Many talented artists received honors and accolades at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards for their work and contributions to the music industry. However, there’s one artist worth noting for making BBMA history: Meet BTS who are the first K-Pop group to attend and win the prestigious award for their first ever nomination. Billboard nominated the seven member Korean boy group for “Top Social Artist” along with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, and Shawn Mendes. The category awards artists who established a great social media presence and maintain this presence with constant interaction with fans by posting content, live streaming, and more activities that express the importance of engagement between fan and artist. While this category emphasizes the artist’s social media presence on Twitter with votes counted through hashtags, BTS not only update ARMYs (their fanclub name) on both their official group and personal Twitter accounts but also upload fun video content on YouTube with their “Bangtan Bombs” and live stream through V LIVE (a video streaming app popular among Asian artists, similar to Periscope) that forms an intimate bond between BTS and their fans. Despite not promoting in the United States, the group proved to be a powerhouse in social media as ARMYs garnered 75% of the votes that earned them their well-deserved award.
Will K-Pop Officially Land in the U.S.?
Congrats on the win guys! This is a massive moment for kpop! Love!!!!!!! #BTS
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This isn’t the first time a K-Pop artist tries to make it big in the U.S. music market. Solo artist, BoA released an album in the U.S. in the 2000s without much reception from listeners. The Wonder Girls spend two years training in the U.S. in improving their English speaking skills and develop their music so they can expand their name. The group even had the opportunity to tour with the Jonas Brothers, starred in their own TeeNick movie to increase their popularity, and collaborated with Akon, but did not reach their goal of dominating the American Market as planned. And don’t get me started on PSY, who unexpectedly became viral through “Gangnam Style” and was more perceived as a gag man than an actual music artist and formed this misconception that K-Pop artists weren’t real musicians who created real music. BTS are also not the first artists to compete with prominent celebrities.
However, We Still Have a Long Way to Go
Legendary K-Pop groups like Big Bang and Girls’ Generation had beaten their fierce and famous competitors. Girls’ Generation won Video of the Year for “I Got a Boy” in the 2013 YouTube Music Awards--beating out One Direction, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez. And before BTS, Big Bang was the first K-Pop group to attend a prestigious award show and competed on a global scale with other great musical acts for the 2011 MTV European Music Awards for “Best Worldwide Act.” Yet, despite these amazing feats for these hard-working artists, K-Pop artists like BTS still face backlash for their achievement, solely based on being Asian, singing in a different language, and not being publicly recognized in countries outside of Asia.
yea this is why we need asian representation here, people aren't used to seeing talented asians succeed in the music industry pic.twitter.com/raEUAzZHHO
— vs 🔥🐲 (@etherealfool) May 22, 2017
Not only is this award special for BTS and their fans, but for viewers especially Asian-Americans. BTS accepting their award on stage on live television elevated Asian representation that has been lacking in American media. The hatred and negative responses toward BTS has been rooted in the United States’ long history of racism and discrimination against Asian-Americans that is now modernized through misrepresentation of Asians in media. To some confused viewers, witnessing an Asian musical artist seemed like a very foreign concept as a result of Asian stereotypes perpetuated for years in America that express a narrow career path for Asians that doesn’t include liberal arts. The K-Pop group winning “Top Social Artist” also stresses the importance of the internet and social media that gives us the power to discover these talented acts and transcend physical borders. The K-Pop industry is a huge market in not only Asia but globally, in addition to being a popular industry that Asians from across the globe can prosper and thrive in the entertainment industry unlike in the U.S. where the chances are slim to none. BTS as social media giants symbolize that despite an absence of Asian representation, the worldwide web enables us to build bridges and make our world smaller and find the inspiration and representation we need as well as voice the need of recognizing the talents of the Asian artists in the United States.
So glad that a kpop group like BTS has paved a new path & set new goals for Asian representation here. Social media is a very powerful tool
— OG (@tattedpoc) May 22, 2017
CALL ME DRAMATIC BUT I'LL NEVER BE OVER THIS. I'M LIVING FOR ASIAN ARTISTS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR WORK AND TALENT. #BTSBBMAs #BBMAs pic.twitter.com/xxQLt8aN0c
— Triet (@37NOUIS) May 22, 2017
Although BTS’ achievement was a great form of exposure for K-Pop and Asian artists, we also should not discredit or discourage international artists who have not received the same accolades or recognition from Western media. Living in the United States, we mainly consume our own artists since they dominate music charts globally, we don’t listen to much artists outside of the Western sphere and think such artists are inferior and not worth the recognition. Just as how fans and non-fans were able to discover BTS through the internet, we now live in the digital age where we can discover, support, and connect with talented artists all over the world despite physical and language barriers, This BBMA moment shined a light on how we should be more open on foreign music artists as music stands as an international language and stop placing Western music and artists on a pedestal that represent the standard of success because this forms the common prejudice that non-English music is “foreign” and “weird” when these are real songs enjoyed by people in their respective culture. When one disrespects foreign music and genres, they are disrespecting one’s language and culture that contributes division within our nation through ethnocentrism, racism, and xenophobia. BTS expressed their immense gratitude to receive the BBMA and share their moment with many iconic singers who have also inspired the boys. However, in a recent press conference when the BTS returned to South Korea, the boys had plans to venture in the U.S. market since this event marked as a catalyst for U.S. promotions. Leader of BTS, Kim Namjoon (more famously known as Rap Monster) replied,
"Since we're Korean singers, we look the best when singing in Korean...”
which expresses his pride of making history as a Korean group and the group’s determination to bring people together through the power of music despite language barriers.
A closer look into BTS’ music depicts commons themes of achieving one’s dreams and staying true to one’s self, despite the negative opinions of others and not conforming to the the norm — hence, in English, BTS translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts (방탄소년단)” which describes how the boys will be invincible and conquer any obstacles that come in their way. BTS’ achievement inspired a glimpse of hope among Asian Americans to achieve their dreams despite limitations imposed by society.
