Music comes in different colours, taste, languages and for sure every single artist out there will find the right audience for her/his/their music.
Korean Pop (K-pop) has been around for a few decades. It’s an industry that has experienced an immense growth over the last couple of years, and I am sure it will keep growing in the years to come.
Korean artists are captivating western audiences with a fresh colourful image, incredibly well thought out concepts, explosive dance moves and incredibly good rapping and singing skills.
Their lyrics are reaching neglected audiences looking for something different that they can identify with, something they can feel connected to, something unique and different.
Language has proven not to be a barrier to be a fan of these artists, the rhythm, beat and melody is enough to captivate audiences, they have shown that music is indeed universal and being thousands of kilometers apart is not an impediment to reach new audiences.
The internet has been a key factor for this new artistic movement, Spotify, iTunes and Youtube have become the principal tools these artists use to reach new listeners.
It’s the perfect way to unite people towards something they could potentially truly love and care about. It draws thousands of people to appreciate their art, become their fans and build meaningful relationships that we need in a society losing their human interaction.
I flew over to London to be able to feel, see and delight myself with the performance of the Bangtan Boys also known as BTS a Korean idol group that you probably have and will continue to hear about.
The seven member group including Suga, Jin, RM, J-Hope, V, Jimin and Jungkook debuted in 2013 under BigHit Entertainment and even though they had a rough start in the music business they have become one of the most successful artists in the Korean pop industry.
At the start of their career BigHit was incredibly small. In the K-pop industry, you have a much higher success rate if you are part of the bigger entertainment companies in South Korea. That used to be the norm. But BigHit has ditched that stereotype with their clever story building, solid music writing and incredible good artists.
The agency has a reported net value of close to sixty million US dollars, securing it a place in the top three of South Korea entertainment companies. A lot of that was due to BTS’ success.
These boys are redefining the genre. They are incorporating new beats, singing about social issues, spreading a message of self-love, truthness and honesty. Their art have captivated audiences from all over the world and probably built one of the biggest fandoms I have ever seen. They have connected people through a common feeling of love and admiration.
The Bangtan Boys have taken this new technological era as a tool to connect with their fans (ARMY) and let them know that they care about them, about what they feel, their experiences. They are giving them a voice, a reason to speak for themselves and follow their dreams.
The day before the historic gig at Wembley Stadium that they sold out in 90 minutes, BTS’s fans “ARMY” gathered around Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London just to watch an advertisement from Hyundai featuring the seven members, ARMY’s cheers were so loud that you could hear them from Chinatown in Soho, their energy and passion were something that words cannot describe but it definitely filled me with anticipation and a little bit of fear for what was coming next during the actual gig.
ARMY gathering in Piccadilly Circus was one of the most hypnotizing experiences I’ve had, seeing people from different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, speaking different languages and yet sharing the same love, being united, creating new friendships and memories, because of the passion and unconditional love they share for BTS is something we all could learn from.
Army have broken cultural and language barriers, they have created a link I am sure the people that have seen it will not forget, this link should be taken as an example to show future generations how love and fraternity look like when they are united despite all the external differences.
Feeling and music have their own language and ARMY have known this since 2013, their love, energy and passion have drawn people towards circles of happiness, friendship and many of them have found the place where they belong.
Needless to say, BTS’s performance was something I have never seen before. They were aesthetically pleasant, full of energy and rhythm, and had more than fifty thousand people dancing, singing and being 100 % committed to cheer and give all the love they could to their artist.
Even though the BTS performance is not out of the norm for Asian Acts, their energy, love and lyrics are definitely something amazing and unique for audiences all over the world. I believe that is the reason why their following keeps growing by the day.
Powerful voices and absolutely charming setups were part of the gig that left me speechless. The members gave their all and despite some small stage prop fails, they kept their professionalism and energy. The show must go on after all and they totally achieved and exceeded all expectations.
My favourite performances were definitely Singularity, MIC-DROP, Outro: Tear and my always favourite Serendipity. But I must say that my main act was ARMY, before the gig started the show had already kicked off with all of fans singing and dancing to BTS music videos shown on big LED screens.
The harmony of voices of thousands of people singing from their heart is something that accelerates you heart with excitement and anticipation. At that moment the only question I had was “What is next?” I cannot say how many times I got chills from seeing these people singing, dancing, enjoying and collectively creating a beautiful memory in their and my life.
I finally understood the passion of ARMY after listening to a 12-year-old girl explaining to a security guy the emotions, love and excitement she felt every time a BTS video was shown, after seeing a couple with their 2-year-old baby singing and enjoying the concert while their baby was wearing protective headphones, while seeing a mother singing together with her daughter in a foreign language, after watching a girl propose to her girlfriend during their favourite song.
Undoubtedly I’m absolutely honored and blessed to have been able to see all of these in my lifetime in just an evening. I left London with amazing memories, a present from ARMY and an absolute admiration for this fanbase.
They have broken all stereotypes, they are connected and from my point of view they are one of the most legendary fandoms the world has ever seen.
Thank you ARMY for filling my soul with your energy and your wonderful melody. I have beautiful memories thanks to you. In London I became an ARMY for BTS ARMY, and I couldn’t be more proud of that.
