BTS (band)

For the American metalcore band, see Beneath the Sky.

BTS
BTS at the 23rd Seoul Music Awards in 2014 From left: V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, Rap Monster, Jimin, J-hope.
Background information
Also known as	Bangtan Boys Bulletproof Boy Scouts Bangtan Sonyeondan
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	K-Pop
Years active	2013 (2013)–present
Labels	Big Hit Entertainment Pony Canyon
Website	bts.ibighit.com

Members	Jin Suga J-Hope Rap Monster Jimin V Jungkook

BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys (Hangul: 방탄소년단; RR: Bangtan Sonyeondan; lit. Bulletproof Boy Scouts),^[1] is a seven-member South Korean boy group formed by Big Hit Entertainment. They debuted on June 13, 2013, with the song "No More Dream" from their first album, 2 Cool 4 Skool.

BTS has won several "New Artist of the Year" awards, including those at the 2013 MelOn Music Awards and Golden Disk Awards, and the 2014 Seoul Music Awards. A year after their debut, they received major bonsang awards for Dark & Wild and The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1. Having performed in Asia, North America, and South America, their outstanding performances won the Best World Performer award in the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

History

BTS' first members were recruited through Big Hit's "Hit it" auditions in 2010 and 2011. Rap Monster was already performing as an underground rapper and had released several tracks informally, including a collaboration with Zico.^[2]^[3]

2013–2014: Debut with 2 Cool 4 Skool, Dark & Wild, and Wake Up

The first album of BTS's "school trilogy" series and their debut single album, 2 Cool 4 Skool, was released on June 13, 2013, with the lead single "No More Dream".^[1]^[4] On September 11, BTS released their first mini-album, O!RUL8,2?.

On December 9, 2013, Suga was diagnosed with appendicitis while promoting with the group in Japan. He was flown back to Korea to receive surgery and was therefore unable to participate in the 2014 Idol Star Athletics Championships as well as SBS Gayo Daejun and MBC Gayo Daejejeun year-end performances with his fellow members.^[5]^[6]

BTS in 2014 performing at Mnet M! Countdown

The third part of the "school trilogy", their second mini-album Skool Luv Affair was released on February 12, 2014.^[7]^[8] BTS promoted the album's title track "Boy in Luv (상남자)", releasing its music video on February 11.^[9] BTS came back with "Just One Day (하루만)" with its music video released on April 6.^[10] The band's Japanese debut album, 2 Cool 4 Skool, was released on April 23; their first single was a Japanese version of "No More Dream".^[11]

On June 14, BTS took part in the Bridge to Korea Festival in Russia, an event that aimed to promote tourism between the two countries. There, they became judges of a K-pop cover dance competition and later performed on stage in front of 10,000 spectators.^[12] The group also attended KCON in Los Angeles alongside Girls' Generation and other artists on August 10, 2014.^[13]

On August 19, BTS released their music video for their comeback single, "Danger" from their first full album, Dark & Wild which sold over 109,098 copies. They made a comeback with "War of Hormone (호르몬 전쟁)", a track from Dark & Wild. Its music video was released on October 21, 2014.^[14] BTS continued to promote in Japan, releasing their first Japanese studio album, Wake Up, on December 24. This album not only included Japanese versions of their songs, but also their first Japanese original tracks: "Wake Up" and "The Stars".^[15]

BTS performed at the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards red carpet event and had a collaboration stage with Block B during the awards show.^[16] BTS then held their first concert tour, 2014 BTS Live Trilogy – Episode II: The Red Bullet, throughout October, November, and December. They toured Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia.^[17]

2015–present: The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt 1, 2 & Young Forever

From February 10 to 19, BTS kicked off their first Japan tour, Wake Up: Open Your Eyes. They toured Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, and performed for 25,000 fans.^[18] On March 20, member Rap Monster released his first mixtape: RM, releasing three music videos for tracks: "Awakening (각성) ", "Do You", and "Joke (농담)".^[19] On March 28, BTS held their second solo concert in Korea, BTS Live Trilogy – Episode 1: BTS Begins.^[20]

The group's third EP, The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1 (화양연화 pt.1), was released on April 29, 2015.^[21] It was listed in June by Fuse as one of the "27 Best Albums of 2015 So Far" and was the only Korean album listed that year.^[22] On May 5, 2015, their title track "I Need U" won first place on SBS MTV's The Show, which marked their first win since their debut.^[23] Signal Entertainment announced that The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt.1 had sold over 180,000 copies since its release.^[24]

On June 4, 2015, BTS released their fourth Japanese single, "For You", to celebrate their first anniversary of their Japanese debut,^[25] with its music video released on the same day. The single climbed to the top on Oricon's daily chart, selling 42,611 copies within its first day.^[26] On June 23, BTS released their music video for their follow up single, "Dope (쩔어)", receiving 1,000,000 views in less than 15 hours.^[27] "Dope (쩔어)" rose to its peak at number 3 on Billboard's World Digital Chart despite being released two months earlier.^[28]

The group's world tour, 2015 Live Trilogy Episode: The Red Bullet, continued with stops in Malaysia, Latin America, Australia, the U.S., and ended in Hong Kong on August 29.^[29] BTS was a part of the 2015 Summer Sonic Festival tour in Japan, performing on August 15 at Tokyo's QVC Marine Field and on the 16th in Osaka.^[30]^[31] On September 8, it was announced that BTS would have a comeback with the second part of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life album on November 30. They also held a three-day concert tour, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: On Stage from November 27 to 29, where they showcased their title track, "Run".^[32]^[33] On October 19, it was announced that BTS would be the new brand ambassador for sports brand Puma.^[34] The band released the Japanese version of "I Need U" as their fifth Japanese single on December 8.^[35]

In January 2016, Nexon announced that they will be releasing character avatars based on the members for their RPG game, Elsword.^[36] They were also selected as the new models for SK Telecom company in February.^[37] BTS released their sixth Japanese single, "Run", on March 15.^[38] They released a special compilation album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever, on May 2; they also announced a supporting concert at Olympic Stadium Gymnastics Arena in Seoul from May 7 to 8.^[39]

Artistry and musical influences

The group has an image ranging from a tougher, bad boy to a more youthful image. They focus mainly on the hip hop genre while appealing to youth also. MTV's Corynn Smith stated that BTS has incorporated hip hop beats and rock-inspired elements for their singles: "Danger" and "Boy in Luv (상남자)".^[40] BTS has been called the "K-pop's Social Conscience" by Jeff Benjamin from Fuse, who wrote that the group has found "a way to speak honestly about topics they deem important, even in a conservative society."^[41]

Through their many releases, BTS has tackled school bullying, the pursuit of happiness and rejecting society's ideals in their lyrics.^[41] They play an active role producing their music, and all members participate in the musical and lyrical composition of their songs.^[42]