The BTS guide to world domination (and LEGO immortalisation)

The latest LEGO Ideas set is surely the jewel in BTS’ crown – but how did the band get to the iconic place it’s at now?

If you ask us, having a LEGO set based on you is pretty much a career endgame. Where do you go after that? You’ve reached the ultimate honour and truly crowned yourself king of the world.

However, being immortalised forever in LEGO elements doesn’t come easily. It’s reserved for those who’ve made their mark in the world (or starred in a franchise that the LEGO Group has won the rights to, whatever’s easiest). In the case of BTS in LEGO Ideas 21339 BTS Dynamite, it’s the result of having a dedicated fanbase and a win in the LEGO Ideas competition.

So how did the band get to this point? Here’s a look at BTS‘ path to world domination and the ensuing LEGO immortalisation that followed.

Build on the work of others

The band may be made up of Jin, Suga, j-hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook but, as with any musical genre, no art exists in a vacuum. BTS has roots and influences in a number of other K-pop artists, such as BIGBANG, Shinee, and the world-famous PSY. BTS took the popularity of K-pop and its unique style and married it to a sense of individuality that you don’t often see in pop bands.

What’s more, the band spoke to the desire among young audiences in the early 2010s to support artists that had something genuine to say with their voice – but more on that later.

Get the world dancing to banging tunes

Of course, you can’t build an audience as a band without developing your own sound. BTS was initially a hip-hop band and was represented by a hip-hop-focused label, Big Hit Entertainment, rather than one of three major agencies that represented most K-pop talent. The band’s debut single, 2 Cool 4 Skool, featured an old-school hip-hop sound from the 1990s, with room for each individual band member’s personality to shine. This was made still more possible by frequent appearances on Korean chat shows, allowing the public to really get to know the band.

This care and attention to the early sound of the band took a lot of work. The band members lived together when the band first formed in 2013, practising up to 15 hours a day ahead of their first industry performance that year.

Create an ARMY

Once you’ve tapped into a huge market of K-pop fans and got the talent and personalities to hold their attention, it’s time to build an ARMY. How else can you expect to take over the world?

BTS fans take this call to action seriously, adopting the moniker ARMY, or Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. The group is not just united by their love of BTS but is an incredibly organised global group of individuals that are always ready to defend or applaud the band. It’s hard to quantify just how large the BTS ARMY is, but judging from combined social media followings and YouTube subscribers, it’s believed to sit between 30 and 40 million people worldwide.

The ARMY will often unite to get the band’s music on radio spots or send new singles to number one but is known to be active in more serious areas as well. Fans bought out tickets to Donald Trump’s rallies during his 2020 presidential campaign, with the aim of ensuring he didn’t win the presidency again, and organised enormous efforts for Black Lives Matter after the band donated $1 million to the cause. Such acts are a testament to the influence of members within the community, which can often match or even exceed the clout of the band itself.

Make a statement outside of music

As noted above, it’s not just in the world of music that BTS hold sway. From the very beginning, the band members’ individual opinions and political or social. views have been integral to BTS’ identity as a whole.

In 2018, BTS was invited to address the United Nations General Assembly, where they performed in front of 400 officials. The same year, BTS became the youngest recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit. This dedication to global politics has carried through until recently, with BTS visiting US President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss the recent rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination on May 31, 2022.

The group has also been recognised at home in Korea for spreading Korean culture and language around the world, being applauded on multiple occasions by then-President Moon Jae-in and receiving the James A. Van Fleet Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the promotion of US-Korea relations.

Collaborate with stars

Returning to the world of music, BTS has also continued to spread awareness of its music by collaborating with other artists. Some particularly notable instances include Steve Aoki (on MIC Drop, The Truth Untold, and Waste It On Me), Nicki Minaj, and Charli XCX, to name just a few.

K-pop can often be seen as somewhat of an isolated genre, despite its global popularity. BTS’ collaborations have done a lot to change this perception, making it so that even those who aren’t necessarily fans of the music know the name BTS and could likely name you at least a few of their songs.

Get turned into a LEGO set

And finally – the grandest moment yet, the LEGO set. LEGO Ideas 21339 BTS Dynamite features all seven band members and the set of the music video for their hit single, Dynamite. The model is packed full of references that we’ve outlined in our visual tour, paying tribute to a decade worth of iconic performances and outstanding contributions to culture and art.

LEGO Ideas 21339 BTS Dynamite is due to arrive on LEGO.com and in stores sometime in early March 2023 and will be priced at £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99.

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