Lianox.com Blog

Hey everyone! 🤗 As you may have noticed, Lianox.com no longer sells K-Pop merchandise. We know this comes as a disappointment to many -- but after careful consideration, the Lianox team decided to shift the focus of Lianox to Asian Fashion.

A lot has happened since 2017 when we first launched Lianox. Our team has gone to run multiple fashion related projects alongside Lianox that have received global attention. Each time our team has visited Korea, one thing stood out to us: How amazing people dress! Korea is one of the most fashionable countries in the world and we just couldn’t shake the feeling that this is the right path for Lianox. Fashion is our team’s passion, and we’re excited to bring you awesome apparel inspired by Korean Fashion trends 👗👜✨

We felt like it is time to turn to the next page in our story, and we ask you to join us, share the news to your friends and celebrate Korean fashion culture with us! Free worldwide shipping as always and the awesome Lianox.com customer support you’re used to.
We sincerely hope you stay with us and continue being a part of the Lianox family. 💓💕

📦 INFO: All past orders have already been shipped and the giveaway has ended on Monday, we have notified the winners via DM. All gift cards are still valid and of course you will be able to receive customer support for old orders ☺️ For order related questions, please contact us via email.

October 25 Update: There appears to be small delays with some orders. Some orders may be delayed by around 4-8 days. We apologize sincerely for the extra wait! The amount of flights is currently dramatically reduced, and the logistics centers are working with reduced staff. US elections are also getting closer, which means postal services in the US may be slightly slower than usually. We are working without rest to make sure your package arrives to you as soon as possible!

 

September 9: 
Update: All items are now shipping on time! There are no more delays as of right now.

 

April 27/2020: As you probably know, The Corona Virus has reached the US and many other countries around the world. Even though we ship out parcels normally without delay now, we have noticed longer shipping times for some locations, as packages get stuck at country borders, especially when they need to go through customs (probably due to reduced staff and backlog). On top of that, the US and Europe have massively reduced the amount of flights, which leads to some parcels having to wait a long time to get on a plane. Many local carriers also have problems delivering parcels on time right now because so many people shop online now. We are very sorry about that. 
We usually refund and resend items after 2 months (60 days), but we will have to extend this period to 3 months, as resending the items another time will not do anything and just increase the backlog that shipping hubs have to deal with. We would again kindly ask you for your understanding in this matter and are very sorry about the delays~ Your parcels are on their way to you and we ship out everything you order. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do from our end to speed up the process since these delays are out of our control. :(
Thank you for your patience and compassion, stay healthy. ♥


April 06/2020: Things are now more or less back to normal in China. There may be small delays depending on your location, but 99% of orders should be delivered on time with no delays. Thank you for your patience and happy shopping! 💕
 

March 11/2020: We thank you for your patience! ♥ Please note that Corona is a crisis in many areas, such as Italy, Iran and South Korea. In the affected areas, there may still be huge delays.
Please also note that - due to the massive backlog in China - tracking might be updated slower and processing in general might be slower than usual.
Remember to wash your hands and stay healthy! 💖 


February 17/2020: We have started to ship out orders on February 17 again! :) Please note that there is huge backlog as Chinese companies are now slowly starting to get back to work again. Thank you for your patience! ♥

 

Hello everyone,

 

We have some unfortunate news; there will be larger delays than anticipated for orders placed after the 17th January of 2020.

China has decided to extend public holidays for Chinese New Year 2020 for all citizens due to the novel Corona Virus, which means that employees of warehouses as well as shipping hubs are currently not at work.

The precautions within China are to make sure that their citizens stay safe, which is why most work places are closed right now. There is no risk in using products that you have purchased at an earlier point as the virus cannot survive on surfaces for an extended amount of time (see statement of WHO below).

We are currently expecting to be able to ship out all orders placed within this time frame (mid January until now) in the next two weeks (end of February).

We are planning to include gifts in all of the orders and ship them with premium shipping to make sure they arrive quickly. We are also looking into alternative solutions such as finding some of the products from suppliers outside of Asia.

We are working extended hours daily to try and resolve the situation and assist our customers, but unfortunately there is not much we can do but wait. :(

 

We have been providing K-Pop fans with merchandise since 2017.

