2016 has been a great year for the music industry. This year, music lovers got a chance to listen to really good albums. On one hand, artists like Adele, Halsey, Bruno Mars and others were ruling the charts, on the other hand, there was one group that was slowly and steadily preparing to steal the show.
We are talking about a South Korean Pop band BTS aka Bangtan Boys.
2016 has been a phenomenal year for the band. The boy band who has a massive fan base garnered attention in both the English music industry as well as the K-Pop industry.
BTS made its debut in the year 2013. Within the span of 3 years, this boy band has broken all the records that ever existed for K-Pop artists. A few weeks ago, BTS topped Billboard Social 50 chart leaving behind artists like Lady Gaga and Shawn Mendes.
The band released its second studio album Wings in the month of October this year. The album got thumbs up from both the fans as well as the critics.
This is evident from the fact that the album charted on the Billboard 200 at number 26, making it the highest charting and best-selling K-pop album on the chart. It also became the first album to spend more than one week on the chart.
The first single from the album “Blood, Sweat & Tears” is a standalone masterpiece. This visually enticing single was released on 10th October and within 24 hours of its release, the music video got 6.3 million views. All thanks to the A.R.M.Y, on October 13, it was reported that “Blood, Sweat & Tears” had become the fastest K-pop music video by a group to reach 10 million views.
What was so special about this album? In a press conference, the leader of the band Rap Monster explained the concept of Wings:
“This album is a story of a boy who has been tempted, but it is also a story of growth.”
Referring to Blood, Sweat & Tears, he said, “It’s a song that shows how one thinks, chooses, and grows”. The song features a part where V develops “Wings” also the title of the song. Symbolism as its backdrop, the album talks about boys’ growth.
As Suga said,
“Even if you meet the temptation in reality, it has a positive meaning to fly away with your wings.”
The album comprises of seven solo singles by the band members and each solo single builds up the narrative for the next.
Apart from the achievements BTS got in the social sphere, let’s talk about the things they achieved in the musical realm. Here is the list of awards the band won in the year 2016:
- Top 10 Artists Award– Melon Music Awards
- Weekly Popularity Award (October 24)– Melon Popularity Award
- Best Album Of The Year Award– Melon Music Awards
- Disk Bonsang for The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1– Golden Disk Awards
- Bonsang Award-Seoul Music Awards
- K-Pop World Hallyu Star Award-Gaon K-Pop Chart Awards
- Popular Culture Award– Korean Popular Culture and Arts Award
- Best Icon Award (Male)– Asia Artist Award
- Best Artist Award (Male)– Asia Artist Award
BTS has announced the tour dates for 2017. The news was a treat for International fans as the tours ‘dates comprise of US Arena tours as well.
So far so good. 2016 seems to be the year when the members’ hard work is bearing the fruit. We wish the band the best for the coming years.
What is your best BTS moment in the year 2016? Tell us @CelebMix .