BTS

A world-quaking South Korean boy band, BTS stands for "Bangtan Sonyeondan," a Korean phrase that translates literally to "Bulletproof Boy Scouts." When they conquered English-speaking markets, they repurposed the acronym to mean "Beyond The Scene."

They were assembled by the South Korean company Big Hit Entertainment in 2013, which is run by the impresario "Hitman" Bang (real name: Bang Si-hyuk). Thanks to the group, he became the first entertainment mogul in South Korea to become a billionaire. Big Hit went public in 2020 at a valuation of $822 million. Each member of BTS was granted 68,385 shares, making them each millionaires after the IPO.

Unlike most boy bands, the group does a lot of their own writing and producing. Their lyrics often express their emotions, and sometimes challenge the strictures of society - something rarely heard in South Korean pop music.