BTS

With appearances on Billboard's Hot 100 and World Albums charts, a performance at the American Music Awards, and a nod in Forbes magazine for being the most retweeted music act on Twitter in March 2016, boy band BTS holds the distinction of being one of the few South Korean pop acts to not only gain international fame, but also break out into the U.S. mainstream consciousness. The group formed in 2012 after more than a year of auditions and lineup changes. The seven who made the cut performed under the individual names J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Suga and V. At the outset, the group's style drew directly from hip-hop, but over time they evolved an eclectic range of songs that dabbled in R&B, neo soul and rock, to name a few. The group's full name, Bangtan Boys, came from a Korean phrase that literally meant "Bulletproof Boy Scouts." Thematically, the songs of BTS expressed empathy with youth culture and dealt with a broad range of social issues including feminism, mental health and the treatment of minority groups. Their message clearly resonated with audiences both at home and abroad. Their modestly performing debut single album, "2 Cool 4 Skool" (2013), was followed by two more albums to form a trilogy, the last of which hit No. 1 on South Korea's Gaon Music Chart. Re-recordings of their hits in Japanese accelerated the growth of a fanbase in that country, and they began touring in Korea and Japan. By 2015, they had captured the world's attention. They became the first K-pop group to hold the top spot on both the Gaon Album and Billboard World Albums charts thanks to their EP "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2," which also made it on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. market. BTS closed out the year with a performance at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, where they won a special award for Best World Performer. The group continued climbing charts internationally as their live tours expanded to cover Australia and the Americas. In 2017, they scored more K-pop firsts by performing at the American Music Awards and on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest" (ABC, 1972- ). Parallel to their songs' positive messages, BTS engaged with various charities. They created the Love Myself campaign with the purpose of assisting child victims of abuse and assault. The iconic singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder recognized the group's influence and personally invited BTS to appear in "Dream Still Lives" (2018), a video tribute to civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. BTS' uplifting songs and efforts to aid the global community continued to garner the group international fame and adoration.