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At TIME, we’ve kept an eye on our 2020 Entertainer of the Year @BTS_twt for quite a while. If you’re curious about their rise—or how I’ve reported on them before—here’s a thread of my past coverage of the group:
Here’s my first interview with RM after we named BTS to our Most Influential on the Internet list in 2017: https://time.com/4833807/rap-monster-bts-interview/
In 2018, j-hope released his solo project Hope World, and I got to debut it for TIME. Our interview here, in which he proves to be just as warm and thoughtful as the music: https://time.com/5181183/j-hope-bts-hope-world-interview/
We named BTS as Next Generation Leaders and put them on our cover in 2018. The response was overwhelming. (I have this cover framed in my room 
.) https://time.com/collection-post/5414052/bts-next-generation-leaders/
.) https://time.com/collection-post/5414052/bts-next-generation-leaders/
In 2019, we added BTS to the TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world. I brought them in to our studios for a video chat. (Fun fact: we had to sneak them in through a secret elevator.)
Big Hit is the engine that has powered BTS’s rise. I shared a long, candid conversation with founder Bang Si-hyuk last year, resulting in this Q&A about his experience leading the business behind the band: https://time.com/5681494/bts-bang-si-hyuk-interview/
In March, BTS released Map of the Soul: 7. I spent a great day listening to the music on loop and breaking it down: https://time.com/5788922/bts-map-of-the-soul-7-review/
Suga discussed his solo mixtape, D-2, with TIME in July; I’ve always appreciated Suga’s nuanced perspectives, as seen in both his music and his answers: https://time.com/5839715/bts-suga-d2-mixtape/
When Big Hit went public on the Korean exchange this fall with a multi-billion dollar IPO, they made global news. I wrote about what their strategy means: https://time.com/5899791/bts-bighit-ipo/
I went long on this piece analyzing BTS’s musical history and evolution. The result is an in-depth primer on their work, for anyone who wants to get familiar: https://time.com/5911481/bts-music-legacy/
With the release of BE in November, @katxmoon and I shared the excellent task of breaking the album down, track by track: https://time.com/5914352/bts-be-analysis/
Today, we announced BTS as 2020’s Ent. of the Year, capping off a reporting journey I’m very proud of (so far)! I have no doubt there will be much more to write as they continue to challenge our understanding of what pop means and what celebrities can do. https://time.com/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/
