In its most recent viral stunt, K-pop sensation BTS recreated the legendary 1964 American TV debut of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Following an interview on the show, the seven-piece group joined Stephen Colbert at the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on Wednesday night for not only a charming Beatles-inspired sketch but a performance of their latest hit, Boy With Luv.
Boy With Luv comes from the group’s latest EP, Map of the Soul: Persona, and features Without Me singer Halsey.
It earned the boys their third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in less than a year — making them the first band to do so since The Beatles, who earned that accolade with their 1995-96 Anthology trilogy.
READ MORE: BTS wows fans with live performance on ‘Good Morning America’
The members of BTS — RM, Jungkook, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, Jin and V — appeared onstage clad in black suits and ties, much like the Twist & Shout rockers did back in ’64.
The boys were introduced as a “new batch of mop-top heartthrobs.” Their performance was filmed in black and white as a throwback to the old variety show, much like Colbert’s impression of the late Ed Sullivan.
A Ringo Starr drum replica even made an appearance. The only difference? The bass drum read “BTS” rather than “The Beatles.”
WATCH: Stephen Colbert introduces ‘BTS-Mania’ at Ed Sullivan Theater
An interview with the band revealed that Hey Jude was collectively their favourite Beatles tune. Singer J-Hope broke out into the song’s beloved chorus before being joined by RM and the rest of his bandmates, the excitable crowd and the Late Show‘s house band.
“If I — and I haven’t auditioned yet — but if I were to join BTS, what would you change about my look or my style?” asked Colbert, 55.
“I think you (could) change your hair,” replied Jin.
“Long?” asked Colbert. “Short? ”
“Pink colour,” said Jin. “And every day… smile.”
The 26-year-old’s suggestion was met with a roar of applause.
READ MORE: BTS takes the stage with Halsey at Billboard Music Awards
BTS is breaking non-stop records on a weekly basis and could potentially surpass numbers that The Beatles achieved throughout their career.
It’s not only the rapidly increasing success of the Seoul-based group that suggests a modern-day Beatlemania is what’s taking place but their dedicated fans — the BTS Army — too.
Here’s what some of their fans had to say:
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.