It was a banner weekend for K-Pop, anchored by Bangtan Boys (BTS) and their second year in a row of appearances at the Billboard Music Awards.
BTS is, without a doubt, one of the leaders of the current generation of K-Pop. While some of their worldwide success can be linked to previous generations building up decades of goodwill with the K-Pop brand, the group’s own legendary hard work and a solid lineup of hit singles and title tracks can’t, and shouldn’t, be discounted. Fake Love is only the latest in a long line of tracks that demands the viewers’ attention, if only for its intricate choreography that is the apex of idol synchronization.
Numerous K-Pop acts over the years have laid claim to being “global stars”, including Psy, BoA, Rain, and others, mostly on the backs of an international album release or a Hollywood movie cameo. But no one has really penetrated the psyche of pop culture in the United States nearly as much as BTS has.
Nowadays, it’s no big deal if a BTS song starts randomly playing on the radio; it’s almost normal to see the group appear on a morning television program. Both of these feats would’ve been considered nearly impossible several years ago, but BTS makes it look easy.