alyssa avila,
Feature: ARMYs with Luv: From Fandoms to Friendships
Kim Namjoon! Kim SeokJin! Min Yoongi! Jung Hoseok! Park Jimin! Kim Taehyung! Jeon Jungkook! BTS! This is what BTS's (방탄소년단) fans, called the “ARMY”, chants on top of their lungs. It was first heard when they debuted on June 13, 2013, at Mnet's M Countdown and performed their first hip-hop single "2COOL 4 SKOOL". BTS is a seven-member South Korean boy group formed in 2013. The group is handled for almost seven years by the producer Bang Si Hyuk, the CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, which is now Big Hit Labels.
THE GAME IS ON. BTS poses in front of the camera before they perform their newest single "ON" at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/bts_bighit
ARMY stands for Adorable Representative Master of Ceremonies for the Youth and also has a deeper meaning behind it. The word “army” is linked to military and body armor; BTS also means Bulletproof Boy Scouts, which is a military person in South Korea. Basically, the ARMYs and BTS will always be together since a military person is always connected to his army. Some of the ARMYs have supported the group since the beginning when the group is still a rookie. Their fandom started only from hundreds, but now, they are growing into millions; up to this day, they are continuously increasing in numbers.
In the Twitter world, some ARMYs share their stories on how they found friends because of their love for BTS. ARMYs met their new friends either at the BTS concert, official events, fanmade events, or even just on Twitter. The friendship of Aya and Gaby, who have been friends since the debut of BTS in 2013, was strengthened when they knew that they were members of the ARMY. Here's the story of how Aya and Gaby's friendship blossomed because of BTS.
Aya did not like BTS at first. She even teased her cousin that BTS's members are ugly, but joke's on her, she loves BTS now. Thanks to her cousin playing BTS's Tear Album on loop, Aya was exposed to their songs. Initially, she was not fond of it because she is a fan of English music, and she doesn't even know what they were singing about because it is in Korean. But then Aya's cousin played a lyric video of BTS's "The Truth Untold," unexpectedly Aya cried. The song talks about a guy who's putting on a mask just to see his loved one because he is too afraid to show his damaged and broken side, metaphorically, he is someone who is afraid to show his real self to others, and this message touched Aya's heart.
Luckily, BTS has a variety show like RUN BTS, a show that aims to connect them to their fans, where ARMYs can see BTS’s dork side through the program. It shows how the group enjoys the game that they are playing, how they tease each other, and how they treat each other as a friend and as a family. Aya and her cousin binge-watch all of the episodes of RUN BTS and thought that they were funny, and all the members are really close to each other. When the BTS dropped their music video, Aya and her cousin decided to watch it. She saw the way the group danced, and as a dancer herself, she was thrilled to learn the choreography. Now, Aya admires BTS' cuteness, voice, and dance.
Early June, Aya expressed her feelings for the group by painting all the members of BTS.
BULLETPROOF. Scanned photo of Aya's artwork for their K-Pop merchandise function last year. Photo Credit: Gaby Cabalu
The news about the "biggest boy group in the world: BTS" spreads as the group debuts their single "FAKE LOVE" at the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) 2018 stage. Their performance's clips were all over the internet. Gaby saw their dance video and was amazed by their powerful movements. So what Gaby did was to search for their names and learn more about who they are. She watched a lot of video compilations about BTS's dance, singing, and also their funny moments.
Lots of BTS's music talks about finding yourself, loving yourself, and even about the unfairness of the world, which resonates with Gaby and made Gaby love them even more. Their music helps Gaby in times when she is down and when she needs it the most. Just like one of their lines, "You've shown me I have reasons, I should love myself" in their song "Answer: Love Myself" Gaby was inspired, motivated, and made her feel validated. "For some reason, they always calm me down, and I will be forever grateful for that," Gaby said.
The group, BTS, is known for including their opinion, thoughts, and feelings in their music, like expressing and loving yourself. For Gaby, they stand out as an artist because they are not afraid to voice out their opinions in such matters. Lastly, she said that "They have huge hearts, and I'm just glad I stanned them. Best decision of my life".
Becoming an avid fan of BTS is how Aya and Gaby became closer. They always talked about how they love the members and feel motivated by just listening to the group's music. They even streamed the "Comebacks," the newly released music video of the group, together and shared their thoughts with each other. The two also celebrated the birthdays of each member together.
BIRTHDAY. Gaby (Left) and Aya (Right) celebrates Jimin's Birthday at the Black Scoop Cafe, SM North Edsa. Photo Credit: Gaby Cabalu
The two girls feel calm when they are together, and knowing BTS is always by their side even if it's just their music. The group makes them appreciate, value, and love themselves when they are at their lowest. Knowing BTS at the same time strengthened and deepened their friendship.
Yes, BTS sings in a language that we do not speak, but through their music, BTS is able to connect to the people and their fans. They prove that music is indeed a universal language. A language that breaks barriers and connects people around the world. Aya and Gaby's friendship is proof that through BTS, we can either find a new friend or strengthen an existing bond. //by Alyssa Avila
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