Despite cultural differences Kpop has managed to become a massive success in the United States. Kpop was first seen high in the charts in 2012 with “Gangnam Style” performed by Psy which was the first video to top a billion views on youtube. Even with this achievement this hit was seen as an anomaly for it achieved such views as people took the song as a meme more than a new artist of which they should stan. Following Psy, groups like Girls Generation and Wonder Girls tried to reach the U.S market however they were unsuccessful because they never managed to make a hit. It was assumed that they tried too hard to become successful as they created english versions of their songs to try and fit the U.S standard rather than sticking to the way they usually perform. This is said due to the fact that BTS have succeeded in hitting the U.S charts while still sticking to their Korean lyrics,finding other ways to connect and embrace the Western culture.
Bts is a korean boy group which has broken many records and has a large fanbase called Army. They debuted in June 2013 with their song “No More Dream”. At this moment in their career they received a lot of criticism involving issues of their use of a Hip hop Genre/Concept. It was said that they shouldn’t be considered idols as netizens believe that Hip hop doesn’t allow the artists to be good role models and so therefore they make bad idols. Kim Namjoon/Rm specifically got a lot of hate on the matter as he was an already known artist but in the rap part of the industry rather than the idol section of the industry. They took part in Mnet’s show “American Life hustle” where they went to American and learnt more about Hip hop, performing and life skills such as working for money. The show aired for a duration of 8 weeks. During the time they were there they learnt many skills which helped boost their performance skills and improved their basic singing, dancing and rapping skills. Bts were also tasked with self promoting a free concert which was held on their last day there.
The group had been slow with gaining recognition and a fandom at the beginning because of two main reasons. One, their company ,Bighit, wasn’t a massive company and therefore didn’t have anywhere near the amount especially compared to the big 3 companies(JYP,SM, and YG). And the second reason is that they received backlash for their originality of using Hip hop as their basis which meant a lot of people didn’t look into the hidden meanings behind their songs.Bts’ first album, ”2 Cool 4 Skool” consisted of two singles called: which are “No More Dream” was about the restrictiveness that people are put in when it comes to their future lives. It explores that people are unable to follow their dreams because they are always doing what other people want them to do and so they are unable to follow their dreams. And “We Are Bulletproof Pt.2” which discuss’ the hardships the group has already faced such as being looked down by them but overall overcoming all of their attacks with hard work and dedication. All of Bts’ discuss important topics of which an entire article would be needed to explain but the depth of the explicit meanings and implicit meanings are one of the main reasons that the group is so successful. The first single that was the beginning of the long lines of success was “I Need U” and “Dope” which was released in 2015. This was due to the fact that they had developed into a new style which caught more attention than their previous concept. Also the fans began to be introduced to the Bts Universe which involves a storyline which links all the songs together. They are many deep rooted issues that are included such suicude, depression, anxiety and many more. This gained them a lot of recognition and is another reason why Bts are seen so highly of. Fans enjoy theorizing about the storyline using the music videos to help guide them. The Bts Universe is still continuing to this day, surprising many people at the complex imagination and originality.
Another reason that Bts has gained popularity is because of the continuous variety shows that they have been in and their own variety show “Run Bts” which gains a deeper connection with the fans because they are able to see the bts artists individuality. With the Idol culture there is a lot more interaction between the artist and fans making there more to enjoy than just the music produced. These three aspects: deep song meanings, a storyline with music, and variety shows which entertain the fans, is what makes Bts stand as an artist and have helped them become successful in America. They have become the stepping stone for the rest of the Kpop community.
Although Bts is the artist who made kpop successful in the United states. Kpop’s popularity isn’t only based on them, groups such as Blackpink are also what helped Kpop grow popular. They managed to become successful because of their company, YG has a global partnership with Interscope Records. Due to the fact that YG is one of the main 3 companies with the Idol Business they have a lot of successful groups which means they have a lot of money. Kpop is now beginning to expand to the entire world with technology boasting their western culture enabling them to mix the two cultures together and create music that suits both standards reaching audiences such as America.
In conclusion it is due to the originality of Bts of an artist and global partnerships between korean and american companies that Kpop has become more known and successful in America along other places.
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