BTS arrive for the 24th Seoul Music Awards at the Olympic Park on January 22, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo : Getty Images/Chung Sung Jun)
BTS started 2017 on the right foot, gaining various accolades in the first month of the year. Recently, the seven-member group was identified as the most talked about Kpop boy band and even reached high brand value scores that bested EXO and Big Bang.
It appears that BTS is set to reach several impressive milestones this year. Having landed many awards in 2016, the septet's latest achievement signals another successful year for the South Korean band.
Recently, BTS topped the list of most talked about Kpop boy bands for the month of January, according to the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Center, as cited by Korea Herald. Apart from the seven-member group, TWICE was also identified as the most talked about Kpop girl band.
To come up with the list, the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Center looked at several categories such as the popularity of various Kpop groups in the media, as well as among fans. After evaluating the consumer communication and participation rates of various groups, both BTS and TWICE topped the list.
Moreover, BTS also nabbed the first place of a brand value study conducted by the same organization. For the period of Dec. 13, 2016 until Jan. 14, more than half of the said think tank's consumer respondents gave positive reactions to the band and its branding activities.
With 71 percent of the consumers showing support for the said group, BTS' brand reputation was higher than the percentages posted by EXO, Seventeen, Big Band and BTOB. The said Kpop boy groups landed the second to fifth spots on the said brand value list, respectively.
In other news, avid fans can look forward to another album release from the seven-member band. A music industry source told Yonhap News that BTS is preparing to launch a new album in February.
Described as a "spiritual extension" of the Kpop group's hit album "Wings," band members are currently busy completing recording sessions for the upcoming album. At this time, it is still unclear if the said album will contain new compositions or new versions of old tracks, according to the said source.
BTS released "Wings" in October 2016. Watch the music video for the said album's title track "Blood Sweat & Tears" below:
