Talk about synergy and of the most sincere and timely kind. K-pop boy group BTS, and you have to be living under a rock or maybe a far off planet to not have heard of them, inked another first this week as they 7-member group spoke at a UN General Assembly meeting. They were there to support and advocate for the launch of a UNICEF global program called Generation Unlimited to encourage the youth of the world to find their own identity and speak up for themselves. Leader Kim Nam Joon spoke on behalf of the group, sincerely sharing how the band has connected with the youth of the world over and feel compelled to support and lift up those who are still finding their way in the world. I feel such warm pride to see BTS doing social work with their fame as news of their UN appearance made headlines due to their popularity. Keep up the good work and even more the great songs.
Amazing speech from RM. So inspiring yet still so humble. I’m so Glad he proved their haters wrong with their mega success. The struggles they went through made them appreciate their success and their fans. In the early days their only lifeline was their fans. They didn’t have the support like fthose from the big 3. Antis even petitioned to the Govt when they won Daesung In 2016, they were dropped from broadcasts, stopped from appearing in variety shows, accused of. Hart manipulation etc. The shit they went through were real that it took a toil on them but yet they took that and turned them into inspiring music. They are not only successful in Korea but is now opening doors which were otherwise closed. What’s most impressive is that they use their influence for good. I’m proud to be an Army.
UN a sophisticated organisation of the criminals. They have their own agendas and while keeping a good front their ‘peacekeepers’ take care of bringing the marked countries down.
Here it may look like that BTS is honoured by being invited to UN but it’s otherwise UN is using the favourable image of BTS(as of other artists) to fulfill it’s agenda.
UN has helped france and rebels in committing crimes in Ivory Coast between 2010 and 2011 for example
don’t speak good for UN while BTS seems to be doing good deeds… It was just another promotional event!! you seem too naive to believe everything…. Have you donated??
love these boys and their amazing music.
A good speech though here in Australia we have never heard of them.
Well, we might live in different planet as I only heard about them as I am stumbled to a certain article couple days ago.
I checked their songs, if only they can use english. Also, I don’t know what differentiate them with other K-pop group, all are the same to me, good dancer, and songs that only Koreans understand the lyrics with some english words here and there. So don’t really get the hype.
this is all marketing. They appeared on the Ellen show and is heavily promoted by their agency in the States. Their songs are ok, the usual k-pop tune, just being broadcasted in the US Radio Channels a lot recently… The hype may soon be over as their new songs are not as good. That’s why they have to do other promotional activities to stay visible.
World politics have a lot to do with it.
They’re a korean group made of 7 korean members and even though they have huge fanbase in US they still choose to sing in korean, it’s a choice. I won’t compare with other kpop group but to me what makes Bangtan special is their passion for music and their personalities, their dynamic in a whole. Music doesn’t have language barrier to me, and with Bangtan it just feels sincere to me. Mostly because some came from their own experiences, they didn’t start big but went through alot. and through their music they want to help, to cheer up those who listen to. There’re many positive messages and i think it’s great they use the power of music to heal people. If you want to know a little more you can find translation or watch lyric video on YT. But if you already set your mind it’s fine, i just want to share my opinions.
I can see your point. But I disagree that it is a choice not to sing in English, the real reason is they cannot sing in English. Other than RM who speaks English well, none of the members is confident with English. K-artists who can sell records in Japan all sing in Japanese, just an example.
@cc It’s what suits your narrative, not fact. Just like japanese, even though they’re not fluent they still can sing in japanese. As some previous kpop acts who tried to advance to US market with english songs, by that logic they could just have done the same; but they knew their fan don’t want it. They got popular in US first even without english songs so it’s proof US Army don’t care. As i said below, there’s no language barrier if you’re open-minded enough there’s always translation on web.
“their fan don’t want it” is your reason? Now I realize how open-minded you are. LOL.
@cc which point of mine you can’t understand? Bangtan has said themselves, they’re korean so they release songs in korean. People keep saying they’re seeking for western validation but unlike the norm they didn’t release anything in full english. The fans don’t want it because it’s the music, the lyrics that attract them first. About incapacity of singing in english, i didn’t want to mention it, but you must not be aware of various eng songs covers they did, so they can do it just fine. The pronunciation might not be perfect, but it’s not like they don’t dare to do it at all just because they’re not fluent as in how you suggest.
