Cultural impact of BTS
Septet that led the Hallyu wave globally.
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BTS, a seven-member South Korean group formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013, has left a major mark on culture both at home and abroad, often seen as a key driver of the 21st-century Hallyu wave. Their economic impact on South Korea, alongside their charity work and business moves, has drawn heavy coverage from the press and financial analysts.
Internationally, BTS is widely called the biggest and most successful K-pop act globally, capable of feats no other name in the genre can match, earning them the nickname "Princes of Pop" from *Time*. Billboard’s Silvio Pietroluongo compared their influence to that of the Beatles and the Monkees, while Nielsen Music’s Helena Kosinski noted that while they weren’t the first to open doors for K-pop worldwide, they were the first to go mainstream, appealing to both young people and those in their 50s and 60s. In 2019, the IFPI named them one of the top ten Global Recording Artists for a second time, ranking seventh; in 2020, they became the first non-English act to claim the number-one spot, and in 2021, the first act ever to hold that title two years running. Billboard ranked them fourth on its Top Social Artist of the 2010s list—the highest group—and 45th on its Top Touring Artists of the 2010s list, making them the top Asian act and the only non-English-speaking one. Often called the biggest boy band in the world, they were the most tweeted-about celebrities globally from 2017 to 2020, appeared on *Time*’s list of the 25 most influential people on the internet from 2017 to 2019, graced the magazine’s October 2018 international cover as "Next Generation Leaders," and were named one of *Time* 100’s most influential people in 2019. After their single "Idol," the National Gugak Center expanded its stock of Korean instrument sounds due to surging demand from producers in Korea and abroad. Bloomberg Markets included them in its 50 most influential list for 2018; *Forbes* placed them 43rd on its 2019 list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities, with earnings of $57 million. At the UN headquarters, they topped the UN-sponsored SDG association’s "Top Rank Global Sustainable Future Leaders" list, with their fanbase ARMY noted as the "Top Rank Sustainable Global group," alongside figures like Malala Yousafzai and Bill Gates.
- Field
- K-pop music
- Nationality
- South Korean
- Known for
- Leading the Hallyu wave; first non-English artist named IFPI #1 Global Recording Artist of the Year
Lore & Background
BTS debuted in 2013 after forming in 2010. They have been described as 'easily the biggest and most successful name in K-pop in the world' and given the nickname 'Princes of Pop' by Time. Billboard's Senior Vice President Silvio Pietroluongo compared them to the Beatles and the Monkees. Nielsen Music Vice President Helena Kosinski noted that BTS were the first K-pop act to become mainstream, appealing to young people and the 50s and 60s age demographic.
BTS became the first non-English artist to be named IFPI's #1 Global Recording Artist of the Year in 2020, and the first act to hold that position two years in a row in 2021. They have appeared on Time's list of the 25 most influential people on the internet from 2017 to 2019 and were featured on the magazine's October 2018 international edition cover as 'Next Generation Leaders.' The group addressed the United Nations at their 73rd General Assembly and performed before 400 officials including South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the 2018 'Korea-France Friendship Concert in Paris.'
Reader's Guide
BTS's cultural impact extends across multiple continents. In Asia, they became the first foreign act to perform a solo concert in Saudi Arabia in October 2019. In Japan, they began the third Korean wave despite diplomatic difficulties, and their fashion influence ranked second among men in their teens and twenties in a 2021 Rakuten survey. In India, President Ram Nath Kovind mentioned BTS in 2018 at an official banquet, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS led a Korean wave in India. In China, despite THAAD restrictions, fan clubs broke records for album purchases through surrogate shoppers. The group's influence led to political uses: the Chinese Communist Party used a statement by member RM for political purposes, resulting in BTS items being pulled from stores for less than two days. In North Korea, BTS gained popularity among youth despite strict crackdowns, with government propaganda labeling Korean groups like BTS as 'slaves.' In South Korea, BTS accounted for 41.9 percent of album sales in the first half of 2019 and topped the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Did You Know?
- BTS holds twenty-three Guinness World Records.
- In 2019, BTS ranked 43rd on Forbes' annual list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities with earnings of $57 million.
- BTS was the most tweeted-about celebrities in the world from 2017 to 2020.
More in Band Members & Collaborators
Elsewhere in BTS
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