Entertainment

Um, BTS Fans Lost Their Minds Over Their Billboard Music Awards Performance

by Tatiana Tenreyro
Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

BTS recently released their long-awaited new album Love Yourself: Tear and it’s already a huge hit. To celebrate the release of the album, BTS shared the video for lead single "Fake Love," with choreography inspired by the three wise monkeys — aka the see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil monkeys, per Billboard. Their fanbase — the BTS Army — went wild for the video, setting the record for second highest viewed music video in 24 hours on YouTube, according to Forbes. Luckily for fans, that’s not all BTS had in store for them. The K-Pop group made the song's television debut on Sunday at the Billboard Music Awards when BTS performed "Fake Love" in a rendition that made the BTS Army so excited that they screamed throughout the whole thing, making it difficult to hear the actual performance.

Their performance had the most minimalistic stage set. No props or gold confetti — just the group's dance moves and a glimpse at Jungkook's abs. Even with the lack of gimmicks, the crowd was enthralled. One fan was seen crying during it, while others shouted the lyrics back during the whole thing. Jenna Dewan was shown bopping along to their performance. Even Tyra Banks joked that she was still recovering from their performance while presenting the next award. Some seemed perplexed by BTS' performance, though. Mason Ramsay, aka Yodeling Kid, was seen watching with a blank expression while the guests around him went wild.

The group gave fans a preview of what the performance would be like in a the above linked interview with Billboard, where they showed off some of the moves and discussed the influence that the three wise monkeys had on the choreography for both the video and the Billboard Music Awards performance. “We put ['see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil'] in the main part of our choreography. So it's going to be an interesting point if you find this old saying in our choreography. It'll be more powerful than ever," explained RM to Billboard.

During their red carpet interview with Billboard, they shared that "Fake Love" is one of their favorite songs off their new record. They also expressed their love for Camila Cabello and Luis Fonsi. When they were asked about their song "Airplane pt. 2," and its Latin influence, RM responded by saying, “We listened to a lot of ... Latin pop, like ‘Havana,’ or it could be ‘Despacito,’ so we got inspired by a lot of Latin songs.”

Besides being the first time the band’s performing the song on television, it also marks a big moment in Billboard Music Awards’ history. It's the first time a K-Pop band has performed during the awards ceremony, per South China Morning Post. Last year, BTS won the Top Social Artist award at the BBMAs and, this year, the group won an award for the same category yet again, showing how strong their fanbase is. They also had hundreds of fans waiting by the sidelines at the red carpet showing their love for the group. With the incredible feat of 60 million+ views on YouTube for “Fake Love,” and the atmosphere on Sunday, it's evident fans are willing to do anything to turn BTS into one of the biggest pop sensations ever.

So what's next for BTS after stealing the show at the Billboard Music Awards? During one of their red carpet interviews, they expressed wanting to collaborate with Shawn Mendes, who has also been receiving plenty of attention this year thanks to his hit "There's Nothing Holding Me Back." BTS may be newcomers to mainstream pop, but the response to their Billboard Music Awards performance shows they're on their way to become even bigger. So, keep an eye on them as the rise to the top.