Ashley
BTS has become increasingly popular in the United States, to the point of performing and attending major music award shows such as the American Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. The group, despite the fame, continues to remain humble. On May 20th, when they won the Top Social Artist for the second year in a row, they made sure to thank their loyal fanbase in both English and Korean like they always do. Of course, every artist will say that they love their fans the most, but it is undeniable that there is a special idol-fan relationship between BTS and their fanbase, ARMY.
The group is redefining the idol-fan relationship in more ways than one. There is an almost constant stream of interaction between the boys and their fans. They post on their twitter account daily with photos and videos of themselves for ARMYs to see. RM, the leader of the group, enjoys posting songs that he likes so that ARMYs can enjoy the songs as well.
They also have a YouTube account where they post different kinds of videos such as performances, random moments, or covers of songs. The boys can post different kinds of videos that they make. Jungkook, for example, posts videos of the boys in their free time for ARMYs to see that he calls Golden Closet Films.
On their YouTube channel they also have a documentary about their lives on tour. When asked about the documentary, BTS: Burn The Stage, RM said they knew it was hard for ARMYs to watch some parts, like when the group was in pain. He told Entertainment Tonight, “We wanted to share like many more things.”. The group strives to be honest and open with fans.
BTS continues to make sure that they have a close and loving idol-fan relationship with their fans, and in return, ARMYs do the same. ARMYs work hard to make sure that the boys are not only loved but protected. For a more detailed look at ARMYs love for BTS, click here.
One way the fans try to protect the boys is with the Purple Ribbon project. The goal is to use purple ribbons to make a barrier to protect the boys from people getting too close. BTS appreciate the efforts fans make to keep them safe. “That’s really an amazing thing,” RM told Access as he spoke about the Purple Ribbon project. “Our fan is angel,” Jin added. “They are so kind.”.
Of course, fans can also write and send letters to the boys. While most western idol-fan relationships don’t typically involve writing letters the idol-fan relationship between BTS and ARMY does. ARMYs were touched when V (Kim Taehyung) responded to a fan letter sent to him by a nine-year-old boy. The young fan wrote to thank V for being his friend when he didn’t have any. V responded by thanking the little boy, Jihoo, for enjoying the group’s music and added that he would be Jihoo’s friend.
BTS also use the app V Live to communicate directly with their fans by going live and responding to comments that ARMYs leave for them while ARMYs give hearts to show their love for the boys. It is safe to say that BTS and ARMY are inseparable, but they wouldn’t want it any other way.
What do you think of the love BTS and ARMY have for each other? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @ForeverBTScom
