BTS celebrated a major milestone when they became the first K-pop group to act as musical guest on Saturday Night Live, and fans tuned in for the special occasion.
The global supergroup took the stage to perform songs from their latest album, Map of the Soul: Persona, released on Friday, including hit single “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey.
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Fans of the seven-member boy band, dubbed the “BTS ARMY,” shared their excitement for the group’s milestone performance on Twitter, while also celebrating seeing them perform their new music.
I am MESMERIZED by BTS and their dance moves. I honestly can’t decide which one I want to marry the most #SNL
— off-brand april ludgate👩🏻🔬 (@mega_tro_n) April 14, 2019
“OMG THEY’RE PERFORMING BOY WITH LUV,” One fan wrote.
“The flavor of that performance on @nbcsnl!!! THAT WAS GOLD! I’m just so….PROUD of you,” Another fan commented.
“That was such a great performance! JIMIN THOUGH . UNF LOVE YOU,” another user wrote.
Not all SNL fans were down for BTS’ sound, however, with some viewers accusing the popular singers and dancers of lip-syncing and complaining about their electronic sound.
I’m about to learn what a #BTS is. #SNL
— Mike Sheridan (@MWSheridan) April 14, 2019
“Time for BT I have know idea who they are,” One user commented.
“Who is this group and why aren’t they singing live?” Another user commented.
“I’ll take *NSYNC over BTS ANYDAY!” A third user commented.
Some viewers took criticism to an inappropriate level, complaining about the group’s non-English-speaking songs.
My closed captioning has given up #BTS #SNL
— Trevor Michaels (@trevmikewrites) April 14, 2019
“I don’t hate this. Solid pop music. But I mean…this is all lip-synced nonsense beyond the actual Korean language break down, right?” one user wrote.
“They’re entertaining but I’m sorry.. I don’t or can’t understand what they’re saying…” another user wrote.
BTS’ performance was heavily promoted by the network in anticipation of the groundbreaking performances, given the music group’s international fame.
Ahead of the performance, the boy band — comprised of RM, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, J-Hope, V and Suga — celebrated breaking the YouTube record for most views accrued in the first 24 hours of its release for the music video of “Boy With Luv.”
“We’ve been learning and know that music truly transcends language. We’re just grateful for all the ARMYs,” RM said during the group’s appearance on SiriusXM Hits 1’s Morning Mash Up Friday, adding their fans prove that there is no language barrier when it comes to supporting artists from other parts of the world.
The music video also became the fastest clip to reach 100 million views ever on the website, doing so in less than two days. BTS’ record breaks the previous record holder BLACKPINK, another K-pop band which recently became the first K-pop group to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The girl group had beat out Ariana Grande’s hit song, “Thank U, Next.”
The Korean boy band will embark on their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself world tour, starting on Aug. 25 in South Korea before reaching the U.S. in September.
Saturday Night Live airs weekly at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The show will airs its next new episode on May 4, featuring host Adam Sandler and musical guest Shawn Mendes.
