BTS is a South Korean pop (hip-hop influenced) group consisting of RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook. The group’s name is an acronym for ‘Bangtan Sonyeondan’ (방탄소년단) which translates into ‘Bulletproof Boy Scouts.’

The group is currently one of the most recognized music acts worldwide, and holds over 20 Guinness World Records, and won over 350 main music awards.

The members are heavily involved in their music production, 90 percent of their lyrics are penned by them and some of them also act as producers.

BTS combines various genres of music, ranging from pop sounds like on “I Need U,” hip-hop (“욱 (UGH!)”) or moombahton (“피 땀 눈물 (Blood Sweat & Tears)”), to British rock in “봄날 (Spring Day).” Lyrically, they lean heavily on the struggles and excitement of youth, but they also criticize social issues through songs like “뱁새 (Silver Spoon)” and “Am I Wrong,” causing them to be perceived as one of the more socially conscious k-pop artists.

The combination of their musical storytelling and aesthetic, powerful and heavily choreographed stage performances, and sneak peeks into their daily life through social media has earned them a loyal fanbase called ARMY.

The septet debuted on June 13, 2013, with “No More Dream,” of their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool, which encourages their listeners to achieve their dreams. Throughout their various mini albums and a first studio album, Dark & Wild, BTS continued to display a rebellious concept with the addition of a newfound romance. The studio album also marked the end of the ‘school era.’

In 2015, they wholly evolved through ‘HYYH (The Most Beautiful Moment In Life) era,’ releasing three albums and defining themselves through referencing youth-related struggles and mental health in their lyrics.

In 2016 they released their second studio album, Wings. The album thematically deals with temptation and growth and is heavily inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel, Demian.

In 2017 the group revealed a new brand identity—the new logo and they extended their name with ‘Beyond the Scene’ as the additional acronym for BTS. The group also began their ‘Love Yourself’ era and a year later released their third studio album, Love Yourself: Tear. Following this, BTS became the first-ever K-pop group to win the Billboard Music Award. They went on to win this award for the second time in 2018, overtaking other international superstars, and they debuted their song, “FAKE LOVE” on television at the BBMAs, another feat never seen before in the K-pop industry.

Also in 2017, as the first Korean artist, BTS joined the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to stage campaigns against violence toward children and teens around the world. One year later, BTS made history by being the first K-pop group to speak at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and were awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea for the contribution to Korean culture.

In 2019 with a mini album they started the ‘Map of the Soul’ era. Following this, they were nominated for and earned two Billboard Music Awards—Top Social Artist and Top Duo/Group, becoming the first K-pop group to achieve the latter.

Their fourth studio album, Map of The Soul: 7, was released in 2020, and become #1 Album of 2020 Worldwide.

In September 2020, BTS became the first Korean act to hit #1 on Billboard Hot 100 with their first English language song as a lead artist, “Dynamite.” The song broke numerous worldwide records, including three Guinness World Records. The group held #1 simultaneously on seven Billboard charts. Just a few weeks later, BTS scored #1 on Billboard Hot 100 with the second song—“Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) [BTS Remix].”

The fifth Korean studio album, BE, was released on November 20, 2020, with the lead single “Life Goes On.” The single debuted at # 1 on Billboard Hot 100, the first predominantly non-English-language song to do so. They later became the first Korean pop artist to be nominated for the GRAMMY Awards (for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Dynamite”).

Following that, in May, the group released their second English language song as a lead artist, “Butter.” The song debuted simultaneously at #1 on four main Billboard US charts, and broke numerous records, including these set previously by “Dynamite.”

After seven weeks on #1 with “Butter,” BTS replaced themselves on top and debuted on it their next single, “Permission to Dance,” making them the first group in history to earn four #1 debuts on the Billboard Hot 100, and the first group in history to replace their #1 debut song with another #1 debut song.