# BTS-have you heard of them? The ads have officially turned sentient **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 3, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426 "2019-05-03T16:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/61 "2019-05-04T19:38:02Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > People all have different experiences. The first K-Pop song I ever heard was “Gee” by Girls’ Generation, and I was blown away. **It was utterly different from anything going on in American pop music.** It’s different from American pop, but very simiilar to all the other Korean pop - pretty much unavoidable due to the assembly-line way k-pop is produced. There’s a channel that runs down the top 100 songs every week with 5-second clips and it really runs together. Of Girls Generation, only a couple of songs are on my playlist: “The Boys” and “I’ve Got A Boy.” Everything else is too bubbly for me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/62 "2019-05-04T22:14:53Z")
I just remembered [Menudo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menudo_(band)), a Puerto Rican boy band who recorded their first album in 1977. Almost immediately they started changing members as they got past puberty. The lineup changed continually until 2015 until the band failed financially, broke up, and whoever it was who owned the rights to the name by that point said no one else could use it. I don’t know if any fans in any given year knew or cared who was in the band two years earlier, or even if they knew someone had been replaced since the last time they saw the band. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/63 "2019-05-05T00:03:01Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > It’s different from American pop, but very simiilar to all the other Korean pop - pretty much unavoidable due to the assembly-line way k-pop is produced. There’s a channel that runs down the top 100 songs every week with 5-second clips and it really runs together. > > Of Girls Generation, only a couple of songs are on my playlist: “The Boys” and “I’ve Got A Boy.” Everything else is too bubbly for me. 🙂 Those are very good songs. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/64 "2019-05-05T02:25:39Z")
A while back the company Divx ran a video streaming site called [Stage6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage6) that provided much higher quality video than YouTube allowed at the time, and people uploaded vast numbers of music videos, which I enjoyed browsing to discover new (to me) material. Before the site closed down I downloaded several DVDs full of videos. I don’t recall Kpop, but plenty of Jpop, some CantoPop, ThaiPop, etc. Some of them I can’t find again, but some are available (but still in lower resolution) at current streaming sites. Those discussing stuff that they like may like some of these (I can’t vouch for the quality of the lyrics, but I really like the sound of them.) By Chara (Japanese) [this](https://youtube.com/watch?v=w1QJ56BINLw) and [this](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3bh81). By Twins (HK) [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLOlEzXHfwSD3P3x8ahmXngCy2Ewukxx68&v=K1xcYE4OIoQ&index=212). By Asian2 (Japanese) [this](https://youtube.com/watch?v=VYX1yccVoFc). By Every Little Thing (Japanese) [this](https://youtube.com/watch?v=C3djiUQcnZw). By Mika Nakashima (Japanese) [this](https://youtube.com/watch?v=LaNAyON_dcE). (Not discovered on Stage6, pretty much anything by [Rie Fu](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YJAshaIZanU).) > [@kunilou](#): > > I just remembered [Menudo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menudo_(band)), a Puerto Rican boy band who recorded their first album in 1977. Almost immediately they started changing members as they got past puberty. This is much like the long-running Japanese girl group [Morning Musume](https://youtube.com/watch?v=02mCdIf9czI), which “retires” members when they turn 20. [Here](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ivu76DXX2Es) is a sample video, chosen for its interesting choice of setting and cutting-edge special effects. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/65 "2019-05-05T03:15:44Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Hahaha 🙂 > > The singers in that video definitely have some sort of sexual orientation. I guarantee it! This comment is pretty offensive. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/66 "2019-05-05T03:18:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Do the letters BTS stand for anything in particular? > > ETA: (in answer to the question posed in the thread title: no.) The letters are a Korean abbreviation. It stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan which is Korean for Bulletproof Boy Scouts. Their most recent video had over 75 million views within the first 24 hours of its release on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/67 "2019-05-05T03:19:52Z")
> [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > BTW, if you want to get a little ahead of the curve (or less behind, as the case may be), look up Blackpink. They’re a KPop girl group that’s following BTS and also trying to break into the western market. They performed at Coachella recently. My bias is Rose’. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/68 "2019-05-05T03:21:01Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Other Kpop has some appeal, like baby metal Baby Metal is Japanese, not Korean. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/69 "2019-05-05T06:23:56Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > They performed at Coachella recently. My bias is Rose’. I knew there had to be someone here who, like me, didn’t hate kpop!😃 ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/70 "2019-05-05T07:42:35Z")
