BTS has taken the world by storm, in just a few years, the seven-member boy band is considered by named Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential people on the internet! How about that, huh?
In short, it’s difficult not to like their beautiful songs and adorable personalities. Here's everything you need to know about the K-pop group so far…
BTS (Korean: 방탄소년단; RR: Bangtan Sonyeondan), a.k.a s the Bangtan Boys, is a seven-member South Korean boy band that began formation in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment.
What Does BTS Stand For?
BTS stands for the Korean expression Bangtan Sonyeondan (Korean: 방탄소년단; Hanja: 防彈少年團), literally meaning "Bulletproof Boy Scouts". In July 2017, BTS announced that their name would also stand for "Beyond the Scene" as part of their new brand identity. This extended their name to mean "growing youth BTS who is going beyond the realities they are facing, and going forward."
What Does the Fandom Name ARMY Mean?
The term ‘A.R.M.Y’ was called by BTS themselves, and it stands for “Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth”. The meaning of a military army is also implied, which ties in with the concept of BTS as a bulletproof armor.
Members:
JIN (진)
Full Name : Kim Seok-jin (김석진)
Age : 28
Birthday : December 4, 1992
Height : 178.3 cm
Blood Type : O
Star Sign : Sagittarius
Position : Sub Vocalist, Visual
MBTI Type : INTP
Motto : “Let's live without worries”
Jin is the oldest member of the group. His favorite color is pink and he thinks that pink hair suits him the most. He is good at cooking, can play the guitar, piano and is the 'king of dad jokes'. Jin also co-produced his Wings solo track, "Awake."
Jin was called “the guy leaving the car” after a video of him getting out of a car at Melon Music Awards 2015 went viral online. The hashtag “#Third member from the left” became popular on Twitter after the May 2017 Billboard Awards.
In February 2018, an anonymous foreign plastic surgeon who had analyzed 269 Asian male faces concluded that Jin’s exemplified the “golden ratio” of 1:1.618.
Jin is a picky eater. He likes strawberries but does not eat strawberry-flavored foods, whereas he likes chocolate-flavored foods but does not eat chocolate.
SUGA (슈가)
Full Name : Min Yoon-gi (민윤기)
Age : 27
Birthday : March 9, 1993
Height : 174 cm
Blood Type : O
Star Sign : Pisces
Position : Lead Rapper
MBTI Type : INTJ
Motto : “Let's live with having fun. Doing music as your hobby and doing it as work it different.”
Like RM, Suga had a career as an underground rapper in Daegu before joining BTS, but his talents go far beyond just spitting rhymes. He likes songwriting, producing and playing the piano. SUGA uses the alias Agust D for his solo works and released a solo mixtape. His favorite color is white.
Suga has a driving license
Suga learned how to play the piano by himself.
Suga wore braces.
Sugs studies photography at Global Cyber University.
Suga loves basketball, he used to play basketball (usually point guard or shooting guard) every Sunday in student days. His position was usually point guard or shooting guard.
RM (아르엠) (formerly Rap Monster)
Full Name : Kim Nam-joon (김남준)
Age : 27
Birthday : September 12, 1994
Height : 181 cm
Blood Type : A
Star Sign : Virgo
Position : Leader, Main Rapper
MBTI Type : INFJ
Motto : “If you want to love others, you should love yourself first.”
The BTS 'leader' was an underground rapper before BTS was founded, and he was the first member to be selected for the group. He's known for putting his creative spin on songs. RM usually does most of the talking for BTS's English-language interviews, he taught himself how to speak English by watching Friends. His Favorite colors are black, pink and purple.
RM started writing songs in 2007, when he was in the 7th grade, and shared them on online hip-hop community sites.
RM’s favorite karaoke song used to be Supreme Team’s “Ddaeng Daeng Daeng.”
RM's IQ score is 148.
RM had lost his passport in 2016 and 2017, while touring Northern Europe and Chile.
RM said he would date J-Hope, if he was a girl since he’s like a caring mother in the dorm.
J-HOPE (제이홉)
Full Name : Jung Ho-seok (정호석)
Age : 26
Birthday : February 18, 1994
Height : 177 cm
Blood Type : A
Star Sign : Aquarius
Position : Dancer, Sub Rapper, Sub Vocalist
MBTI Type : ESFJ
Motto : “If you don't work hard, there won't be good results.”
J-Hope was part of a street dance team before joining BTS, and is known for his impressive dance abilities and upbeat personality. In 2008, J-Hope won a national dance competition in South Korea.
He chose his stage name as J-Hope because he wanted to be a source of hope for fans. He also released a solo mixtape in 2018 named ‘Hope world’. J-Hope loves green because it's the color of hope.
