Future Asian & Pacific History Month: Why BTS Has Global Appeal

Fuse is celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month by looking at a variety of rising forces who are creating Future Asian and Pacific History before our eyes. On Sunday, May 21, BTS created a major moment at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards when they won Top Social Artist, becoming the first K-pop group to win an award at the annual show. 

The seven-member boy band won the award over Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes and Ariana Grande thanks to a heavy commitment to their social accounts (which include more than 26 million followers across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and their V app) and their dedicated fans voting for them, but there's a deeper reason to why there's so much excitement over the septet.

While they aren't the first, BTS are the latest K-pop act focusing their music on social, mental and political issues to connect with an international audience. Songs like "Blood Sweat & Tears" or "I Need U" talk about being dangerously in love, but other tracks like "Whalien 52" heartbreakingly detail loneliness while "Spring Day" acts an inspiration anthem. It's been a focus on more personal and relatable topics that have helped BTS fans—affectionately known as Army—connect on an even deeper level with the pop act which has parlayed into an overwhelming amount of support that saw the group earn K-pop's biggest sales week in America and ultimately help them win their BBMA.