As one of the most popular groups in the world,
BTS has helped bring K-pop into the homes of music lovers in dozens of countries,
but it’s not the easiest job in the world. Here are some of the rules that BTS must follow.
BTS is known for hit love songs, but members of Big Hit Music are reportedly restricted
from dating. In BTS' song "A Typical Trainee Christmas," RM seemed to allege as much.
He sings,
"I have no girlfriend because our debut is soon. [...] Ha,
idols are getting married yet we separate male and female trainees? What's the point?
We can't love so how do we write love songs? If it were up to me, I'd encourage dating."
Big Hit Music hasn't publicly stated Idols are forbidden from dating, but it's widely speculated
that the management company follows a policy similar to rival K-pop entertainment group JYP
Entertainment, whose founder once stated that he, quote, "advises" Idols to "not meet friends and
only stay focused on practicing for three years" following their debut, according to SCMP. Still,
dating rumors create a constant swirl of speculation around BTS and other K-pop groups.
In fact, some BTS members have been rumoured to be dating members of other K-pop bands.
K-pop groups mean big money both in the South Korean and international financial markets,
with many businesses invested in the entertainment groups. The success of K-pop groups has not only
stimulated the financial sector through massive endorsement deals and an increase
in tourism revenue to South Korea, it has also resulted in tangible jobs. BTS' 2020
song "Dynamite" made so much money for the South Korean economy that it helped recover
almost 8,000 jobs that had been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Asia Scot.
Big Hit Music, which has made millions in merchandise, album,
and concert ticket sales from BTS, are rumored to have a strict 'no scandal' rule for their artists.
Any type of scandal, whether it involves drinking, drugs, romantic relationships, or political views,
is heavily discouraged among all four of the big K-pop entertainment groups — SM
Entertainment, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and Big Hit Music.
In an interview with CNN, Korean music industry executive Bernie
Cho pointed out that scandals can have a massive financial impact since, quote,
"many of the biggest Korean music management companies are also publicly traded stocks."
For example, following negative news coverage, including the discovery that
Triple H's Hyuna and E-Dawn were dating, Cube Entertainment's stock price reportedly dipped.
In a 2020 interview, TXT singers Soobin and
Yeonjun said Big Hit Music mandated that all their trainees workout regularly and stick to
a strict and limited diet. The singers recalled one day during their training period when someone
brought in pig's feet, a delicacy that was not included on their list of approved food items.
With BTS sharing the same management team, it's highly likely that they too would be expected to
adhere to the same training regimen and dietary restrictions. Granted, Soobin and Yeonjun seemed
to imply that their dietary restrictions were eased once they went from trainee to idol. But,
considering the intricate dance moves and highly choreographed performances by BTS,
both at award shows and during their concerts, it's likely that band members are willing
to adhere to workouts and nutritional guidelines set out by professionals in
order to maintain the energy necessary to deliver their show-stopping performances.
In May 2021, McDonalds launched a BTS-themed meal in 50 countries around the world,
with each meal differing slightly depending on where K-pop fans were ordering their McNuggets.
The special edition meals have seen success in most markets,
and even sold out in several McDonalds. But we have to wonder: Can BTS members even eat the meal?
Members of BTS are continuing to pop up as featured artists on songs by their
fellow pop stars, but the musicians have never appeared in music videos without
all seven members, which could be a rule put in place by management or
a group decision to appear only as a cohesive whole on-screen.
RM has a guest verse on the remix for Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," but does not appear in the
video. The entire group did, however, perform with the American rapper at the 2020 Grammys.
J-Hope and Suga lent their vocals to a remix of Jason Derulo's "Savage Love,"
but the only music videos featuring the BTS members with Derulo have been made by fans
and are not official releases. Suga also has a verse on former Nickelodeon star
and American singer Max's song "Blueberry Eyes," but did not appear in the music video.