We want to kindly ask for your patience, support, and understanding, as these times are quite difficult for us.

If you have more questions, you may contact us via email.

 

 

We wish you all the best and hope you stay safe, thank you for choosing Lianox,

M. Rytkönen & S. Menke, founders of Lianox.com

 

FAQ:

•  What is the Corona Virus?

"Corona viruses are a large family of viruses found in both animals and humans. Some infect people and are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.
A novel corona virus [...] is a new strain of corona virus that has not been previously identified in humans. The new, or “novel” coronavirus, now called 2019-nCoV, had not previously detected before the outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
As with other respiratory illnesses, infection with 2019-nCoV can cause mild symptoms including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever. [...] Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as, diabetes and heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus."

Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses (World Health Organization).

 

•  Is it safe to order from Lianox.com?

Source: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters (World Health Organization).

 

• When will I get my order?

We are currently looking to ship out all current orders within the next two weeks. (Cited Feb 8, 2020)

However, please be aware that all warehouses and shipping hubs in China will need to work through a huge backlog once business can resume. We kindly ask you for your patience and understanding in this matter.

🔔 jamjamj is hosting a Lianox holiday giveaway until December 1st! The 3 lucky winners will receive a 25€ giftcard each! 🔔

 

Please introduce yourself! Sarah: Hi everyone! I’m jamjamj from YouTube! I’m a 17 year old girl from the United States who has a passion for editing and music :) What kind of videos are you creating on your channel?  Sarah: My channel is full of videos about BTS. It has things from information-filled guides about the members all the way to “crack” (funny) videos you’d probably find at 2 am. I hope that these videos on my channel can make people laugh! It makes my world knowing that my content is able to put smiles on peoples’ faces, and my subscribers sure let me know it does! They’re so sweet and supportive, and in turn, it puts a smile on my face too ♥ All in all, I’m really grateful for the online family the YouTube platform has given me. How and when did you start with YouTube?  Sarah: When I was getting into BTS, I watched a lot of videos about the members from YouTubers like bangtansus, BornToSlay, Squishy Min Yoongi, kookie-scenario, Army Bomb, and more! Their videos made me laugh non-stop and inspired me to start my channel. I’m uploading just for fun, but turning it into a full-time job would be the best job ever. I sincerely enjoy editing, and to put out content that I’m proud of while making people happy is something I’d love to do for a long time! How and when did you get into K-Pop? Sarah: I always knew K-Pop was around, but I never really dove deep into the genre. I knew about the Wonder Girls because their album at the time was at Justice (one of my favorite stores as a little kid) and I knew of B2ST (now named Highlight) because one of my favorite YouTuber’s listened to them, but that was about it for a long time. Then, about 2 years ago, I was watching a YouTube video where people reacted to K-Pop. “Just Right” by GOT7 played, and I was automatically in love with the song! Then “Dumb Dumb” by Red Velvet played, and I absolutely loved that song as well! I listened to songs from both groups on repeat for a long time but never ventured out into other groups. I eventually fell out of the genre again. Early 2017, I kept hearing about “BTS” but ignored it. I never planned on looking into their music. But around late November of 2017, I was watching a YouTube video and “Butterfly” was playing as background music. I fell in love with the song and had to know who sang it. I was surprised to see that it was BTS! I had “Butterfly” on repeat for days and didn’t listen to anything else by them until “Fire” showed up in my recommended videos on YouTube. I clicked on it, and from then on I’ve been hooked on BTS. I’m proud to say that in early December of 2018, I will have officially been an Army for a year! :) I’m so glad I got into them because it’s led me to love other groups and find even more music to enjoy. Music really is a universal language! Who's your ultimate bias and why? Sarah: My ultimate bias is Jimin from BTS! When I was first getting into the group, I watched a bunch of videos on the members. Jimin really stuck out to me when I watched a video about his past. I related to a lot of what he went through (for as relatable as a K-Pop idol can be, haha) and it really struck a chord in me. Then I started noticing his little quirks and habits and just finding them adorable. Not to mention his talent! His singing voice is one of my favorites, and he puts so much effort into perfecting what he does to give people his best. Plus, his dancing! I was a dancer for 10 years and never could I ever move like he can. Even with an unlimited amount of training, I’d never be able to match the presence he gives when he dances. He’s overall a very caring, hardworking, and selfless person that I aspire to be like. What are your favorite K-Pop groups and songs recently? Sarah: I absolutely adore NCT. Regular-Irregular is such a great album, and “City 127” gets stuck in my head a lot. I’ve been getting into EXO recently and “Tempo” seriously has to be one of my favorite songs of all time (and it only came out this week)! Also, a new group ATEEZ debuted and their album is so strong!! I can’t believe they just debuted and are already putting out songs, music videos, and concepts like they are. “Pirate King” is definitely on repeat! If you could choose to look like any female or male idol, who would you like to look like? Sarah: I would probably choose Mina from gugudan. She has an amazing smile that I wish I had! Plus, she makes any style work. What would you like to tell all K-Pop fans worldwide? Sarah: K-Pop has one of the most diverse communities I’ve ever been in, and it’s great to see everyone come together to support this love of music! It’s amazing knowing others enjoy what I enjoy and that we can all share the feelings music gives us together. Thank you guys for everything!

