Tag: BTS

K-pop supergroup BTS ‘devastated’ by US hate crimes

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — South Korean K-pop sensations BTS didn’t sing a word but in a White House visit Tuesday to meet President Joe Biden the supergroup’s message against anti-Asian racism came loud and clear. The seven stars, dressed in matching dark suits and ties, with white shirts, joined White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the briefing room podium — a tiny, but powerful stage. The […]

K-Pop’s BTS back for first Seoul show after thriving in pandemic

by Sunghee Hwang SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean supergroup BTS return to the stage in Seoul to play for their adoring home-grown fans for the first time since 2019 on Thursday, after tickets for the three-night stadium concerts sold out in minutes. While Covid-19 emptied arenas and shut clubs worldwide, the K-Pop septet thrived during the pandemic — scoring a string of number one hits, expanding their global fanbase, and reaping record profits. […]

Three members of K-pop sensation BTS test positive for Covid-19

  Three members of K-pop sensation BTS have tested positive for Covid-19 since returning from the US, where they held their first in-person concerts since the pandemic began, the group’s management said Saturday. Rapper RM and vocalist Jin tested positive for the virus Saturday evening, according to Big Hit Music. The announcement came a day after the agency confirmed that Suga, another member of the septet, was “administering self-care at home” following a positive test. […]

K-pop kings BTS win Artist of the Year AMA in Asian first

  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — K-pop sensation BTS on Sunday became the first Asian group to win Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. The septet also scooped awards for Favorite Pop Duo or Group and Favorite Pop Song for their hit “Butter” at the glitzy Los Angeles ceremony hosted by Cardi B. South Korea’s biggest band, who now have nine AMAs, joined British rockers Coldplay for the world television premiere […]

BTS dance through UN to promote youth solutions for planet

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — It wasn’t exactly the screaming audience BTS is accustomed to but the Korean pop sensations had another sort of world stage Monday as they addressed the United Nations. The seven-member boy band, clad in subdued dark suits, said they hoped to rally young people to look at how to work toward the Sustainable Development Goals — UN benchmarks on which the world has fallen increasingly behind. With Covid restrictions […]

BTS issued diplomatic passports for UN session

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — K-pop sensation BTS have been granted diplomatic passports ahead of the United Nations General Assembly as they embark on their new roles as presidential special envoys, South Korea’s presidential office said. The trailblazing septet have reached global superstardom, with their single “Dynamite” entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number one last year, making them the first South Korean act to top the US chart. They are credited with generating billions […]

No Psy but BTS play on as Seoul bans fast gym music

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean mega-hit “Gangnam Style” may be taken off gym playlists in the great Seoul region — but K-pop giants BTS can stay — under new rules aimed at stemming a rising tide of coronavirus infections. The regulations, aimed at stopping gym-goers breathing too hard or splashing sweat on others, ban gyms from playing music with a faster tempo than 120 beats per minute during group exercises like zumba and […]

BTS hit ‘Dynamite’ worth $1.4 billion to South Korea: govt

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — K-pop sensation BTS’s US-chart-topping single “Dynamite” could generate more than $1.4 billion for the South Korean economy and thousands of new jobs in the country, a government study claimed Monday. The trailblazing septet cemented their prominence in the world’s biggest music market last week, when the all-English track debuted at number one in the Billboard Hot 100. The feat had previously eluded rapper Psy, whose Gangnam Style was a global […]

K-pop’s BTS first all-South Korean act to top US singles charts

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — K-pop sensation BTS has become the first all-South Korean act to rule the top US singles chart, industry tracker Billboard announced Monday, with their English-language “Dynamite” hitting number one. It is another milestone cementing the seven-member boy band’s global dominance, coming hours after BTS beat American heavyweights including Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift to score the Best Pop award at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. The first […]

BTS cancel Seoul concerts as coronavirus spreads in S. Korea: agency

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — K-pop megastars BTS on Friday canceled four concerts they were due to hold in Seoul in April, their agency said, as the coronavirus outbreak spreads in South Korea. The country has so far confirmed more than 2,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, by far the largest national total outside China, the origin of the disease. “We regret to announce” that the Seoul concerts have been canceled, BTS agency Big Hit […]

Coronavirus forces BTS to stream album press conference from empty hall

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s coronavirus outbreak forced K-pop superstars BTS to Livestream a conference promoting their new album from an empty hall Monday, with members urging fans to take care of themselves. The country has so far confirmed more than 800 cases of the novel coronavirus, by far the largest national total outside China, the origin of the disease. In light of the outbreak BTS streamed the conference on Youtube, the band’s […]

BTS to release new album with 4 million pre-orders

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — K-pop superstars BTS were releasing their new album Friday, breaking records even before it came out as the country’s most pre-ordered album of all time, with its lead single the first track to make its debut on video app TikTok. BTS — or Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof Boy Scouts — has gained a huge global following, becoming the first K-pop group to top charts in the US and […]