The American Music Awards 2017 was almost an unforgettable experience for most who tuned in to watch that Sunday night. This event pulled out all the stops. There were performances from numerous mindblowing artists, such as P!nk, Khalid, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, and Shawn Mendes. However, this year there was one performance that meant so much more than just a time slot on the American Music Awards.
If you watched the AMAs, I'm sure you remember a specific performance by the South Korean 7 member group, BTS. BTS a.k.a Bangtan Boys or Beyond The Scene have made appearances on American television before, but this night--the night of the American Music Awards 2017--marked their official U.S. debut. (And if you have not seen said phenomenal/life changing performance, please watch below).
(Best moment: skip to 1:47 to see Ansel Elgort fan girling beyond belief.)
You're probably wondering, "why the hell does this matter?"
Truthfully, it may not to you--and that is completely okay. Nevertheless, for BTS and their fan base (the Army as they call them) this means everything to them.
I have only recently begun to dabble in Korean pop culture. There are so many details to learn, but the one thing that I have gathered thus far is that although while a significant portion of these artists' fan bases do not even speak the same language as them, there is an undeniable bond between the two parties.
Seeing all the Instagram and Twitter posts from tons of largely adored celebrities and artists commending the K-Pop group on their performance truly made us feel as if their hard work and dedication has just brought them up to an entirely new level of fame.
This success, in my opinion, is not just a breakthrough for BTS though. The AMAs provided the perfect opening for K-Pop to seep into American society as a more dominant genre than it is perceived to be.
The assumption is that if you listen to Korean Pop, you are definitely a weirdo outcast of some sort... but this is a game changer. I have learned that so many people I never would have guessed like the genre, know more about it than I could ever catch up and learn.
Really, what I'm trying to say is: BTS made a huge breakthrough. Give them a shot, or even try listening to a few other K-Pop groups (EXO, Seventeen, BLACKPINK, and BIGBANG just to name a few). If you don't enjoy it, cool, just learn to respect the effort put in and the success that has come out of it.