 

Please introduce yourself! William: Hi guys, my name is William, but maybe you know me as flowtaee. I'm a 17 years old YouTuber and passionate K-Pop fanboy! I'm half French and Half Chinese/Vietnamese. What kind of videos are you creating on your channel?  William: My channel is all about K-Pop and me, I mainly do K-Pop random dances. Thank you for always supporting my work! How and when did you start with YouTube?  William: You will never believe me. I started YouTube only five months ago and got to 60.000 subscrbers in this period. This is unimaginable and so incredible! I started out with a little K-Pop random dance challenge, and I really didn't expect that a lot of people will like it... Now some of my random dances get a million views. I post videos for fun and when I think it is a good moment to post. I like to be close with my subscribers! How and when did you get into K-Pop? William: This is a really good question. A little over a year ago, "Save me" by BTS radically changed my whole life. Before, I was like "K-Pop is bad, they are all the same"... One week after listening to "Save me", I knew all the BTS members, haha :D Who's your ultimate bias and why? William: I have 3 ultimate biases. Ever since the beginning, I have liked Bambam of GOT7, and I met him one month ago. He shook my hand and wore my crown saying "BamBam, King of Dab", I still cannot believe it! My second bias is Lucas of NCT, he came and wrecked my whole bias list this year. And of course Taehyhung from BTS, my first love. ♥ What are your favorite K-Pop groups and songs recently? William: My favorite groups are BTS, GOT7, and NCT. I love Twice and Wanna One so much too, and I'm also excited for EXO's comeback. I'm a multifandom fanboy :') Currently, "Boss" by NCT U is my favorite song. If you could choose to look like any female or male idol, who would you like to look like? William: People say that I look like Lucas or Taehyung. Honestly, I would love to! What do you think? What would you like to tell all K-Pop fans worldwide? William: Be yourself and enjoy K-Pop. Last thing: Thanks to Lianox! ♥

Pssst... 👀 We have hidden a coupon code in this article which will give you 15% off your order at Lianox.com! Do you find it? :D

You hear K-Pop idols speak about their hobbies all the time. To relax and get the deserved chill out after tight schedules at concerts, TV performances, and variety shows, a big amount of idols play online games. What South Koreans seem to enjoy the most are competitive PvP (Player versus Player) games! Today, we bring you 3 games that seem to be highly enjoyed by most idols! :)

We are excited to hear from you - do you play video games, or in particularly these video games? What do you enjoy playing the most? Comment below!

