BTS (Band) Members, Tour, Information, Facts

BTS is a South Korean group that made its debut in 2013. Since then, the 7-member boy band has become a global phenomenon and is arguably, the best export out of the Korean Wave. Some of their critically-acclaimed songs are DNA, Mic Drop, Blood Sweat & Tears, Fake Love, and Spring Day. Their unparalleled success in overseas markets earned them a place in Time Magazine‘s list of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ in 2019.

Members

1. Jin – Vocalist
2. Suga – Rapper
3. J-Hope – Rapper
4. RM – Leader, Rapper
5. Jimin – Vocalist
6. V – Vocalist
7. Jungkook – Vocalist

Origin 

Seoul, South Korea

Genres

 K-pop, Hip Hop, R&B, EDM

Labels

• Big Hit Entertainment
• Def Jam Japan
• Pony Canyon
• Columbia Records

Formation Date

 2013

Singing Portfolio

• Their debut album titled Dark & Wild (2014) included singles like Danger, War of Hormone, Let Me Know, etc. It climbed at #3 on the Gaon Monthly Album Charts.
• Their 2nd Korean album, Wings (2016) became the best-selling album of 2016. The breakout song Blood Sweat & Tears was included among the ’20 Best K-pop Songs of 2016′ by Billboard and Dazed magazines.
• In 2018, BTS released Love Yourself: Tear, which was certified ‘gold’ in Japan (RIAJ) and ‘2× million’ in South Korea (KMCA).
• Map of the Soul: 7, released in February 2020, debuted at the top spot on the US Billboard 200 charts. 
  
• The band’s 4th Japanese album Map of the Soul: 7 – The Journey (2020) was certified ‘3x platinum’ in Japan and peaked at #1 on the Billboard US World Albums chart.

BTS Facts

1. RM learned English by watching the popular sitcom Friends and is the only English speaker in the group.
2. BTS is the acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan (which means ‘Bulletproof Boy Scouts’ in Korean).
3. Their dedicated fans are known as the ARMY, which spells out as ‘Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth’.
4. In 2020, BTS and their label Big Hit Entertainment came together to donate US$1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement.
5. The band became the first K-pop group to receive their very own Twitter emoji in 2016.
6. Additionally, they are also the first Korean group to perform at the American Music Awards in 2017 and Dick Clark‘s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2018.
7. BTS won 2 awards during American Music Awards 2020 – Favorite Social Artist and Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock.
8. In 2021, BTS (in collaboration with McDonald’s) launched their own limited-time McDonald’s meal called The BTS Meal in select restaurants in 49 countries. The first meal was made available on May 26, 2021, in the United States along with some other countries.
9. Later in June 2021, BTS McDonald’s chicken nugget which was shaped like Among Us game character was sold on eBay in an auction for USD 99,997.
10. In April 2021, BTS was announced as the global brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.
11. BTS’s new song Butter premiered on YouTube on May 21, 2021, and broke many records. The song had a minimum of 3.89 million concurrent viewers at the time of the premiere. Within an hour of the video release, it had crossed 21 million views on YouTube. The song later reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and debuted on top of the “Digital Song Sales” chart with more than 243k downloads. In August 2021, the group released the remixed version of the song, featuring Megan Thee Stallion.
12. In July 2021, BTS released their new English-language single, Permission to Dance. The song debuted at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
13. In September 2021, BTS and Coldplay released a new song titled My Universe.
14. In October 2021, it was announced that BTS was ending its distribution deal with Columbia Records.
15. During the 2021 American Music Awards, BTS won the awards for “Artist of the Year” and “Favorite Duo or Group – Pop”. The group also received the “Favorite Song – Pop” award for Butter.
16. In December 2021, BTS’s label Big Hit Music revealed via Twitter that they were taking a short break from their music career in order to spend the holiday season with their respective families.
17. In February 2022, a line of BTS-themed merchandise was launched at Nordstrom.
18. In June 2022, BTS released a new album titled Proof.
19. In June 2022, the band announced that they were taking an extended break in order to pursue solo endeavors. However, it was later confirmed that they would be focusing more on solo projects and were not taking a hiatus.
    
20. In October 2022, it was revealed that all the band members of BTS would be returning in 2025 after serving in the military for nearly 2 years. All South Korean able-bodied males from the age of 18 to 28 are required to do mandatory military service for about 2 years so as to guard against North Korea.
21. In March 2023, BTS won the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for “Favorite Music Group”. With this, the group broke the record for “the most Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards won by a music group.”
22. In May 2023, BTS released a new single titled The Planet. The track is the theme song for the South Korean series, Bastions.
23. In July 2023, the group released a new book titled Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record Of BTS. The book reached the No. 1 rank under the ‘Hardcover Nonfiction’ category. With this, it became the first Korean book to reach No. 1 on the ‘New York Times Best Sellers’ list.
24. In September 2023, it was revealed that all the members of BTS had renewed their contracts with BigHit Music.
25. In January 2024, it was revealed that their 2020 hit song Dynamite had become their 2nd song to earn a “diamond” certification by France’s National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (SNEP).

Featured Image by TenAsia / Wikimedia / CC BY 3.0