their looks, costume, fandom, or their songs and lyrics spreading the message of accepting your uniqueness or self-love? Well, it’s all that, and way more.
Nothing speaks to the BTS’s fans, a.k.a, ARMY, more than their amazingly written songs. The band has written most of their songs from the beginning of their careers and used the lyrics to increase awareness of social issues present in South Korea and worldwide. In addition, they have also spread positive messages by sharing their music with the world. Not only that, but they also incorporated their own life stories into songs, pouring down themselves into the lyrics and making them relatable for many people of various age groups.
Journey to success
Now let’s see their journey on the road to success in chronological order:
2013 to 2014
The group released extended play O!RUL8,2?, alongside the lead single “NO,” in September 2013. It was the second part of their School Trilogy. The MV reached number four in Korea and sold over 34,000 copies in its initial year.
Today, O!RUL8,2?” has sold over 160,000 copies. The group did not change their sounds on this project, and hence this MV reflected on their frustration with the Korean system of education, determination, dreams, and struggles to prove themselves.
On November 13, 2013, BTS was recognized as the Best New Artist at Melon Music Awards in South Korea.
In January 2014, BTS released the Skool Luv Affair’s EP, the last act to their School Trilogy. The EP sold about 100,000 copies in 2014 and over 250,000 till today. The EP also reached number 3 on Billboard’s World Album Chart, making it the boy band’s first entry.
The group then released their first Korean studio album, Dark & Wild, in August 2014. The project reached number two in South Korea and sold about 200,000 copies. Later in December 2014, the band released a Japanese studio album, “Wake Up.”
2014 to 2015
As they kept moving forward, they embarked on their first concert tour in 2014 named BTS Live Trilogy Episode II: The Red Bullet. The tour began in October and was concluded in December of 2014. It was held in various theaters and halls in six cities: Tokyo, Kobe, Seoul, Singapore, Manila, and Bangkok. The band also got massive success with their third and fourth EP, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 1 and The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 2 in March and November 2015, respectively. The latter also entered the Billboard 200 chart and peaked at number 171. It was the group’s first entry in US Billboard 200.
2016 to 2017
In 2016, the group came up with their first Korean compilation album, “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever.” The album was released to critical acclaim. It ranked number one on the Gaon Weekly Chart in South Korea for the two consecutive weeks and reached number 107 in the US Billboard 200 chart.
The band also won album of the year for Young Forever at the MMA’s. In September 2016, the group released their second Studio Album in Japanese, named ‘Youth.’ The album sold over 44,000 copies within 24 hours of release and topped the charts in Japan. In October of the same year, their second Korean studio album, Wings, was released. The album also sold over 500,000 copies during the first week of release.
2017-2018
In February 2017, ‘You Never Walk Alone,’ a repackaged edition of Wings (2016), sold over 700,000 copies. It broke the record for most albums sold in a month. But the fame only just started for them, and they took their first flight to Billboard Music Award, where they were awarded the Top Social Artist in 2017. They also became the first-ever Korean group to receive such an honor.
The band then continued to soar high with the release of the EP entitled Love Yourself: Tear in May 2018.
2019 -2020
BTS released a music video in April 2019 featuring Halsey, entitled Boy with Luv, on Youtube. The music video garnered gained staggering 1.3 Billion views (and counting). In addition, the band again made history as the first K-pop band to perform in Saturday Night Live in the same month. In May 2019, the group performed Boy with Luv alongside the US singer Halsey at the Billboard Music Awards. They also won the Top Social Artist at the award show again, winning this title for three consecutive years.
In 2020, BTS released ‘Black Swan’ and the choreography art firm performed by MN Dance Company. The song was released as the first single from their 4th Korean-language studio album, Map of the Soul: 7. Later that month, they performed alongside Lil Nas X at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The performance made BTS the first Korean act to perform at the Grammys.
The Bangtan Boys celebrated their 7th anniversary with the Festa 2020, from June 1 to June 13. They also announced their live-stream concert, Bang Bang Con: The Live, from June 14 for two weeks.
After releasing the Japanese single Stay Gold, the group released their first English-language single, “Dynamite,” on August 21. The song went on top charts and broke records. Later in October, they performed the single at the 2020 Billboard Music Award and won the Top Social Artist award, becoming their fourth consecutive year of winning the award.
By November 2020, BTS released their fifth Korean studio album Be, with Life Goes On as its lead single.
2021-Present
On April 7, 2021, BTS held a live event on their YouTube channel titled Bang Bang Con 21. They did the live telecast with the footage of three of their previous in-person concerts.
On April 26, they revealed ‘Butter’ their second English-language single, “Butter.” Later the song debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Then, after the BTS 2021 Muster Sowoozoo, the group announced their third English language single, Permission to dance. The song was later released on July 19.
BTS also featured on Coldplay’s single My Universe, and later in October, they revealed their Permission to Dance stage online concert.
They also performed live in Los Angeles for the first time after their last concert in 2021.
This year on February 16, the group has plans for a live global video concert in March and return to several live performances and concerts in South Korea. They have also extended their concert tour dates in Las Vegas. The rescheduled Grammy Awards will also occur, with ‘Butter’ being one of the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nominations.