 

Blade & Soul

Blade & Soul is a Korean MMORPG ("Massive Multiplayer Online Roll Play Game"), by NCSOFT. It offers a mix of martial arts and magic in a fantasy world. Since it is such a huge game in Korea, it is very common that K-Pop groups are performing during the Championships Shows. NCSOFT seems to love K-Pop: In 2013 Girls Generation did a theme song for B&S called "Find your Soul", and during recent years they have had so called "N-POP" showcases where MAMAMOO and various SM artists, including EXO-CBX and Red Velvet, performed. 🎤 You can check out more videos at the plaync YouTube channel! Blade & Soul is free to play, check it out here: http://www.bladeandsoul.com/en/

 

Overwatch (COUPON CODE: "GAMER" FOR 15% OFF)

Overwatch is a shooter game by Blizzard. Does this name ring a bell? 🔔 Blizzard is known for games like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Diablo, and - of course - Starcraft, which has by far one of the biggest competitive scenes in South Korea. Overwatch is a team game where players can pick from various characters to play arena-based battlegrounds: The better team wins! It is always fast and easy to play a round or two, which is probably why it is so popular among our busy idols. Below, you see a video where members of VIXX play against members of MONSTA X, and even if you don't know the game, it is hilarious 😆 Jungkook of BTS is said to be a very skilled McCree player, and also members of EXO have been seen playing. Overwatch can be bought for around 39,99€ in the official Battle.net store of Blizzard: https://eu.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/overwatch (also available for console!)

League of Legends

The King of modern PvP Games: League of Legends seems to be played by almost every idol! SMTOWN even hosted the so called "SM SUPER CELEB LEAGUE" where SM arstist played against each other. But even before that, Heechul of Super Junior has been known to be an extremely skilled LoL player. EXO's Baekhyun has also broadcasted several games of him playing on VLIVE, frequently joined by fellow member Xiumin. (Check out EXOMENTARY and SMTOWN's YouTube channel if you are interested in more SM LoL!) League of Legends is a MOBA - Multiplayer Online Battle Arena - where two 5 player teams compete against each other. The global competitive scene around LoL has huge respect for Korean professional players, as they are said to be the most skilled in the world. The game is free to play and can be downloaded here: https://play.euw.leagueoflegends.com/ (for Euope). By the way: Riot Games, the makers of LoL, seem to love K-Pop as well! One of their characters called Ahri is able to perform a dance that is just all to familiar...

 

Do you know and play these games? Would you be down to try them out? 🎮 Which idol is your favorite gamer? Tell us your gaming experiences in the comments below! 😊 

Oh, and... Did you find the coupon code? No? Here's a tip: CTRL+A. 😜

 

 

 

We do not intend copyright infringement. For copyright issues, please contact us at hello@lianox.com!

📷 Pictures by NCSOFT (https://us.ncsoft.com/en/), Blizzard (https://www.blizzard.com/), Riot Games (https://www.riotgames.com/en)

Videos:

Blade & Soul MV: Find Your Soul by Girls' Generation by Freedomplays (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAhqWN12m0M)

[N-POP] EXO-CBX(첸백시)_CRUSH U(크러쉬유)_Music Video (ncsoft X yoonsang X EXO-CBX) by plaync (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0JRSgucGMA)

VIXX vs MONSTA X / Eng Sub [정.대.만] 6회 by 모비딕 Mobidic by 모비딕 Mobidic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nh9wJBFTzw)

Ahri - Run Devil Run (런데빌런) Dance - League of Legends (LoL) by NeiLalwaysLeeT (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krNyEn1CKGY)

 

 

✍ Are you a writer and would like your K-Pop articles to be published on Lianox.com? Or do you just have a brilliant idea for an article that you would like to read on here? Don't hesitate to send us an email to hello@lianox.com!

 

