Did BTS (BTS) get the world or did the world want BTS?
6 BTS "They are like The Beatles, who do not speak English language. As far as I know, people who don’t use English language like this have never done this.”
BTS achieved the highest performance on the Billboard album charts; their presence, which began on social networking services (SNS), has shifted to the popularity of having to perform tour concerts. So the popularity of United States of America was strange to those who did not know them well. Unlike fans' criticism of BTS, Music industry workers are busy analyzing them and criticizing them. When BTS, who thought it was no different from any K-pop group, made unimaginable results, their sharp gaze began to move more busy.
Tamar Herman, a K-pop columnist from Billboard who met in Manhattan, New York, explained this by combining the reality of the pop world in United States of America with the characteristics of BTS. He also pointed out the realistic Meru that although their chances are so great that it is not easy to predict, they should take off the image of a 'language problem' or 'SNS star'. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
- Please introduce yourself.
“I’m writing a K-pop column on Billboard, and I’ve been writing for five years and I’m writing for Billboard, Forbes, NBC News, Entertainment Weekly, and MTV.”
- What is the local popularity of BTS?
“BTS is actually, really famous. It has millions of fans in United States of America. Those who followed Justin Theroux Bieber and One Direction in the past are now fans of BTS. Not everyone listens to BTS songs, but people in the Music industry know who BTS is. They are like The Beatles, who do not speak English language. As far as I know, no one has ever achieved this achievement in this size, not in this English language. The Beatles were just a girl’s favorite band when they first came to United States of America, but now everyone knows and likes them.”
- Locals who do not know Music know BTS.
“Some people who know Music don’t know BTS, but if you watch TV regularly on United States of America, you can’t avoid them. They appeared on the Jimmy Pelant Show, Americas Got Talent, and Good Morning Americas. Their performance in other programs surprised viewers with different levels. United States of America can become more famous only when Music comes out on radio, and BTS is not that much yet. The recent UN speech attracted the attention of people who don’t know Music but watch the news often.”
- What is the cause of BTS popularity?
“In the United States of America Music, One Direction’s reputation is crumbling, and Justin Theroux Beaver’s career is in place. BTS was introduced to United States of America at this time and visited United States of America steadily. I know that I did not get much attention at the time of my debut in Korea. But at that time, he visited United States of America steadily, sang hip-hop-based songs, and was also a team that led to the success of his new agency. These can attract the attention of the United States of America public: The typical K-pop teams don't give a sense of reality, but the BTS was realistic. They talk about life’s difficulties and struggles; in fact, K-pop focused on feelings such as love stories, sadness, and friendship from 2009 to 2015. BTS spoke about society with a fierce spirit, and it is also one of the reasons why we can access it through SNS.”
- What about the reaction of the Music industry workers in United States of America?
“The general reaction is, ‘I saw it at the Billboard Music Awards, why are there so many fans, why did they win that award? Maybe there’s something.’ However, there were no people who evaluated BTS as 'just a boy band' after seeing it properly. Many people say they don’t know them well yet, but they say they want to “see” and think that the message BTS has can raise questions. It’s the beginning.”
- What is the difference between K-pop and United States of America's popular Music and other countries' Music?
“The “United States of America’s Pop God” has been disappearing recently, with many of it leaning toward hip-hop and EDM (electronic dance Music). So there is no diversity. K-pop has hip-hop, pop and rock elements instead. It feels experimental. In the case of Japanese Music, there is no chance to get to know Music videos overseas, such as no Music videos being screened. That is the difference between K-pop and K-pop, but K-pop is narrow compared to Spanish Music. There are many people who speak Spanish as their first language.”
- What do you think is the possibility and Meru of k pop?
“K-pop is going mainstream. Despacito showed me how Spanish Music did it last year. The possibility seems to be Meruless. Later, 10 K-pop songs may be on the Billboard. After all, performance depends on momentum. Language is the problem. In United States of America, there are fewer audiences with Korean as their native language, and BTS repeats the same thing because of their English language skills in United States of America interviews. The language barrier is an important issue: there is a reason for not having an interpreter when you broadcast.”
- How do you expect the future of BTS?
“I don’t know if this is the Billboard number one problem. I think it’s possible. They have potential, but the biggest indicator is not charts. Charts are an important measure, but apart from artistic performance: You need to know that BTS is still without awards other than the social media sector. It has not yet come to the point where it recognizes artistry to the public of United States of America. Later, if BTS receives the Best New Artist of the Year award at a Grammy-like awards ceremony, it will really prove the performance of BTS. BTS is likely to grow, but not all fans are YouTubers.”
- If there is anything I felt while covering K-pop.
“K-pop has achieved industrial achievement and seems to be trying to keep itself alive with its attempts to become internationally famous. The K-pop industry seems to be trying to keep the way of the tradition of teaming above - but it also needs struggle to continue evolving. In order for K-pop to reach United States of America, it is necessary to answer the question of 'why do there are male idols and no solos?' If the company does all the planning and attempts as in the past, and the number of teams that voice the Singer themselves is not increasing, the K-pop industry may face a crisis. "