Time magazine has named South Korean boy band BTS its 2020 Entertainer of the Year.
The magazine announced the honour for the seven-member K-pop band hours before a prime-time television special in the US that will culminate with the naming of Time’s Person of the Year.
The magazine cited BTS’ massive global presence amid the coronavirus pandemic, including leveraging their massive fan base to support causes like Black Lives Matter.
.@bts_twt is TIME's 2020 Entertainer of the Year #TIMEPOY https://t.co/qVwp2NhJCx pic.twitter.com/Y5cBJJfGII
— TIME (@TIME) December 10, 2020
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The group has become a staple of recent awards shows, performing their flashy hit Dynamite. The song in November brought BTS its first Grammy nomination.
BTS member Suga told Time: “There are times when I’m still taken aback by all the unimaginable things that are happening. But I ask myself, Who’s going to do this, if not us?”
Time also announced the selection of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as its Athlete of the Year.
The shortlist for Time’s Person of the Year are: US President-elect Joe Biden; US President Donald Trump; front-line healthcare workers and Dr Anthony Fauci, and the racial justice movement.
