Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“BTS at this point is much more than a pop band,” songwriter Ellis Miah said. “They are a force of nature. Their energy brings smiles and excitement everywhere they go. To be involved in writing a song with them is a huge honor.”
“E-news Exclusive” follows BTS to the Grammys, covers “Parasite” at the Oscars and also nabs the first interview with Ku Hye-Sun since her very public split from Ahn Jae-Hyun.
MTV News interviewed me for this piece on how differently “Parasite” director Bong Joon-Ho and BTS are viewed by critics.
BTS’ admiration of “Parasite” director Bong Joon-Ho is no secret. In their song “Spring Day,” they reference the filmmaker’s 2013 movie “Snowpiercer.” They’ve all praised “Parasite,” which V and Jungkook saw at a Busan theater prior to their fanmeet there.
There are just a few days left in 2019. And you know what that means, right? South Korea is getting ready to air some of its most popular awards shows. For the first time ever, international K-pop and K-drama fans (in North and South America) can watch these ceremonies LIVE at the same time as viewers are watching in Korea.
From the giant stages of a sold-out stadium tour — including two nights at London’s 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium — to the intimacy of a “Saturday Night Live” performance, BTS was everywhere in 2019. Consistently reaching the top of the U.S. charts singing in their native Korean, BTS made pop culture history on their own terms. For all this, the septet has earned the honor of being named Variety’s Group of the Year.
The American Music Awards sweep was a vindication for BTS’ fans, who were shocked the group was shutout at the People’s Choice Awards earlier this month, where the band was nominated for Music Video, Favorite Group and Concert Tour.
BTS topped the Jonas Brothers, Panic! At the Disco, Pink and Ariana Grande at Sunday’s American Music Awards to win all three of the categories in which they were nominated: Favorite Duo or Group (the first time an Asian group has received the honor), Tour of the Year and Favorite Social Artist (for the second consecutive year).
Advocates for promoting the awareness of mental health – especially in young people – BTS obliquely addresses this issue with the music video for their reworked version of “Make It Right.” It includes concert footage along with an animated story line. The animation gives off a strong “Le Petit Prince” vibe. Like the imagery depicted in the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry novel, the video delves into the delicate nature of human behavior.
One of the minor complaints that international fans have is they don’t like waiting to see their favorite Korean shows. Seeing overseas content in real-time can be a rarity for any regular series, regardless of what country it originates. But KOCOWA has a new feature to unveil and it should make international K-pop fans very happy: K-pop LIVE. Viewers can watch three of South Korea’s most popular music shows (“Music Bank K-Chart,” “Show! Music Core” and “SBS Inkigayo”) at the exact same time as their Korean counterparts in Korea!
The finale of “Bring the Soul” coincides with the end of the European leg of BTS’ 2018 “Love Yourself” world tour. Each member is given his moment in the spotlight, but this episode was almost a coming-of-age tribute to Jungkook (who had just turned 21 on tour).
Just days after they ended their brief vacation, BTS is back at it. Early Wednesday morning, the Korean pop group’s management company — Big Hit Entertainment — simply tweeted: “#BTS TikTok Channel Open!” That was all it took for ARMY (BTS’ loyal fans) to follow suit.
“Someone said seeing BTS was like seeing a unicorn,” RM says in this fifth episode of “Bring the Soul.” “When you think about it, no matter what’s happening behind the stage, just showing our faces is a remarkable experience for some people.” In other words, the group is well aware that there are fans all over the world who will never get the chance to attend a BTS concert. They know that the ones who did manage to snare a ticket often had to go through a Hunger Games-like ordeal to purchase it. For that reason, the group strives to be perfect, to give each show 110% and to perform through their injuries when possible, even when they’re advised not to.
There have been countless think pieces on who will be the next BTS or how someone could create the next BTS. This is an irrational concept, because what they essentially are saying is, “How do we conjure up another group that gets this much press and makes this much money?” If money was all BTS was after, they could retire now and be set for life. But what drives them is the relationship they have with each other and their knowledge of the influence they have on others, which can be channeled into a greater good.
More so than any episode from last year’s “Burn the Stage” (or the first episode of this series), viewers can see how lonely life on the road can be. The seven-man group may smile on stage and charm their interviewers with witty quips and soundbites. But touring can wear them down, even when they know they are in a privileged position that many are envious of.
In the first episode of BTS’ latest docuseries “Bring the Soul,” the group’s leader RM discusses how they fit into their role as superstars. “There are things I can change and things I can’t,” he says. “But I’m doing well now the way that I am.”
In Korean culture, Chuseok is a major holiday that’s equivalent to Thanksgiving. And SBS gave viewers a gift by airing the “BTS Variety Chronicles” — a collection of hand-picked segments from the group’s various variety show appearances on the network. That inspired us to curate our own best of picks, but we’re not going to limit it to just SBS shows or funny moments. Here are some of our favorite BTS appearances. What’s yours?
One of the things that really impresses me about Korea’s K-Pop idols is how many of them are exceptional actors. And that got me wondering … What would it be like if some of our favorite singers had been cast in some of our favorite K-Dramas?
To no one’s surprise, BTS – one of the world’s most famous boy bands – won the MTV Video Music Award’s inaugural award for Best K-pop group for their song “Boy With Luv.” The septet didn’t attend the ceremony to accept their Moon Man trophy. While the new category appears to be a nod to the popularity of Korean music in mainstream U.S. pop culture, fans have been vocal that the category is suspicious at best and borderline racist.
BTS’ label Big Hit recently released a press release stating that the world’s most famous boy band would take an “extended hiatus.” While the guys take a few weeks off for some well-deserved rest, they won’t be releasing as much content on social media and Vlive as fans are accustomed to. But there’s still a lot of material for fans to get caught up on (or rewatch).