By Toki Morimoto

For the past few decades, K-Pop is highly influential here in the United States.

In 2009, a Korean girl group, “Wonder Girls” was included in the Billboard Hot 100 List for the first time in Korean history.

In 2012, rapper Psy was ranked No.3 in the Billboard Hot 100 List with his hit song “Gangnam Style.”

On May 1, 2019, history was made by BTS, a boy-band. They received the No.1 position in the Billboard Top 200 music list, becoming the first Korean artists to top a U.S. billboard list. BTS’ album, “Love Yourself: Tear”, is the first album from any foreign country to reach the top of the list in the past 12 years. This album became the second most sold album ever. Additionally, they are the first K-Pop act to produce a song that was included in the top 10, after their song “Fake Love” was included in the Billboard’s Hot 100 list.

They received their award of “Top Social Artist” at the Billboard Awards in both 2018 and in 2019, two years consecutively. BTS is also famous for having one of the largest fan bases on Earth, with their fans known as “ARMYs”. The boy-band has approximately 18.1 Million followers on Twitter, but are thought to have more fans since some may not have social media, let alone Twitter.

In “Bangtan Sonyeondan”, the band’s real name which translates to “The Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in English, there are seven members: Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook.

The group’s leader, RM, is fluent in English due to learning the language from the popular show, “Friends.” Because of his talents, BTS has been interviewed at multiple American TV shows including “The Late Late Show With James Corden”, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, “The Ellen Show”, and many more. In BTS, there are four singers and three rappers, but most of the members are producers as well. In addition, all seven members are very talented at dancing, incorporating challenging, rigorous choreography into their performances.

BTS also has a very fashionable style. They often change their hair color for a more unique type of look. Several members from the group are frequently seen with their hair dyed blue, pink, red, green, silver, blonde, etc. The members have multiple piercings to accessorize, as well as dressing up very fashionably to their award ceremonies and concerts.

With their singing, rapping, dancing, and their unique visuals, BTS and the rest of K-Pop may spread their popularity further, influencing The United States even more in the years to come.