|
BTS (also known as Romaji: Bangtan Sonyeondan Korean:방탄소년단 ) does not need any introduction. They are worldwide superstars who have defeated all odds. From distributing their free tickets on the streets to giving a speech at the United Nations, they've proved themselves not once but many times. But was it always this easy for them? NO. How Was BTS Members Life Before Joining BTS?  No More Dream (BTS Debut) Even though BTS is the most famous k-pop band in today’s world, it was not always this easy for them. Before starting their career with Big Hit Entertainments, now Hybe, all of them had a hard life. None of them was rich. They all came from middle class and poor families. Suga did multiple part-time jobs. He used to sell his music at a very cheap price, just so he could afford a meal. Sometimes, he was left with so little money that he had to decide whether to buy food or take the bus to pursue his passion for music. Suga was also a victim who got in a hit and run accident when he was delivering as part of his part-time job, which seriously damaged his shoulder. Out of fear, Suga never told anyone until recently in their documentary series 'Burn the Stage', as he was scared that he would be kicked out from the group since the K-Pop industry is known for its strict standards for its trainees. Also, Suga’s parents were against his dream which made him work harder and under physical and emotional pressure just to prove himself. From an underground rapper to becoming Suga and Agust-D, his journey is truly inspiring. V came from a family of farmers. His dream was to become a saxophonist, but his family never had much money. Still, V’s parents constantly supported him through thick and thin. He went to Big Hit auditions to support his friend but auditioned when the staff encouraged him. J-Hope was a street dancer and wasn't originally a rapper but instead of focusing on his talent of dance, he was constantly judged for his looks. From being a dancer to an incredible rapper, writer and producer, he has defeated all odds. Jin was scouted for his looks right from the street by multiple companies yet he chose BigHit, now Hybe. Originally an acting student, Jin learnt singing and dancing from scratch. Now, he is the most praised vocalist in BTS, his voice stands out the most and is by multiple high profile music critiques as a 'Silver Voice'. RM, a rapper and the leader of BTS has always been passionate about music, rap and writing soul touching lyrics. With an IQ of 148, his mother wanted him to take the traditional route and build a stable life. He got in a lot of arguments with his parents and was an underground rapper and went by the name Runch Randa. Eventually, he was able to work it out with his mother after several serious fights and was scouted by Big Hit Entertainment as the first member of what would now be the biggest boy band, BTS. Jungkook, the youngest member and the main vocalist of BTS, joined at the mere age of fifteen, sacrificing his entire teenage years to pursue his dream of singing and dancing. He joined BTS because he believed in RM. Working hard towards his dream, he started doing it mostly to support his parents. Jimin, his first love was dance, especially modern contemporary dance. He came to Seoul from Busan at an early to pursue his dream and was scouted by BigHit because of his elegant and graceful dance moves and unique voice. BTS- The Beginning At the beginning of 2010, BTS was originally a small duo RM and Iron, the rookie group. After some deliberation, Big Hit Entertainments transitioned BTS from a duo to a group, resulting in the addition of Suga, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jin, Jimin and V. In 2013, the seven members were finally united, little did they know about the path they were about to pave. The beginning was obviously very difficult for the boys in the K-Pop world. Besides so many already famous K-pop groups BTS had to make their way through it. Even though facing many problems, they still didn’t lose hope. BTS pushed through and released music and covers to express their emotions through their art that was music. As a gift to their fans, they covered J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” and re-named it “Born Singer”. In 2015, BTS had their first tour, known as the ‘Highlight Tour’ in the United States Of America but faced a lot of hate and disrespect. Even though BTS was coming from a very small company, the ARMY’s were always by their side giving them hope and fighting for them through Twitter and complaining about the mistreatment of their boys. This was the most difficult time for BTS as despite working so hard, they weren’t getting any recognition. It was the love and constant support of the ARMY’s that kept them intact as a band. There was a time when all BTS got was hate not just globally but even from their own country. Before BTS debut only three companies were well known, particularly, JYP Entertainments, SM Entertainments, and YG Entertainments. After BTS debut, Big Hit Entertainments got the recognition that no company got. Bang Si-Hyuk struck gold after forming BTS, The Idol Group. Despite facing so many problems and hardships, the boys still pushed themselves ahead. And as they did, it proved to be worth it. Their next releases proved to be absolute bangers. Their Live Trilogy ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1’ was the only album to be included in Fuse’s list of “The Best 27 Albums” Of 2015 so far. “I Need U” went on number 1 in the Gaon Digital Charts. During the Era of “Young Forever”, BTS started gaining popularity. They did a two-day concert in Seoul to promote their album. The group headlined US KCON in New Jersey and Los Angeles which sold out Arenas. Their album later won “Album of the year” at the Melon Music Awards becoming the group’s first major grand prize. It is one of the most memorable moments in the journey of BTS that no army can ever forget. On September 7, 2016, BTS released their second Japanese Studio Album which sold over 44,000 copies on the first day of release. “Blood Sweat and Tears” went “all-kill” in South Korea. Later on, they even won the “Artist Of The Year Award” at the 2016 MNET Asian Music Awards, becoming the first artist not from the big three companies (SM, YG, JYP) to receive the award. After they received the award, they talked about their hardships and how they were thinking to disband but pushed themselves just for the sake of their precious ARMYs. All of them broke down emotionally while giving their speech.
