Ahead of a nearly sold-out show at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium this Saturday, the world’s biggest K-pop group, BTS, stopped by Central Park in New York City to kick off Good Morning America‘s annual summer concert series.
The seven-piece sensation plowed through a fiery performance of its 2016 rap hit Fire before breaking out into an explosive rendition of Boy With Luv — BTS’s latest single, which features Halsey.
BTS is currently midway through its critically acclaimed Love Yourself/Speak Yourself tour, which promotes the group’s latest album, Map of the Soul: Persona.
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Before playing to a sold-out Rumsey Playfield crowd, GMA hosts Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan conducted a short interview with the band members.
When asked how it feels to be back touring in the U.S., singer Jungkook said: “It’s so amazing,” adding that “it feels like a dream.”
Map of the Soul: Persona became BTS’s third Billboard No. 1 in less than a year during the week it was released (April 12).
“Our fans are the best,” said V. “They are our motivation… We love you, army.”
“You’ve joined the leagues of The Beatles,” said Strahan, 47. “You guys are huge! How does that make you feel?”
“We’re all fanboys of The Beatles,” said RM. “I mean, who is not? We feel so honoured to be with the greatest names in the music industry.”
When asked the meaning behind Boy With Luv, the 24-year-old rapper explained that it’s about “finding joy in love and being curious about the little things, like what you’re feeling and what you’re doing.”
A Boy With Luv music video dropped on April 12 to accompany the album’s release, and within 24 hours, it became the most viewed YouTube debut in history.
YouTube has still not confirmed the numbers pulled in from the first 24 hours, however by its second day, Boy With Luv had achieved a massive 113 million views.
As of May 15, it has an impressive 292 million-plus views.
“Most importantly, Boy With Luv is like a fan letter to the BTS army,” added RM.
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Following the success of a short North American tour in 2018, BTS is expected to return to Canada in the future. Whether it’s to promote Map of the Soul: Persona or any future albums, however, is currently unclear.
Joining the ranks of BTS this year on GMA’s 2019 Summer Concert Series are Hozier, Alessia Cara, The Struts and Blink-182, among many others.