W&W November Prompt / Joy in Motion

First, I was Swifted — Then, Armied

What keeps me moving when I don’t want to

Image Credit: I DARE U JK, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

No, the United States military hasn’t foolishly drafted me. In fact, I willingly joined an ARMY.

The ARMY I joined is the international fan base of the talented South Korean group BTS. ARMY roughly stands for Adorable Representative Master of Ceremonies for Youth. Now that’s a mouthful and probably loses a little in translation.

I wrote about becoming a Taylor Swift fan in response to the Weeds & Wildflowers September prompt, Sharing Secrets:

How I Got Swifted

Music in my life

medium.com

The fact that this 69-year-old woman is a fan of an Asian boy band may also qualify as a secret, but these guys also put joy in my step.

In case you don’t know, BTS (also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan or just Bangtan) was formed in 2010 when the seven members were twenty years old or younger, with JungKook being the youngest at 15. Bangtan Sonyeondan translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts, a name they chose to highlight their desire to inspire young people “to block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets,” as BTS member J-Hope explained.

The seven young men, chosen from thirty trainees, were hired by Bang Si-Hyuk, the founder and CEO of Big Hit Entertainment based in Seoul. They were chosen for their singing, rapping, and dancing skills. Big Hit was new and had little money, so for several years, the boys lived in one room while practicing 16 to 18 hours a day.

Although their first album debuted in 2013, they struggled in the highly competitive K-pop market, facing intense criticism and ridicule. Bullied by established K-pop performers and discounted by many in the Korean music world, they resorted to handing out flyers on the streets to invite people to their free concerts.

Unlike most other Korean pop groups, BTS started from a rap music base, and they were given a surprising amount of liberty to discuss their beliefs and concerns, particularly about youth pressures and struggles. Most K-pop performers are censored, only showing upbeat, happy faces to the public and never speaking of serious issues, but BTS spoke openly about their struggles with eating disorders, depression, and other mental health issues. They used all forms of social media to connect with their growing fan base, which they named ARMY, often staying up late at night to talk online with their fans.

In late 2013 and 2014, BTS began receiving recognition and awards in South Korea. Their 2014 album Skool Luv Affair reached number 3 on the World Albums Chart. Still, they weren’t well known in the Western world.

It wasn’t until later in 2014 that they performed their first shows in Europe and the United States. But it was in 2015 that they grew beyond being a South Korean boy band, garnering worldwide attention with their album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2, followed by The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever in 2016. Both albums charted on the Billboard Top 200.

In 2017, Love Yourself — Her debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Top 200 and was the first K-pop album to break the top ten.

They went on to win many music awards in Asia, not surprising since they sang in Korean and Japanese. To broaden their Western appeal and to gain popularity during the pandemic, they began singing partially in English and mostly by their leader RM, who was the only member at the time who was fluent in English. Gradually, the other members began singing lines in English. However, it wasn’t until 2020 that they released their first English song, Dynamite, followed by Butter and Permission to Dance in 2021.

In 2017, BTS won the Billboard Top Social Artist, a fan-voted award for the artist with the most fan interaction, including music streaming and social media.

Later in 2017, UNICEF partnered with BTS to create the Love Myself campaign against childhood violence. Thrust into the international limelight, BTS appeared on their first American television show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and became the first K-pop band to perform at the American Music Awards. They ended 2017 by ranking number ten on Billboards Year-End Artists Chart.

In 2018, BTS appeared at the United Nations to promote the U.N.’s Generation Unlimited campaign focusing on youth education. RM, the group's leader, gave an amazing speech at the U.N. Please take a moment to listen:

Then, BTS really took off, garnering many American music awards, including but not limited to 11 American Music and 12 Billboard awards. In 2021, they became the first Asian performer(s) to win the AMA’s Artist of the Year Award.

Although Taylor Swift’s Swifties are huge in number, BTS’s ARMY is bigger and broader, encompassing all corners of the globe.

These accolades and accomplishments are impressive, but what do they have to do with me or the Weeds & Wildflowers November Prompt, Joy in Motion? After all, I’m not a teen who’s infatuated with these young men. But . . .

I can’t sit still when I hear BTS.

I can be sad, stressed, overwhelmed, or exhausted, and listening to BTS is like a high-octane, caffeine-pumped energy drink for me.

I open my music app, put on my earbuds, and get energized with their snappy music. I dance around the kitchen as I make scones and wash dishes. I boogie as I put clothes in the washer. I jive down the sidewalk with my dog. In my car, I queue their music and sing along.

And, yes, I listen to all of their music, including their songs in Korean and Japanese. Although I prefer their pop-based music, I’ve also listened to their earlier rap songs.

While I’ll likely listen to Taylor Swift anytime, I always choose BTS when I need some joy in motion.

If you aren’t familiar with the adrenaline rush of BTS, I’ll share my favorite songs/videos of theirs. Maybe they’ll pump joy in your motion, too!