“Shinin’ through the city with a little funk and soul / So I’ma light it up like dynamite,” BTS belts out its upbeat English hit song ‘Dynamite’. With lyrics exuding positivity and appropriately connected to its Bangtan Sonyeondan (Bulletproof Boy Scouts) or Bangtan Boys moniker, the song gave the band many firsts, including the first all-South Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also helped that the song was used for an advertisement promoting Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE smartphone globally too. Overexposed is better than non-exposure indeed.
Does this mean the band has peaked popularity-wise or is at its best yet? Even before ‘Dynamite’ exploded, BTS was already gaining traction in the western hemisphere, especially in the US, since 2018’s ‘Fake Love’ and ‘Idol’ (featuring Nicki Minaj) and 2019’s ‘Boy with Luv’ (featuring Halsey).
Prior to this ‘BTS fever’, America’s introduction to mainstream Korean pop (or K-pop) was through Psy’s 2012 viral earworm, ‘Gangnam Style’. Specifically, it created world records as the first Korean-presented track to become number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and the first YouTube video to reach one billion views.
Both artists are instantly recognisable with their stylised physical aesthetics and signature music footprints. But beyond aggressive coverage on media platforms and virality in play, K-pop has way much more to offer through other musicians in the same genre. Thus, its advancement in the West is no fluke due to the tunes’ catchiness and synchronised sleek dance formations. You have to give it up to them.
THE GENERATION GAME
This story is from the April 2021 edition of Esquire Singapore.
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This story is from the April 2021 edition of Esquire Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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