What is a BTS Fan Called?

Written by: Katherine Penman

BTS is a South Korean boy band who’ve recently achieved worldwide attention for their music and performances. Like many other K-Pop bands, BTS has a highly dedicated fandom which is called ARMY. While BTS continues to grow it’s important for ARMY to share the deep meaning behind the fandom name to new fans, also known as baby ARMY.

While the band's popularity is still new, the fandom's name has been around since 2013. On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, BTS member RM shared the fandom was almost named “The Bells” because the first syllable of the band's name (bang) and the first syllable for the word “bell” in Korean are the same. The band ended up going with ARMY. RM expressed his happiness with the name change as he felt ARMY was much better.

The name ARMY represents more than just being a listener of BTS and has two meanings behind it. ARMY is an acronym for “Adorable Representative M.C. For Youth” and literally means army. BTS’s name in Korean, Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단), translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in English. Their fans are ARMY, and BTS is the armor that protects them, signifying the band and their ARMY will always be together.

To show their love ARMY has organized many fan projects. Most recently ARMY organized a surprise for Jin’s birthday at BTS’s Permission To Dance On Stage concerts in Los Angeles, California by covering their light sticks with moon cutouts in honor of Jin’s solo track “Moon.” To show love back, BTS has written multiple songs telling ARMY they will be there for them. One example is in their song “2!3!” where BTS encourages ARMY to let go of bad memories and make new memories together with BTS and other ARMY’s.

The relationship between BTS and their ARMY fandom is incredibly significant. It showcases how strong a fan’s love and care can be for an artist, and it is also an amazing representation of the power a group of fans can have when they all come together. ARMY is truly amazing, and they are always giving back to BTS. We can’t wait to see all of the beautiful things to come in the future for BTS and their ARMY. 💜

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