How band BTS thrilled young generation to imagine a better world in UN?

I couldn’t take my gaze away from Zee News, India’s most popular news channel, which was carrying BTS’s performance at the United Nations General Assembly opening session with their hit song “Permission to Dance.”

BTS, who were named ‘Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture,’ gave a strong and touching address at the 76th United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2021.

The film is intended to call attention to the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals and to motivate people to take action, according to the UN’s official page.

The band sang in the General Assembly Hall before heading to the lobby for the musical performance. BTS made their way to the plaza through seven doors, where they continued to show off their high-energy dance moves. The band performed the “International Sign” signals for “Joy,” “Dance,” and “Peace” alongside dancers on the North Lawn to wrap off the huge performance.

My adolescent daughter used to talk a lot about BTS and K-pop.

I didn’t pay much attention. What is K-pop, and why did she show such a strong interest in Korean music?

We’ve heard that the younger generation prefers western music. Films set in Hollywood.. Western fashion and culture are prevalent. But what about this Korean music? K-pop is a term used to describe a type of music that is popular in Korea.

When I asked my daughter about K-pop and BTS mania, she surprised me with her response.

Where have you gone, Papa? Do you believe it’s just me? It’s all of our DPS students. Not only that, DPS, just ask any young lad or girl about BTS, and you’ll learn about it!

I had no idea where I had been because I hadn’t heard anything about K-pop or BTS! Perhaps there is a generational divide.

However, when I witnessed this K-pop sensation perform at the United Nations’ opening session, it completely drew my attention to BTS!

The more I tried to learn about BTS, the more I was struck by awe.

BTS is made up of seven members: RM, V, Jimin, Jin, JungKook, J-Hope, and SUGA.

BTS is based in Seoul, South Korea, and according to CNBC, it contributes $3.6 billion to the Korean economy each year and more than $1 billion in consumer exports.

But how did we end up here, and why is BTS such a hot commodity?

BTS is not merely a collection of letters strung together, contrary to common belief; their full name is Bangtan Sonyeondan, which  translates as Bulletproof Boy Scouts in English.

Most Korean boy band groups rely on television for their success, thus if they were travelling or performing in other countries, they would miss out on the publicity they could gain if they were on Korean television.

K-Pop stars have to stay in the country and not tour as much to stay current, available, and visible.

Instead of focusing on broadcast appearances for only Korean fans, BTS used social media and depended on their worldwide supporters all over the world.

The band also took full charge of its social media, frequently live-streaming their rehearsals and interacting directly with their Army of fans.

One thing to keep in mind is that none of the band members have their own social media accounts, and they only have one account per  social media network.

Big Hit Entertainment launched a series of auditions in 2010 and 2011 that brought the boys together.

Big Hit Entertainment was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2007, but things have certainly altered since BTS’s meteoric ascension.

K-pop music, which was originally performed in Korean bars and clubs for US servicemen to make additional money for their families, is now gaining popularity in the United States as well.

Korean pop music dates back to the 19th century, when a Western missionary named Henry Appenzeller introduced British and American folk songs to the local community, with the lyrics translated into Korean.

The hunger for familiar-sounding music among servicemen spawned a prototype based on Western pop music performed by Korean performers and steeped in local content—the West serving as both inspiration and market for the burgeoning genre.

One local music group received a Las Vegas contract, more than 20 appearances on the legendary Ed Sullivan Show, and a number 7  success on the Billboard singles list as a result of the rising support of the local Westerners and, ultimately setting the path for the economic success of modern Korean pop music and Asian performers in the Western entertainment industry.

Boy bands have long had a unique place in the hearts of young Americans, from The Beatles to One Direction.

Following the breakup of One Direction, BTS sprang to prominence and has since become the most successful boy band in history.

Their innocence, honestly and vulnerability even when the world is against them is what truly sets them apart from other artists.

Yes, you may be a fan of The Beatles, and the connection between The Beatles and BTS is not coincidental; it is intended.

Their music is made up of a little bit of old, a little bit of new, and a whole lot of classic.

BTS’ album “Love Yourself: Tear,” which is performed in Korean, is “the first primarily foreign-language No 1 album in almost 12 years,” according to Billboard, an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group.

Because of the subject of their music, BTS’s music is also a success.

While many K-pop songs are about love and relationships, BTS addresses issues that other bands may not, such as bullying, elitism, and mental health.

It’s uncommon to find someone who can be relatable, humble, and entertaining at the same time.

After learning what BTS music has caused such a stir throughout the world, I can now relate to my daughter’s overpowering depiction of BTS from their global reach.

BTS premiered the music video for “IDOL” on August 27, 2018, and it received 45 million views in under 24 hours, shattering Taylor Swift’s previous record of 43. 2 million for “Look What You Made Me Do” in the same timeframe.

Then, on April 12, 2019, BTS released the music video for “Boy With Luv,” which once again smashed the YouTube record.

In a single day, “Boy With Luv” received 74.6 million views, over double BTS’ previous YouTube record and about 20 million more than the previous record-holder (BLACKPINK with “Kill This Love”).

