The guessing game started this week when a mysterious untitled book, due to be published in July and known only as “4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023,” came to light. It quickly became a bestseller when fans of Taylor Swift began frantically speculating that it was her surprise memoir.
But the mystery has been solved, as publisher Flatiron Books has submitted its ad for a month to reveal the book is actually by another music powerhouse: K-pop boyband BTS.
BEHIND THE STORY: The 10-Year Record of BTS was written by journalist Myungsuk Kang with the seven members of the group — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — and will be structured as an oral history about them. story. It has been translated into English by Anton Hur, in collaboration with Clare Richards and Slin Jung.
Rumors about the book began to circulate when American booksellers shared news that an untitled book had a massive initial print run of one million copies coming on July 9, and that they were required to sign an affidavit to store copies on the day of publication. The book, which was emailed to Flatiron sales staff, would have “worldwide appeal” and “massive publicity”.
The scant details available about the book have been read as evidence by both Swift and BTS fans. The author and theme reveal is set for June 13: 13 is Swift’s favorite number, but the date is also the 10th anniversary of BTS’ first single, No More Dream.
The numbers in the 544-page issue – 5-4-4 – also add up to 13. The July 9 publication date also falls two days after the release of Swift’s upcoming album Speak Now (Taylor version). But it’s also the 10th anniversary of Army Day, marking the founding of BTS’s fanbase, Army, whose name stands for “Adorable Representative MC for Youth.”
Speculation about the book made it a bestseller on Amazon and Barnes & Noble earlier this week, with fans of both Swift and BTS placing pre-orders.
The Army is a large online fan base known for its devotion to the group, with many learning Korean to help translate BTS content into English and other languages for fellow fans, as well as harnessing their collective voices for political activism.
When the hashtag #WhiteLivesMatter began appearing on Twitter in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, K-pop fans hijacked and flooded the hashtag by flooding Twitter with videos and memes of their favorite artists, many of them accompanied by anti-racism. Messages.
Soon after, K-pop fans insulted then-US President Donald Trump by signing up for tickets at one of his rallies without intending to attend, which meant Trump showed up at a very empty 19,000-seat arena in Tulsa.
Since 2013, BTS has released nine albums and six EPs. In 2018, the group became First K-pop act to reach #1 on the US Billboard album chart with Love Yourself: Tear, a feat she has repeated twice in less than a year. record matching Developed by The Beatles.
Last June, BTS announced that it was taking a hiatus, citing exhaustion and pressure as well as a desire to focus on individual creative projects. It’s not that we’re breaking up,” said member Suga at the time. “We’re just living apart for a while.”
In October, the group’s label confirmed that the seven members of BTS will be doing their mandatory military service, meaning any reunions will be delayed until 2025. All healthy South Korean men under the age of 30 are required to serve between 18 and 21 months — a duty intended to Preserving the country’s ability to defend against a possible attack by North Korea, with which it is still technically at war.
The oldest member of the group, Jin, began his military service in December with J-Hope following in April.
BTS is still a huge source of money for South Korea, Adding an estimated US$3.5 billion annually to the country’s economy. However, some male K-pop stars have struggled to resume their careers after military service, in a harsh industry where artists are seen as easily replaceable.
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