Dianne Pineda-Kim - The Unofficial BTS Bible: All of the Facts You Need on K-Pops Biggest Sensations!

This book is not authorized or sponsored by Big Hit Entertainment, BTS, or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the BTS name, trademark, or copyrights.

Copyright 2020 by Dianne Pineda-Kim

Photographs copyright 2020 by gettyimages unless otherwise noted

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Cover photography by Getty Images

Interior photography by Getty Images

ISBN: 978-1-63158-597-5

E-Book ISBN: 978-1-63158-598-2

Printed in China

BTS performing Fake Love at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE THAT WERE HERE, Jimin, one of the members of BTS, said in Korean as he looked around wide-eyed at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where the 2018 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) were being held. Its halls were reverberating with the name of their group as more than half of the 17,000-seat venue was filled with their fans cheering for them.

The rest of his bandmates were in utter disbelief, too. Its fascinating, its still fascinating, RM repeated to himself. Famous people coming to us to say hi, Jin quipped, trying to keep his emotions in check.

A mixture of trepidation, excitement, and wonder could be seen on their faces. It was their defining moment, one among many that have signaled that these seven twenty-something South Korean men have arrived on the world stage.

Everything was a blur, like a daydream flashing right before their eyes. Even before they sat in the front row in what was considered one of musics biggest nights, they exchanged pleasantries with music personalities they could only imagine meeting in real life. American DJ and record executive DJ Khaled talked to the boys as though they were old friends. Taylor Swift, whose chart-topping hits and personal life gets extensive media coverage, knocked on their dressing room door and asked if they could all take a photo together. Shes even taller with heels! one of the members exclaimed before they were all whisked away to meet yet another revered artist: John Legend. V has been a fan of the singer-songwriter for over ten years and was the first to hug John, who, in turn, greeted them with a loud Annyeonghaseyo! J-Hope wanted to make sure they had their photo taken together with his phone, and much to their surprise, John pulled out a copy of their album Love Yourself: Tear and asked them to sign it because his daughter is a big fan. You guys are blowing up in America, thats huge! But you guys are already big everywhere else, John said. Suga and Jungkook then shyly looked at each other as one said, I still cant believe John Legend pulled out our album from his own bag!

A little later they found rapper and producer Pharrell Williams waiting for them backstage, telling them, We gotta work together now! Lets set it up! It was another starstruck moment for Jin, who with his mouth agape after the encounter, said jokingly, I was going in for a hand kiss, but I restrained myself.

All the big names in the music industry wanted to collaborate with them. All the cameras flashed in their direction and everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the band who took the world by storm.

BTS enjoying the BBMAs on the front row alongside top music celebrities.

In a matter of minutes, BTS would be performing for the first time at the 2018 BBMAs, after big acts like Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, Khalid, Christina Aguilera, among many othersand it was on that same stage where acclaimed pop icon Janet Jackson sang a medley of her iconic hits as the recipient of the Billboard Music Icon Award.

Lets welcome the biggest boy band in the world! Kelly Clarkson, a Billboard Chart record-breaker herself, introduced BTS before the band delivered their impeccably choreographed song, Fake Love.

As the spotlight turned to them on a stage that was considerably smaller than the ones they had trodden before, their haunting music, palpable energy, slick moves, and Korean lyrics filled the venue. The audiences screams almost overpowered the groups sound, with everyone trying to sing familiar lines and calling out the members names with their official fan chant: Kim Nam Joon! Kim Seok-jin! Min Yoon-gi! Jung Ho-seok! Park Jimin! Kim Taehyung! Jeon Jungkook! B-T-S! B-T-S!

It was a sight that not many in the US had ever seen before: a largely diverse audience singing and dancing to a non-English song and truly having the time of their lives. At that moment, these young mens charisma and talents became bigger than that stage.

I was so nervous I felt like I could die! Jimin said as he left the stage.

BTS backstage at the 2018 BBMAs.

The septet has been experiencing a lot of big things for the first time since they set foot in the US aside from the BBMAs: the explosive debut of their song DNA at the American Music Awards in 2017, appearances on some of the most recognizable TV talk shows, and concert tours in different states.

Each of the members always seems like hes unaffected by the groups not-so-newfound fame: being genuinely amazed as they first boarded their tour bus (Weve only seen this in documentaries of foreign artists! one of the boys exclaimed), goofing around backstage, and unglamorously munching on hot dogs before their guest appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Were just a normal group of boys from humble backgrounds who had a lot of passion and dreams, RM said in an interview with Time magazine. This relatability and accessibility seem to resonate with fans no matter what age, nationality, gender, or background.

They are real. They show that their lives are not much different from ours. They are the same as us. Otherwise they would never gain this level of popularity, Yun Jeung Jo, Executive Director of Korean Cultural Center New York, said in an interview with CNBC.