OpinionAbba did it, and so are BTS – singing in English to reach a bigger audience and sell more albums. It doesn’t mean they’re selling out, as Netflix’s This Is Pop reminds us

Much of what artists and experts say in This Is Pop, Netflix series, about breaking out as a Big, Global Pop Star applies to K-pop group BTS’ quest for success

Put simply, their message is that you are going to have it much harder if you don’t play by the rules of the US music industry because of its dominance

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BTS’s original English singles –Dynamite, Butter and Permission to Dance – are enthusiastically upbeat and not necessarily the sort of music they otherwise produce. Photo: Hybe

Published: 5:45pm, 25 Jul 2021Updated: 5:45pm, 25 Jul 2021

“We said, ‘if we are allowed to sing in English, we must’.”

So says Benny Andersson of Swedish pop group Abba in This Is Pop, a new Netflix documentary that dropped in June – but these words could just have easily been uttered by a member of BTS.

The K-pop group’s Permission to Dance, which topped the US Billboard’s Hot 100 in the week beginning July 18, is their fifth No 1 on the prestigious music chart. Of those five, only one – last year’s Life Goes On – was in Korean; the rest have been in English.

This has led to debate about the localisation and anglicisation of BTS’ music for the American music market. Their original English singles – Dynamite, Butter and Permission to Dance – are enthusiastically upbeat and not necessarily typical of BTS’ singles.

Permission to Dance is BTS’ fifth No 1 on the US Billboard’s Hot 100. Photo: YouTube

Opinions vary as to whether this is the right move for BTS. Some declare it a new venture and era for the group and others question whether the band are “selling out” while trying to appease a sizeable US market. The group has been forthright that they are aiming for a Grammy win with their latest releases.