Will BTS make it like Beyoncé did?
As you may have noticed by now from the title, this blog will be a mixture of comparison and analysis between two musical phenomena that took over the world in our modern days; using my modest knowledge about the K-pop world. (disclaimer: I’m not a fan of either)
Of course, to compare Byoncé with BTS (acronym of the Bangtan Boys) might sound a bit abnormal and lacks a sense of relativity, but hopefully as you continue reading you will realize the basis of this comparison.
Beyoncé! Who doesn’t know the 34 -year-old singer? Arguably, almost no one! She is a music legend who has far more achievements than what you can count on both of your hands. I personally believe she deserves all the recognition she got, as she really worked hard since she was a teenage to get to where she is today. She is a successful artist, musician, businesswoman, trendsetter, producer, executive, activist and most importantly a mother and a wife. Beyoncé tends to have an agenda behind every album she releases because she is a fierce advocate for social justice. She empowered black women for instance via her album “Lemonade”. Whenever the word “Beyoncé” is mentioned online, it immediately becomes a viral trend. Which reminds of BTS, the K-pop boy band with active 7 members.
BTS debuted in 2013, and succeeded to take over the world throughout the following years. The group made history as the first K-pop act to be nominated for Best Recording Package in 2019. They were also the first K-pop act to present at the Grammys and first Korean to make it to the №1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Just like Beyoncé, BTS seems to be making history repeatedly, and keen to run the world.
What caught my attention is the millions of global fans the band has known as the ARMY. ARMY seems to be very dedicated to their idols, as they helped BTS score 4 awards in PC awards in 2020. ARMY also made headlines when they started an online campaign to boycott “The Global Times” (Chinese state-owned magazine) because it criticized the band. The campaign forced the magazine to eventually take down these articles.
However, will ARMY’s support help BTS grow and remain as an international sensation if the band decided to depart their agency Big Hit Entertainment, following the steps of Beyoncé? The answer would be No. K-pop is like no other art. Politics are heavily involved in K-pop, as big agencies seem to have the government’s support.
Wonder why? K-pop is a game changer in South Korea’s economy, “Korean economy has grown richer over the last two decades and the export of K-pop has propelled the South Korea’s music to an estimated $5 billion.” (Sinha, 2019). Usually, the Korean stocks take a hit upon scandals related to a K-pop artists. The Government is also known to cover its political scandals with the help of entertainment agencies, by using the trick of breaking some news about their idols dating.
So, I believe that if BTS decided to depart their agency, and become a brand that stands on its own or create their own record/agency label, they will have to fight their current agency first, and unfortunately the result of this fight is already know. Famous artists like TVXQ tried that before and failed. In conclusion, BTS can’t make it like Beyoncé did.
Sinha, V. (2019). BTS tops Billboard 100 list: How K-pop helped Korea improve its economy. Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/bts-tops-billboard-100-list-how-k-pop-helped-korea-improve-its-economy/articleshow/65266543.cms?from=mdr