Please introduce yourself! Vanessa: Hello everyone! My name is Vanessa and I have a YouTube channel called Kpop Planet. I am currently 19 years old (actually almost 20) and I am from Toronto, Canada. What kind of videos are you creating on your channel?  Vanessa: I make a variety of different videos on my channel including K-Pop games, song playlists and K-Pop Try-not-to-laugh challenges. I always try to give a lot of love to many group and artists in my videos which my viewers like a lot! How and when did you start with YouTube?  Vanessa: I started making videos back in 2015 just because I was bored one day, but I ended up really enjoying editing and I started to gain an audience. I am now a fulltime YouTuber and I couldn't be happier. How and when did you get into K-Pop? Vanessa: I first discovered K-Pop in 2015 when I was watching a Fine Brothers YouTube video. They had teenagers reacting to "Call Me Baby" by EXO and within the first 20 seconds of the song, I fell in love. After this, I went and looked up all of EXO's other music videos and fell even more in love. I was only listening to EXO for a couple of months, and I didn't really know about any other groups and artists until around September of that same year. This is when I fully got into K-Pop, and ever since then my music library has been dominated by various different K-Pop groups and artists. Who's your ultimate bias and why? Vanessa: My ultimate bias is definitely Lay from EXO. He was the first person who caught my eye when I first discovered K-Pop. I really admire how kind and hardworking he is. What are your favorite K-Pop groups and songs recently? Vanessa: Recently, I have really been enjoying groups like Pentagon and SHINee (who are actually one of my favourite K-Pop groups ever). As for songs, of course "Shine" by Pentagon has been on repeat, and SHINee's most recent albums with songs like "Chemistry" and "All Day All Night". I have also been listening to a song called "Upside Down" by Jay Park, Simon Dominic, Loco and Gray a lot recently which I highly recommend. 😊 If you could choose to look like any female or male idol, who would you like to look like? Vanessa: If I could look like any idol, I would probably choose either Hyolyn or Joy from Red Velvet. However, if I was a boy, I would choose someone like Dean or Kikwang from Beast/Highlight. What would you like to tell all K-Pop fans worldwide? Vanessa: One thing that I would like to tell all K-pop fans worldwide is that you shouldn't be embarrassed about listening to K-Pop. Sure, some people won't understand the appeal and may make jokes about it, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what you like. It is just music after all, and I think it's pretty amazing that K-Pop is introducing people to a whole new culture that some might have not known much about before! 😊

It's the hot season again, and people want to look their best in bikinis and bathing suits. 👙 How many of your friends and family members have been on diets for summer? Maybe you have been dieting yourself? K-Pop idols are no different - except they ALWAYS need to look their best. They prepare for comebacks and live stages with strict diet plans. We have found the three most popular diet trends by K-Pop idols for you!

Please note that we do not recommend to do any of these diets. Fast weightloss can be extremely unhealthy! If you want to lose weight, consult your doctor. :)

3 Cups Diet

The 3 cups diet, also known as the paper cup diet is as easy as it sounds: You fill 3 cups with food and eat it, 1 with meat or veggies, 1 with rice, and 1 with fruits. Heavy portion control right here! NINE MUSES are famous for this diet plan and revealed that they have been using this method to prepare for their albums for a long time.

 

No(n) White Diet

Huh? What could be behind this weird diet name?! HYUNA is known for this simple method, quite simple in theory: Do not eat anything white. That means, no rice, no noodles, no bread, no sugar. This makes sense as it would cut out most carbohydrates from your meals, and would therefore be similar to the worldwide known low carb diet. Have you guys tried low carb? Tell us in the comments!

 

Sweet Potatoe Diet

The girls from GIRL'S DAY seem to be all over... Yup. Potatoes. To prepare for comebacks and to get in shape, they eat nothing but sweet potatoes! These veggies are a rich source of fibre, filled with vitamins and minerals, iron, and calcium. In most Asian countries, they are quite inexpensive a well! While you shouldn't eat sweet potatoes for the rest of your life obviously, eating them regularly will have awesome health benefits for you. They are not for everyone though. Do you like sweet potatoes? How do you prepare them? We love sweet potatoe fries - these are probably not as healthy though... 👀

 

What do you think about these diet methods? Have you tried some of them yourself? Have you ever been on a diet? What worked or works for you? Tell us in the comments! 

 

We do not intend copyright infringement. For copyright issues, please contact us at hello@lianox.com!

📷 Cover photo taken from 'Amazing body - HyunA - 4minutes - Sexy Kpop girls' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWfsla_Uh80

 

✍ Are you a writer and would like your K-Pop articles to be published on Lianox.com? Or do you just have a brilliant idea for an article that you would like to read on here? Don't hesitate to send us an email to hello@lianox.com!

Have you ever listened to a K-Pop song and thought: "Huh? That sounds quite familiar! 🤔" Usually, you just cannot put your finger on it, you keep wondering, and then your thoughts just wander into the abyss of your mind. Fear not, we'll help your brain out. Here we have 5 K-Pop songs that sound just like Western pop songs!

