How Korean Idols Thrive in this Xenophobic society

I'm sure by now you have heard the name BTS. Since they debuted in 2013, they have managed to break down nearly every single barrier and have come out on top. But how? How did a group of seven boys from South Korea with no money to their name but a passion in their hearts managed to capture the hearts of so many around the world? That’s exactly it, their passion.

In this xenophobic world, the only other language that has ever had a chance in the music industry has been Spanish. It is one of the most popular languages in America and the UK alike, and has been seeing a rise in musical popularity since the release of songs such as Despacito, which became the song with the most YouTube of all time with an incredible 5.6 billion views. Now, the first time we really got to see an artist riding the Hallyu Wave was in 2012 when PSY broke the charts with the hit single Gangnam Style.

This craze slowly died out however, with PSY having a small comeback in 2013 with the song Gentleman. This craze died out however, and this affinity towards K-pop was labelled a ‘fad’, along with every other overly popular thing in the universe. That was thought to be the end of Korea’s musical success in the US and UK charts, until 2017, when Korean Boyband BTS won the Billboard Music Awards with three million votes. This came as a major shock to many people as their fandom, known as the ARMY, managed to out vote major US artists such as Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

Their social achievements are not the only things that allows them to thrive, although their 2 Top Social Artist wins at the Billboard Music Awards, and the fact that The American Music Awards made a whole new category of Top Social Artists which some would argue was just for BTS, may suggest so. They also have an amazing array of music style, hugely diverse and complicated story lines woven throughout their music videos and they have one of the most intricate and devoted fandoms that I personally have ever had the pleasure of being a part of (and I've been in of a lot of fandoms)

In most fandoms I feel separated from the artist, I feel as if even if I wasn’t there right now listening to their music and supporting them, that they would do well, that they would thrive. Yet with BTS, I feel something coherently different. I feel like I am on the same level as them, that I help them, only for them to help me. I feel like BTS and their fandom the ARMY rely on each other to get to the top, to reach those awards and to share our stories with the general public. BTS make us feel like one of them, they are distinctly honest and open and involve us in everything they do.

They spread messages of love and acceptance, with them launching their Love Yourself campaign with UNICEF in 2017 and speaking at the UN General Youth Assembly in 2018, and again a few months ago. This is one of the things that helps them rise to the top. They connect on such a personal level with so many people and help promote acceptance and diversity in an age of hate. Many just see BTS as another boy band which teenage girls drool over, think that their physical attractiveness is what makes them so popular. But if that was the case, then why haven’t groups like NCT, Monsta X, GOT7, EXO and Stray Kids made it? They all have attractive members and a good discography.

BTS has made it through determination, dedication, passion and so much more. They overcame the language barrier and managed to rise to the top even though everything was against them. But they are so much more than just a group, they all have such distinct and interesting personality's, which causes everyone to feel like they can relate to the members in some way. They help us come out of our shell and realize that it’s okay not to be okay and there may be days where you don’t feel your best, but you should always talk to someone and believe that you can make it.

Perhaps that is why they made it, or perhaps not, but there is no denying, BTS is taking the world by storm and they’re not going to stop anytime soon.