BTS Admits Singing In English Boosted The Group's Popularity Amid Pandemic

BTS has revealed it would never have sung its songs in English fully if it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a recent interview with Billboard, RM, the group's leader and spokesperson, admitted he is not fond of the idea of singing in English.

BTS member Jin isn't a fan of the language either, saying, "The English I learned in class was so different from the English in the song. I had to erase everything in my head first."

Jin also disclosed that he feels "unnatural" singing in English but he has learned to mimic the guide track's pronunciations by writing them down in Korean characters.

However, according to RM, singing in this language was very instrumental in their success while the world was confined in isolation.

"There was no alternative," he told the publication.

And he was right, considering the release of the song "Dynamite" easily catapulted the group to worldwide success after it became Billboard's No. 1 hit in the summer of 2020.

BTS' success was sustained with the help of two more English songs -- "Butter," which the group dropped in May and "Permission to Dance," which was released in July.

Moreover, the septet's three hugely successful English singles gave them the crossover pop success that would later make them the first all-Korean group to hit the top 10 of Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart.

BTS has come a long way since the early days of its career not only in the overly competitive South Korean music industry but also in the international scene.

It can be recalled that in 2014, BTS was handing out free tickets in the streets of Los Angeles for a show at West Hollywood's Troubadour, which could accommodate a crowd of 200.

Only three years later, the group was already singing at the Billboard Music Awards. BTS received the Top Social Artist award back then, breaking Justin Bieber's six-year streak. According to the group's members, it was the first time they witnessed the loyalty of their U.S. fans.

By 2018, BTS was already selling out stadiums in different countries, including the U.S., and breaking records on a regular basis. To date, the boyband has had five No. 1 albums on the Billboard since 2018 -- the fastest accumulation by a group since The Beatles in 1966-88.

Though the group still has qualms about singing in English, with its members still speaking up about their discomfort while using the language and not always agreeing that offering full English songs is a good idea, it just goes to show that BTS has what it takes to make it big in the industry.

"I think it's a testament to the band's strengths, the way they can come to a friendly resolution and be mindful of the company's needs," Shin Young-jae, president of Big Hit Music, BTS' record label, said as per Billboard.

Recently, BTS canceled its "Map of the Soul" world tour due to COVID-19 concerns. The boyband was supposed to perform at 38 venues across the world but was only able to cover four in 2020 before tour schedules were suspended because of the virus.