DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A BTS FAN

Almost every ARMY’s journey begins the same way; you hear one song, you see one music video, you get on Google to read more about the members and — almost instantly — you are sucked into a wormhole

- SUPRIYA JOSHI

Ever since I remember falling in love with music, I feel like each part of my life has been divided by musical phases. At certain points in my life, a musical genre or a group has resonated with me so much, that I feel like my life revolved around them. Some notable musicians that have had a great impact on me include the Backstreet Boys, Elvis Presley, Green Day, Metallica and The Beatles.

When it came to 2017, it was an emotionally taxing year; I was in a dead end job and recovering from a breakup. Incidentally, a friend made me a playlist of K-pop songs — a mix of artists like Block B, Super Junior, Red Velvet and BTS. I wasn’t new to K-pop, several years ago I had heard Super Junior’s “Sorry,” and I was one of the many fans of PSY’s viral “Gangnam Style” when it was released, so I decided to listen to the playlist with an open mind. I didn’t know then, but that playlist was going to become an important turning point in my life. Because in a matter of months, I became a full-fledged BTS ARMY.

I hadn’t seen any BTS music videos before, and the only songs I was listening to were the ones my friend had put in the playlist. There were three: “Fire,” “Dope” and “Mic Drop.” I started watching all the music videos on the playlist then chanced upon their 2015 track “Dope,” and well… my mind was blown. How does a group dance so well, sing so good and look that amazing in just one music video?!