Bruno Mars is currently facing backlash from BTS fans over his comments in a recent interview.
On December 11, Bruno Mars joined BLACKPINK’s Rosé for a special interview with Billboard, in which the two discussed the immense success of their collaboration song ‘APT‘.
During one section of the interview, Bruno brought up APT’s global effect of bringing Korean culture to the rest of the world. He compared ‘APT’ to ‘Gangnam Style‘ by PSY, in that the two songs both became so popular that they successfully introduced K-pop and Korean culture to the rest of the world:
“No one says it, but I feel like Rosie is the first time we’ve seen this. The last time we’ve seen something to this effect was “Gangnam Style.” I still think that was an amazing thing to happen, this guy comes out and he’s talking about Gangnam style and the whole song is in Korean and that’s the learning lesson, the rock star-ness of that. This is what we do, this is how I talk, this is what we look like, this is how we’re dancing over here — and watch me sweep the nation with this s–t. And he did. “APT.” with Rosie, I’ve never felt this before, I’ve never seen this before, where Rosie is this Korean girl that introduced this thing to people who don’t know about it, including myself. And that’s been the most enjoyable part for me. Seeing everybody react… that is magic to watch.”
However, Bruno’s explanation of APT’s global effect ended up sparking anger among some K-pop fans, particularly fans of BTS. Many expressed their frustration that Bruno did not mention BTS when speaking about K-pop songs that achieved global success. BTS fans also called Bruno’s statement “disrespectful,” saying that he was “erasing BTS’s impact on the industry” and “acting like he invented K-pop.”
Adding to the backlash, many fans began encouraging others to block Bruno Mars on Spotify and not listen to his music anymore. Bruno’s social media has been hit with waves of angry comments from BTS fans, repeating that “BTS paved the way” and demanding that Bruno apologize for his statements.
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