“We Feel Grief And Anger,” Say BTS In Emotional Note To Stop Asian Hate

Everybody’s favorite South Korean pop group BTS has come forward and expressed heartfelt support for the Stop Asian Hate movement. They have posted a letter that was necessary and written because of the increased frequency of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Their statement was published in both Korean and English. They expressed their deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. The statement read, “We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We feel grief and anger. (And) we recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.”

This is after the unfortunate series of shootings on March 16 where eight people were killed at three Atlanta spas or massage parlors. Out of the eight, six people were of Asian descent. Anti-Asian crimes have been on an all time high since 2020. It has increased by nearly 150% in last year alone.

BTS’s response comes following the hurtful incident. The members of the band Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook all voiced out unitedly. Their statement further explained how their own experiences with racism have caused them to feel “powerless” and “chip away” at their self-esteem.

The statement further read, “We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem. What is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians.”

BTS Became Best Selling Artists Of 2020

The band members also revealed that it took them some time to decide exactly how to communicate this important message. Their statement read, “It required considerable time for us to discuss this carefully and we contemplated deeply on how we should voice our message.”

However, they ended their statement showcasing unity. They wrote, “But what our voice must convey is clear. We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”

The POP group BTS was named the best-selling artists of the year 2020 by IFPI, an organization representing the recorded music industry worldwide. The accolade caps a stellar year for the Korean boyband, who released two chart-topping albums in 2020 – Map of the Soul: 7 and Be.

The youngsters beat Taylor Swift, who won the title last year and fell to second place. It’s the first non-Western act to win, and the first whose songs are not predominantly sung in English. The prize is calculated according to the artist or group selling worldwide, downloads, and streams, which cover all their work.

BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, was founded in 2013 and has seven members – Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook – from all over South Korea.

The K-POP Army

They also became the regular gold-standard of the K-pop scene, selling millions of records and concert tickets, while running billions of streams. The group was the brainchild of veteran writer and producer Bang Shi Hyuk, who previously worked for entertainment company K-pop JYP, then founded Big Hit Entertainment and co-founded BTS around the group’s leader, RM.

Last year, it floated to Big Hit Entertainment in the Korean stock market – which resulted in the band members earning $ 108 million (£ 77 million). It more than made up for their inability to tour amid the Covid pandemic. The gap in their schedule also allowed BTS to record their second album of the year, which they billed as a “letter of hope” to fans.