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Kim, positioned across the runway of the stage, says she felt the same way growing up. “It was definitely one of those things where people were like, ‘Oh, you listen to what?’” she recalls.
Then came BTS, which Army often says “paved the way” for K-pop internationally. The group has five Grammy nominations and had four albums hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart faster than any group since The Beatles. “I feel like BTS has kind of helped open the doors… where people are like, ‘Oh! I actually know this group,’ and it’s not a joke,” Kim says.
By the time BTS rose to fame in the U.S. starting around 2015, I had moved away from K-pop, but came back to the genre in January 2022. As a newly minted BTS fan at the age of 23, I experienced the same rush I did as a preteen, but finally felt free to feel it with others.
“It’s not just the music, it’s the fandom, too,” says Ann, a fellow fan. Catherine, just a few feet away, says the same: “I always tell people, ‘A BTS concert is 80% because of the BTS members, and 20% is because of what you experience with the community… it’s not just acquaintances. We’re connected forever.’”
Essentially, we’ve found our people. And these people are Jung Kook’s people too. He works his way down the stage runway and takes time to fist bump the people who have been waiting for hours to see him and makes sure to throw in an, “I love you!”
Shivering on stage, Jung Kook asks the crowd, “Are you cold?” Yes, we are — but it’s worth it.
Although New York City is finally hitting colder autumnal temperatures, the electricity running between the fans that came together this morning is enough to keep anyone warm.
When he finally starts singing his first song — “Seven”, which has over 1 billion streams on Spotify — screams erupt, with cries of “king,” “slay” and “JKKKK” almost as loud as his music.
To stay warm before his next song, he hops around the stage, becoming the high-energy rabbit fans know him as (his internet avatar is a bunny). As soon as the music for “3D” hits, he’s back to being cool and relaxed, interacting with the crowd and making sure Army watching at home are as much a part of the experience, serenading the camera and reaching out to the lens. For them, the lyrics, “I can’t touch you through the phone” might not feel so true.
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