J-Hope disliked math in his school days.
J-Hope is affectionately called “Manager Jung” because he plays a key role in choreographing dance moves for BTS songs.
J-Hope hates exercise.
JIMIN (지민)
Full Name : Park Ji-min (박지민)
Age : 25
Birthday : October 13, 1995
Height : 174 cm (October of 2020)
Blood Type : A
Star Sign : Libra
Position : Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist
MBTI Type : ENFJ
Motto : “Do everything until I can’t”
Before joining the group, Jimin was enrolled at Busan High School of Arts as one of the school's top students in modern dance but later transferred to Korea Arts High School with fellow band member V, who auditioned for BTS in Daegu. Jimin is known for his perfectionism and caring personality. Black and blue are his favorite colors.
Jimin considered “Baby J,” “Baby G” or “Young Kid” for his stage name before confirming to stick with his real name, Jimin.
Jimin once said in a interview "If I was less interested in singing, I would have become a policeman”.
Jimin has black belt in taekwondo.
Jimin sees singer Rain and Big Bang’s Taeyang as his role model.
V (뷔)
Full Name : Kim Tae-hyung (김태형)
Age : 24
Birthday : December 30, 1995
Height : 179 cm
Blood Type : AB
Star Sign : Capricorn
Position : Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist, Visual
MBTI Type : ENFP
Motto : “Live life coolly as much as you can.” “Since life happens only once, waking up at ease in the morning and working to your best ability is the best thing you can do.”
Though V grew up in a family of farmers, he's embraced his artistic path. He played the saxophone for three years in middle school. He thought about becoming a saxophonist, but he decided he liked singing more. He's a big fan of art and photography and recently began acting in the Korean drama Hwarang. V’s favorite color is gray.
V likes drinking hot chocolate but doesn’t like coffee or vegetables because of the bitter taste.
V's stage name meaning victory for the group. Before his debut, other names he considered were “Lex” and “Six.”
V played the saxophone for three years in middle school.
V has a habit of biting nails, as well as opening his mouth and touching anything that is cute.
V's hope is to marry his first love.
JUNGKOOK (정국)
Full Name : Jeon Jeong-guk (전정국)
Age : 23
Birthday : September 1, 1997
Height : 178 cm
Blood Type : A
Star Sign : Virgo
Position : Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Sub Rapper, Center, Maknae
MBTI Type : ISFP
Motto : “I’d rather be dead than cool”
Jungkook was just 15 years old when BTS debuted and started high school a year late to focus on the band. Though he's the youngest member of the group, Jungkook was one of the most in-demand singers after auditioning for the South Korean talent show Superstar K, and eventually chose to sign with Big Hit Entertainment. He's known for both his singing and dancing and loves gaming in his free time. Red is his favorite color.
Jungkook once dreamed of becoming a badminton player.
Jungkook loves taking photos as well as editing videos. He once filmed a video about a trip he took with Jimin.
Jungkook's favorite musician is IU.
Jungkook has a black belt in taekwondo.
Jungkook enjoys collecting Bluetooth speakers.
Jungkook is a member of the BTS “alcohol line” along with Jimin and Jin.
Historic Moments
2010 - BTS began its formation in 2010 after Big Hit Entertainment CEO Bang Si-hyuk met with group leader RM and was impressed with his rapping. BTS was originally supposed to be a hip-hop group but between their initial formation and their debut.
2013 June - On June 12, 2013, they performed the song "No More Dream" from their initial album 2 Cool 4 Skool to commemorate their debut on June 13, 2013. They also won several New Artist of the Year awards.
2013 June - During the production of the album, Suga and RM rewrote the lyrics of “No More Dream” more than 20 times.
2016 May - Their first Korean compilation album and the finale to their "youth series", The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever, was released in May 2016. It included three new singles: the top 40 hits "Epilogue: Young Forever", the top 10 hits "Fire" (Korean: 불타오르네; RR: Bultaoreune), and the top 20 hits "Save Me".
The album topped Gaon Weekly Chart in Korea for two consecutive weeks and peaked at number 107 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
2016 May - The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever won BTS' first major Korean award for Album of the Year at the 8th Melon Music Awards.
2016 Sep - ‘Wings’ - The album was generally well-received by critics, with Rolling Stone naming it "one of the most conceptually and sonically ambitious pop albums of 2016."
2016 Oct - The lead single "Blood Sweat & Tears" achieved a music chart "all-kill" in South Korea and became their first number one hit on the weekly Gaon Digital Chart. Its music video gained over 6 million views within 24 hours, breaking the previous record held on YouTube for the highest number of views of a K-pop group music video within 24 hours.