(We knowingly didn't provide any release dates to not fuel any debates about which song was there first. Just enjoy the music! 🎵)

 

1. SEVENTEEN (세븐틴) - 울고 싶지 않아 (Don't Wanna Cry) & The Chainsmokes - Closer ft. Halsey

2. MAMAMOO (마마무) - Starry Night(별이 빛나는 밤) & Robin Schulz - Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix) 

 

 

3. MOMOLAND (모모랜드) - BBoom BBoom (뿜뿜) & SEREBRO - Mi Mi Mi

 

 

4. SUNMI (선미) - Heroine (주인공) & Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love

 

 

5. Jay Park (박재범) X Yultron (율트론) - 'Forget About Tomorrow' & DJ Snake - Middle ft. Bipolar Sunshine

There are many more K-Pop and Western pop songs that sound alike! Which by the way is perfectly normal because many songs use the same chords. Which one is your favorite? 😊

 

We do not intend copyright infringement. For copyright issues, please contact us at hello@lianox.com!

📷 Cover photo taken from EXO 엑소 'CALL ME BABY' MV, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWfsla_Uh80

 

✍ Are you a writer and would like your K-Pop articles to be published on Lianox.com? Or do you just have a brilliant idea for an article that you would like to read on here? Don't hesitate to send us an email to hello@lianox.com!

How often have you looked at people like Taemin does on the cover photo of this article? 😩 Some people are obnoxious when it comes to cultural things they just don't get.

We have compiled the 6 most annoying statements every K-Pop fan has probably heard at some point!

 

1. They all look the same.

While the industry of K-Pop obviously follows Korean beauty trends so that stylists and companies might make similar style choices for idols, this is usually NOT referring to their clothes, but to their Asian heritage. It is indeed a learnable skill. We can't help but find this statement rather racist, even if it's usually not said with this purpose. Fun fact: Koreans usually have the same struggles differentiating between Caucasian faces!

 

2. They look like girls.

In another article, we talked about the phases where Taemin and Ren were dressed and styled in very feminine ways. The feminine style for men is not necessarily part of K-Pop, but it's not uncommon. Even though the recent trend has been to bulk up (see Wonho from Monsta X!), this sentence remains strong and annoying as ever. Let's be honest though, doesn't this statement just mean that idols are extraordinary pretty? Nothing wrong with that!

 

3. They are gay.

If someone says that as an insult, they are definitely not worth your time - using sexual orientation as an insult is just plain stupid.
On another note, there is nothing wrong with it if idols were homosexual. Just recently, we witnessed the debut of the first openly gay idol Holland!

 

4. Why are there so many?

It is common for K-Pop groups to have more than ten members. This is unheard of in the West, where groups usually consist of four to six members max. Why is that though? This might be deeply rooted in society structures - Asian countries act more as a collective while in the West, individuality is one of the most important values. We think: The more, the merrier!

 

5. But you don't understand them!

You encounter this one quite often. It is indeed a rather weird argument when you are not from an English speaking country, because chances are that most people there do not even fully understand the music on their radio. Therefore, this argument is just invalid. Music has no language! (Plus: Yay to subtitles!)

 

6. Korean, Chinese, Japanese... It's all the same.

This one frequently makes us facepalm. Not only is this statement racist, but it clearly shows the speaker's lack of knowledge about Asian countries, cultures, and languages. As Haeppy from We Fancy once said - if you cannot differentiate between these languages, then you're simply uneducated, period. Really, they do sound nothing alike and do not look alike either...

 

Is there more you would like to add? Let us know in the comments! We'll make a part 2 with your ideas!

 

We do not intend copyright infringement. For copyright issues, please contact us at hello@lianox.com!

📷 Cover photo by INTAEMIN

 

✍ Are you a writer and would like your K-Pop articles to be published on Lianox.com? Or do you just have a brilliant idea for an article that you would like to read on here? Don't hesitate to send us an email to hello@lianox.com!

BTS is burning! 🔥

The seven boys from Big Hit Entertainment rock national and international stages, making the K-Pop fandom grow each day, raising more and more awareness for the genre.

Why is that though? 🤔 There are several awesome K-Pop boy groups who have been in business for long, all talented with unique personalities – but BTS seems to take the cake. What makes Jungkook, Jin, Jimin, Suga, J-Hope, and their leader Rap Monster stand out so much?

