Dear Gossips,

What do you do when you’re a popstar after winning multiple awards at an award show taking place in Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps? Do you hit the tables? The club? Rooftop after-party with all the other celebrities? For some, sure.

If you’re BTS, though, you go back to the hotel or the residence and turn on the livestream, LOL. And if you’re ARMY, you expected this, because it’s what they’ve always done. I’m rarely ever ready when BTS or one of its members goes live. But RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook trained me for this. If there’s one thing you can reliably count on them to do, it’s livestream so they can once again thank their fans and share in the experience with them when they’ve been recognised for their achievements. Still. Even though we’re officially now in 2.0., even though it’s been 13 years since their debut and so much about the way they’ve managed their careers and their time has changed, they’ve held onto the traditions that matter to them and to their community, over and above the standard popstar activities that are common in the west.

The livestream was, because this is BTS, predictably chaotic and candid. They wanted to explain why they didn’t perform at the show – and the reason this is important to them: they are known for going all-out at award shows. In Korea their award show performances over the years have been massive undertakings. These artists always want to maximise every opportunity to showcase their music and their talent on the biggest stages. But, obviously, during such an extensive tour, that was too ambitious, even for them.

You can also say, though, that this is maturity and wisdom. Taking breaks and setting boundaries protects creativity, mental and physical health, and is also good business. But also… they’re not *that* mature. The silliness that has always characterised their dynamic is still there. There is nothing scripted or rehearsed about the way they behave during these post-award show livestreams. Five conversations are happening at once; at least one of those conversations is about food and what they’re going to eat. You will note they are still in their show clothes which means they really did go straight from the venue to the livestream. And of course they will never not clown on each other. Jimin’s nipples (in a gorgeous Dior sweater), apparently, became an obsession.

I’m a stan, I know I see them through a very specific, and glowing, lens. But you can’t fake this. These are seven people who are together all the time, who’ve been together since 2013, separated only by obligation to their nation. And told us that they returned because they want to continue being together, because they missed being together. Are happiest when they are together. Which… is pretty obvious, non? Also obvious, they were the biggest deal of the night.

I say this because I read an music industry piece last week (not bothering to link to it because there’s no point in sending traffic to a troll) about blue dot fever, brushing aside the blue fever immunity of BTS because their fans are so deeply engaged, it seems like there’s more of them than there actually is – which is willful ignorance of the place BTS occupies on the global music scene. The fans are indeed deeply engaged, but there’s more of them than so many western analysts are willing to accept.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey

BTS on stage at the 52nd American Music Awards in Las Vegas, May 25, 2026

Photo credits: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Share this post