Artist collaborations come and go. We have had some iconic forces join together in history, for example Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men in their hit “One Sweet Day,” Jay Z and Justin Timberlake’s numerous joint works together, and more recent jams like Bruno’s and Cardi B’s remix of “Finesse.” While collaborations between musicians are not unusual, alliances between fan bases are largely unheard of. We see many arguing and disagreements between one another, but seeing them come together in harmony is rare. However, that is exactly what happened with the fans of Beyonce and South Korean boy group, BTS.
Following the drop of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s joint album “EVERYTHING IS LOVE” this past Saturday, the two iconic fan bases decided to join forces for a streaming party that started under the hashtag #ARMYHiveStreamingParty on Tuesday night. The movement created an exchange of BTS fans, known as ARMY listening to The Carters’ new album, and the Beyhive listening to the latest BTS album, “LOVE YOURSELF: Tear,” which was released on May 18th. The two fandoms found connection through their love of each of their favorite artists’ music, and even parallels between their past and present music videos, the way that they speak through their music, and their lyrics.
It was a heartwarming experience for both sides, with members of the ARMY welcoming the Beyhive with open arms, providing guides to the members of BTS, song recommendations based on music taste, and lyric translations, as the songs of the boy group are primarily sung in Korean, with a few english phrases sprinkled within their music. BTS fans also showered the comment section of the new single “APES**T” with love and praise, drowning out comments of negativity and hate. Beyhive returned the favor by pledging to defend BTS and ARMY from close-minded keyboard warriors, and they came through.
The #ARMYHiveStreamingParty garnered attention both in the United States and in Korea, with publications made in Billboard, Hollywood Life, Teen Vogue, and Korean news portals as well. The alliance of two unlikely groups made for a rich exchange and union through music.
