K-Pop Around the World

[Anchor Lead]

On today’s close up: K-pop around the world. Some of the hottest K-pop stars are selling out concerts in Brazil, while others are making headway on the US music charts. Let’s check it out.

[Pkg]

The Korean boy band Bangtan Boys or BTS held a concert in Brazil and fans respond wildly. 16-thousand tickets for two days of performance sold out in less than an hour. Brazilian media covered the K-pop fever saying that over 30-thousand fans could not get tickets.

[Soundbite] (Fan of BTS) : "I camped outside the concert hall for over a week waiting for BTS to arrive."

Fans packed the concert hall and sang along with the Korean lyrics all throughout the two hour show.

[Soundbite] "After a cold winter"

[Soundbite] "Until springs returns again"

[Soundbite] "I miss you, I miss you."

[Soundbite] J-Hope(BTS) : "The fans sang after all our songs. We're so grateful they welcome us this way whenever we come."

The Korean girl group Stellar also drew crowds to their concert in Brazil.

[Soundbite] (President of Production Agency) : "I think everything about K-pop gets fans hooked including the music genres, the singers' lifestyle, makeup and so on."

Meanwhile in the U.S., K-pop stars are increasingly finding the spotlight of local media. The Bangtan Boys have held consecutive interviews with US music portals in New York. BTS has so far been listed six times on Billboard's main chart. It is a record not achieved by any Korean musician to date. Billboard's interview with BTS streamed live worldwide and over 17-thousand people came online simultaneously to see the Korean boy band. It set another record in Billboard's live interview history, pointing to BTS' immense popularity. The group Big Bang's regular album released late last year has also entered the Billboard main chart, showcasing the veteran band's continued strength. It's Big Bang's second listing on the main chart since 2012 as the band continues to receive positive reviews. Billboard also recently shed light on Twice's album, raising hopes for the girl group's activities in the U.S. K-pop stars are likely to further promote their musical talents beyond Asia and in regions like North America, the world's biggest entertainment market.