BTS’s Latest Appearance Had 57 Million People Basically Watching a Phone Ad
Tech giants sometimes team up with pop acts in order to reach a younger audience. Samsung is the master of this, as it is currently capitalizing on the success of the viral Korean act BTS. It’s the perfect match as BTS draws in new viewers for Samsung, and vice versa.
Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy S21 series. It’s the cheapest 5G flagship phone available from Samsung, and the success of its launch has a lot to do with the growing popularity of BTS. So what are the guys up to now?
BTS is a global sensation
BTS, also known as Beyond the Scene, is a Korean pop group. There are seven members, and the band has been heating up the airwaves since its debut in 2013.
One of the things that helped BTS reach a global audience is social media. The group is very active with fans online. In fact, their fans refer to themselves as ARMY. BTS often Tweets out to fans, and is also very active on YouTube.
The band is also not shy about addressing mental health issues. Where other artists tend to skirt around it, BTS encourages fans to discuss their problems. It’s just one of the many reasons why fans adore BTS.
BTS and Samsung team up
The Galaxy S21 launch with BTS brought Samsung some much-needed attention. It was viewed by 57 million people world wide. Considering the population of South Korea is 51 million, that means BTS is pulling in a large audience outside of South Korea.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has worked with BTS before. In fact, the Korean pop group has done a lot of work with Samsung.
Last year Samsung released a BTS edition of its Galaxy S20+ smartphone. It was an iridescent purple color, and displayed the band’s heart logo on the back. There were also matching purple earbuds, as well as pre-installed Android themes inspired by the band. While teaming up with a music group is not unheard of, it’s been especially lucrative for Samsung.
According to Yonhap News Agency, “South Korean companies see K-pop and its broader Korean Wave as soft power that can appeal to young people around the world and increase its relevance to them. Experts said the Korean Wave generated by K-pop and TV dramas could turn fans in foreign countries into active consumers of South Korean products.”
BTS is very busy
Many artists tend to have lulls in their career where things slow down, and they can take a break before coming back. BTS hasn’t slowed down since 2013. If anything, the K-Pop band is more active than ever.
COVID-19 means the band can’t do live concerts, but that hasn’t stopped the guys from interacting with fans or releasing new music. In 2020, BTS released it’s first song sung fully in English called “Dynamite.” The song was such a huge hit that it beat out superstars like Taylor Swift, and took the number one spot on Billboard for several weeks.
Fans are hopeful that BTS will finally get nominated for a Grammy Award for “Dynamite.” ARMY has been eager for BTS to finally get some well-earned recognition, and a Grammy nomination would be a step in the right direction.
While the K-Pop band got to perform with Lil Nas X for a remix of “Old Town Road,” at the 2020 Grammy Awards, it wasn’t enough to satisfy ARMY. Perhaps 2021 will be the year when BTS gets the recognition from the music industry it deserves.
