SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: A mystery book that recently became a best-seller on Amazon and Barnes & Noble despite having no cover or title has been revealed to be a biography about K-pop sensation BTS, one of the biggest boy bands in the world. The revelation comes after fans of Taylor Swift speculated that the publication was a possible memoir or biography of the American pop star.
The biography, initially listed as ‘4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023’ on Amazon, left Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, convinced that the cryptic title alluded to the ‘Midnights’ creator. This resulted in soaring pre-orders and even made the book number one on Amazon. Several US bookstores also made social media posts alluding to Swift and received a surge in orders before Flatiron asked owners to remove their online posts. On May 9, Variety published an article denying Swift’s association with the book. On May 11, The New York Times cited Flatiron and confirmed that the book is, in fact, an oral history of BTS.
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Swifties spot 'Easter eggs'
Rumors about the untitled biography were fueled further after Swifties seemingly spotted alleged Easter eggs related to the mystery book. As speculation of a Swift memoir made the rounds online, fans of the singer pointed out that there were 544 pages in the book. The digits add up to 13, a number that holds significance to Swift and her fans.
Swift was born on December 13 and has often said that 13 is her favorite number, according to Billboard. The number 13 theory was one of the alleged Easter eggs that prompted her fans to connect the book to the global superstar. As the biography was listed for a July 9 release, devoted fans also believed that the date was a reference to her song ‘Last Kiss', which went, “I do recall now the smell of the rain / Fresh on the pavement / I ran off the plane / That July 9th.”
However, fans of BTS, known as BTS Army, were quick to realize the significance of July 9, which is celebrated around the globe as Army Day to commemorate the day their fandom name was coined. This year, July 9 holds even more significance as it will mark the 10th anniversary of the tradition of Army Day. Fans also pointed out that June 13, the day when more details about the book were to be revealed, is the 10th anniversary of the release of BTS' first single ‘No More Dream’ from their debut album ‘2 Cool 4 Skool'.
What is known about the biography?
While major details about the biography are yet to be revealed, reports suggest the book is titled ‘Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record Of BTS', according to the Daily Mail. It is reportedly written by journalist Kang Myeong-seok and the seven members of the group. The book has also been translated into English by Anton Hur in collaboration with Clare Richards and Slin Jung.
It will reportedly be published by BTS’ music label, Big Hit Music, in South Korea. Following the revelation, the biography has been described as an “oral history of the K-Pop group in South Korea and the United States,” as per The New York Times. The biography is currently on sale for $27 at Amazon and $29.99 for a Kindle version. Fans can pre-order the upcoming book online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for $39.99.
‘We wanted Taylor’
Swifties were left disappointed with the revelation and took to Twitter to share their grievances. “RIP to all the people who preordered that mystery memoir thinking it was going to be about taylor swift only for it to be a bts biography,” one fan wrote. “Imagine preordering a $45 book because you thought it was taylor swift’s memoir and then it ends up being bts’ ??&\!,£,” added another. “We wanted taylor,” a third fan commented.
One said, “They can keep it,” while another was convinced, “Taylor will outshine them.” One fan advised, “SWIFTIES cancel all your preorders now and demand refund.” Someone harshly asserted, “No one will be buying.”
‘Have some respect towards BTS’
BTS Army were also quick to defend their artists on social media. “Have some respect towards BTS. It's their 10th year anniversary gift for ARMYs, and ya'll manage to make this all about Taylor Swift???” one fan asked. “Keep on making a situation about poc, non-western artists breaking through an industry incredibly hostile to them to this day about a white american artist,” another added. “At the moment I heard the rumor, I immediately know it will be a BTS book. It seems like I as a BTS fan know BTS well, but Taylor fans don’t know her very well,” a third fan tweeted.
One said, “Listen, it's understandable that taylor swift fans were anticipating a memoir, based on 'that july 9th' being lyrics of an old song. she even played an author in her 'all too well' music video. but turning their disappointment into insults towards bts? Pathetic,” while another added, “The fact that people even thought the secret memoir was taylor swift when every fact was pointed at it being a bts book was like smacking you in the face.”
One fan wrote, “Dam still making it about her when it already ruined the surprise for a TEN year anniversary,” before another mentioned, “They ruined bts's surprise for us we're the ones upset here not her or her fans.”
‘Still a win’
Some neutral social media users also took to Twitter to react to the revelation. “Army v swifties is gunna be twitter world war 3 isn’t it,” one user asked. “The rumours about that memoir are currently Taylor Swift, BTS or Britney Spears so regardless I will win,” another added. One said, “Bahahahaha, I LOVE that @downboundbooks emailed me to make SURE I meant to pre-order the BTS book and not a Taylor Swift one. (As I told them, I'm a big fan of both, so it would have been fine either way),” while someone else added, “I pre-ordered a book thinking that it was going to be Taylor Swift's memoir. It turned out it was actually BTS' memoir. So still a win for me.”
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