When it came time for Dynamite, however, the world was not prepared, as BTS broke the record for the top 24-hour song premiere on YouTube, garnering a whopping 101.1 million views, according to a YouTube spokesman.

The rise in popularity of BTS is not confined to the examples given above.

If you look at BTS’s track record on various fronts, you’ll see why they were recently invited to perform at the United Nations General  Assembly.

BTS made headlines in September 2018 when they became the first Korean pop music group to speak before the United Nations (UN).

“I have many flaws and many more fears,” RM, the band’s frontman, stated during the press conference, “but I’m going to embrace myself  as hard as I can.”

And, little by little, I’m learning to appreciate myself.”

Records by BTS:

BTS became the first group since The Beatles to have three Billboard No. 1 singles in the same year, with Love Yourself: Tear, Love Yourself: Answer, and Map of the Soul: Love Yourself.

Within a year, all of the Persona albums were published and went to No. 1.

The Beatles were the last group to do it, with three No. 1 albums between November 1995 and October 2016.

-BTS’ debut performance at the 2017 American Music Awards made television history because it was the first time a  K-Pop group had ever performed on a major American award show.

-BTS was the first K-pop group to be nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist in 2017, making them the first  K-pop group to do so.

They not only won the prize, but they also ended Justin Bieber’s six-year run as the reigning champion.

-In 2019, BTS became the first K-pop group to be nominated for the major prize, known as Top Duo/Group, which they won.

BTS’ Love Yourself: Tear moved from No. 4 on the Billboard Artist 100 list to No. 1 the same week it was released.

BTS is also the first K-Pop group and, by coincidence, the first Asian artist to reach 5 billion Spotify streams.

BTS’ Love Yourself: Tear moved from No. 4 on the Billboard Artist 100 list to No. 1 the same week it was released.

-BTS is the first Korean act to receive an AMA nomination.

BTS debuted at the American Music Awards in 2017, and in 2018, they became the first Korean artist to be nominated for an AMA in the category of Favorite Social Artist.

-BTS Sets New Twitter Engagement Record -After wishing BTS’ Jungkook a happy birthday on Twitter, Justin Bieber tweeted, “Now watch this tweet go crazy.”

According to the BBC, BTS has the most Twitter engagements ever, with each post receiving an average of 330,624 retweets, replies, likes, or other interactions.

With 147,653 engagements per tweet, Harry Styles previously held the record.

-BTS Records: Twitter’s Fastest Millionaire

BTS garnered one million TikTok followers in record time: 3 hours and 31 minutes, according to the Guinness World Records organisation, which was disclosed on Oct. 23.

That is what propelled BTS’s groundbreaking septet to global superstardom.

With 19.4 million Twitter followers and 23.7 million Instagram followers, the group’s fans, dubbed “the ARMY,” submitted an incredible 300 million online votes to ensure the group won their Billboard prize.

Imagine the crazed fans who viewed the ‘DNA’ music video 50 million times on YouTube in just one month!

Just read what one Army fan has to say about BTS’ music on Quora.

BTS’s music makes me feel like I belong. Throughout my life, I struggled with my insecurities and it is put me down as a person. On top of that, my parents always pointed them out. It made me feel awful about myself, my body, just me in general. That was until I found BTS, their music made me feel safe, it made me feel like I go let go of all of my worries for just a few minutes at a time. They showed me how to love myself, that I should be proud to be my own person. The moment I realized this, I cried. Because at that moment, I felt like myself, I felt confident, I felt like I could handle anything that was thrown at me. They changed me for the better and I don’t want to imagine myself if I never found them.

Is it the emotional bond between people?

Did it have an impact on a world forum like the United Nations, which invited BTS to play at its 75th session with a theme like “Prolonging the COVID-19 Crisis: Mitigating the Impact and Protecting Future Generations”?

The Boys discussed the Covid-19 situation, the necessity for quick climate action, youth stories, and their optimism for a better future.

Despite the pandemic, they affirmed their faith in young people’s potential to imagine a better world.

BTS music will undoubtedly keep our humanity’s hope alive while we heal from the agony of the coronavirus outbreak.

When you can convey what the group’s leader, RM, says at the UN General Assembly forum beautifully, you can experience a wave of hope

My name is RM, the leader of the group BTS.

Two years ago here, I asked your name.

I urged you to let me hear your voice.

And I let myself be filled with imagination.

As a boy from the small city of Ilsan in Korea,

as a young man standing at the U.N. General Assembly,

as a global citizen of this world,

I imagined the limitless possibilities before all of us, my heart beating with excitement.

But COVID-19 was beyond my imagination………

I was frustrated and depressed,

but I took notes, wrote songs, and thought about who I was.

I thought,

“If I give up here, then I’m not the star of my life.”

“This is what an awesome person would do.”

It is only because of this human connection that fans spend hours publishing information, sending messages, and sharing their love for the seven lads of BTS on countless pages, accounts, and websites set up all around the world by passionate fans.

Because it keeps the possibility of a new life.

With the help of music.

Music, as you may know, has no language.

Music binds us and unites us as global citizens.

-End-