K-pop sensation BTS: What you need to know
By Syeda Haniya Shah
10 years old, Bilva Indian School
Here are seven facts about the seven-piece group. South Korean boy band BTS are growing in popularity all over the world following their live US TV debut at the American Music Awards at the weekend. Their performance came after they became the first K-pop band to break into the top 10 of the US album charts earlier this month, and they have now also achieved a new world record on social media. BTS beat the record previously held by One Direction star Harry Styles to register 252,231 engagements on Twitter – the most ever – as of November 21, according to Guinness World Records. K-pop, an abbreviation of Korean pop, has grown beyond its origins of electronic, hip-hop, pop and rock into a subculture of its own. The group’s latest EP, Love Yourself: Her, landed at number seven, so fittingly here are seven things you need to know about the internet’s favourite boy band.
44
1. Who are they?
2. Their internet presence is huge
BTS or Bangtan Boys or Beyond The Scene are a sevenpiece boy band made up of singers and rappers who formed in 2013. They mix K-pop with hip-hop and RnB, with more than four million albums sold to date. They are also pretty talented dancers.
With more than 10 million followers on Twitter, six million on Instagram and a further five million on Facebook, it’s fair to say their online reach is pretty extensive. In fact, they were named the most retweeted artist on Twitter last year. Their army of fans also helped them beat Justin Bieber to win the Billboard award for top social artist earlier this year. Their new Guinness World Records coup has only bolstered their social media presence, and a YouTube video of their AMAs performance has been viewed more than 4.5 million times in three days.
