How BTS Came To Be The World-Famous Idol Of Today; Their Story Of 'Blood Sweat & Tears'

중앙일보

입력

It is truly a 'Spring Day' for idol group BTS. BTS, spreading its name globally starting from the U.S, is a milestone in the music industry after PSY's 'Gangnam Style' went viral in 2012.

Their efforts paid off in achieving their own 'Spring Day'

BTS laid its fanbase by communicating with fans via social media since their debut in 2013. As the public came to appreciate BTS' music, BTS fandom ARMY's built-up potential burst out.

The boy band broke the record set by former Korean artists with their September-released album 'LOVE YOURSELF: Her' ranking 'Billboard 200' No. 7 and its sales going over 1.42 million. MIC DROP(Steve Aoki Remix) released on November ranked No. 28 on 'Billboard Hot 100,' a breaking record for a K-pop group.

The group was also the first K-pop group to win the Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist. After being invited to perform at the 'American Music Awards' in November, they were also invited to ABC·NBC·CBS' lead talk shows.

BTS members shout "who says my spoon is dirt (referring to a Korean antonym for the term 'born with a silver spoon in one's mouth)," indicating their sorrow over 'being born with a dirt spoon,' as they have not been trained by the field's so-called 'Big 3' that is SM·YG·JYP Entertainment.

BTS members trained for three years in a small room (56㎡ in size). They trained hard, spilling 'Blood Sweat & Tears,' but they still had a long way to go even after making their debut. Not known by the public, they were often referred to as 'the boy group Bang Si-hyuk made.' Now, BTS members say "we're no longer sad, we don't hurt anymore. We stand tall, proud of ourselves."

관련기사

Being the first Twitter account to reach over ten million followers, BTS' popularity is predicted to grow regarding the even distribution of their fan base all over the world.

The viewer percentage sorted by nations for BTS' 'MIC DROP' M/V on Youtube goes as follows; U.S. viewers take 12%, Vietnam 8.1%, Korea 6.1%, Brazil 6.0%, Philippines 5.3%, Mexico, and Indonesia respectively 5.2%, dispersed all over the U.S., Asia, and South America.

By Gothesun and Suwon Han voomvoomk@gmail.com