A decade of BTS: Why every ARMY takes the K-pop boy band's success personally

“If we helped your dream and your life a bit by our existence, our music, our performance, our pictures or videos, even if it's not big, if we could reduce your pain from 100 to 99, 98 or 97, that makes our existence worth it.” — RM, Wings Tour Final, December 2017

It has been more than a decade since the quiet ambition of seven members grew into something the world still can't get enough of. The journey of K-pop boy band BTS has resonated with thousands of fans worldwide who proudly call themselves the ARMY. The band's journey, their achievements, and their global stardom – it has always felt personal to fans worldwide, including me. And honestly, it is long overdue that I say so.

It was one fine sunny morning in 2014, with nothing particularly important going on, that I found BTS on YouTube- my go-to platform for music. The first song to catch my attention was 'We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2', along with the band's dance steps, in a language which I couldn't understand and which was totally alien to me. I had to Google and search for it. Being more curious and listening to more songs of the band, including ‘No More Dream’ and ‘Boy in Luv’, gave me the chance to learn something new. I didn't know then that I was signing up to be part of their fandom forever.

Although there are several BTS songs in my playlist, Magic Shop is the one I always go back to. On days when self-doubt and loneliness creep in, or when heartbreak makes everything feel heavy, Magic Shop never fails to lift my mood. There are portions of the lyrics that hit hard every single time — “I want to take away your sadness, your pain. On days when you hate that you are you, on days when you want to disappear forever — let's make a door in your heart.” Open the door and this place will be waiting for you. It is okay to believe; it will comfort you, this Magic Shop." That feeling of BTS sitting with you and listening, healing your troubles at the same time all through a song, is something only an ARMY would truly understand.

The isolation of being an Indian ARMY in 2014

Let me give you a teeny tiny bit of context. In 2014, with me beginning to like BTS's music, no one around me knew what I was even talking about. Although friends would be curious, with most asking, ‘Which language is this?’ 'What are you listening to?' They just didn't get it, despite the viral song Gangnam Style by PSY (which was released in 2012). There was no judgment, just genuine confusion. Korean music, why? But I only ever had one answer: ‘I like listening to them.’ It gives me peace.'

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One year in and ‘The Most Beautiful Moment’ happened!

2015 came with BTS, and so did The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, an album that hit me differently from anything before it. Emotional, but happy at the same time. Still in college and still figuring out what I was trying to do in life and who I was, their music helped me understand a bit more about myself and to strive for more. Then came 2016, and with it Wings — in which each member had their own solo track. Lie by Jimin, Stigma by V, Begin by Jungkook, Awake by Jin, First Love by Suga, Reflection by RM, and Mama by J-Hope. Oh yes — not to forget Intro: Boy Meets Evil as the introductory track. Within two years, I saw the fandom growing and the world slowly starting to pay attention. That particular feeling of them finally being acknowledged and receiving the love they deserved is something I will never forget, even today.

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As mentioned at the beginning, what RM said during the 2017 Wings Tour final stayed with me long after I watched and listened to it on YouTube. I pondered over it and sat with it for a long time. The statement made ARMY realise how their songs have actually helped them in many ways.

At the UN General Assembly in 2018, all seven members stood in a room full of world leaders, and RM said, "Speak yourself.” I watched it on my laptop, alone, and became an emotional wreck. Because nobody around me could understand what this moment meant to me, what the journey had been, and how far this was from a dance video on YouTube in 2014. The excitement, the pride, the "do you understand what just happened?" feeling. The concert livestreams were watched at odd hours because of time zones. Trying to explain to people why you were emotional about a Korean pop group standing at the United Nations. Most people around me were curious but still didn't quite get it, and that was okay.

Their success has never felt distant to me. Not the Billboard, not Wembley, none of it, because I wasn't watching from outside. I had been on this journey even before it became a journey worth talking about. I had watched every live performance on a screen, stayed up for comeback announcements, and cared about these seven people with a consistency that had outlasted almost everything else from that period of my life.

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After the release of Proof in 2022, a deep silence and emptiness set in as all seven left for military service. The whole world waited. I waited!

After four long years, BTS made a comeback with a bang, releasing their album Arirang, and it has been on loop ever since, be it 'Aliens', 'Normal', 'Into the Sun' or 'One More Night'. All are my favourites.

I still have not had the opportunity to witness their live performance. Every concert, so far, has been on a screen. But that made my feelings for the band more intense. Their livestreams, their stadium tours, the award show performances, there is something about experiencing that kind of joy through a screen that never gets old. Every single time felt like the first time.

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Since 2014! More than a decade and still counting. Still watching every live concert video I can find. Still feeling their wins like my own. Still an ARMY. And not for a single moment have I regretted it.