July 9, 2020
DaShawn Rustin became a BTS megafan after browsing her YouTube recommendations and stumbling on the South Korean group's song, "Blood, Sweat and Tears," three years ago.
"I'd never seen anything like it," Rustin recalls. "The visuals, the choreography, the production…and the words were also so deep." The six-minute music video introduced the then 20-year-old college student to the K-pop phenoms, who have sold more than 20 million records worldwide. "After watching that, I fell into a rabbit hole and started watching everything BTS possible. I remember thinking, 'Where I have been all this time?' I was hooked."
As a young Black woman in the United States, Rustin isn't what most people likely envision when they think of K-pop fans, but the seven-member group has been quickly adding new members to their ARMY — the group's most ardent fans. After doing a little more digging, Rustin discovered something else that would inspire in her a strong and zealous loyalty: the group's rich history and relationship with the Black community — long before they ever became a worldwide phenomenon, and long before they made international headlines for donating $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement.
July 9 marks ARMY Day within the BTS fandom, when stans from around the world will mobilize and flood Twitter with gushing tweets about their beloved group. But it remains to be seen if the group's diverse fandom can suspend their differences, if just for a day.
More at https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a33250303/bts-owes-much-of-its-success-black-fans/
