I was looking at my photo gallery on my phone, and I found pictures from the BTS concert in Brazil in 2019. BTS (Bangtan Boys, 방탄소년단) is one of the most popular K-Pop groups worldwide. It consists of seven boys: Kim NamJoon, Kim SeokJin, Min YoonGi, Jung HoSeok, Park JiMin, Kim TaeHyung, and Jeon JungKook. They became famous because of their lyrics that talked about self-esteem and self-love. I went to their concert in São Paulo on May 25th, the first day of the two-day shows. It was the first, and it is still the only time I have been to a K-Pop concert. My expectations were high, and, indeed, it was one of the best days in my life. Being a K-Pop fan is sometimes hard because people try to demotivate you. They say in a pejorative way that K-Pop does not have good songs or that this genre is made for little girls. There is no problem if little girls are listening to it. K-Pop is for people of all ages, genders, sexual identities, ethnicity, and colors. That is what makes K-Pop so incredible. Being for the first time close to a crowd, I could feel freer to be who I am. That crowd understood how being a fan can change your life and even make you a better person. Before the show started, I talked to a lot of people waiting in the queue. There was a sense of identification and belonging. We were so excited and happy to be there that we sang their songs played in the stadium before the show.
B-ARMYS (Brazilian BTS fans) SINGING IDOL BEFORE THE SHOW - BTS in BRAZIL DAY 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cri1HvtINZo
I think one of the best moments was Jung HoSeok's solo. He is the rapper and main dancer of the group, well-known for always being a positive person and bringing hope to their fans. His artistic name is J-Hope. He is my "bias," which means he is my favorite person in this boy group. He is also my "ultimate bias (utt)," which means he is my favorite idol in the whole K-Pop industry, including female, male and mixed groups and solo artists. His solo song is named "Trivia 起: Just Dance," and it talks about dance as a natural conversation and how you can fall in love with someone the same way you fall in love with dancing.
[BTS in Brazil - Day 1] 'Trivia 起: Just Dance' (Full Performance):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVYZdIh-pFo
K-Pop idols must be complete artists, knowing how to sing, dance, make rap, have a beautiful face and body, have good personality and behavior, etc. They have to be perfect, and sometimes this can be harmful to both the artist and its fans. Nobody is perfect, and we should accept this. We should not spread hate, mainly related to the person's color and physical characteristics. We are all beautiful beyond beauty patterns. BTS is one of the K-Pop groups that talk about this issue. Their speech in the United Nations is something that should be listened to for everyone. I am very glad to be part of this fandom.
BTS' Speech at the United Nations (Full Speech from 2018):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhJ-LAQ6e_Y
Besides BTS, I will also highlight one of Hwasa's songs. She is also a K-Pop singer and she talks about how beauty and personality standards should not stop you to follow your dreams.
[MV] Hwa Sa(화사) _ Maria(마리아):
Comments
Hi Beatriz, I think it is awesome that you were able to have gotten to meet BTS in person. They are one of the biggest stars in the world and they speak up on many issues that most other groups haven't touched on in the past. I like that about BTS which makes them stand out even more and respect them a lot
Beatriz,
It is so cool how you got the chance to meet them in person before the pandemic started. I think what stood BTS out from the other boy groups or just other k-pop groups, in general, was that their lyrics were very thoughtfully written and oftentimes touched upon important topics (like self-love, passion, e.t.c.) that other k-pop bands did not do much. From what I can recall, a lot of other groups simply wrote about love in general and they were very superficial lyrics, but with BTS's songs, it's very heartfelt and relatable.