Global Superstar Ne-Yo Is Gaining Attention For His Recent Comments About BTS And The K-Pop Industry

It is no secret that K-Pop has become a world phenomenon in recent years. The rise of social media and people being able to access global content easier, it has allowed people from across the globe to witness, understand, and fall in love with K-Pop.

Whether you like boy bands, girl groups, or soloists, and no matter the genre, there is something for everyone.

Members of BTS | @bts_bighit/Twitter Members of BLACKPINK | @sbskpop/Twitter K-Pop soloist IU | @dlwlrma/Instagram

Yet, as K-Pop gets more popular, it has become increasingly scrutinized by those who don’t understand the industry.

While netizens tend to share their anger over the disrespect and comments towards K-Pop artists, one global superstar who has gained praise for speaking about BTS and K-Pop is American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo.

Singer and songwriter Ne-Yo | @NeYoCompound/Twitter

During a recent interview, Ne-Yo was asked whether he thought there was a chance of their being of another boy group like NSYNC or Boyz II Men.

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In answer to the statement, Ne-Yo revealed that it wasn’t fair to say that the idea and concept of boybands isn’t a thing as he explained, “The boy band is not dead; it’s just Korean.”

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While it seemed quite blunt, Ne-Yo proved that his words carried a wealth of praise and respect. He went on to praise not only BTS, but everyone within the K-Pop movement, which could be artists, fans, and those who work in the industry.

Shoutout to BTS, shoutout to the whole K-Pop movement. They are still going strong with the boy band movement.

— Ne-Yo

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Ne-Yo then explained that he gives a lot of credit to the industry, adding his own experience.

I got to give a lot of credit to K-Pop. I’ve just been over there and saw the machine that it is over there.

— Ne-Yo

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In particular, Ne-Yo couldn’t stop praising the training system used in K-Pop, explaining that they are given the skills before it is even a possibility to debut. While some have criticized the system, Ne-Yo shared the benefits of creating a quality product.

They literally are going from a child and training these kids in music, guitar, piano, real-life music. They are teaching them how to really sing, really dance, and then they decide if they’re going to get into a group or if they will be a solo artist. It’s like producing a pretty quality product, if I do say myself.

— Ne-Yo

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In the end, Ne-Yo gave one last shoutout to K-Pop.

So, shoutout to K-Pop and everything that’s happening in that movement.

— Ne-Yo

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When the video was posted, netizens couldn’t get enough of Ne-Yo’s kind words about BTS and K-Pop in general. While netizens are used to hearing K-Pop being belittled or disregarded, Ne-Yo shared his utmost respect for the industry. In particular, ARMYs joked about how happy BTS’s Jimin would be, considering how big a fan he is of Ne-Yo.

R&B singer Ne-Yo mentioned #BTS in a recent interview

“The boy band is not dead, it's just Korean. Shout out to BTS & the whole K-Pop movement. They're still going strong..”

He is so real for this pic.twitter.com/UXTsUdVJCj

— BANGTAN DELIGHT ¹⁰ (@Lovly_mochitwin) June 4, 2023

awww Ne-yo mentioned BTS in his recent interview, someone please show this to Jimin, baby will be happy ???????? pic.twitter.com/fGRQf9IFfu

— JIMIN STREAMING (@pjm_streaming) June 5, 2023

Ne-Yo giving a shoutout to BTS wasn’t on my bingo card https://t.co/xvkQMDGdyW pic.twitter.com/tZgRtJ1r6r

— Kristina ⁷ ⟭⟬ ₁₀ₜₕ ⟬⟭ (@LivLaughBTS) June 4, 2023

While Ne-Yo is one of the most iconic stars in the world, it is heartwarming that he was so respectful towards K-Pop and shared his respect for the hard work of everyone in the industry.