How BTS conquered the US: K-pop is changing to win over global audiences with smart social media, new technologies and cute YouTube videos

Feb 23 , 2021

BTS might be the biggest boy band on the planet, so how did K-pop win over a global audience, and where can it go next? Photo: Big Hit Labels/YouTube

Former JYP Entertainment staffer Yun Sun-mi worked with 2PM, SF9, Miss A and Cherry Bullet before publishing an insider’s account of the K-pop machine

Big Hit Signal examines the industry behind BTS and Blackpink, and looks ahead to Hallyu’s fourth wave with tech-savvy groups like Wonder Girls to Aespa

The global success of boy band BTS has left countless heads being scratched in an attempt to explain K-pop’s sudden, meteoric rise in the mainstream US market. The band members’ savvy use of social media to interact with fans worldwide and realistic, captivating lyrics addressing universal experiences are two factors often credited with helping the Korean septet roar up the global music charts.

BTS 2020 promo pic. Photo: Big Hit Entertainment

In the age of social media, relationships with fans have become more important than ever, and the K-pop industry has been forced to take note. In the past, looks mattered above all else and stars were kept at a distance to maintain their mystique. Nowadays talent agencies look for people with the perseverance and endurance to overcome the challenges that will surely come.

Yun Sun-mi, director of FirstOneEntertainment, is an industry expert who has witnessed how K-pop has transformed over the past decade. She has worked in the industry for more than 14 years – first as a marketer, then producer and director. In December, she published a book Big Hit Signal, unveiling the secrets of K-pop’s global expansion.

Yun Sun-mi, director of FirstOneEntertainment. Photo: Yun Sun-mi

The book looks at everything from casting to producing from an insider’s perspective, making it helpful for those who want to work in the industry or investors who want to learn about the business structure.

Starting her career at JYP Entertainment in 2008, Yun helped discover and train stars, setting them on the path to possible stardom. That includes legendary girl group Wonder Girls, boy bands 2PM and 2AM, Miss A, N. Flying, SF9, Cherry Bullet and soloist Baek A-yeon. She is currently working as chief director at FirstOneEntertainment, an agency for singers Na Yoon-kwon, Kisum and Huh Chan-mi.

K-pop boy band 2PM. Photo: @ch_s_4r/Twitter

Yun says one of the things that touched overseas fans’ hearts is the narrative of stars who rose to stardom against all odds. Many of them started their careers as trainees. Once passing auditions to join new idol groups, they lived together with their bandmates for intensive training, which she says helps them build family-like bonds. Their single-minded goal of becoming a star is what leads them to success, she says.

“Music was once a thing that we thought we could enjoy only by listening to it but now it becomes something to be seen, meaning that it needs certain messages to show through choreography or performances,” she said.

“As society has become more and more materialistic, some find it tough to keep up. Of course, stars need to sing and perform well. But fans want, in addition to quality music, to consume the stories behind their rise. For example, what kinds of sacrifices they had to make in their past to become stars today or if the band members get along with each other; things like this can give fans a deeper understanding of their stars.”

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