Why the 'Bangtan Sonyeondan Syndrome' Matters... No More Records to Break

Lyrics Reflecting Youthful Pain Resonate with 10s and 20s Generation
Fanclub 'Ami' Gains International Attention for Positive Influence
CNN "BTS, Artists Who Changed 2010s Music"

Group BTS. Big Hit Entertainment.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Heo Midam] As the group BTS, which leads a global fandom and receives syndrome-level love, announces their comeback on February 21, netizens' attention is focused on whether their syndrome will continue.

Foreign media praised BTS, who gained the sympathy of youth with sincere lyrics, as "the artists who popularized K-pop."

◆ Genuine Stories, Gaining Sympathy from Youth

Since their debut, BTS has conveyed various life messages that youth can relate to through their music.

Starting with their debut album "2 COOL 4 SKOOL" in June 2013, they released "O!RUL8,2?" in September of the same year, and "Skool Luv Affair" in February 2014, singing a school trilogy. Through this series, BTS sang about the lives felt by teenagers and represented the passive circumstances of teenagers.

Afterwards, in 2015, BTS sang about the growth of people in their twenties. Through the album "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.1," they incorporated socially problematic issues such as the N-po generation, passion pay, and the spoon class theory into their lyrics. As a result, BTS, who shared the pain of teenagers and people in their twenties, was able to gain much sympathy.

In 2017, they released the "LOVE YOURSELF" series albums, which carried the meaning that "loving yourself is the true beginning of love." The message "love yourself" brought comfort to people all over the world, and many received positive energy through this message.

◆ BTS Fan Club 'ARMY' Exerts Positive Influence

BTS performed a New Year's live stage on the night of the 31st of last month (local time) at Times Square in Manhattan, New York, USA. Photo by Yonhap News

The positive influence of BTS's fan club, ARMY, is also one of the reasons behind the "BTS syndrome." ARMY has moved away from the "tribute culture" of giving expensive gifts to their favorite celebrities and formed a mature fandom culture through environmental protection activities, donations, and blood donations.

In addition, ARMY has actively engaged in various activities such as donating rice and blood donation certificates to various organizations on members' birthdays and anniversaries, as well as volunteering in places in need of help.

A representative example of ARMY's positive influence is "RoarForChange."

In 2018, Star Wars, in collaboration with UNICEF, held a fundraising event for the malnourished children's food support project called "#RoarForChange." The event, which aimed to raise 1 million dollars (approximately 1 billion KRW), reached its target donation amount within two days.

ARMY's influence was significant in this achievement. On Twitter, one dollar was donated for each post with the hashtag #RoarForChange, and ARMY collectively posted these, enabling the goal amount to be raised in a short time.

In response, Star Wars expressed gratitude to ARMY, saying, "Thanks to BTS fans worldwide, 1 million dollars were raised in no time. The funds will be delivered to UNICEF to provide food to children suffering from malnutrition."

◆ Foreign Media Also Focused on BTS, Records Still Ongoing

BTS is writing new history with the strong support of ARMY.

BTS topped the US Billboard main album chart twice in 2018 and 2019. Foreign media praised BTS as "the first K-POP group to reach the top tier of the Western music industry" and "the Beatles of the 21st century," reflecting their global popularity.

In particular, BTS sold 603,307 albums in the US market last year, surpassing pop singers Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran to rank second in annual sales.

Foreign media are paying attention to BTS's momentum. US CNN selected BTS as one of the "10 artists who changed music in the 2010s."

CNN said about BTS, "They popularized K-pop in the US," adding, "They led K-pop into mainstream music, and since their music only rose to prominence in the late 2010s, K-pop in the 2020s will be able to expand its base further among Americans."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.