CLAIRE LEE -
Tens of millions of fans around the world raced to listen to the latest offering from BTS on Friday, as the K-pop sensation dropped their highly anticipated new album to a deluge of excitement.
Three hours after “BE” was made available on a simultaneous worldwide release, the video for first track “Life Goes On” — a song offering a message of hope in the face of the coronavirus pandemic — had been viewed almost 20 million times on YouTube.
“This is the best thing that has happened this year,” wrote one fan, among more than 560,000 comments.
“Just when I was starting to feel like trash again and wanting to leave this world, BTS drops this album,” another added.
“Their music saved me so many times and it still continues to do so.”
BTS have ascended to global superstardom since their debut in 2013, holding a string of sold-out shows in Los Angeles, Paris and London last year.
The trailblazing septet cemented their prominence in the world’s biggest music market when their all-English single “Dynamite” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number one in August, making them the first South Korean act to top the US chart.
And last month their label Big Hit Entertainment made a multi-billion-dollar stock market debut.
“Our goal with the music on ‘BE’ is that it can be a comfort to a lot of people,” member Jimin told a press conference on Friday.
“If many people can relate to it, I will be really thankful.”
The eight tracks — which include “Dynamite” — are the group’s fifth Korean-language studio album, and “contains the most ‘BTS-esque’ music yet,” Big Hit said in a statement ahead of the release. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