On the flip side, if an artist collaborates with BTS as a whole,
they typically do appear in the official music video. This was the case with Halsey,
who appeared on the group's single "Boy With Luv" and joined the seven-piece group
for a highly choreographed dance breakdown in the 2019 music video.
Following the release of the first video in August 2018, scenes of Nicki Minaj rapping
her verse for BTS' remix of their single "Idol" were added to a second video in September 2018.
Whether you've seen BTS perform at the American Music Awards, on Good Morning America,
or in any of their music videos, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the band is expected to
adhere to a strict rehearsal schedule when preparing to release new music.
Their fast-paced dance moves and highly stylized choreography is
consistently delivered with precision and impeccable timing by all seven members,
a feat that is only achieved through three things — practice, practice, and practice.
BTS said they'll often practice their new songs and dance moves for hours a day in preparation
for concerts and TV appearances. RM said in a 2018 BBC interview,
"When we're getting ready for an album, we just remove all of the scheduling for
a month, [...] and we just spend [it] practicing and working for the music.
When we have no schedule in one month, it's a big deal."
"We practiced it, like, 12 hours, from 12 hours or 15 hours a day."
It's rumored that BTS members must have all hairstyle changes approved before cutting
and coloring their hair, but some band members have pushed back on the rule. Jin
released a video in 2018 saying that he was tired of bleaching his natural black hair,
because of how, quote, "dry and damaged" it had gotten.
He said,
"I've been promoting with blonde hair, but the roots started growing out a lot
and it didn't look great on TV. I didn't want to do root touch-ups."
After an hour-long meeting among members of the management team,
it was agreed that Jin could go back to black — for a while, anyway.
The singer also added that he often pushes back on
his team's rule that he needs to keep his hair short, saying,
"I have chubby cheeks. If I have a short haircut, it makes my chin stand out."
Of course, we expect Jin’s hair style will
continue to evolve as long as he’s in the public eye.
BTS is one of the most-followed
groups on the planet, boasting an impressive four-year streak as Twitter's most popular
musical act in the world. As of this video, the K-pop superstars have over 30 million Twitter
followers and more than 47 million Instagram followers. The group's efforts — with help
from their massive international fan base, “Army,” work to bring awareness to social causes through
social media, including the global mobilization of the Black Lives Matter movement — have had
significant results. According to Reuters, after BTS donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter
organization in June 2020, the group's fans used a hashtag, #MatchAMillion, to organize
their efforts and collectively donate another $1 million, which, amazingly, took just over a day.
Part of BTS' online success comes from band members focusing all their communication and
promotional efforts through group accounts. None of the members of BTS have their own
personal accounts, which may be a rule put in place by management or yet another decision
by the band to maintain a united front. By focusing all their social media messaging
and announcements on label-run social media accounts that represent all seven members of BTS,
fans only have one place to go to get the official word on all news related to the K-pop supergroup,
which clearly helps to maintain their social media dominance.
"Here we are! BTS!"
While BTS have several rules they must abide by, there are some cases where
the band's popularity has led to rules being bent in their favor. Starting at 18 years old,
all able-bodied Korean men must begin serving 20 months in the military, either before or
by the time they turn 28. On December 1, 2020, a surprising revision to the Military Service Act in
Korea was made that allows members of K-pop groups to delay their mandatory military service for an
additional two years. The timing of the act's passage was particularly serendipitous for Jin,
who would have been required to start his military service by no later than December 4, 2020.
Referred to as the 'BTS Law,' the revision to the military rule is a first for pop musicians,
but an exception to mandatory military service not totally unheard of for famous Koreans.
Successful athletes who represent Korea at the Olympics or other international sporting events
have previously been exempt from mandatory military service. The military exemptions are
typically made for Koreans who have made positive contributions to their country,
which definitely includes BTS. The group was honored with the
fifth-class Order of Cultural Merit from the President of Korea in 2018
thanks to their contributions to bringing K-pop music to international audiences.
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