BTS set the record straight on a series of rumors about the band, including what stage names and fandom nicknames they have considered using in the past.
The incredibly popular K-pop group — who has recently debuted their second and third singles in English, Butter, and Permission to Dance — appeared on an episode of The Tonight Show on July 13, spilling the beans to host Jimmy Fallon.
BTS Tell Jimmy Fallon What They Wanted To Call Their Fans Before Setting On ‘Army’
BTS seven members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook sat for a virtual chat with Fallon.
The host opened up saying that a lot of the online information about the beloved K-pop group might not be accurate and wanted to debunk myths with the septet.
The first BTS rumor that Fallon wanted to address is the name BTS gave to their fandom. BTS lovers are known as “Army,” but the group almost set their minds onto another nickname.
“Is it true that instead of calling your fans ‘Army,’ you were originally going to call them ‘Bell?’” Fallon asked BTS.
The members confirmed this rumor and explained the story behind it.
“When you say BTS, it stands for 'bangtan' in Korean, not 'behind-the scenes.' I mean, for your information," RM said.
"It stands for 'bangtan,' and when you say 'bell' in Korean, it sounds like 'bang wool.' It starts with the same word, ‘bang,’" he continued.
RM said that the group was excited about the idea of calling their fans the Bells. In retrospect, however, he is glad they didn’t.
"So when we think of the fan name, someone brings up the idea, like, 'What about the bell thing?' Everybody rings their bells and [we're] like, 'Make some noise!' and the Bells are like ‘ring-a-ling-a-ling,’” he added.
“But thank God that [it changed], ‘Army’ is so much better,” he finally said.
Jimin Confesses The Embarrassing Stage Name He Almost Wanted To Adopt
In addition to revealing the alternative fan base name, BTS also came clean about the stage name that Jimin nearly adopted at the beginning of their career.
"So I had Baby J and Baby G as an option, but when I thought about saying, 'Hi, I'm Baby J,' that sounded really weird," he said.
"So I just decided to go on with my real name,” he added.