BTS won the first Daesang Award as "Artist Of The Year". During the Wing era, preorders reached over 700,00 copies worldwide. The lead single, Spring Day, topped eight of the major South Korean online music charts and entered US Billboards under the Hot 100 Singles Chart at number 15 with “zero premonitions”. Now, here came the Love Yourself Era. With their fifth EP, “Love Yourself: Her”, they finally achieved the fame and popularity they deserved. The album was sold in millions. They even got recognition from foreign artists as the EP featured American artist The Chainsmokers which created excitement throughout the K-Pop and American Music Industry. After this, they also released a remix of “Mic-Drop” with steven Aoki and Desiigner which charted in both Korean and United States charts. In January of 2018, BTS received their first Double Platinum from RIAJ for their “Mic Drop, DNA, Crystal Snow” single and became the only single album by a foreign artist in 2017 to sell over 500,000 copies and receive certification on the Oricon chart of the year. Later on, BTS released another collaboration with American singer Halsey. The song was a part of BTS's album "Map Of The Soul: PERSONA". There were a total of seven tracks in this album, through which BTS weaves together what they genuinely felt both within themselves and the ever-widening world around them. Through RM's solo piece 'Intro: Persona', BTS asks the fundamental question: 'Who am I?' In an email interview conducted ahead of her Seoul concert in May, Halsey said, “I flew to Korea to film the music video for 'Boy With Luv' and got to spend some time there and see how they work, how they make a music video, and how dedicated they are to dance and making sure everything is perfect. For the first time, BTS released their first Digital single ahead of an album with “Dynamite.” The group revealed that it wasn’t originally part of their plans but when they came across the song they wanted to share it with their fans. “Dynamite” was BTS’ first-ever all English song that they released during the pandemic in 2020. The song broke the all-time record for a video premier with 3 million concurrent viewers and 101.1 million YouTube views in its first 24 hours. The Music video has now surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The song has also entered the 1 Billion club on Spotify. The song is also sung completely in English, as BTS decided they wanted to keep the original version of the song which had given them positive energy. The disco-pop track is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face that listens. Dynamite broke every record after its release. It is the song that was even nominated for the Grammys. Later on, BTS followed up their first English single “Dynamite” with another in the summer of 2021, dubbed “Butter.” The song has a similar upbeat theme but stands apart with its baseline and synth sounds throughout the track. The song also marked the return of band member Suga who had to take time off in the previous months to recover from surgery. The song was written by Rob Grimaldi, Stephen Kirk, Ron Perry, Jenna Andrews, Alex Bilowitz and Sebastian Garcia — along with BTS’ leader RM who helped make the track fit the group’s style. “Permission to Dance” was released alongside the release of a “Butter” CD Single, which just featured the two songs plus their instrumental versions. The song was written by Ed Sheeran and British producer Steve Mac. "Permission To Dance" is not just any song. It has a very deep meaning behind it. The lyrics, The cast, The choreographies, The purple balloons each and every detail is just amazing to how deep the song is. Even though it was meant to be a happy song it surely made every fan emotional in some way or another. BTS later announced a new collaboration with the British band Coldplay. "My Universe" was released and it literally made its way through ARMY's hearts.
BTS is the only K-Pop band to get a nag from the Recording company "Grammys". Their first English Single was nominated for "The Grammy Award" under the category of Top Duo/Group Performance. Unfortunately, despite deserving the award, the group didn't win. BTS is that group who was defeated all odds. They've faced every sexist, racist, homophobic comment that the world has said to them and is still standing strong. Thanks For Reading!!
|
