This week I sat down with a group of BTS fans from around the world and spent two hours listening to their stories. As a lot of the media hype and attention around them has either focused on their solo efforts or been replaced by the next generation of idols, I thought it would provide some nice distance from the unprecedented levels of success they were achieving as a group a few years back.

And so we explored different things together: When did they first discover BTS? What was the performance or the album that made them fall in love? How has their fandom affected their lives? What's their favorite song? How many of the dances can they do? Who's their favorite member? What makes them stand out from other groups?

Big thanks to the guests: Kit, Aishu, Celine, and Annis

Member

Thank you again to the paid Patreon member Bhavya.

Discussion Outline

0:00 Introduction

1:00 Discovering BTS

5:35 The Evolution of BTS

10:48 What Makes BTS Great?

15:30 The Seven Members

36:35 BTS and Mental Health

43:05 ARMY

52:30 BTS and Politics

1:00:35 BTS and the K-Pop Industry

1:04:20 Recommendations

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

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