FUSE TV - The Power in BTS' Pride in K-Pop

Despite how far K-pop has come in making inroads in America, before BTS it was extremely tough to say that the music scene had truly found its footing in America. Korean artists had been making respectable efforts to make their stateside mark for more than a decade with different plans of attack and mixed successes. But BTS' impact on America has been undeniable and seems to lay the groundwork for more acts to breakthrough here. But most importantly they've done all that with a keen sense of pride over where they come from and who they are as artists and humans.

But before we get into the deeper representation behind BTS' success, let's take a look at what the septet managed to accomplish this year alone. You ready? Take a deep breath.

In early 2017, BTS released a deluxe repackaged version of their Wings album, You Never Walk Alone, which spawned the single "Spring Day" that nearly charted on the Billboard Hot 100—arguably, the best metric to see popular musicians in America. The guys embarked on their U.S. Wings tour, playing five stadium shows in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, before returning in May for the Billboard Music Awards where they won the Top Social Artist award and accepted the award on television. Fast forward to September, BTS dropped their Love Yourself: Her EP that broke all records for K-pop albums (after the band already broke them with Wings) with a Top 10 debut and two Hot 100 singles with "DNA" and eventually their first Top 40 single with their "Mic Drop (Remix)." The guys booked their live U.S. television debut on the 2017 American Music Awards, which preceded a huge U.S. promo run including performances and/or interviews on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show With James Corden, E! News, and more. All the while the band continued to keep their social-media numbers super high, taking fans along for the experience the entire time on Twitter, Facebook, V Live and beyond.