2016 Oct 25 - While its second single, "Dope" (Korean: 쩔어; RR: Jjeoreo), only peaked at number 44 in Korea, it peaked at number three on Billboard's World Digital Songs Chart and became their first music video to accrue over 100 million views on YouTube in October.
2017 April - BTS has been recognized as the most influential musician on social media by the ninth Shorty Awards.
2017 May - BTS became the first K-Pop group to clinch Top Social Artist at Billboard Music Awards
2017 Sep 25 - "DNA" also became the group's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 85, making BTS the first K-pop boy band to do so and the second Korean act with a Korean-language song.
2017 Sep 26 - BTS also partnered with popular Korean communication app 'Line', to create new Line 'characters' called BT21.
The collaboration initially produced emojis and electronic stickers, but later expanded to include fashion apparel, footwear, accessories, and other merchandise.
2017 Nov - BTS became the first K-Pop group to perform at the American Music Awards, raising their profile internationally.
2018 Feb - Both "Mic Drop Remix" and "DNA" were later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)making BTS the first and only Korean artist to receive two certifications.
2018 May - Their single "Fake Love" became their first top ten hits at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the seventeenth non-English song to reach the top ten and the first by a Korean group.
2018 Aug - Their single "Fake Love" became their first top ten hits at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the seventeenth non-English song to reach the top ten and the first by a Korean group.
2018 Aug - Vivid Seats named BTS the 2018 artist of the year, citing the group's history-making concert at Citi Field.
2018 Nov - They also became the first artist outside of the "Big Three" to win major awards at the Golden Disc Awards and the Seoul Music Awards, respectively.
2019 Feb - BTS attended the 61st Grammy Awards as award presenters. It was their first time attending the event following an appearance by the group at the LA Grammy Museum in 2018.
2019 Jul - BTS also ranked first on the list of 'Top Rank Global Sustainable Future Leaders' during an announcement from the UN-sponsored SDG association at the United Nations headquarters, while BTS' fan club, ARMY, were noted as the 'Top Rank Sustainable Global group'.
2020 Jan - "Idol" became the group's third Platinum single while Answer became the group's first Platinum album, making BTS the first Korean artist to attain this certification in the US.
2020 Aug - "Dynamite"’s music video broke the YouTube record for the most viewed premiere, with more than 3 million viewers, and set a new record for the most viewed video in the first 24 hours of release. It also made them the first all-South Korean act (second Asian act overall) to earn a number one single in the United States.
2020 Aug 31 - BTS made their MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) debut with the first live performance of "Dynamite" and won four awards: Best Group, Best Choreography, Best Pop Video, and Best K-pop (the last three for their music video for "On").
2020 Sep - BTS is the first all-South Korean band to lead the Billboard Hot 100 list with their single “Dynamite”.
2020 Oct 2 - "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking the group's second number one entry in the United States. Meanwhile, their single "Dynamite" remained at number two, making BTS the fourth group (after The Beatles, Bee Gees, and OutKast) to simultaneously occupy the top two spots on the Hot 100.
2020 Oct 10-11 - BTS hosted a two-day virtual pay-per-view concert, at KSPO Dome in Seoul, called Map of the Soul ON:E, which broke their own world record for Most viewers for a paid virtual concert live stream with 993,000 viewers from 191 countries as compared to their previous record of 756,000 viewers.
2020 Nov - BTS Make History With First Non-English Song “Life Goes On” to Debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 at 2020
2020 Nov - The group was announced as nominees for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for their song "Dynamite", making them the first-ever K-pop group to be nominated.
2017-2019 - BTS has been often regarded as "the biggest boy band in the world". They have also appeared in various power listings. The most-tweeted-about celebrities in the world in 2017 and 2018, the group was included in Time's list of the 25 most influential people on the internet from 2017 to 2019, featured on the magazine's October 2018 international edition cover as "Next Generation Leaders," and were listed as one of Time 100's most influential people in 2019.
2018-2020 - BTS topped the list of Forbes Korea Power Celebrity in 2018 and 2020
BTS was the first Asian and first non-English speaking act to top the list when the IFPI awarded them the Global Recording Artist of the Year for 2020 in March 2021
The first Korean candidate to sing at the Grammys was BTS in March 2021, when they sang "Dynamite" at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
The first song off their then-upcoming Japanese compilation album, BTS, the Best, "Film Out" was released by BTS in April 2021.
BTS released "Butter," their second English-language song, in May 2021. It became their fourth Hot 100 number one in nine months, becoming BTS the fastest artist to earn four chart-toppers since Justin Timberlake in 2006 and the fastest group since the Jackson 5 in 1970.
Jul 2021, their next English-language single was released "Permission to Dance". Also, after two months, the band released the single "My Universe" with Coldplay in September. Besides, they held an online concert, titled Permission to Dance on Stage, in October 2021, in Seoul.
