ATTENTION ALL PEOPLE OF EARTH! In case you hadn't heard, there's a South Korean boy band that's pretty much taken over the planet. They're called BTS.
Now, I'm embarrassed to admit that prior to writing this post, I knew very little about this group. But given the BTS-mania that has gripped the world, I decided it was time to EDUCATE MYSELF.
And guys: After doing a little digging (and a whole lot of listening), I have to admit that I've become MILDLY OBSESSED with these seven boys.
So, without further ado, here are 19 facts you should know about BTS so that you can stan them, too:
1. Let's start with the name: BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates to mean Bulletproof Boy Scouts. Iconic!
2. Last year, the band announced that BTS *also* stands for Beyond The Scene. We love a double meaning!!!
3. There are seven guys in BTS — four singers and three rappers. Oh, and they're all crazy good dancers, too.
4. The group didn't know each other before joining BTS. The band slowly came together through a series of auditions, making their debut in 2013.
5. This is the frontman of the group, RM (aka Rap Monster). RM tends to talk the most when the group does interviews in English.
6. Fun fact: RM taught himself English by watching Friends!
7. Just like Justin Bieber's Beliebers or Lady Gaga's Little Monsters, BTS fans have a name for themselves: ARMY. It stands for Adorable Representative MC for Youth.
8. Some of America's biggest pop stars are members of the ARMY — including Shawn Mendes, Halsey, Charlie Puth, Camila Cabello, and Charli XCX.
9. John Cena happens to be a big fan, too!
11. South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, happens to be a big fan of BTS. Just take a look at his Twitter!!!
Congratulations to the Seven Music-loving Boys and Their Wings, ‘ARMY’! The songs, dance, dreams and enthusiasm of BTS energized and gave strength to young people around the world. https://t.co/6ZL4XdrZVv
12. President Moon even wrote a letter to the band, explaining what he loves about them: "At the very heart of BTS’s outstanding dancing and singing is sincerity. This magical power turns grief into hope and differences into similarity."
13. It's a BTS tradition to drop "dance practice" videos for their songs on YouTube. The videos show them rehearsing their choreography so that fans can learn it, too. These videos get millions upon millions of hits — it's wild!
View this video on YouTube
14. BTS also uses their platform to do a whole lot of good. They've spoken out about LGBTQ rights and mental health, and they've made some big donations to help kids in need.
15. So, let's talk about world records, because BTS has broken a LOT of them. For example, they're the first K-pop group to perform at an American awards show.
16. Their music video "FAKE LOVE" had the BIGGEST debut on YouTube in all of 2018, garnering 35.9 million views in its first 24 hours online.
17. They're also the first K-pop group to win a Billboard Music Award, beating out Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez for the prize.
18. Okay, so you might be wondering why the heck you've heard so much about these guys over the past few weeks. Well, they just released their latest album, Love Yourself: Tear.
19. And fun fact: it's already the first K-pop album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 chart!!!
I'M HAPPY 😄😄
So DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and start listening to their music. If it's good enough for Tyra, it's good enough for you.