I watched their Ellen show interview so I know none of them is fluent in English except RM. I am not suggesting because I have heard it and I know it as a fact.
You’re saying different things now i see. Everybody knows they aren’t fluent in english, not like they try to hide it lol. The point is they may not be fluent but still could sing, the covers are proof. They’re not fluent in japanese yet still release song in japanese, so they can release english song if they wanted to.
You really don’t mean “if you already set your mind it’s fine”, do you? My opinion is always the same, and I don’t care if you view it differently.
LOL fine, good to know you’re one with prejudice and can’t handle discussions. so i see there’s no need to waste more time. My points are still here for everybody else, peace 😉
I think you are the one labelling me as having prejudice. You are such a big hypocrite. You cannot handle different opinions. If you view it as a waste of time, why do you keep on pressing for more replies? I can keep on discussing for whatever you want, but my opinion is set and you just cannot change my mind. Plain simple.
lol you’re the one who replied and started stating how they cannot sing in english. I showed you my points to back up what i said, fans opinions, the eng covers and japanese releases but you ignored and tried to change topic. You’re the one not open to discussion when it doesn’t follow with your narrative. who’s hypocrite and with prejudice here lol alright let’s stop here or you’re gonna say i’m trying to force on you again lol
No. I want you to see you are doing exactly the same thing as me. And for your record, I don’t listen well to others telling me to stop. When do I ever say you are forcing me to reply? Don’t put words in my mouth. I have lots of time. It was you who said “no need to waste more time” which is your time not mine.
lol Anyway, I already answered your first reply by showing my points, it’s how a discussion starts for me, you may ignore and stand by your opinions it’s okay. You don’t have to agree with me. Those are still there to back up what i said and believed above. and i’m not pressing for replies or order you anything lol just wanted to end this discussion. so yep take it however you want, again, peace 😉
@candycane what’s so ‘lol’ about my comment? Is it amusing to you that an ESL speaker sometimes isn’t perfectly grammatical? Or do you not understand what I wrote? I thought the second part was quite clear and we had no trouble understanding each other’s comments on koalasplayground before…
I don’t understand why music being in Korean is an issue….when you are on the comment section of a blog about Korean-language dramas.
I listen to Charlotte Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy’s songs in French though I know no French, I was a fan of Shakira when I was young even though I know no Spanish, one more foreign language is not a big deal especially when free lyric translations exist.
Music being in Korean is not an issue. Psy sings in Korean and he speaks English well. You have totally misunderstood my point here. When someone is incapable, it is no longer a choice issue.
But so what if they can’t speak English? Whether it’s by choice or force, the end result is still that they’re releasing music in the US market in Korean language and it’s doing better than any Asian act before them except Psy.
“But so what if”?? LOL…
in relation to that, i just wnat to share that KPOP has totally invaded our country, only few teenagers/ youth here listen to local songs.
I don’t see the big deal in their songs either. Other groups like BAP sing about social awareness and injustice since their debut in 2012 and that group sure was influencial in kpop but people seem to ignore it. Plus UN has played a big part in destroying Ivory Coast while supporting France and the rebels the latter financed to attack the country by 2002.
i really don’t understand why US is into BTS right now- they’re just the typical KPOP group. hehe
It’s not just Ivory Coast even in Korean peninsula. North Korea under regime of crazy Kims suffered from great famine during 1994-98. But other countries couldn’t provide the aid due to heavy UN sanctions. UN greatly contributed in increasing the death toll.
I don’t know the other group but BTS seems to have a discography that’s quite heavy on social critique and personal experience since their debut so it’s not a gimmick or a one-off, they’re quite consistent with it from the start and even since before their debut apparently (song called Paldogangsan from 2011).
Maybe the other group’s songs weren’t catchy, I don’t know.
I’m so proud of Bangtan and for everything they’ve achieved. They wanted to make music and use their influence for good causes. I don’t understand what people are so bitter about smh. Anyway, I hope Bangtan can continue doing what they do now, using their music and influence to reach out to as many people as possible who’s willing to drop their prejudice and give them a chance. They’d been doing it for years, now their voices are starting to be heard 🙂 Last but not least, RM, thank you, you did so well despite being nervous. Your speech touched alot of people, and that’s what’s important, step by step, we can do it.
