BTS News & Update: Grammy Nomination, Bloomberg 50, & Car Accident
Korean pop sensation BTS had another unforgettable week. The septet received their first-ever Grammy nomination, named by Bloomberg Businessweek as one of the most influential figures of 2018, and had a successful two-night concert in Taiwan. However, the group also had an unfortunate incident this week when they got involved in a car accident.
It has been reported that the seven-member K-pop group has been involved in a vehicular accident on their way to their hotel after they finished their concert at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium in Taiwan. There were speculations that some sasaeng fans of BTS used several taxis to follow the group from the concert venue and bumped to the cars that the members were in.
According to Koreaboo, there were witnesses who said at least three of the group's vehicles got involved in the collision. There is still no confirmation if any of the members are in the three vehicles. Apparently, BTS and their crew were using several vehicles at the time.
Live Nation, the promoter of BTS's concerts in Taiwan, did not confirm whether the incident was caused by sasaeng or overly obsessive fans. It said that a vehicle in front of the convoy suddenly stopped which caused the collision. The promoter also assured that no one got injured in the incident.
"Other vehicles were immediately arranged for the artists, and they've all safely arrived at the hotel. No one was injured and the incident has successfully been resolved," Koreaboo quoted Live Nation as saying.
Prior to this, BTS has received its first Grammy nomination, making them the first K-pop act to receive a nod from the most prestigious music award-giving body. The group grabbed a nomination for Best Recording Package for their album Love Yourself: Tear which was released in May.
The nomination is based not on BTS's music but rather on the visual of their album. The Best Recording Package is presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the singer. Nonetheless, BTS ARMY are happy for the recognition as the group made another K-pop history.
If Love Yourself: Tear win the award, BTS album art director HuskyFox will receive the award. The 61st GRAMMY Awards is set to take place on February 10, 2019.
Meanwhile, BTS has been recognized as well by American business magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, as one of its most influential figures this year in their second annual Bloomberg 50. This makes the "IDOL" hitmakers as the first Korean artists to be included in the list.
The Bloomberg 50 lists the people in technology and science, business, entertainment, finance, and politics whose accomplishments this year are noteworthy. Bloomberg Businessweek particularly listed BTS's unprecedented level of success in the United States.
The long list includes BTS's back-to-back No. 1 on Billboard 200 album chart for Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer and worldwide stadium tours that were sold out in minutes. The magazine also noted the will of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook to address social issues, mental health, and even politic in their music despite being in K-pop genre that is often painted as manufactured and has a "bubble gum" image.
