BTS Get Global, Darker With 'Love Yourself: Tear' Album Release
After operating out of South Korea and converting curious Internet kids and YouTube viewers into a full-fledged fandom army, BTS appear ready to embrace their status as global superstars.
Enlisting the likes of Steve Aoki, MNEK and Beyoncé's go-to engineer DJ Swivel to combine their songwriting and production talents, the K-pop boy band phenoms reveal their new album Love Yourself: Tear today with a rollout appropriate only for the world's biggest musicians. Tear is the band's first time releasing an album on a Friday (instead of the usual early weekday releases typically seen in their native Korea), aligning with the West's established global release day that maximizes performance on America's definitive Billboard charts. Instead of promoting at home before bringing the music to overseas fans, BTS' first performance of experimental new single "Fake Love" will be at this Sunday's Billboard Music Awards, sharing a stage with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Shawn Mendes and Ariana Grande. And while the lead-up to the album release saw BTS shifting expectations for Korean-pop acts, the music itself positions them away from any dismissive boy bands or pop star labels.
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