Dear Gossips,
For the second week in a row, I’m stressed about waiting online to buy something. Last week it was IVY Park x adidas and getting into the prelaunch and desperately trying to throw money at Beyoncé. This week I’m trying to figure out how to throw money at BTS.
Their new album, MAP OF THE SOUL: 7, comes out February 21. And this week they announced their world tour and there’s only one Canadian destination – two nights in Toronto on May 30 and 31 at Rogers Centre; it’s a stadium, seats almost 55,000. They could play a month straight and it would sell out every night because everyone in Canada who wants to see BTS will be aiming for the Toronto shows. And also people close enough-ish to Toronto who live in the US. So now you have to register with their fan club to buy tickets two days ahead of when they go on sale on Ticketmaster and even then it’s not a guarantee that you’ll be successful.
But maybe I don’t deserve to be successful. I mean, I LOVE BTS. I know most of their music. But I don’t have the words memorised to every single song. I don’t participate on social media to get them trending with whatever hashtag happens to be the Army’s flavour of the moment. I didn’t even take pictures the other night when mysterious BTS-related messages started appearing on Toronto skyscrapers hinting at what’s to come. I just kept driving because I was hungry and wanted to get home. I am probably not worthy. But please know I care so much about them, and especially my precious Jungkook.
Also I can’t f-cking wait to see them at the Grammys this weekend. I’m a bit cheesed that they’re doing the Grammys a solid by even showing up because I’m not sure the Grammys deserves that kind of boost (BTS’s appearance will account or the majority of the show’s social media activity and ratings, for sure) since, real talk, the Recording Academy does NOT respect BTS. BTS outsells almost all North American artists, has as big of an international footprint, if not bigger, than any other musical act, and came away with ZERO Grammy nominations this year.
But, sure, use them to prop up your show. Exploit them for their fanbase but don’t acknowledge the work and the talent that went into securing such a loyal fanbase. We all know – boy bands aren’t taken seriously, their art is considered second or third tier, either because it appeals to young women or because they think it’s too packaged. It’s an ignorant assumption based on a lack of research. Did you know their latest album and the video for their new song, “Black Swan”, is tied to a multi-content large scale art project highlighting the art and artist perspective of a diverse range of creators from around the world?
The Grammys won’t recognise BTS for their contributions – but at the same time, they’ve asked them to contribute to make their show. Rude.
They’re lucky though that the BTS isn’t rude. They’ll be there. Reportedly performing with Lil Nas X which… is fitting. Because Little Nas X and “Old Town Road”, as we know, were in the same position not even a year ago, when the music industry wasn’t willing to accept Nas for his creative disruption either. They ended up having no choice when “Old Town Road” just wouldn’t quit. And it’s not like BTS is going anywhere any time soon.
Here they are with Ariana Grande – on HER Instagram, not theirs.
Get ready for this performance on Sunday. If you hear screaming that night, that’ll be me.
Yours in gossip,
Lainey
