Between 2013 and 2016, ARMY began to grow steadily, as BTS released music that delved deep into difficult, taboo issues, such as mental health, self-love, societal pressure, and youth struggles.Twitter

In 2021, The Late Late Show host James Corden made a misstep. During a segment, he jokingly referred to BTS’s fanbase, ARMY, as “15-year-old girls.” The backlash was swift and fierce. Fans took to Twitter to call him out, pointing out that ARMY spans all ages—and that it was reductive and dismissive to describe them in such narrow terms.

Between 2013 and 2016, ARMY began to grow steadily, as BTS released music that delved deep into difficult, taboo issues, such as mental health, self-love, societal pressure, and youth struggles.

BTS, however, remained composed. During their next appearance on Corden’s show, RM addressed the controversy directly, saying with a smile, “You’ve been in hot water with ARMY lately.” A visibly flustered Corden immediately apologized. RM laughed and replied, “We accept your apology.”

The moment highlighted the diverse makeup of BTS’s global fanbase. Twitter lit up with fans proudly declaring their age—many well into their 30s and beyond. One widely shared YouTube comment read: “I’m a 60-year-old man, and I listen to them every day.”

When Gulf News spoke to ARMY members in 2023, we found fans across generations. Bhumika Anand, a 43-year-old writer and founder of the Bangalore Writer’s Workshop in India, shared her story. “I wanted to move away from the hard rock and heavy metal I grew up with,” she said. “I discovered BTS and K-pop in 2019 while searching for happy, uplifting music.” During the pandemic, BTS became part of her healing process. “We had so little to laugh about at the time. Discovering BTS reminded me of my own value system. They weren’t cynical—instead, they talked about healing, love, and community. They spoke up about trauma, mental health, and human rights in Korean society, which reminded me of Indian society—conservative and image-focused. And they did all this while still having fun, being silly and light-hearted.”

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Oxford graduate Kalyani Nedungadi also shared her thoughts. She pointed to BTS’s early vlogs as a key part of their appeal. “They almost make you feel like you’re witnessing a journey—the culmination being their immense success. The height of their relatability, for many fans, was when they were still underdogs—known enough to root for, but not quite there yet.”

Indeed, BTS famously documented their early years: living together in one dorm, handing out flyers on the streets, and inviting people to their shows—before finally breaking through and winning their first major award in 2016.

The growth of ARMY

The ARMY has just been growing, in leaps and bounds from 2013. They started as a small, passionate group of fans on platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, and fan cafes in Korea. Unlike traditional K-pop fandoms that relied heavily on television promotions, BTS and ARMY leveraged social media, YouTube, and livestreaming platforms like V Live to build a grassroots community—something quite revolutionary at the time, as explained in the book BTS: The Review by music critic Kim Young-dae.

Between 2013 and 2016, ARMY began to grow steadily, as BTS released music that delved deep into difficult, taboo issues, such as mental health, self-love, societal pressure, and youth struggles. Songs like ‘No More Dream,’ ‘N.O,’ ‘I Need U,’ and ‘Run’ burned into ARMY’s consciousness.  As BTS gained international recognition—with their first Daesang (grand prize) win in 2016 and their U.S. debut performance at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards—the ARMY began to explode globally, as documented by Beyond The Story: 10-year record of BTS. Each year brought in new fans, including older demographics, professionals, parents, and even academics, visibly seen in BTS personal interactions at their concerts.

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ARMY with a mission

It doesn’t just stop at supporting BTS’s music; there are groups  involved in charity work, social justice campaigns, and fan-organised fundraising.

·         Raising over $1 million in 24 hours to match BTS’s donation to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, as quoted by Variety and CNN.

·         Donating to causes such as COVID-19 relief, children’s hospitals, climate change initiatives, and more, often under hashtags like #ARMYforCharity and #ProjectARMY.

Breaking boundaries

Whenever a BTS song, or the recent solo releases, ARMY gets to work. There is a call for charting, and this was clearly evident when all the members were in the military, and fans brought their debut song back to the charts, a rare feat, considering it was Christmas, reported by AllKpop and Koreaboo.

That’s not all: The music video Butter reached 108.2 million views in 24 hours, trending hashtags globally, and even helping songs climb Western charts, to the point that it became a Grammy-nominated song.

Fan-made platforms and translations

You’ll never be lost during a BTS Live, thanks to the many dedicated fan translators who work in real time—sharing updates on Twitter as the members speak, often denoting each one with their signature animal emoji.

In fact, Jimin had spoken to Vogue, explaining how the band’s Korean songs could make an impact in America. He said proudly, “Armys would translate all our songs into English and then send them across to the US in different mediums. Thanks to our American fans, we could get played on the radio.” Adding that was one reason, how he and the rest of the septet could come to the US for tours.