From Nobody to Somebody: A cultural study of the rise of the Kpop group BTS in the US dominated music industry
Keywords:
K-wave, K-pop, idol, Love yourself, intrapersonal, interpersonal relation, Limerence effectAbstract
“Who says a dream must be something grand?
Just become somebody
We deserve a life, whatever, big/small,
You are you after all” - ‘Paradise’
The acronym BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan (meaning Bulletproof Boy Scouts)/ Behind the Scenes. But today it stands as the voice of the youth or the voiceless. Coming to the global limelight from an unknown industry was never easy. But today they are acclaimed as the next Beatles. Their fandom ARMY which exceeds to millions comprises of both Korean and non-Korean speakers. In spite of the lyrics being in Korean and the language barrier, all are united. The rise of BTS has been an unprecedented phenomena in the global music industry. In this paper I would like to talk of the nuances in the relationship fostered by BTS in their ever growing popularity.
