Top things you need to know about BTS now

Find out how this ARTIST is dominating international charts (and fans' hearts)

At a glance, South Korean boy band Bangtan Boys (BTS) are the complete K-Pop package - they are multi-talented young men with good looks. The seven-member group has recently been conquering music charts, not only in Korea but also in the U.S. Their newly released album, Love Yourself: Her, debuted at No. 7 on Billboard 200 album chart, making it the highest-ranked album by a Korean artist. They also became the highest-charting K-Pop group to land on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with their title track, DNA.
But, why are they so popular? Well, here's what makes them stand out from others in the K-Pop industry: 
They compose and produce socially-conscious music
BTS, who debuted under agency Big Hit Entertainment in 2013, decided to take on a non-traditional path in music.
"BTS ultimately stands out in K-Pop for their emphasis on singing about relatable and realistic topics," says Jeff Benjamin, Billboard.com's K-pop columnist.
The Korean artist tackles personal and controversial subjects - politics, loneliness, mental health, adolescence, even women's empowerment - that resonated with fans all over the world.
"Listeners are not only finding a group that is entertaining and skilled, but someone who represents their voices in topics they aren't seeing discussed in the media," he adds.
Writer Taylor Glasby, a freelance K-Pop writer based in the U.K. who has tracked closely the group's releases, says: "They've become excitingly diverse with their sound, bringing in everything from trap to rock to EDM, and as idols who help write and produce their own work, they know best how to use their talents for each track." 
They are K-Pop's social media kings
BTS has a huge fan following and lively presence on social media, which made them the most retweeted artist last year. They were also named one of The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet in 2017 by TIME magazine. After their win at the Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist, previously won by pop sensation Justin Bieber six years in a row, BTS proved themselves as this year's kings of social media in the fan-voted category.
The K-pop group regularly connect with fans through live broadcasts and web videos that feature behind-the-scenes clips of the group while travelling, rehearsing, performing and more.
"I like the way they're always giving back to the fans and constantly interact with them in more ways than an ordinary artist-fan relationship," says Admin Ren from BTS UAE, one of the biggest BTS fan Twitter accounts in the country.
They've got an ARMY of fans
BTS has legion of fans, known as A.R.M.Y. - Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth, and their Billboard win was due to devoted fans, who tweeted #BTSBBMAS more than 300 million times. 
BTS UAE on Twitter created a mass request project with the help of A.R.M.Y.s in the UAE and others around the world by tweeting and requesting various UAE radio stations to play BTS' title track, DNA. The song successfully aired on Virgin Radio Dubai and Radio 1 UAE, while Tag 91.1 played it as part of their reaction segment.
BTS' new album was soon spotted on the UAE iTunes store after fans conducted a joint project with other international fanbases to make it available to listeners in the Middle East. 
"After the news spread, DNA became the #1 track and their new album Love Yourself: Her topped the UAE iTunes charts," says Admin Kim, the head admin of BTS UAE.  
Samar Khouri is an Australian/Lebanese Masters of Journalism student at The University of Melbourne. Having lived in metropolitan and multicultural Dubai, she loves being exposed to diverse cultures, music, movies and languages. She can be reached on thesamarproject@gmail.com