I don’t see how people here voicing a different opinion to you means they are bitter about your bias. There are many musicians who are passionate about their music in this world. SK government puts a lot of money supporting their entertainment and promoting their groups/stars and they are also an ally of the US (and they happen to pump a lot of money into the UN) so, a SK popular group appearing at a UN meeting makes a lot of sense.
It seems more like they’d rather focus on the UN itself than the point of this post aka RM’s speech and all that along with prejudices against a kpop group. which is to me so uncalled for. If you don’t care you still can be respectful but clearly some just lacks of that basic etiquette. Then how do i call close-minded people who knew nothing but threw their ‘opinions’ around beside them being bitter about s/o doing sth good, just to make them feel superior? And did i say Bangtan is the only group being passionate or such? thank you for reminding how the entertainment works, but again it’s not the point here, you may think it’s nothing special, fine, to some others it’s something and it’s fine too.
Mainly Asian and Korean American teenagers…I think thats how it works in Australia…Kpop has a small audience in Australia because it’s not English
I’m surprised at the amount of cynicism surrounding this comment section’s opinion on BTS, I thought the speech was sincere and eloquent, even more impressive when you remember none of them is a native English speaker. Also they work with Unicef which is a UN agency, they’re not responsible for the problems of the UN itself.
Also, having listened to a few of their songs, I firmly disagree that they are ‘just like any other kpop’. Half their title tracks are songs about societal problems and the struggles of youth, not the usual ‘oppa I want you’ love songs. I don’t know if that’s just their concept, but between Dope, Fire etc, they seem to feature it a lot.
Not surprised at all, it’s koalasplayground’s comment section after all. I’m scared every time I see a post with many comments, because it means there are plenty of negativities. It seems that some people here are clueless about who BTS is and what they are doing with their music, yet still dare to badmouthing BTS, twisting others words, or making biased comments. They make themselves look bad by doing so.
Btw I don’t really care about the UN thing. I’m not an ARMY either. But even as a non Korean and a K-drama watcher, I love their music and listen to their songs almost everyday. Before I started listening to BTS’ songs, I’d been ignoring them for years because of my prejudice againts K-pop. I only cared about soloists and indie bands until I decided to watch one of their MVs (Spring Day). That song hit me really hard with the lyrics, the melodies, and the video. Never I imagined a boy group’s song could make me cry until Spring Day happened. Then I checked on their discography and I fell in love with most of their songs. For me, BTS may not be perfect but I always think they are so special, like, one of a kind!
I mean, I’m not delusional to think that they will bring about world peace or something, but it’s a youth initiative sponsored by Unicef and supporting it is a positive thing, but people here are going on as if BTS is the face of the UN Peacekeepers or the UN itself. Let’s at least get facts right, please.
I adnit that when I first heard of them I was like ‘huh just another kpop idol group with crazy fans’ but it turned out some of their songs were featured in dramas, I watched some of the videos and thought the music was really good. The rappers especially are great, they can really rap and they’re not the usual kpop ‘designated as rapper because they can’t sing’ type lol.
The speech is basically a summary of their entire discography spanning 12 albums.
People who don’t get BTS popularity probably haven’t read their entire discography. (If you read it and research the meaning, it can be as interesting as watching a coming of age drama. I don’t normally like k-pop, but their albums and real life raise to fame from underdog to worldwide star is fascinating.) Many singers have sung about social issues, but not many are capable of reaching the generation without sounding preachy. BTS lyrics raise discussions, and they aren’t speaking as though they know the answer. They are speaking as a peer and as a friend.
70% of BTS lyrics all have a message that isn’t just typical kpop ballads. Some can be in your face, some are reflective , somber, satirical and fun. There are also some that are downright cheesy, but all of these reflect on how relatable they are.
I don’t know all their songs or all the members’ names but I listened to their lead singles and it’s true, they’ve been singing about social issues and personal struggles from Day 1.
I’m really not an idol fan but I don’t know why these guys are being shit on as ‘nothing special’ ‘others did it first’ etc etc, they’re working with Unicef and not the UN Peacekeepers or something. Btw Unicef is the UN agency for children/youth, it’s the organisation Audrey Hepburn was an ambassador for during her life. You guys want to shit on her too?
The speech wasn’t that great pretty forgetful in my opinion. Their okay as a kpop group most of their hype is due to social media. Idol is pure garbage like all current pop music, so it fits right in with their peers. The UN is probably using their current popularity as a marketing tool we’ll see how long it last.