Just to throw this in… IOI (Ideal Of Idols) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.O.I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.O.I) is rumored (possibly for real this time) to be be having a reunion this year. IOI is a girl group comprised of 11 members who were chosen by the public in 2016 though Produce 101, which is currently in its fourth incarnation, Produce X 101, which will produce another 11 member boy group. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/71 "2019-05-05T09:12:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > They performed at Coachella recently. My bias is Rose’. Watch their dance practice videos. For some reason, she really shines just wearing some gym clothes and dancing her little heart out, compared to the actual videos. It’s rare that I like what BP wears during a music video - their stylist has issues, chief among them his/her desire to make Lisa wear crazier and crazier boots. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/72 "2019-05-05T18:12:58Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Watch their dance practice videos. For some reason, she really shines just wearing some gym clothes and dancing her little heart out, compared to the actual videos. It’s rare that I like what BP wears during a music video - their stylist has issues, chief among them his/her desire to make Lisa wear crazier and crazier boots. Her boots in “Kill This Love” weren’t so extreme. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/73 "2019-05-07T12:58:18Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I mean, I get it: it’s just the boyband thing with the pretty boys, except crossing the language barrier. We already crossed to international with some other bands, but now it doesn’t even have to be English. […] Strange, I got the impression some of the lyrics were at least trying to be English. Not that I understood them at all, but that is the impression I got. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/74 "2019-05-07T13:04:16Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > This comment is pretty offensive. Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t assume they are singing. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/75 "2019-05-07T14:22:02Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > People all have different experiences. The first K-Pop song I ever heard was “Gee” by Girls’ Generation, and I was blown away. It was utterly different from anything going on in American pop music. The first KPop song I heard was “Can’t Nobody” by 2NE1, only I didn’t know it was Korean. I heard it on a music streaming app and thought it was catchy, so I looked it up and found two versions: “Can’t Nobody” and “Can’t Nobody (English Version)”. It was the latter I had listened to. Since music from other Asian countries has come up, I also listen to Mandopop. G.E.M. and Jackson Wang are my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/76 "2019-05-07T14:24:42Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Strange, I got the impression some of the lyrics were at least trying to be English. Not that I understood them at all, but that is the impression I got. Many Korean songs work some English lyrics in. Sometimes it’s single words sprinkled here and there, other times it’s the entire chorus. It’s often just enough to make you think you can sing along, but then it’s no, you can’t.😛 ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/77 "2019-05-07T15:13:01Z")
I’d heard _of_ them, but never seen / heard them until the SNL appearance. I’m certainly not their target market and I also realize that the cycle of life dictates that at some point most of us wonder at "that crap those young whippersnappers are listening to (on my lawn!)! That being said, I tried to view them as I would have when I was 12. My first thought was “no way in hell”. There’s no way to say for sure; when you’re that age and everyone is into something, it’s pretty hard not to get swept up also. But, I mean, are they supposed to be attractive to girls? Do Korean tastes in what makes a heartthrob differ from western tastes? Maybe a better question for those who like them or have kids who like them is are they perceived as “sex symbols”? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/78 "2019-05-07T18:16:48Z")
> [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > The first KPop song I heard was “Can’t Nobody” by 2NE1, only I didn’t know it was Korean. I heard it on a music streaming app and thought it was catchy, so I looked it up and found two versions: “Can’t Nobody” and “Can’t Nobody (English Version)”. It was the latter I had listened to. > > Since music from other Asian countries has come up, I also listen to Mandopop. G.E.M. and Jackson Wang are my favorites. If we’re going Asian bands, try Mongolian metal with The Hu Band. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/79 "2019-05-07T18:36:29Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The letters are a Korean abbreviation. It stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan which is Korean for Bulletproof Boy Scouts. Bulletproof, eh? Anyone confirm this yet? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/80 "2019-05-07T18:54:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Ahh, yes, that special moment in every young person’s life when they suddenly realize that a new generation has come up behind them and pop culture is no longer aimed at them. Considering the average age of SDMB, I think most people here are a few generations past that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426.md?page=5)