In November, "Butter" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2021, BTS held their first live performances between November 27 and December 2 in Los Angeles. During these four shows at SoFi Stadium which were all sold out.
On January 15, 2022, a fictional webtoon based on BTS,
titled 7Fates: Chakho, was released. The comic surpassed 15 million views globally in its first two days of availability and became the highest-viewed title ever launched
BTS held three limited-capacity concerts at Seoul Olympic Stadium on March 10, 12, and 13—the largest music gatherings approved by the South Korean government since the pandemic restrictions were imposed—with a total audience of 45,000 people.
On April 3, BTS performed "Butter" at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, though the song did not win the award for which it was nominated.
On April 8, the band earned seven nominations at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards and won three, making them the most nominated and the most-awarded group in the show's history.
On June 10, 2022, BTS released their three-CD anthology album Proof .
On June 14, during their ninth-anniversary celebrations, the band announced a temporary suspension of group activities to focus on solo projects and other endeavors. Hybe Corporation, which owns Big Hit, clarified in subsequent statements that BTS was neither disbanding nor going on hiatus, but would be actively furthering their individual careers with the label's full support while still participating in group activities, including the filming of Run BTS.
The incident caused Hybe Corporation's stock to decline rapidly, resulting in a decrease in market value of US$1.7 billion.
On August 24, Billboard magazine reported that BTS would be performing in Busan on October 15 in a benefit concert in support of the city's efforts to have a World Exposition in 2030, participating under the banner Yet to Come.
Member Solo
In June 2022, Jung Kook and fellow musician Charlie Puth released "Left and Right" as a single and music video.
A year later, on July 14, 2023, jungkook finally declared that "Seven" would be his first solo single.
The Big Bang vocalist Taeyang's single "VIBE," which was released on January 13, 2023, featured Jimin.
On March 24, 2023, he released his first solo album, FACE, accompanied with the music videos for "Set Me Free Pt. 2" and "Like Crazy."
In December 2022, Suga released the first episode of his new talk show called Suchwita.
Suga is releasing his third album on April 21, 2023, titled D Day, followed by a world tour — the first BTS member to do so as a solo act.
The rapper released his first single off the album titled “People Pt. 2” on April 7, which featured South Korean singer, IU. This marks the second time the two artists have collaborated.
On September 1, 2022, RM and artist Balming Tiger released "SEXY NUKIM (feat. RM of BTS)".
On December 2, 2022, he made his debut solo album Indigo available, along with a music video for the song "Wild Flower."
The rapper was a part of the song and music video for "Smoke Sprite," which was published by South Korean indie rock band SE SO NEON member So!YoON!, also known as Hwang So-yoon.
On October 28, Jin debuted the music video for "The Astronaut," a song that Chris Martin of Coldplay co-wrote.
On October 28, Jin released his music video for “The Astronaut,” which Chris Martin of Coldplay helped write.
The album "layover" V, Kim Taehyung, will drop on September 8 at noon KST (9.30 am IST) which will consist six songs.
Military service
Jin began his training on December 13, 2022, in the province of Gyeonggi, which is near to the border with North Korea. He is reportedly scheduled to finish his duty in June 2024.
J-hope is scheduled to start his five-week basic training on Tuesday at an army boot camp in the province of Gangwon, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
Things You Didn't Know about BTS
1. As of August 2018, RM is the copyright owner of 105 songs, J-hope has 77 and Suga has 75. Other members have also started to more actively participate in the song-writing process more recently too.
2. Before forming BTS, RM and Suga were both underground rappers. J-hope was a well-known street dancer back in his hometown. Jin was talent-spotted while out on the streets as a university student, while V had only gone for the company audition by chance because he was accompanying a friend. Jimin was training to be a contemporary dancer in an arts high school. Jungkook actually appeared on a local idol-sourcing cable programme, Superstar-K, before choosing Big Hit (over numerous others) because of RM.
3. BTS became the youngest awardees of South Korea’s Hwagwan Orders of Cultural Merit.
4. None of them is actually from Seoul. Jimin and Jungkook both come from Busan; Rap Monster’s hometown is Ilsan; Jin is from Anyang; V and Suga are both from Daegu and Jhope is from Gwangju.
5. BTS have their own Twitter emoji. They became the first K-Pop outfit to have their own emoji in 2015. Fans uncovered these emojis by using different hashtags on the platform.
6. RM formally changed his stage name to "RM" in November 2017, as he determined that "Rap Monster" was no longer representative of who he was or the music that he creates. He stated that "RM could symbolize many things." and"Real Me" was provided as a possible current meaning.
To be continued......