BTS storm London
K-Pop band brought their ‘Love Yourself’ tour to the 20,000-capacity O2 arena
South Korean boy band BTS made their London stage debut to a packed O2 arena on Tuesday, with K-Pop fever sweeping the British capital ahead of the hugely successful group’s sold-out concerts.
Fresh from their stadium performance in New York last week, the seven-member band brought their Love Yourself world tour to London, where they will play two nights at the venue, which has a capacity of up to 20,000 people.
Singing BTS’ K-Pop, or Korean pop music, songs as they waited for the concert to begin, fans cheered loudly as the group took to the stage introducing themselves.
However, member Jungkook said he had to skip the band’s choreographed routines after injuring his foot. He performed seated instead.
BTS, who have been together since 2013, have gained a worldwide following, winning over fans across continents and helping popularise a music genre further afield from Asia.
“We want people to see and become inspired and understand that it’s possible to go from nothing,” rapper Min Yoongi, known as Suga, said in an interview. “It’s really incredible that we are a boy band from Korea, now we are here in the UK doing this interview.”
In May, BTS became the first K-Pop performers to have a No 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Love Yourself: Tear.
— Reuters