So, how’s your summer going? Good I hope. And mine? Well, at the time of this publication, the K-Pop boy group BTS will be arriving in Toronto in about a week and a half, from August 22 – 23, performing at Roger’s Stadium. And I’m going to be there. And I’m totally fine about it. Completely chill. Cucumber girl, as in ‘cool as a’.

I’m lying. Completely and utterly. I am not chill. I am so excited I am vibrating. And I’m most definitely not the only one. If you thought the city lost it’s mind over Taylor Swift coming get ready to be awash in purple and red, at least over that weekend if not longer.

I wrote a while back about my late-blooming love for K-Pop and how the band BTS really got me into the fandom. Now they’re coming back to the city for the first time since 2015, and it’s their first visit back to Canada in general since 2018, and I and a whole bunch of people couldn’t be happier.

So is the rest of the world too, it seems. They’ve been on tour since March, and all over the world the host cities are pulling out all the stops to welcome them back. The Las Vegas strip was lit up in red (the signature colour of their latest album Arirang). So was the London Eye. In Mexico City they were on a balcony with the President of Mexico saying hi to a massive crowd of local ARMY (the name of their fans, which stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth). Those are just a few examples of their global exploits so far.

And not to be outdone, Toronto is cooking up a few things too. The city council is currently working to temporarily name a part of Yonge Street ‘BTS Boulevard’ and to light up the city sign in purple, which is the group’s signature colour. (I’m hoping the CN Tower will also be lit up with red or purple, but haven’t heard any plans on that yet.)

So what’s going on? Why is one boy group selling out concert venues in 23 different countries around the world and being treated like royalty everywhere they go?

Well, let’s quickly begin at the beginning. BTS (which originally stood for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which means Bullet Proof Boy Scouts, but more recently it stands for Beyond the Scene), is a K-Pop boy group that first debuted in June of 2013 with the production company Big Hit Entertainment, now known just as BigHit Music under the parent company Hybe. Britannica has a recent post on the group’s history for a little more detail. Basically, they started off small, a group of 7 scrappy kids (the youngest member was just 15 when they debuted) trying to find their style, their sound and their strengths as a team. Over time, and with the help of the internet, their fan base grew, and with that growth came recognition from critics, awards, and massive viewing numbers on platforms like YouTube.

And then during the pandemic they were one of the first K-Pop groups to do what no other one had fully managed to do before, and that was to break through to the western part of the world. Releasing songs like ‘Dynamite‘ and ‘Butter‘ in English allowed them to get even more airtime and recognition in so corners of the world. ‘Dynamite’ topped charts in over 100 countries in 2020.

Then, as all able-bodied young men do in South Korea, the boys enlisted in the Korean army for their mandatory military service. They officially took a hiatus in 2022 and spent nearly four years either enlisted or working on solo projects.

And since March of this year, they have officially been back. Arirang dropped on March 20th, followed the next day but a free concert in Seoul, South Korea, which was streamed live on Netflix (I got up early that day to watch it). And since April they’ve been on tour, expected to last until next year. So far, they’ve had stops in South Korea, Japan, the US, the UK, Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Germany and France.

Very few artists in general have had the global appeal and level of devotion BTS has. What made these guys stand out? Well, there are a lot of different reasons. The seven members themselves are one reason. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook all have their own style, talents, personalities and passions, which comes across in their music and other things they do. The music is another reason. While it can be fun, bouncy and very catchy it can also be very deep, personal and relevant to a very wide audience. They definitely make use of social media to connect with fans. They’re open with serious topics like mental health, racism and vulnerability. They’re not afraid to experiment with their music, trying and mixing different genres. The list goes on.

Sometimes it’s hard to pin down why an artist or person or group resonates so much with so many people. Every fan has their own story of why these 7 people mean so much. A lot of stories may be different, but I think the sentiment remains the same: We’re very happy to have these guys and their music in our lives. And we’re thrilled they’re back.

To help celebrate the triumphant return of 7 to the 6ix, we have some things for you to check out. You can start with their artist page on Hoopla to start listening to their music. And I have my handy K-pop list on our catalogue with books and other resources about them and more artists and stories.

And whether you can make it to the concert or not, there are lots of things going on in the GTA that you may want to look into, whether you’re a fan or just curious about all the hubbub (The ROM is holding a scavenger hunt… and we have ROM passes to borrow. Just sayin’.)

Have fun that weekend everyone, however you spend it. Say hi to visiting ARMY with a little finger heart and keep on swimming.