I have a confession to make. Something I never thought I would say. I have a newfound respect for, of all things …. BTS!
To me, I used to think of them as just some kind of Korean Backstreet Boys. I didn’t know much about them except that they were huge, and I might have seen a clip of them singing Dynamite on some talk show. Slick but not really my preferred type of pop music.
Then, because I follow some Korean language learning videos, social media started feeding me clips of BTS - interviews, candid videos. And I thought “they remind me of the Beatles in the 60’s”. That same easy camaraderie and humor, their affection for each other is obvious and endearing.
THEN I watched their performance at the Grammy award ceremony last spring - spectacular. Really an amazing performance. (Even more so when you learn that one member had a cast on his arm, so they had to rework the choreography for 6 instead of 7, and two members had tested positive for Covid earlier so they weren’t able to rehearse until the last minute).
Then the other day I listened to an 8 year old song of theirs, Boy in Luv (not to be confused with their recent Boy WITH Luv with Halsey) and THAT song is totally my JAM! It’s like something I would have played in my old pop-punk band. It’s stuck in my head now. It’s a raucous song with a fun video about testosterone-fueled teenage boys with no f-ing idea how to approach the girl they like. So fun.
And as I’ve learned more about the band, they’re surprisingly deep. And they overcame a lot of obstacles early in their career by figuring out how to connect directly with their fan base, building a surprisingly warm and symbiotic relationship with them. They sing songs with messages about mental health and loving yourself, directed to their fans. When BTS donated a million dollars to Black Lives Matter. their fans spontaneously decided to match it and raised another million in 24 hours. Their fan base has now organized charitable works all around the world.
The leader of the group, RM/Kim Namjoon/ 김 남준 is a super smart guy (IQ 148) who has addressed the UN. I now feel apologetic to him and all the boys for being so dismissive of them.
The movie of their concert in Busan (last concert before their two year hiatus to do their mandatory military service) will be in movie theaters in February, and I think I’ll actually go. Who knew?