We have come up with 7 points that might be the key for their huge international success!

Comment down below what you think! ✍

From all comments made on our Instagram and on our blog on Lianox.com, we choose one person each week to win a photocard pack! 😍

 

1. BTS‘ music is not oldschool K-Pop.

 

Who is a long time ARMY here? If you are, you probably know how back in the day BTS was more of a Hip Hop group, heavily influenced by oldschool Western Hip Hop (see "No More Dream" or "We are Bulletproof"). Nowadays, their music has a more upbeat pop-y feel to it, but they manage to still maintain the forcefulness and electro vibes from their Hip Hop past. It’s this mash up of genres that make BTS quite different from oldschool K-Pop. Their collaboration with Steve-O for "Mic Drop" remix has probably proven to anyone in doubt that BTS is perfectly able to do Western style music. And be darn good at it.

 

2. BTS members are rather masculine.

 

 

Do you remember the phases where Ren from NU‘EST and Taemin from SHINee left people confused because they were SO pretty? Korean beauty trends for men (and women too!) change all the time, but the feminine style for males is more common in the South Korean entertainment industry than in the West, particularly in oldschool K-Pop. BTS however, has never done any of that (and no, fetus Jungkook does not count as girly!), and therefore eliminated the confusion these style choices sometimes cause to international audiences. Since debut, they have remained with rather masculine styles, fitting their boyish concept about friendship which has evolved to be more and more dramatic as time went by. They are the "Bulletproof Boyscouts" after all. 

 

3. BTS has an awesome relationship with their fans.

 

 

Many K-Pop groups have outstanding bonds with their fans, and so does BTS. Because BTS has such a huge fandom and is surrounded by cameras 24/7, there seems to be an endless number of videos that show their cute and playful interactions with ARMY at fan signs. Don’t deny it, you have been watching this one video where Jimin lovingly touches the hands of this one fan several times too. 🙏

 

4. … and even international fans don’t feel left out.

 

If you are a fan of other K-Pop groups as well, you know the struggle: They don’t understand you, you don’t understand them. There is always this little invisible wall between you and your bias(es), even if you sit down on your butt and learn Korean… Language barrier. BTS has efficiently broken down this wall – because Namjoon aka Rap Monster speaks perfect English, and the other BTS members seem to learn bit by bit as well. This allows them to be on international TV shows (mostly) without any awkwardness at all, including their international fans on a level that is just not possible for most K-Pop groups.

 

5. BTS does a LOT for their fans and is very active on social media.

 

 

Back in the day, only very little K-Pop groups and idols had an Instagram account – today, quite many have been posting selcas on their socials, but BTS is on another level. There’s literally endless hours of BTS material to watch online. Ever since 2013, they post so-called BANGTAN BOMBS on their YouTube channel BANGTANTV, showcasing funny videos and other random stuff. As mentioned, at that point in time, that was rather new. Funny moments among K-Pop group members are usually something that is kept from the public. BTS has never been afraid to share their weirdest moments that have by now turned to our beloved classic BTS memes. They haven’t won the Top Social Artist award for nothing!

 

6. Big Hit does an overall excellent job at marketing BTS overseas.

 

 

Over the last years, it has become more common that K-Pop groups tour countries outside Asia, but it’s definitely not the norm. Big Hit is one of the first Korean entertainment companies that actively promote in TV shows outside Asia. Usually, it’s celebrities like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran that sit with Ellen DeGeneres, talking about their newest albums and singles. Now BTS lines up with them! It is safe to say that ever since the Billboard Music Awards 2018, everyone knows their faces. Are you also still wishing for a BTS carpool with James Corden? We definitely are.

 

7. Hands down: BTS makes good music.

 

 

In the face of lip syncing and singing technique debates, we are still sure about one thing though: BTS‘ songs are well-made with awesome lyrics that speak to a crazy big audience. Their music videos and overall concept are of extremely high production value, telling deep stories and touching on topics that are usually not talked about in common K-Pop lyrics, such as bullying or politics. Big Hit and BTS seem to improve with every single comeback, and we hope there are more excellent performances and songs to come in the future!

 

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