A DUMMY'S GUIDE TO 'BTS' by Paridhi Bansal (VIII A)

I know what you're thinking: Behind The Scenes? No, just no. It's Beyond The Scene.

You know that artist who broke Justin Bieber's Top Social Artist 6 year streak? Yeah, this is them.

BTS or BangTan Sonyeondan, who recently also extended their identity to stand for Beyond The Scene, is a seven member Kpop (Korean pop) boy-group. But the thing is- they're so much more than just any boy-group.

BTS debuted from a small, financially struggling entertainment company, BigHit, in 2013. They were not promoted excessively, nobody paid much attention to them initially, but slowly- over the course of these 5 years, they've made a huge name for themselves in the industry. And I mean both, the Kpop and the Western music industry.

Like I said, they aren't just any boy-band. So what is it that makes them so different?

Like most other Kpop groups, BTS includes vocalists, rappers and dancers. But what most other Kpop groups don't have, or just most mainstream artists these days lack, are BTS's spectacularly written and inspirational lyrics. BTS members compose, produce and write their songs themselves, another rarity in the industry. 

They have songs (more like two entire albums, to be precise) on the pressures of school. Their main concept being youth, they promote self- love, talk about hardships that young people face all around the word, including depression, and even encourage feminism. Their lyrics make you cry, they make you laugh. They make you nod your head excessively because it's just so relatable. Their lyrics connect.   

Another amazing thing about them is how they're willing to try all music styles and how they constantly grow as musicians. There's something for everyone.

Put together those beautiful lyrics, gorgeous vocals, raps (and I mean those hardcore, heavy duty ones) as well as killer dance moves that make you wonder if they even have bones, and you've got yourself the perfect package. Their music videos have beautiful aesthetics and concepts focusing on youth with references to movies and books. Not to mention, they have extremely amazing personalities that can make you laugh till your tummy aches. Its easy to get to know them since they’re so active on their social media and have a vlog channel on YouTube by the name of BangtanTV. 

BTS' fans are officially called ARMYs and take my work for it, we're quite a force to reckon with. Breaking records left and right every comeback season, ARMYs have made BTS the Kpop artist with the most number of music videos to have over 1M likes. And yes, that does include Psy- the Gangnam Style singer. They have a crazy following on twitter of 10M and 6M subscribers on YouTube. BTS are played on famous US radio stations, extremely rare for Kpop songs and have sold out multiple stadium concerts there as well, including Prudential Centre. In fact, BTS are on their way to becoming a household name in India, too.  You can catch their year old song on VH1 Top Ten and other segments.

BTS was not just the first Kpop group to be nominated for a Billboard Music Award but also took home the trophy. They performed at the 2017 AMAs, the first Kpop group to achieve this feat and have collaborated with artists like the Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki and Desiigner. They were also invited to the Ellen Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Late Late Show starring James Corden.

This seven member group is taking over the world. Give them a chance, they'll take over your hearts too. Hopefully by now you're a little curious, so here are some songs you can listen to- 'Blood Sweat and Tears', 'Spring Day', 'I Need U', 'No More Dream’, 'Spine breaker', ‘Mic Drop’ and their latest hit single- ‘DNA’ . 

So, what are you waiting for? Check 'em out.