As group BTS declared it will not participate in the prestigious U.S. popular music awards show, the Grammy Awards, words of support from fans and celebrities around the world are pouring in.
According to the music industry on the 31st, "Aliens," a track on BTS's fifth album, unexpectedly took No. 1 on iTunes' Top Songs chart in 78 regions worldwide on the strength of streaming support from the fandom, ARMY.
The song likens the identity struggles and ambitions BTS members experienced as Koreans stepping onto the world stage to the word meaning alien or outsider. The lyrics convey a firm resolve not to be bound by standards set by others and to pioneer their own path, and their core message is that their difference and originality are their greatest weapon.
In particular, through this song, BTS also aimed sharp criticism at the Western mainstream pop music industry that envied or viewed their success with suspicion, singing, "You with only your eyes freakishly wide open say," in the lyrics.
It is unusual for an album track released some time ago to return to the top of the charts like this. This is analyzed as stemming from BTS's stance—refusing to participate in the Grammy Awards ceremony while saying, "Do not divide music by region or language"—which aligned with the song's lyrics. Fans around the world showed deep solidarity with the members' decision.
Meanwhile, ARMY has served as a strong support by organizing music purchases and streaming whenever BTS reached a major turning point or faced a new challenge in their music career. In Dec. last year, ahead of all the members' return, they also proved their formidable firepower by pushing "Anpanman," a song released in 2018, to the top of Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart.
Fans are also continuing a wave of support on social media (SNS), sharing hashtags with symbolic phrases backing the members' decision, such as "#WeStandWithBTS" and "Proud_of_BTS."
In addition, prominent cultural figures are actively joining in. Maggie Kang, a Korean Canadian director who helmed the Netflix animated title "K-Pop Demon Hunters," expressed solidarity by sharing news of BTS's Grammy Awards boycott on her SNS and adding a clapping effect.
Also lending support, American hit producer Mike Will Made-It, who helped produce the track, directly mentioned "BTS ALIENS" on SNS.
Earlier, on the 29th, BTS, through all members' SNS accounts, indirectly criticized the Grammys' creation of a "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category and declared they will not submit music to next year's Grammy Awards.